A lot of the food bloggers and food content creators I work with ask me if they need a lead magnet to help grow their email list. So let’s talk about it – are lead magnets worth it, or not?
Let’s start with the basics. Before you decide if you want a lead magnet or not, let’s answer the most important question first…
WHAT IS A LEAD MAGNET?
If you’re not 100% sure what a lead magnet is, let’s start there with a quick introduction.A lead magnet is an incentive that you give away to readers or visitors to your website in exchange for having them sign up to your email list. Quid pro quo!
A lead magnet doesn’t have to be complex, in depth or fancy. An ideal magnet should be low effort for you to create and high value for the person signing up for your list.
Do not confuse what you consider to be high value with what your reader considers high value. This is a common mistake content creators make.
You’re the expert. When we’re the expert or when something comes easily or seems obvious to us, it’s easy for us to forget that’s not the case for others.
Sometimes, high value may be as simple as saving somebody time (anything that saves me time is extremely high value to me).
I’m not going to get into a comprehensive list of lead magnet ideas here – I’ll save that for the next post But if you’re considering creating a lead magnet or two, think about what you can quickly and easily provide that makes life easier for your readers?
DO I NEED A LEAD MAGNET FOR MY FOOD BLOG?
No, you do not need a lead magnet.
I get asked this all the time and no, you really don’t. You can still build a good, healthy list without a lead magnet.
But… (I always have a “but”, right? 🤣), you will have to work harder to get subscribers and it will be a slower process.
Signing up for a newsletter is generally not the reason people land on your site and it’s not going to be top of mind. With or without a lead magnet, you’ll need to make it top of mind for them. And with no incentive, you’ll need to work harder to do that.
Make sure people have lots of visual queues to sign up on your website with popups, inline forms on individual blogs posts, text links and sidebar boxes.
You’ll need to ask people to signup via your social media channels – and make it easy for them to do so. Create an easy landing page URL where the only thing people can do is sign up for your list. (This is mine – and for what it’s worth, I don’t currently have a lead magnet!)
The upside of this? People who do sign up for your list will be there because they really want to hear from you – and that, my friends, is the basis for a healthy list!
THE #1 REASON PEOPLE TELL ME THEY DON’T HAVE A LEAD MAGNET
The biggest reason I hear for not having a lead magnet (and I hear it again and again) is that “people just sign up to get the freebie and then they unsubscribe”.
This doesn’t cut the mustard with me.
If you don’t want to have a lead magnet, don’t have one. That’s totally fine.
But if you have a lead magnet and you wind up with a net increase in subscribers every month, the lead magnet is doing its job. Why would you ditch it?
If you have a net decrease in subscribers then sure, get rid of it. And then you probably need to dive deeper into why you’re losing more subscribers than you’re gaining every month. Because, it’s probably not the lead magnet!
PEOPLE WHO UNSUBSCRIBE AFTER GETTING THE LEAD MAGNET
Yes, some people are going to sign up for your list, grab the freebie and run. That’s life. Just like they land on your website from google, get the recipe they wanted and wave buh-bye. How many of us drop into Walmart to buy the loss leader in that week’s circular and then get the heck out of there?
We all do stuff like this from time to time when it comes to the businesses we interact with.
If your lead magnet is low effort for you, then it’s really not a big deal if somebody unsubscribes after they get your lead magnet.
Let them go.
They were never going to engage with your emails anyway and they wind up costing you money instead of making you money.
But, the people who do this are almost always the minority. It just feels like they’re the majority because they’re actively letting you know that you’re not for them and that always sucks. (think about how we obsess over the one negative or ignorant comment on a recipe but disregard the dozens of positive comments??)
THE OTHER REASONS PEOPLE UNSUBSCRIBE SHORTLY AFTER GETTING YOUR FREEBIE
It’s more likely that people unsubscribe from your email list after getting your lead magnet for one of these reasons:
they read it and realized your tone or style is not for them
the lead magnet didn’t deliver what it promised
they were inundated with multiple emails from you in a very short period of time
your send frequency is too high for their tolerance
your list onboarding is clunky
The first? Well that stinks but, we can’t be for everyone. We shouldn’t even try. Having a unique voice and a strong point of view will help you stand out and build a strong following. But it will also turn some people off. And that’s ok!
It wouldn’t hurt, though, to have a few friends or food content creator peers review your lead magnet and your initial emails to see if maybe the tone is coming across awkwardly or your humour or words are falling flat.
