How to Create a Lead Magnet Funnel That Converts

I’ve Got a Story for You…

Back in 2019, when I was still figuring out the ropes in marketing, I landed a gig writing copy for a bunch of lead magnets. At the time, I didn’t really understand what a lead magnet funnel was — I just thought, “Here’s a cute little PDF. You’re welcome.” I’d write it, hand it over, get paid, and move on

It wasn’t until much later that I realized those freebies were doing way more than I gave them credit for.

They were fueling email list building, driving subscriber conversion, and kicking off full-blown marketing funnels — quietly doing the kind of heavy lifting most marketing campaigns wish they could pull off. Which is wild, considering I didn’t even know what an opt-in form was when I started.

And, get this, when done right, lead magnets can boost your conversion rates by up to 785%. That’s not a typo. Seven. Eighty. Five. Percent. Suddenly that “cute little PDF” didn’t seem so casual.

So if your current funnel feels more like a suggestion box than a lead generation system, you’re in the right place — because I’m going to show you how to fix it.

We’ll walk through how to create a lead magnet funnel that actually brings in the right people — with opt-in forms that convert, pages that do their job, and delivery that doesn’t fall flat.

Let’s get into it.

The Key to Creating a Funnel That Brings in Leads

I see creating a lead magnet kind of like nailing a job interview — or prepping for a date. You want to show up with something valuable, make a strong impression, and leave the other person thinking, “Okay, I’d like to hear more.”

That first free offer? It’s not just a friendly gesture. It’s your positioning. Your chance to show you understand what your audience needs — and that you’ve actually got something worth sharing.

Heads up, another metaphor — because, well, why not?

Think of your lead magnet like fishing bait. Not the cast-and-hope kind. I mean the intentional, "I know what I'm doing" kind. If the offer doesn’t speak to a specific problem they’re trying to solve, they’re gone. But if it lands at the right time, with the right message, it can kick off the entire marketing funnel — and turn curiosity into real subscriber conversion.

Intercom understood that. Instead of relying on one generic download, they created a library of targeted guides and resources, each tied to a clear value proposition. The content wasn’t just helpful — it was timely, focused, and ridiculously relevant to the people landing on those pages.

And it worked. Their hub didn’t just grow their email list — it built serious traction. That one content library earned 4,500+ backlinks and was picked up by over 570 referring domains.

That kind of visibility only happens when people see value. Not just in the content itself, but in what it leads to. Every guide pointed back to a bigger offer. Every download supported a larger conversion goal. No fluff. No wasted clicks.

And that’s what we’re aiming for: not just more emails on a list, but a system that starts strong and keeps momentum.

Phase 1: Create Your Lead Magnet

I’ve made lead magnets that totally flopped. Like, radio-silence-level flopped. I thought the design was strong, the title sounded fine, and it technically related to my offer. But here’s what I missed: it didn’t solve a specific problem anyone was actively trying to fix. It was a “nice-to-have” — not a “where-have-you-been-my-whole-life.”

Your lead magnet isn’t just a digital product you throw together for the sake of list building. It’s your first chance to show someone, “I get what you’re dealing with — and I can help.”

And if you get it right? That one free offer can kick off your entire marketing funnel, grow your email list, and set you up for better subscriber conversion from day one.

Step 1: Solve a Real Problem

Start with the pain point — not the format. Before you even think about designing anything, ask yourself:

• What is my audience Googling at 11 p.m. when they’re stuck?

• What would make their life easier today, not six months from now?

• What do people constantly ask me about?

Your lead magnet should feel like a shortcut, a cheat code, or a relief. It should offer immediate clarity or momentum — not more overwhelm.

✍️ Quick example:

Instead of “The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Business,” try “3 Templates to Write Your First Sales Page This Weekend.”
One sounds like homework. The other feels like a win.

Step 2: Pick the Right Format

Here’s where people get stuck — not because there’s a lack of lead magnet ideas, but because there are too many. Keep it simple. Choose a format that delivers fast value and matches the kind of help your audience wants.

Here are a few high-converting options:

Don’t overthink it. If the value proposition is clear, the format won’t hold you back.

Step 3: Keep It Focused and Actionable

No one needs another 60-page ebook they’ll never open. The best lead magnets are short, focused, and do exactly one thing really well. If someone can consume it in 5–15 minutes and feel better off because of it, you’ve nailed it.

Ask yourself: Can someone walk away with a quick win? Could they apply what they learned today? If yes — you’re golden.

Want It to Look Polished Without Losing a Day to Design?

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel in Google Docs. Tools like Canva make it easy to turn your idea into a professional-looking PDF, checklist, or mini-guide in a couple of hours.

(And if you’re short on time or patience? A simple, text-based Google Doc can still work — as long as the content delivers.)

Your lead magnet is the first step in building a relationship with potential customers. Make it count, and you'll be well on your way to a funnel that converts like crazy. So roll up your sleeves and get creating – your future customers are waiting.

Phase 2: Build Your Lead Magnet Form

Once your lead magnet is ready to go, it’s time to set up the form that actually delivers it — the part where someone says, “Yes, I want that,” and gives you their email.

