Downloads
the best lead magnet is the one you actually ship
Which downloadable lead magnet fits your audience, your expertise, and your funnel — and how do you finally commit to one?
You don't have a format problem.
You have a commitment problem.
You've studied ebooks, checklists, templates, swipe files, and cheat sheets. You've got two or three half-finished drafts. The problem was never effort — it's that every format looks viable and none feels certain, so you keep restarting. Ring true?
You restart every time someone else ships. A competitor's freebie becomes proof you picked wrong — so you abandon a half-built magnet to chase a format that only looked shinier in someone else's funnel.
You over-scope v1 until it never ships. You design the forty-page ebook when a two-page cheat sheet would convert just as well — and the ambition quietly becomes the reason nothing goes live.
You chase impressive instead of useful. You pick the format that looks most impressive to make, not the one that's fastest to produce and most useful to grab — so it sits unfinished while a simpler magnet would already be working.
You skip the step that decides if it pays. No business-model check means you build a magnet that attracts an audience with no path to becoming a customer — a list of browsers, never buyers.
From three half-built drafts to one format you're proud to ship
"I've started three different lead magnets and finished none. Every time I see someone else's freebie, I wonder if I should do that format instead. I can't pick one and stick with it."
"I chose the download type that fits my content, my audience, and my business model. I know exactly why I picked it — and I have a clear plan to finish and ship it in two weeks."
The shift: this was never about finding the best format in the abstract — it's about matching the right format to your situation. Once the match is clear, commitment stops being a struggle.
You don't just watch lessons.
You leave with 12 real artifacts.
Working documents you actually use — not a folder of bookmarked examples. By the end they add up to a scored shortlist, a documented decision, and a two-week plan that gets your first magnet shipped.
Format Landscape Inventory
Every viable download type, with its pros and cons.
Comparison Matrix
Cost, time, perceived value, and shelf life — side by side.
Shortlist Document
Your 2–3 finalists, with the reasoning written down.
Fit Scorecard
Each candidate rated against your skills, content, and time.
Demand Validation Report
Search data, community questions, and competitor gaps.
Alignment Check
Does this magnet attract buyers — or just browsers?
Directory / Niche Filter
Which formats win in your specific context.
Final Selection Brief
The chosen format, plus the rationale you documented.
V1 Scope Document
Page count, sections, design level, delivery method.
2-Week Production Plan
Milestones, review checkpoints, and a hard launch date.
Launch Integration Checklist
Wiring the download into your sign-up flow and pages.
Post-Launch Measurement Plan
Download rate, next-step conversion, and a feedback loop.
Three moves: see what's possible → score the fit → commit & ship
Candidates
Survey · compare · shortlistEvery download format worth considering — and the two or three that are actually yours.
- Survey Catalog the full landscape of downloadable magnet types
- Compare Weigh each format's cost, time, value, and shelf life
- Shortlist Narrow to the 2–3 that fit your expertise and audience
- Audit See which formats perform best in your directory / niche
Criteria
Fit · demand · alignA decision framework that ends the cycling — scored, not guessed.
- Fit Score each candidate against your content, skills, and time
- Demand Validate real demand with search, questions, and gaps
- Align Check whether it attracts buyers or only browsers
- Filter Apply directory / niche filters to your finalists
Commitment
Decide · scope · shipPick one, make it real, and get it in front of people in two weeks.
- Decide Make the final pick and document why you chose it
- Scope Define exactly what goes into version one
- Ship Build a 2-week plan with milestones and a launch date
- Launch Wire the download into your directory / niche funnel
More than videos —
a learning system
Every lesson lives in a platform built to help you actually absorb, apply, and return to the work.
AI Chat per lesson
Ask questions and pull key points, action items, and reflections from any lesson.
Searchable transcripts
The full text of every video — search it, scan it, jump straight to the part you need.
Highlights
Mark the passages that matter and filter the transcript down to just your highlights.
Bookmarks
Save the exact moments you'll want to come back to and reopen them in a click.
Notes
Keep personal notes saved right inside each lesson, exactly where you wrote them.
Playlists
Build custom collections of lessons and sequence the path that fits you.
Certificate
Auto-issued the moment you complete every lesson in the course.
Podcast mode
Listen to the course as audio in any podcast app — learn on the move.
Video controls
Closed captions, speed controls, picture-in-picture, and theatre mode — watch your way.
Favorites
Heart any lesson to pin it to your favorites for quick access later.
History & resume
Pick up exactly where you left off — your place is always saved.
Threaded comments
Discuss each lesson with other students in threaded conversations.
Is this course your right next step?
This is for you if…
- You know you need a lead magnet but can't decide what kind.
- You've started two or three formats and finished none of them.
- You bookmark other people's freebies and wonder if you picked wrong.
- You want a structured way to match a format to your situation — not another opinion.
- You want 12 real artifacts ending in a selection brief and a two-week ship plan.
