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Lead generation landing pages are the superstar sales team for your online business.
Even while you’re sleeping, they’re out there beating the pavement 24/7, drumming up leads, and growing your audience.
If you’re not sure what lead gen landing pages do—or what they even are—this guide is for you. We’ll do a deep dive into exactly what a lead generation landing page is, why you need them, and how to use them to increase your conversions.
Lead gen landing pages: What you need to know
What is a lead generation landing page?
Lead generation landing pages (or lead capture landing pages) are web pages designed to help you collect contact details from visitors, which creates potential customers you can nurture into purchasing your products or services. Most lead generation pages offer visitors value in exchange for their contact information.
Landing pages tend to come in two primary flavors:
- Click-through landing pages
- Lead generation landing pages
Click-through landing pages are designed to “warm-up” or qualify visitors before they buy a product or subscribe to a service. Click-through landing pages come in all shapes and sizes. Blog posts, white papers, product descriptions, and case studies work well as click-through landing pages.
Lead generation landing pages, on the other hand, are single-purpose pages where you give something valuable away for free—like an ebook, newsletter, email course, or worksheet—in exchange for visitors’ contact information.
What is a lead?
A lead is a potential customer or buyer who has indicated interest by clicking on an ad or signing up on a landing page, for example.
What is a lead magnet?
A lead magnet is a freebie (e.g. a checklist, free ebook, printable, free mini-course, etc.) offered as an incentive to encourage a potential buyer to share their contact information with you.
Lead magnets are often gated or downloadable assets that visitors can access after completing a sign-up form on a lead generation landing page.
However, not all lead generation pages include a freebie or lead magnet. Brands and creators can also persuade visitors to provide contact information by other means, such as sharing testimonials or simply using convincing copy.
Why do creators need landing pages to generate leads?
Landing pages are unique because their sole goal is to collect visitors’ information. They’re invaluable for lead generation because they usually have only one call-to-action and focus on pitching valuable benefits of your offer to your audience. This specific, single objective increases their chances of converting.
How do you create a lead generation landing page?
To create landing pages for lead generation, you’ll need a landing page builder. You can use Kit or other landing page builders. It’s as simple as deciding on your page’s objective, choosing a template, adding copy, imagery, an incentive, and a call to action.
Kit has free lead generation landing page templates to make it easier to get started.
Landing pages for lead generation aren’t about sales
The point of your lead generation landing pages isn’t to close any deals—after all, visitors are just landing on your page for the first time.Still, you are asking them to make a “transaction.” But instead of trading money for products, they’re swapping their valuable contact details (and permission to follow up later) for the information you’re offering.
The best lead generation landing page examples, plus tips you can steal
To guide you as you build a lead capture landing page, we’ve rounded up 10 lead generation landing page examples. We’ve also included useful tips to help you learn from these creators. If you’re still feeling stuck, check out our blog post on landing page best practices.
Example #1 – Recipetineats grabs your attention with their headline
A great headline instantly stops your visitors in their tracks. That’s what food blogger and cookbook author Nagi of Recipetineats achieves with this landing page.
A strong headline draws visitors in. Image via Recipetineats.
Nagi offers 30 salad recipes in 30 days, but it’s the relatable question in the headline (“Aren’t you bored of the usual garden salad routine?”) that hooks her audience. While she doesn’t offer a downloadable lead magnet, in her landing page copy, she promises subscribers salad recipes sent to their inboxes daily until Christmas Eve.
Headline key takeaways
Landing page headlines tend to work best when you follow one of three principles:
- Ask readers a question related to your product
- Promise the reader useful information
- Explain how the reader can reach their goals
Example #2 – Sophie Clyde-Smith uses visuals that reflect their offer
Pictures help your audience visualize your offering—sometimes even better than words do. Add related images or graphics to your lead gen landing to give visitors a sneak peek.
Great visuals instantly express what you’re all about and build trust with visitors. Image via Sophie Clyde-Smith.
Business coach Sophie Clyde-Smith includes an image of her free business plan guide so readers know what to expect when they sign up for the download. She also includes a photo of herself to let visitors put a face to the brand.
Visuals key takeaways
People buy from people, not companies. Starting your landing pages with a photo lets visitors put a face to your name and makes them more likely to convert. Images of your freebie also encourage visitors to opt-in.
If you don’t want to be the “face of the company,” don’t worry. You can always find free stock photography from thousands of regular contributors on Unsplash or Death to the Stock.
Example #3 – Niklas Göke has ONE goal + eliminates distractions
Cluttering your lead generation landing page with many call-to-action buttons confuses readers and can distract them from your main goal.
Having one main CTA increases your chances of converting. Image via Write Like a Pro.
Writer Niklas Göke has one prominent CTA button on his lead capture landing page, so it’s clear what action he wants visitors to take. He does include a link to his profile at the bottom, but the font is so small only an especially curious visitor looking for more information will spot it. Niklas promises subscribers a non-downloadable lead magnet: “4 evergreen grammar tips.”
Goal and distraction key takeaways
Design every landing page with a single goal in mind. Some common goals you might choose for your landing page include subscribing to your newsletter, downloading a guide, or scheduling a call.
Leave all navigation and outside links off the landing page. These options all give users an easy chance to leave your landing page without converting, so they should be left off your landing pages.
