Subscribe Now: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
There’s a question that I hear often.
“What is the best lead magnet to use in 2026 and what is working right now?”
It is a reasonable question. You don’t want to spend time creating something that no one downloads. You also don’t want to build a list of people who will never buy from you.
The honest answer is that there is no single “best” lead magnet.
There is only the best lead magnet for your offer, your ideal client and the journey they need to take before they are ready to buy.
In this post I want to walk you through how to think about lead magnets in 2026, which formats I am seeing work and how to create something that does more than grow a list. You want a lead magnet that helps people move towards becoming paying clients.
There is no one size fits all lead magnet
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that I always come back to testing. What works brilliantly for one business can fail for another.
I know you’re probably hoping I will say something like, “PDFs are dead” or “quizzes convert best right now”. But the truth is that any of the common formats can work.
The more important questions are:
- Who is your ideal client
- What do they need to believe or understand before they buy
- What are you actually selling on the other side
You can have the most beautifully designed ebook in the world, but if the topic doesn’t line up with the transformation your paid offer provides, it will not attract people who are likely to buy it.
So instead of asking, “What format is working best” try this instead.
“What would be most helpful for my ideal client to understand, believe or achieve before they are ready to buy my offer”
That one question can change the direction of your entire funnel.
Your lead magnet is the first step towards your paid offer
The easiest way to think about your lead magnet is as a first small step on the same path as your paid offer.
If you help clients build group programs, your ideal client might be stuck in 1:1 delivery with no idea how to package their work. A lead magnet like “10 plug and play group program outlines to move from 1:1 to a group model” gives them momentum. It shows them what is possible and sets you up as the person to help them build and fill that program.
If you are a nutritionist selling a 6 week gut health course, your ideal client may not fully understand that their symptoms are connected to their gut. A lead magnet like “Three mistakes that are keeping you bloated and what to do instead” helps them name the problem and see that there is a different way forward.
In both cases, the format could be a checklist, a guide or a mini training. The content is doing the heavy lifting, not the container.
Formats that are working well in 2026
That said, there are some formats I am seeing work consistently well across Facebook™ Ads and organic channels right now.
Checklists
These are quick to consume and very practical. They are ideal for busy audiences who want a clear, step by step path.
Guides
Guides are slightly longer and more educational. They are a good fit when your audience needs context, frameworks or a bit more understanding before they are ready to make a decision, especially for higher priced offers.
Quizzes
Quizzes are still working well, particularly if you have multiple segments or offers. They help you segment people into different journeys. The key is to make the outcome genuinely insightful and actionable, not just entertaining.
Private podcasts
Private audio feeds are becoming more popular. They are perfect for people who like to learn on the go. A short audio series that walks through your method can work very well as a lead magnet.
Mini courses or workshops
Short trainings, delivered as a mini course or workshop, attract people who want to see how your solution works in practice. They tend to bring in warmer, more committed leads, which is ideal if you are selling a higher ticket offer.
All of these formats can work with Facebook™ Ads.
What makes the difference is the promise, how easy the content is to consume and how clearly it leads into your paid offer.
Strategy questions to choose the right lead magnet
To keep this simple, ask yourself 3 questions when you are choosing your lead magnet.
1. What do they need to believe before they buy
Perhaps they need to believe that improving their gut health will ease their symptoms, or that switching from 1:1 work to a group program is possible without sacrificing results. Your lead magnet should plant and support that belief.
2. What do they need to know or do first
If your ideal client is fully booked with 1:1 work, they might need to understand the benefits and logistics of a group program before they will ever consider your higher ticket container. If they are new to your world, they may need to grasp the basics of your framework before they will book a call.
3. What quick win can you help them achieve
Your lead magnet does not have to solve everything. In fact, it shouldn’t. It should give one clear win, one helpful shift or one new way of seeing their problem. Your aim is to move them one step closer to being ready for your paid offer.
And please do not forget the title.
A checklist called “How to improve your gut health” will disappear in a busy feed. A similar checklist called “5 easy steps to reduce your bloat today” is much more specific and urgent. Same content, different promise and a very different result.
Done is better than perfect
One of the biggest mistakes I see is perfectionism.
Many business owners spend months tweaking a lead magnet that no one ever sees. They adjust fonts, change colours and rewrite small phrases, but never send any traffic to it.
Your lead magnet is not a lifetime commitment. It is your first hello. Start with a clear idea, get it created, run some Meta™ Ads to it, then look at the numbers.
- How many people are opting in
- Are they opening your emails
- Are any of them moving further into your funnel
You can refine the topic, the title and the follow up based on real data, not guesswork.
Do not ghost your new leads
There is one last important piece. Once people have opted in, do not disappear.
We all have short memories. If you do not follow up, your new subscribers will quickly forget who you are and what they downloaded.
Make sure you have at least a simple nurture sequence in place. Keep emailing them. Share stories, case studies and helpful content that supports the same journey your lead magnet started.
A great lead magnet, supported by thoughtful follow up and a clear next step, will do far more for your sales than another pretty PDF that just collects dust.
If you would like support to map this out, this is exactly what we work on inside Abundant Ads Academy. We look at your offer, your ideal client and your funnel, then help you create buyer ready lead magnets and run high converting Facebook™ and Instagram™ Ads that turn traffic into paying clients.
Your lead magnet does not need to be perfect. It just needs to be useful, aligned and getting consumed by your ideal clients..
I would love to hear your thoughts...