3 Methods for Creating a Lead Magnet eBook

Over the years, I’ve created a few eBooks that have done well. One example is “How to Never Struggle with Blog Posts Again.” Even though I haven’t promoted it heavily, it’s been downloaded 60 times since 2021. It’s hosted on my website using Easy Digital Downloads, but I haven’t optimized it with follow-up emails or added people to my list. Still, the title grabs attention and gets downloads.

Another eBook download I have is “Write More Compelling Website Copy for your Business,” which ties into the Website Copy Framework. This one has performed better in terms of building my email list, and it didn’t take much work to create. Both could benefit from updates, and I might even combine them into a more comprehensive eBook for sale.  

Finding the Right Length  

The sweet spot for a lead magnet eBook is 2,500–5,000 words. Anything under 2,500 words might work better as a blog post, and if you exceed 5,000, you risk losing your audience’s attention. Keep your eBook reader-friendly with plenty of white space and concise content, as most people tend to skim rather than read every word.  

Three Objectives to a Valuable Lead Magnet eBook  

To create a valuable eBook, we want to tap into these three objectives:

1. Create Value: Offer actionable insights, useful information, or solutions that your readers will appreciate. 

2. Create Momentum: Help your audience make progress toward a goal or overcome a challenge.  

3. Create Aspiration: Inspire your readers with hope and the potential for transformation.  

Creating a lead magnet eBook can be an effective way to attract and engage potential customers. Each type of or each method of a lead magnet eBook that I’m going to talk about correlates with one of those creations that we mentioned.  

Method 1: Compilation eBook  

The first method is the compilation eBook. Doing a compilation eBook is not something that’s new. It’s actually been around for a very long time. Copyblogger has used this method for over a decade. The way it works is that you take a series of blog posts and turn them into an eBook. However, the key is not to compile a series of random blog posts.

I’m gonna show you two options for using the Compilation method for an eBook lead magnet.

Blog Post Compilation 

If you have already created a series of blog posts that are connected to a larger topic, these are great for this type of eBook. For example, if you’re a web security company, you may have a web security eBook with various aspects of security that support that topic. So you may have three, four, five blog posts that you have created and you combine them into one eBook.

When you use this method, you can clean it up a little, make it better, give it a little more clarity. We always write something and you go, and think, “I don’t really like how that turned out, it can be better.” You make those changes and edit your eBook before publishing.

Try to fit those blog posts into a larger picture, so you will use some segues between the chapters. Further, you need to create an intro and a conclusion. 

Podcast or Presentation Transcripts  

Repurposing transcripts from podcast and presentations can be a major benefit.

If you have podcasts, you have produced and interviewed guests who support a major topic, using a transcript could be a fantastic way to repurpose that content. If you have access to presentations you have presented, using the transcript from those could also be valuable to your audience. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel!

For example, you have a podcast and you talk about various aspects of web security and you’ve had four or five guests who talked about specific areas of web security. Take those transcripts and, with the help of ChatGPT, edit and make it easier to read. Each one of those interviews could be a chapter in your eBook. So then you have an eBook and they all actually create supporting topics for the larger topic. 

You’re not reinventing the wheel, you’re compiling. This method is efficient and repurposes your content in a way that saves readers the effort of piecing together information from multiple sources.  

With either compilation method, add additional value by including: 

• Call-outs: Highlight key quotes or takeaways.  
• Actionable Tips: Provide practical advice for readers to implement.  

Method 2: Create Something New  

This method involves creating an entirely new eBook to guide readers through a transition. For instance, at MainWP, we created an eBook to help part-time website care consultants transition into full-time professionals. 

“Maximizing Profit with MainWP: Guide to Starting Your Web Care Consulting Agency” by Todd E. Jones and Marc Benzakein 

When we created the eBook for MainWP, the idea was to help move the reader from a part-time web care consultant to a full-time web care pro. We wanted to give them ideas and resources, including MainWP Pro, to start their own web care agency.

The goal here is to help your audience achieve momentum—moving from where they are now to where they want to be. Your eBook should act as a roadmap, whether it’s helping readers scale their business, adopt a new mindset, or tackle a specific challenge.  

These eBooks can be evergreen and require upfront effort to create but offer lasting value.  

Method 3: Case Study or Customer Story eBook  

A case study eBook uses real-world examples to showcase how your product or service helps your customer overcome adversity and solve real-world problems.

The key is to tell a compelling story—not just present dry numbers. Focus on:  

• The customer’s challenge or adversity.  
• How your product or service helped them overcome it.  
• The transformation or results they achieved.  

You can get 3-5 customer stories and then compile them together into an eBook. What would probably be best is to have an interview, maybe a Zoom interview, where you have them to walk through that narrative.

Ask them to tell their story of success. Lean into their journey and have them give you a number or two that shows improvement and how your service or product helped them do that. Or, you could have them send in the video of them and actually explain how their business improved.

Next, generate a transcript just like you do with the compilation eBook method. You can use Generative AI (i.e. ChatGPT) to help clean it up and correct anything that needs to be corrected from an editorial standpoint. 

GenAI can help refine and edit your content. You can create 3-5 chapters, each featuring a different customer story. Highlight how your product or service helped them overcome adversity.

What this does is create aspiration for your customer. 

It creates hopefulness so that they can also overcome either the same adversity which a lot of users have, or they can overcome another one. They will see your product or service as the thing that helps them do that. 

Wrapping it up

As you plan for 2025, consider creating one eBook per quarter using these methods to steadily grow your email list and build valuable resources. For example, you could start with a blog post compilation in Q1, follow it with a podcast transcript compilation in Q2, create a case study eBook in Q3, and take a break in Q4 to refresh or try something new. 

Even if each eBook only adds 50–100 people to your list, that’s consistent growth that compounds over time. These lead magnets can also become evergreen assets, continuing to engage your audience long after they’re created. So, which method will you start with?