This is NOT for you if…
- You haven't defined your audience or niche yet — start with Foundation first.
- You already have a magnet that converts and just want advanced funnel tactics.
- You want someone to build the magnet for you — this builds your decision and plan.
- You want one magic template instead of a method for choosing and shipping.
Be one of the first to tell your story
These courses are brand new. Once you've done the work, tell us how it changed your thinking — your words could be the first testimonial featured right here.
"Here's how this course changed the way I…"
your story here
"The part that surprised me most was…"
your story here
Three ways to go deeper
This course is one piece of a bigger system. Here's the whole map — and where you are on it.
University
Learn at your own paceThis course — full University access is $80 on its own.
Launchpad
Get the tools to execute-
Ebook$10narrative deep-dive
-
Checklists$15self-assessment diagnostic
-
Journal$20reflective application + AI prompts
-
Workbook$25full execution tracker
One of each — the full toolkit for this course is $70 on its own.
You're buying the University piece — the course, its platform, and the artifacts you produce. Bundle all three and save — see pricing below. Each column is also available à la carte: University $80, Launchpad $70, Events $280. See how we build →
Everything. Course price.
Lock in the full bundle today. Every piece ships to your account as it's built — and the price only goes up from here.
$430 value when complete
Everything, for the price of just the course.
- 12 lessons + AI Chat, transcripts, highlights, bookmarks
- Ebook + Checklists + Journal + Workbook shipping soon
- Workshop + Sprint + Challenge access shipping soon
- Certificate on completion
- Clinics included free — $20 each on their own
The price goes up as content ships — the founding price never comes back.
Not ready to commit? Attend our live workshops, sprints, and challenges for free — just show up. No signup, no credit card. If you like what you experience, the founding price locks in everything permanently.
Every piece below ships to your account as it's built — free, at your founding price:
- Downloads — 12 lessons Digital$80 valueLive now
- Ebook Digital$10 valueIncluded
- Checklists Digital$15 valueIncluded
- Journal + AI Prompts Digital$20 valueIncluded
- Workbook Digital$25 valueIncluded
- Workshop Events$40 valueIncluded
- Sprint Events$80 valueIncluded
- Challenge Events$160 valueIncluded
- Total value when complete$430You pay $80
↑ as the tools ship, the price rises
↑ as the live events go up, it rises again
Full $430 value, fully builtWhat ships when?+
- Week 1: Workshop Part A (courses 1–3) + Ebook ships.
- Week 2: Workshop Part B (courses 4–6) + video lessons go live + Checklists ship.
- Week 3: Sprint recordings + Journal ships.
- Week 4: Challenge recordings + Workbook ships.
Or start bigger — the same deal at every scope:
Course
1 course + tools + events
$80System
All 6 Magnet courses
$320Pillar
All 36 Features courses
$960University
All 324 courses
$4,320Same deal at every scope — everything included, price goes up as content ships. See How We Build →
Prefer one piece? Single University, Launchpad, or Events access. · See How We Build →
Founding Access — Downloads
Full bundle (University + Launchpad + Events) · $80 · pre-sale founding rate
[ Simplero checkout / order-form embed renders here ]
Wire this to the Simplero Founding bundle product for this course.
The first step of the Magnet journey
Downloads is course 1 of 6 — the decision course. It comes first because you survey the whole landscape of downloadable formats before committing to any single type, so you don't burn weeks building the wrong magnet. With your format chosen and scoped, the rest of the pod teaches you to build each one well. Next comes Cheatsheet — the highest-density, fastest-to-ship format.
You are here — choosing the right format.
You're not doing this alone
Every lesson has a discussion where you share your work and read how others approached the same prompt — so you see the patterns, not just your own answer.
“Post your experience, read two others, and notice the patterns.”
Per-pillar discussion forums are coming as the community grows.
Before you decide
Can I create more than one lead magnet?+
Eventually, yes — but the first one has to be finished and working before you start the second. This course exists to get the first one shipped, not to keep your options open forever.
What if I pick the wrong format?+
A shipped imperfect magnet teaches you more than an unfinished perfect one. The scoring framework makes a bad pick unlikely, and v1 is scoped small enough to pivot fast if you need to.
Do I need design skills?+
No. The course scopes version one at a design level that matches your current abilities. Polish comes in iteration, not in v1.
Isn't this just picking a template?+
No. A template is a format; this is a decision method. You score candidates against your content, audience, and business model — so the choice holds up instead of getting second-guessed next quarter.
I run a directory business — does this still apply?+
Yes. The fourth lesson of each module audits which formats perform best in directory and membership businesses, with a parallel niche track.
What do I actually walk away with?+
12 working artifacts — from a format comparison matrix and fit scorecard to a final selection brief and a two-week production plan with a hard launch date.
Which lead magnet format actually fits your business — and how do you commit to it and ship?
Stop bookmarking other people's freebies. Score your options, pick the one that fits, and ship it in two weeks.