This isn’t the place for a sad little contact form buried in your footer. If you want to grow your email list and drive real subscriber conversion, your opt-in form needs to look good, feel seamless, and actually match the intent behind your offer.

This is where Thrive Leads comes in — and why I recommend it for anyone who wants to create smart, high-performing forms without coding or duct-taping five different plugins together.

First, Download and Install Thrive Leads

Thrive Leads is a solid lead generation plugin that helps you create lead magnet forms that look great and help you convert more website visitors.

And here’s why I’ve recommended it for creating your lead-gen forms:

1. Low learning curve: Most tech tools require a period of learning – especially if you aren’t a coder or web designer. But Thrive Leads provides a straightforward dashboard that helps you get the hang of the tool quickly.

2. Templates galore: My favorite part of this tool is its wide selection of form templates. The Thrive team has literally gone ahead of you and done all the work for you in terms of creating a conversion-focused opt-in form design. You just need to find a template that suits your preferences, customize it in the visual editor (which is quite easy to use, I might add) to turn it into the perfect lead magnet form.

3. Easy Targeting Functionality: This is where it goes from good to better. Often, your target audience will land on pages and posts that are related to your lead magnet. Now, the idea of  manually embedding a form on every page is exhausting and you don’t have the time for that.

That’s where Thrive Leads comes in.

For a given form, you can program the display logic to show your forms sitewide, on specific posts and pages, or even exclude specific posts or pages..

For example, if you’re promoting a free fitness guide for women you can set up Thrive Leads to show the opt-in form on all your blog posts about women's fitness. You might also want to display it on your "About" page where you talk about your expertise. 

At the same time, you can keep it from appearing on posts about men's fitness or kids' nutrition. This way, you're showing your lead magnet to people who are most likely to be interested in it – increasing your conversion chances.

Next, Connect to Your Email Marketing Service

You'll need to configure your email provider so that a confirmation email lets them know their signup was successful.

In the Thrive Leads editor, while editing one of the forms in your states, click your form and take a look at the left sidebar:

Click the “Add Connection” button and look for the “Go to API Dashboard” option.

Here, you can connect your email marketing service to your form, so your leads are sent to the right place.

To learn how to connect a specific email marketing service to the Thrive API, check out this hub of tutorials.

Then, Configure Your Display Settings

Once you’ve created your form and saved it, head back to the main Thrive Leads dashboard and find your new form.

There will be a red cog, with an exclamation mark, on the right side of your form.

This is where you’ll set when and how you want your form to display on your site. No need to embed a shortcode or manually add the form to your pages or posts.

Simply tick the relevant checkboxes to indicate where you want your forms to appear.

It all gets taken care of right from your Thrive Leads dashboard.

Here, you can:

• Specify on which webpages, posts, categories, or custom post types the form should appear on your WordPress site. You can include or exclude specific pages (e.g. the homepage) or categories.

• Define rules based on visitor behavior, such as new vs. returning visitors, or based on referral source.

• Choose whether the form should be displayed on desktops, tablets, mobiles, or a combination of these.

• Set rules based on the amount of time a visitor has spent on your site before the form is shown.

• Enable the form to appear when it seems like the visitor is about to leave your site (this is mainly for popup forms).

Different options will appear, depending on the opt-in form type you’ve chosen.

This feature is useful for your business because it lets you have total control to show your sign-up forms to the right people at the right time, increasing the chances they'll sign up.

Phase 3: Setting Up Your Lead Magnet Funnel

1. Download and Install Thrive Architect for Your Funnel Pages

For your lead magnet funnel, you’re going to need a landing page that catches the eye and keeps your audience engaged.

That’s where Thrive Architect comes in.

Here’s why you should consider Thrive Architect:

1. Easy Building: Thrive Architect’s drag-and-drop editor makes the landing page creation process much easier — and more enjoyable! You can easily move around whole sections, or small design elements without compromising the rest of your page.

2. Tailored Page Templates: Starting from scratch can be intimidating. That's why Thrive Architect offers a variety of templates designed to make your life much easier. Whether you're creating a landing page for a digital product, physical product, service, or even a membership site, you'll find templates that fit your needs. Using these templates can save you a ton of time. Instead of starting from scratch, you can pick a template that's close to what you want and then tweak it to fit your needs.

3. Conversion Focus: Thrive Architect is  full of features to help your funnel work better. Want to grab your visitors' attention and keep them reading? Thrive Architect lets you add eye-catching buttons and colorful content boxes that stand out. Need to create a sense of urgency? You can add countdown timers with just a few clicks.

And since so many people use phones to browse these days, you'll be glad to know that Thrive Architect makes sure your funnel looks great and works well on all devices.

In short, Thrive Architect takes the headache out of building a high-converting lead magnet funnel. It lets you focus on what really matters - creating an offer your audience can't resist.

2. Create Your Main Landing Page

Once you’ve set up Thrive Architect, it’s time to get building. If you’re short for time and don’t want to build from scratch, I recommend using one of our Thrive Architect templates.

These templates do the heavy lifting for you. No need to stress over design details - just pick a template and add your personal touch.

And one of the best ways to customize your pages is with our Block templates.