The other reasons? Those are all things that are fixable! But it’ll mean you need to sit down and have an honest talk with yourself about what you’re doing.
⭐️ Are you delivering what you promised in the lead magnet? ⭐️ How many emails did they get from you in the first week? 1? 3? 7? TEN??? ⭐️ Were you up front about how often they can expect to hear from you in the welcome email you sent them? ⭐️ Did they have to jump through hoops for the lead magnet to drop in their inbox? (and yes, you should be using double opt-in)
THE LAST WORD ON LEAD MAGNETS FOR FOOD CONTENT CREATORS
No, you don’t need one.
But having one will help you grow your list faster – especially if it’s something your ideal subscriber values.
If you have a lead magnet and you’re getting a net increase in subscribers every month, it’s doing it’s job. I would keep it
Don’t worry about unsubscribes so much as long as you’re growing, your open rate is steady and people are engaging with your email content.
I’ll be back soon to talk about the kinds of lead magnets you can offer that will be easy for you to make and highly valued by your audience!
Want More Tips?
Want more email tips? Subscribe to my monthly newsletter! Each month I write an exclusive newsletter full of tips, tricks and ideas for food content creators and their email lists!
A detailed list of May food observances makes it easy for food content creators to brainstorm blog and email content ideas.
If you’re looking for ideas for May content for your food blog’s email newsletters or social media channels, or you’re wanting to brainstorm recipe ideas or come up with fun food videos for your YouTube channel, check out all of these May food holidays. You’re sure to find something that gets your mouth watering – there’s suitable topics for every kind of food blogger and food content creator.
Many of these observances are based on dates in the United States but are often celebrated in the food community at large. I’ve tried to note where a month, week or day is tied to a specific country other than the USA. And where a day is observed globally, that has been noted as well.
Some food observance dates do shift from year to year but these dates should be current for 2024
Want more email tips? Subscribe to my monthly newsletter! Each month I write an exclusive newsletter full of tips, tricks and ideas for food content creators and their email lists!
April is the time of year where we really start to see the first fresh, local produce start to make an appearance. Team that up seasonal holidays like Ramadan, Passover and Earth Day and there’s no shortage of April newsletter ideas for food bloggers and food content creators.
April offers up a wealth of content ideas for your email newsletters so now is the time to start writing and scheduling so they’re all ready to go next month.
SEASONAL HOLIDAYS:
In 2024, Easter is early (in March) so that means the major observances for April this year are Ramadan (which continues from March until April 10), Passover (April 22- April 30) and Earth Day (April 22). Each with their own unique food based traditions. That means lots of content ideas!
the food!
entertaining – small groups, large groups, casual, budget friendly, upscale, planning and prepping
kid friendly projects
classic traditions
modern twists on tradition
don’t forget leftovers!
sustainable ingredients
reducing food waste
trying a local diet (100km diet etc)
SEASONAL FOOD:
April can be a wild ride depending on where you live and how angry winter has been! Not all of these foods will be in season everywhere just yet (but they’re coming!)
asparagus
lettuce – a wide variety
spinach
radishes
rhubarb
fiddleheads
ramps
greenhouse produce: tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers and strawberries
BRUNCH IS BACK!
Early spring means brunch is back and patios are opening up – maybe even the one in your back yard! Start putting those brunch recipes and entertaining ideas out there. People will be looking for them!
EARLY MOTHER’S DAY:
People plan ahead for Mother’s Day in North America so it’s appropriate to start dripping content out in late April newsletters:
brunch and lunch
afternoon tea
cakes, pastries and desserts
outdoor dining
dinner menus
prep ahead
EARLY VEGGIE GARDENING:
Veggie gardening is food content and more and more people are interested in growing their own food! There is interest in small space gardening, container gardening and full scale backyard growing… and what they can cook with their new bounty!
TAILOR YOUR APRIL NEWSLETTER CONTENT FOR YOUR EMAIL AUDIENCE
As always, these are ideas to help you brainstorm. Adapt them to fit your audience and your niche, which you know better than anyone else.
Remember that your email audience may be different from the audience that finds you through search.
Focus on what your newsletter subscribers respond to. If you have the data available in your newsletter marketing platform, look at which content they responded to this time last year. Then create newsletter content that’s a good fit!
Now’s the time to get started. Plan out your April newsletter calendar and batch write your emails. Schedule them and you’re good to go!
