How I Accidentally Turned a Simple Lead Magnet into a Premium Product
Jan 24, 2025I never meant for this to happen, but what started as a basic lead magnet - literally just a list of 75+ ideas - somehow transformed into something way bigger. Here's the wildly simple journey of how I accidentally created a premium product and the lessons I learned along the way.
When I created a lead magnet, my only intention was to provide a list of ideas. I never planned to turn this into a paid product, but that's exactly what's happened. This all started with a disgustingly simple lead magnet—a list of over 75+ ideas.
The product is 75+ High Demand Niche Ideas.
I wrote the “+” to indicate you’ll get more than 75 because I thought it looked cooler than saying something like 91 ideas. What I didn’t realize, though, was that this made it easy for me to make future updates to the lead magnet without changing the marketing.
This made it easy to swap ideas out for new ones, or make updates to old ones. The marketing and copywriting promised a list, but I over-delivered with a little extra value.
But honestly, the list wasn't as helpful as someone might hope it would be. It was really simple and just had a long list of ideas. That was it. There were no explanations, no stories, nothing to build it up, nothing at the end of this list, nothing that added value other than the list itself.
How Iteration Turned It Into a Winning Lead Magnet
But as I started using this list as a giveaway, I realized that a lot of people wanted this product. It got a lot of attention and helped me get over a thousand leads. That's when I realized that I needed to improve this to provide much more value so that it actually reflected the value of my work.
Because as the first version of my list was built, all that leads had to do is briefly skim the list and never find high value from it. Therefore, they would never actually find value in my work. And if they don’t find value in my work, why would they care to get any of my other products or services?
After I made updates and added more content, I offered the lead magnet again. People not only continued to download this product but also reviewed it and left comments about how much they liked it. Suddenly, it wasn’t just a list anymore. It was a product people loved.
It became one of my most popular lead magnets, generating over a thousand leads.
This feedback motivated me to improve it even more. I added even more value, but instead of making the lead magnet longer, I created an email sequence to go with it.
If someone downloaded the list, they’d get a series of emails packed with tips and insights on picking a niche. This additional content helped them solve a specific problem and achieve their goal. And that’s when things really took off.
The Power of Continuous Improvement
Fast forward to today, and I’m working on the fourth version of this lead magnet. The only reason is because people continue showing interest in this product. And that’s the secret I discovered to turning simple lead magnets into paid premium products.
You start with something simple, then let your audience guide you.
Here’s the process I developed and follow now:
- Create something simple: Your first lead magnet doesn’t need to be complicated or extravagant. Just keep it simple and easy to consume.
- Test interest: Share it with your audience. If it gets tons of downloads or engagement, you know you’re onto something.
- Make updates based on feedback: Add value where and when it’s needed. Don’t go overboard, just focus on improving one thing at a time. Add value if it continues to get positive feedback.
- Listen to your audience: Watch for comments, reviews, or messages. When you see people consistently engaging and praising your content, that's a clear signal to invest more time into developing it further.
- Decide the next step: If it keeps getting attention, consider turning it into a premium product or continuing to use it as a lead magnet.
Should You Turn It Into a Paid Product?
If you’ve updated your lead magnet multiple times and people still love it, then you're probably wondering: “When should I start charging for this?”
Here’s how I approach this decision:
- Option 1: Keep it as a lead magnet. A high-value freebie can build your credibility, authority, and trust with your audience. It positions you as someone who delivers more than expected, making them want to explore your paid products/services.
- Option 2: Upsell it as a premium product. If the content has grown in depth and value, it might be worth charging for it. Use the reviews, testimonials, and social proof you’ve gathered to justify the price.
It’s entirely up to you and your strategy. Either way, you’ve created something valuable, and that’s what matters most.
Your leads are interested in gaining value from your content and your products. If you keep making these improvements, it’s hard for them not to see that. The only hard part is getting them to actually see the value before realizing the value.
Your Next Move To Turn Lead Magnets Into Premium Products
Start with something small—just enough to test your market. If people are into it, then improve it. If they’re not, move on. There's no stress, no wasted effort.
That's it—that's all you have to do. Start with something simple, update it if it gets attention, then update it again if it continues to get more attention and if people like it. The next step after that is if they continue to love this product, then make more updates, adding more value, doubling down on what your audience wants.
By the third version, you've got yourself a valuable product. You can possibly create a much more expensive, valuable product. Plus, you’ll have plenty of comments and reviews that you can screenshot and use as testimonials and social proof to help you promote the premium version of this product.
But if you want to get started, you have to create a lead magnet that people want to get. So I created the Lead Magnet Blueprint Framework to make it easier to create lead magnets, and digital products that your audience will love.
The biggest problem that creators have is knowing how to put the content together for a lead magnet. They don’t know what to write, how to create titles, what to put as sub-titles, or how to structure their content.
None of that is a problem with the blueprint framework. It literally makes the entire process of creating a digital product really easy. If this is something you need, you can get it here.