Landing pages are easy to put together once you get the hang of it – especially when you have templates and an intuitive editor to help you out.

If you’re new to online marketing, or need a reminder of the landing page basics, check out this tutorial. 

And take note: if you’re using a Thrive Leads form for your lead magnet funnel, you can delete the standard forms on your Thrive Architect landing page and embed your Leads form. You can learn how to do this right here.

3. Create Your Confirmation Page

A confirmation page is a key part of your lead magnet funnel. It does more than just confirm a successful sign-up. This page reassures new subscribers, guides them on next steps, and sets clear expectations.

You can use it to prompt subscribers to add your email to their safe senders list, direct them to check their inbox, or explore more of your content. And you can easily set one up in Thrive Architect, using one of our pre-made templates.

4. Create Your Thank You Page

Your thank you page is a golden opportunity to turn new subscribers into engaged followers or even customers. It's the next step in your lead magnet funnel, and it's too valuable to waste on a simple "thanks for signing up" message.

Use this page to guide your new leads towards the next action. You could point them to your best content, offer a quick win related to your lead magnet, or encourage them to connect with you on social media. The goal is to keep the momentum going and deepen the relationship you've just started.

5. Test Your Funnel

You've built your funnel. Now it's time to make sure it actually works.

Go through your funnel yourself first. Use your own email to sign up. As you do, ask yourself:

• Can you easily find and use the opt-in form?
• Does the thank you page load quickly?
• Do you get your lead magnet right away?
• Do all the email links work?
• How does it look on your phone?

Don't just test once. Try different browsers. Use your laptop, your tablet, your phone. If you can, get a friend to try it too. They might spot something you missed.

Pay close attention to your email sequence. Check that each email arrives when it should and that they make sense in order.

If you're using a tripwire offer, buy it yourself. Is the price clear? Does checkout work smoothly? Do you get what you paid for without any hassle?

Once everything's working like it should, you're all set to start driving traffic to your funnel and grow your email list.

Next Step: Ace Your Lead Magnet Delivery

Great job setting up your funnel! Now, let's talk about getting your lead magnet into your new subscribers' hands. This step is key - after all, your lead magnet is what your subscribers signed up for. You want to make sure they get it quickly and easily.

There are several ways to deliver your lead magnet. Each has its own strengths, so think about what works best for you and your audience. Here are some popular options:

1. Email attachment: Simple and straightforward. Just attach your lead magnet to your welcome email.
2. Download link: Include a link in your email that leads to a download page on your website.
3. Password-protected page: Send subscribers to a page on your site where they enter a password to access the lead magnet.
4. Google Drive or Dropbox link: Host your lead magnet on a cloud service and share the link.
5. Membership site: If you're offering ongoing resources, consider setting up a simple membership area.

The easier you make it for subscribers to get their hands on your lead magnet, the happier they'll be. And happy subscribers are more likely to engage with your future emails and offers.

Thrive Tip: Want to dive deeper into lead magnet delivery and pick up some key tips? Check out our article: How to Deliver a Lead Magnet (+Key Tips).

Frequently Asked Questions: Lead Magnet Funnel Edition

1. What’s the best type of lead magnet to start with?

Whatever solves a real problem fast. A checklist, template, or short guide usually works best — something your audience can use today without needing a PhD or an afternoon off.

2. Do I really need a thank you page and confirmation page?

Yes — they’re not just there for decoration. A good confirmation page sets expectations (so your lead magnet doesn’t end up in spam), and a thank you page gives you the chance to build momentum. Don’t leave people hanging.

3. Can I build this whole funnel without hiring a developer?

You can — and you should. Tools like Thrive Architect and Thrive Leads were made for non-techy business owners who want full control without needing to code (or bribe a tech-savvy cousin).

4. How do I know if my lead magnet is actually working?

Watch your numbers. If people are landing on your opt-in form but not signing up, it’s a messaging issue. If they’re signing up but ghosting your emails, your lead magnet might not match your follow-up. Either way, a little testing goes a long way.

Ready to Build Your Lead Magnet Funnel?

If you’ve made it this far, you’re clearly not just here for theory. You’re here to build something that works — and doesn’t make you want to throw your laptop out a window in the process.

At this point, you’ve got all the pieces:

• A lead magnet that’s actually helpful (not just a digital pat on the head)

• An opt-in form that earns attention without being needy

• A simple, smooth funnel setup that gets your people from “maybe” to “let’s do this”

This doesn’t have to be overcomplicated. It just needs to be intentional — and a little strategic.

And if the tech side still gives you hives? I hear you. That’s exactly why I use Thrive Architect and Thrive Leads. They let you create pages and forms that look good and convert — without duct tape, developer drama, or rage-Googling “why won’t this plugin work.”

If you want all your funnel tools in one place — forms, pages, A/B testing, targeting — Thrive Suite gives you the full toolkit to make it happen without burning out or blowing your budget.

So if your lead magnet’s been sitting on your desktop for six months waiting for the stars to align… this is your sign. Set it up. Launch the thing. Let people say yes.

Because when you lead with clarity and value, people notice. They subscribe. They stick around.

And that’s when the fun starts.