/suede-lead-magnets

name: suede-lead-magnets
description: "Suede AI lead-magnet strategy: choosing a format (checklist, template, swipe file, guide, quiz, mini-course, original data), setting useful depth, deciding what to gate and what to publish as an indexable page that earns links and AI citations, landing page and delivery, and measuring qualified capture. Use when the user needs a downloadable or gated resource exchanged for contact details, or wants a lead magnet that also ranks. NOT FOR: interactive calculators, graders, or generators (use suede-free-tools), lifecycle sequences after capture (use suede-emails), or production copy (use suede-copy)."
metadata:
  version: 2.1.0

Suede AI Lead-Magnet Systems

Design lead magnets as useful, rights-clear assets with an honest value exchange and a measurable path to product value. Choose the format, depth, gating, delivery, and follow-up based on audience need and qualification, not on maximizing raw email capture.

Before Planning

**Check for product marketing context first:** If `.agents/product-marketing.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing.md`, or the legacy `product-marketing-context.md` filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

1. Business Context

• What does the company do?
• Who is the ideal customer?
• What problems does your product solve?

2. Current Lead Generation

• How do you currently capture leads?
• What lead magnets or offers do you have?
• What's your current conversion rate on email capture?
• Where does the audience spend time online?
• What's the most common question prospects ask before buying?

3. Content Assets

• What existing content could be repurposed? (blog posts, guides, data)
• What expertise can you package?
• What templates or tools do you use internally?

4. Goals

• Primary goal: email list growth, lead quality, product education?
• Target audience stage: awareness, consideration, or decision?
• Timeline and resource constraints?

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Lead Magnet Principles

1. Solve a Specific Problem

• Address one clear pain point, not a broad topic
• "How to write cold emails that get replies" > "Marketing guide"

2. Match the Buyer Stage

• Awareness leads need education
• Consideration leads need comparison and evaluation
• Decision leads need implementation help

3. High Perceived Value, Low Time Investment

• Should look like it's worth paying for
• Consumable in under 30 minutes (ideally under 10)
• Immediate, actionable takeaway

4. Natural Path to Product

• Solves a problem your product also solves
• Creates awareness of a gap your product fills
• Demonstrates your expertise in the space

5. Easy to Consume

• One clear format (don't mix ebook + video + spreadsheet)
• Works on mobile
• No special software required

Defaults to Refuse

Named cliches this skill does not produce, whatever the brief says:

• The 40-page "Ultimate Guide to [Category]" nobody finishes.
• The "10 Tips" PDF that restates the blog post it gates.
• The checklist whose items are all "consider X" rather than a decidable action.
• The template that is a blank document with headings.

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Lead Magnet Types

| Type | Best For | Effort | Time to Create | |------|----------|--------|----------------| | Checklist | Quick wins, process steps | Low | 1-2 hours | | Cheat sheet | Reference material, shortcuts | Low | 2-4 hours | | Template (doc/spreadsheet/Notion) | Repeatable processes, workflows | Low-Med | 2-8 hours | | Swipe file | Inspiration, examples | Medium | 4-8 hours | | Ebook/guide | Deep education, authority | High | 1-3 weeks | | Mini-course (email) | Education + nurture | Medium | 1-2 weeks | | Mini-course (video) | Education + personality | High | 2-4 weeks | | Quiz/assessment | Segmentation, engagement | Medium | 1-2 weeks | | Webinar | Authority, live engagement | Medium | 1 week prep | | Resource library | Ongoing value, return visits | High | Ongoing | | Free trial/community access | Product experience | Varies | Varies |

**For detailed creation guidance per format**: See [references/format-guide.md](references/format-guide.md)

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Matching Lead Magnets to Buyer Stage

Awareness Stage

Goal: Educate on the problem. Attract people who don't know you yet.

| Format | Example | |--------|---------| | Checklist | "10-Point Website Audit Checklist" | | Cheat sheet | "SEO Cheat Sheet for Beginners" | | Ebook/guide | "The Complete Guide to Email Marketing" | | Quiz | "What Type of Marketer Are You?" |

Consideration Stage

Goal: Help evaluate solutions. Build trust and demonstrate expertise.

| Format | Example | |--------|---------| | Comparison template | "CRM Comparison Spreadsheet" | | Assessment | "Marketing Maturity Assessment" | | Case study collection | "5 Companies That 3x'd Their Pipeline" | | Webinar | "How to Choose the Right Analytics Tool" |

Decision Stage

Goal: Help implement. Remove friction to purchase.

| Format | Example | |--------|---------| | Template | "Ready-to-Use Sales Email Templates" | | Free trial | "14-Day Free Trial" | | Implementation guide | "Migration Checklist: Switch in 30 Minutes" | | ROI calculator | "Calculate Your Savings" (route to `suede-free-tools`) |

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Gating Strategy

Gating Options

| Approach | When to Use | Trade-off | |----------|-------------|-----------| | **Full gate** | High-value content, bottom-funnel | Max capture, lower reach | | **Partial gate** | Preview + full version | Balance of reach and capture | | **Ungated + optional** | Top-funnel education, original data | Max reach, links, and citations; lower capture | | **Content upgrade** | Blog post + bonus | Contextual, high-intent |

What to Ask For

• **Email only**: highest conversion, lowest friction
• **Email + name**: enables personalization, slight friction increase
• **Email + company/role**: bet