Free Tool
Lead Magnet Picker
A lead magnet is a trade: the reader gives an email address and gets something worth it. This picker scores your ideas on effort, fit and value — and tells you which one to build first.
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type leaves your device, and nothing is stored or sent anywhere. The output is a planning aid built from the figures you enter — check the results before relying on them.
What this tool does
List up to five lead magnet ideas with their format, the hours to build, how well they match the audience’s immediate problem, and how directly they lead to your paid offer. The picker scores each one and ranks them — not on which is most impressive, but on which earns the list fastest for the effort.
The scoring is deliberately simple: audience fit and offer fit count double, because a magnet that does not match the problem or the offer brings subscribers who never buy. Effort counts against, because a magnet that takes a month to build is a magnet that does not exist yet.
Try it
Waiting. Enter at least one idea, then press Calculate.
How it works
The score is audience fit times two, plus offer fit times two, minus half the hours to build, capped at a 10-point effort penalty. A magnet with a perfect 5/5 fit scores 20 before effort; an 8-hour build costs 4 points against that.
Fit counts double on both sides because the two failure modes of a lead magnet are a magnet nobody wants and a magnet that brings the wrong subscribers. A checklist that matches the problem exactly beats a video course that matches loosely — and both beat a magnet that takes a month to build.
Assumptions and limitations
The picker ranks your judgement. It cannot supply it.
- The fit scores are yours. The picker compares them; it cannot tell you whether a magnet matches your audience — only you know the problem your readers are trying to solve right now.
- The scoring weights are the site’s own choice: fit counts double, effort costs half a point per hour up to 10. Change the weights in your head if you disagree — the ranking is a prompt to decide, not a verdict.
- A lead magnet that collects emails and never leads anywhere is a cost: every subscriber costs provider fees and attention. The offer-fit score exists to stop that.
- Formats have different conversion in practice — templates and calculators usually convert better than guides — but the picker does not weight format. Add your own judgement for that.
Worked example
Example (illustrative inputs, not a real list). Three ideas for freelancers:
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Idea 1 | Rate increase templates — 4 hours, fit 5, offer 4 — score 16.0 |
| Idea 2 | Rate calculator — 8 hours, fit 5, offer 5 — score 16.0 |
| Idea 3 | 30-day plan — 12 hours, fit 4, offer 3 — score 8.0 |
| Build first | Ideas 1 and 2 tie — build the faster one |
Frequently asked questions
What makes a good lead magnet?
A match to the reader’s immediate problem, in a format they can use at once, that leads naturally to your paid offer. Templates and calculators usually convert better than guides, because the reader gets a result, not homework.
Should I build the highest-scoring magnet?
Usually, but not blindly. The score is a ranking of your own judgement — if the top idea is one you will not finish, build the second. A finished magnet beats a perfect one that stays a draft.
How many lead magnets do I need?
One, to start. A second magnet only helps once the first is live and converting. Three magnets that each bring a few subscribers are worth less than one magnet that brings a hundred.
Does format matter as much as fit?
Less. A perfectly fitting checklist beats a loosely fitting video course, every time. Format matters only between two ideas with the same fit — then pick the faster one to build.