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Lead magnet eBook ideas for coaches and consultants

Twelve lead magnet shapes that work for people who sell expertise, with the reader and the result each one promises.

Written September 11, 2026

Quick answer

The best lead magnet for a coach or a consultant is the first small step of your method, delivered completely: a diagnostic, a checklist, a one-week plan, a worked example, a decision guide. Each one below names the reader and the result, because a lead magnet without both is a brochure.

01

Diagnostics and audits

The self-assessment: ten questions your client answers before the first call, scored, with a paragraph on what each score band means and what to do first — you already ask these questions; write them down. The audit checklist: the twenty things you check when you first look at a client's situation, with a sentence on why each matters. The "which problem do you actually have" guide: three or four common presentations of the problem, how to tell them apart, and the different first move for each. All three make the reader see their situation the way you see it, which is the beginning of trust.

02

Plans and playbooks

The one-week plan: seven days, one action per day, toward a result they can feel by day seven. The first-ninety-days playbook for the moment your client is usually in — a new role, a new business, a new team. The meeting script: the exact structure of the conversation your clients dread, with what to say when it goes wrong. The template pack: the three documents you always end up building for clients, with the blanks and a page on filling them. These convert well because they are used, and a document someone uses keeps your name in front of them.

03

Cases and comparisons

The worked example: one anonymised client, the situation, the decision, the result, and what you would do differently — the single most persuasive thing an expert can write. The mistakes guide: the six mistakes you fix most often, each with the cost and the correction. The comparison: the two or three approaches your prospects are weighing, honestly compared, with the case for each. The glossary: the twenty terms your field uses that your clients pretend to understand. Pick the one closest to the first step of your method, keep it under 6,000 words, and end it on the page that leads to a conversation.

Common questions

Straight answers

How many lead magnets should I have?+

One good one per offer. Two lead magnets for the same offer split the list and double the maintenance.

PDF or EPUB?+

PDF. It opens on every device the same way, keeps the templates intact, and does not need a store.

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