** remember that you cannot use your direct Amazon affiliate product links in your emails but you can link to blog posts that contain Amazon affiliate links and you can link to your Amazon influencer shop. Check the rules of any other affiliate programs you use before including your links.
Want more email tips? Subscribe to my monthly newsletter! Each month I write an exclusive newsletter full of tips, tricks and ideas for food content creators and their email lists!
This list of March food observances makes it easy for food content creators to brainstorm blog and email content ideas.
If you’re stuck for ideas for March content for your food blog’s email newsletters or social media channels, or you’re wanting to brainstorm recipe ideas or come up with fun food videos for your YouTube channel, check out all of these March food holidays. There truly is something for everyone and every type of food blogger and food content creator.
Many of these observances are based on dates in the United States but are often celebrated in the food community at large. I’ve tried to note where a month, week or day is tied to a specific country other than the USA. And where a day is observed globally, that has been noted as well.
Want more email tips? Subscribe to my monthly newsletter! Each month I write an exclusive newsletter full of tips, tricks and ideas for food content creators and their email lists!
This quick tip works equally well for email newsletters and product pages or product marketing launch pages. We’re talking about buttons – with a strong call to action.
I’m always looking for quick, easy ways to improve click throughs in emails or on product pages. Because sometimes, the simplest tweaks can result in the biggest rewards. And it’s always fascinating to me how the smallest change can completely alter a person’s behaviour!
So today, let’s talk about buttons. Particularly buttons with a strong call to action!
WHY YOU NEED TO USE BUTTONS IN YOUR EMAIL MARKETING
Most people who read your emails or scroll your product listings are probably doing so on their phones . ***
Clicking on text links on our phone is always a little more challenging than clicking while on a desktop or laptop – or even a tablet.
Big thumbs, small screens.
This is especially true when the links are short, one or two word text links.
If you’re not already, start using buttons in your emails and on web pages where you have an important call to action you want the reader to take.
They’re big, they’re bold, they stand out and, they’re easy to click when you’re holding a phone.
And unlike 5 or 10 years ago where including a button meant doing some coding, now they’re as simple as drag and drop so there’s no reason not to.
BONUS TIP: USE STRONG CALL TO ACTION LANGUAGE.
When you use a button, it’s important to use strong call to action (CTA) language that makes it clear what clicking the button will do.
Strong CTAs you might want to use include:
BUY IT NOW
GET YOUR EBOOK NOW
READ THE BLOG POST
GET THE RECIPE
SUBSCRIBE NOW
You can also use an arrow icon on the button to make it even clearer that something is going to happen when they click that rectangle.
Not that long ago I started transitioning clients from using the name of the recipe on a button to using a strong CTA.
So this…
Changed to this:
Every single one of them saw an uptick on click throughs by changing the CTA on the buttons. It was amazing what such a small change could do.
If you’re not already, try using buttons in your emails and on your website when you need the reader to take action.
If you are using buttons, make sure you’re using simple, strong language that directs the reader to take action.
Track your results and see the difference!
*** Not all email lists are the same. Don’t assume your readers are mostly mobile users even if that is the industry norm. Always check your data to see what your list is doing and tailor your emails accordingly!
Want more quick tips to help you with your email and digital product marketing? Subscribe to my monthly newsletter! Each month I write an exclusive newsletter full of tips, tricks and ideas for food content creators and their email lists!
It’s easy to get stuck trying to figure out what kind of content to put in your email newsletters but if you’re a food blogger or YouTuber, you already have loads of content ready and waiting to be used. Just look into your content archives!
One of the biggest challenges most food bloggers and food content creators have when it comes to consistently emailing their newsletter list is figuring out what to put in their emails.
But in reality, you probably already have more email content than you know what to do with!
REPURPOSE OLD BLOG CONTENT VIA EMAIL
If you’re stuck for something to send to your list, it’s time to… go back in time!
Your email marketing is the perfect platform to resurrect old content.
Your new subscribers? They haven’t read that old content.
Your old subscribers? They haven’t seen it in eons, possibly years and potentially not at all! (did you even email them regularly 3 years ago? 5 years ago? 10 years ago?)
While it’s important to update old content on your website regularly for SEO purposes, those rules don’t apply to your emails. If a post is old and doesn’t have the best photos or has a story about your Aunt Betty that the search engines aren’t interested in, it doesn’t matter. You can include it in an email.