Example #4 – Twists and Zests solves a pain point with their lead magnet
The quickest way to get attention with your lead magnet is to solve a problem for your audience.
Your landing page should tackle your audience’s pain points. Image via Twist and Zests.
Food blog Twist and Zests helps their audience make the best of fresh produce with a lead magnet containing inspiration for making meals with seasonal produce. The landing page is bright with short but informative copy about why the cookbook benefits their audience.
Lead magnet key takeaways
To choose a valuable lead magnet, start by doing some research to find out something people in your audience want or need. Start small—readers should be able to put your free information into action straight away.
If you can’t think of a topic idea, we have a whole collection of lead magnet ideas you can choose from. You can even create multiple lead magnets and test to see which is the most popular.
Example #5 – Effective Mommy uses enticing body copy
As important as your headline is, it won’t be enough to convince your audience if your body copy isn’t as appealing. It’s not about using many words but about reaching your audience at their point of need.
Persuasive body copy helps guide readers to your CTA. Image via Effective Mommy.
Parenting blog Effective Mommy speaks directly to parents looking for activities to do with their kids. This landing page even mentions three much-desired benefits parents will gain from using the free lead magnet—including 20 extra free minutes, less guilt, and less worrying.
Body copy key takeaways
Your landing page body copy should talk directly to your ideal customer:
- Speak to readers in the first-person and use words you’d use in a real conversation
- Keep your paragraphs short—two sentences is a good target
- Use subheadings, bullet points, bolded words, and white space to break up long blocks of text and make your copy easier to digest
Example #6 – Master Brick n Mortar keeps their form super simple
Just like your landing page copy, the signup form you use should depend on the goal of your landing page. Both long and short forms can perform equally well. But if you’re simply collecting signups for a mailing list, consider using a shorter form.
A short landing page makes it easier for visitors to commit. Image via Master Brick n Mortar.
Master Brick n Mortar keeps their lead gen landing page short and sweet, only asking for email addresses and providing concise information about why visitors should sign up. Their lead magnet is a guide about five things they knew before starting a brick and mortar business.
Email form key takeaways
Don’t discourage visitors from completing your opt-in form by only asking for the bare minimum information you need. Use dropdowns and checkboxes where you can, and make form fields optional to give visitors flexibility.
Your form also needs to stand out from the rest of your design—use bold colors and contrast to make sure visitors don’t ignore or miss your form.
Example #7 – The Money PhD builds trust with visitors
Since online businesses often aren’t able to interact with customers and clients in person, building strong relationships with your audience is hugely important. After all, trust means conversions, and conversions mean customers.
Dawn Robinson, financial coach at The Money Ph.D., understands the value of building trust, especially when teaching folks about financial management. She includes links to features on top industry platforms like Dave Ramsay and shares her debt-free story on the page.
Trust-building key takeaways
Build trust by sharing social proof and being transparent with your audience. Even adding a a privacy policy and providing a link from every landing page goes a long way to show you’re trustworthy.
Example #8 – High Performance Founder created a killer call-to-action
The language you use on your call-to-action button has a surprising effect (both good and bad) on your conversions. Your CTA button copy should relate to your audience—think about what your prospective leads would say or think, and use language they’ll connect with.
High Performance Founder doesn’t use boring calls to action like “Submit” or “Sign up” on their lead generation landing page. Instead, they use a specific action phrase, “Get Instant Access” to encourage signups and provide access to their sleep system guide.
CTA key takeaways
Your CTA should highlight the value you’re offering visitors. The action you offer on your CTA button might be “Download my free conversion guide,” but the value you’re offering to visitors is to “triple your subscribers with these free conversion rate tips,” so the CTA copy you test might read “Start growing your subscribers.”
Example #9 – Shift Human Performance made it mobile-friendly
A mobile-responsive page adjusts seamlessly to mobile device dimensions without any loss in quality or user experience. Your lead gen landing page should work just as well for users regardless of their device.
Nutrition and fitness coach Shift Human Performance’s landing page translates well to mobile devices. All the form fields are clearly visible, as is the CTA button, and even the imagery is as crisp on mobile as on a desktop.
Responsiveness key takeaways
Use a responsive landing page builder like Kit to ensure your lead capture landing page is mobile responsive. Be sure to test it out on your mobile device to ensure that your CTA is visible on all devices and that the copy is easily readable.
Example #10 – Everyday Reading added social proof
We already know how crucial building trust on your lead gen landing page is. There are several tactics for doing this, but sharing social proof in form of testimonials is a top option.
Blogger Janssen Bradshaw of Everyday Reading shares multiple testimonials with the names of past and current customers to boost her credibility for her Raising Readers email course, another non-downloadable lead magnet.
Testimonial key takeaways
Social proof goes a long way—testimonials from audience members can help strengthen your messaging and prove your worth to new visitors. Adding a friendly photo thumbnail and name to the testimonial can also boost conversions.
Improve your landing pages and boost conversions
Your lead generation landing pages might be superstar salespeople who work without rest, but improving their performance still isn’t the easiest thing to do. It takes research, time, and experimentation (and sometimes a little luck) to create a lead generation landing page that converts.
But if you’re patient and persistent, the results are worth the effort. If you’re looking to create better landing pages and convert more leads, Kit’s landing page builder is a great place to get started. And it’s free!
Sign up for Kit to start building high-converting lead gen landing pages.