Posts that are less popular in search can still get great click throughs in your newsletter (earning you some ad revenue) because it’s a different type of reader.
Think of it this way:
Most of us will never be able to rank on page one for a chocolate chip cookie recipe – the competition is waaaaay too fierce. But that doesn’t mean your recipe isn’t a great recipe!
In fact, your newsletter readers want to know what your chocolate chip recipe is because they trust you and like your content. That’s why they open your emails every week!!!
So share that 6 year old chocolate chip recipe in an email. They want to see it.
HOW CAN YOU REPURPOSE OLDER BLOG CONTENT INTO EMAILS?
Here are some easy ways you can repurpose your old content into emails:
⭐️ THEMED EMAILS: example: a Taco Tuesday theme. Make the email a digest of all your taco recipes. You can make themes as broad (cookies) or as specific (peanut butter cookies) as you like depending on the type of content you create.
⭐️ MENU EMAILS: create a complete menu for a meal. You can theme these as well.
Here are just a few ideas:
mother’s day brunch menu
takeout night at home menu
book club meeting menu
easy kids birthday party
the “soccer practice is at 7pm” menu
Expand this to a meal prep menu for the whole week if that’s your niche.
Expand this to a meal prep menu for the whole week if that’s your niche.
⭐️ SEASONAL EMAILS: Package up seasonal content on your site into individual emails. There are so many opportunities to do this.
For example, Halloween is in October. Package up old Halloween content into a series of October emails:
5 Ghoulish Halloween Treats
5 Fun Halloween Treats to Make with Kids
5 Spooky Halloween party cocktails
⭐️ LEFTOVER EMAILS: what happens after every holiday? We have leftovers. Using Halloween as an example again, send an email out right after Halloween with 5 Recipes That Use up Leftover Halloween Candy or 5 Recipes that Use upPumpkin Carving Leftovers. The recipes themselves don’t have to be Halloween related – they just have to be pumpkin or candy related – search your archives for pumpkin recipes. People always forget about leftovers!
These emails are also a great way to highlight minimizing food waste.
⭐️ TUTORIAL EMAILS: If you specialize in something, package up tutorials on your site into emails. Let’s say you make a lot of pies. Send out an email “Everything you need to know about making pie crust” and simply include 5 links to different pie crust recipes and tutorials on your site (how to make pie crust, how to make a two crust pie, savory pie crusts, how to do a lattice top, etc). You don’t have to write an essay on pie crust – just include the links with a short paragraph tying them all together.
⭐️ GREATEST HITS/POPULAR POSTS: Do recap emails highlighting the most popular recipes or posts on your site. Break it down further and do the most popular soups, desserts, weeknight dinners… you get the idea. Share your personal favourites. Readers like to know.
TIPS TO MAKE REPURPOSING CONTENT INTO NEWSLETTERS EASIER
Here are some simple tips to make repurposing blog or video content into newsletters easier for you or an assistant
✅ PRO TIP:keep a spreadsheet that contains a list of all the emails you send out each year.
Include the date of the email, the topic and the recipe or article names and links that were included. Use a new tab in the sheet for each year. Also make notes of any products or special offers you promote: either your own (recipe ebooks, printables etc) or non-Amazon affiliate links.
This helps ensure you don’t repeat links too frequently. I’ve noticed many of my clients tend to gravitate to the same 20-30 links over and over because they like the recipes or they perform well in search. But by having a record, it’s easy for me to show them we used that link two months ago and it’s too soon to repeat it.
✅ PRO TIP:a spreadsheet is easily searchable making it easy for you, or anyone helping you, to check and see the last time you included a taco recipe.
✅ PRO TIP:Try to wait at least 6 months to repeat a link. I prefer to wait longer but it really depends on your send frequency or the content you want to reuse. Sometimes sooner is better!
✅ PRO TIP:Repurposing content makes it very easy to write and schedule your seasonal emails well in advance. By repurposing your older Halloween or Christmas content you can probably have 10 seasonal emails written and scheduled by late September.
Leave space in your schedule to write an email for new holiday content or leave space in each email where you can add a new recipe that fits with the theme. But seriously… how nice would it be to have all those emails written before the busy holiday season even starts?
These are all really simple ways you can repurpose old content and make it earn its keep, while never running out of emails to send!
WANT MORE TIPS?
Want more email tips? Subscribe to my monthly newsletter! Each month I write an exclusive newsletter full of tips, tricks and ideas for food content creators and their email lists!
