“Get 10% off your first order” is the default signup offer for a reason: it’s easy to set up and it works. But it has costs. It cuts into margin on the first order, attracts people who only want the code, and teaches every new subscriber that your prices are negotiable. It also looks exactly like every other store’s popup.

A lead magnet is whatever you offer in exchange for an email address. For online stores, it doesn’t have to be a discount. Here are eleven alternatives, how to decide between them, and how to present them.

What makes a good lead magnet for a store

Before the list, a quick filter. A strong lead magnet for an ecommerce store:

• Relates to what you sell. A guide to caring for cast iron attracts cast iron buyers. A generic giveaway attracts anyone.
• Is useful immediately. The subscriber should get value in minutes, not weeks.
• Moves people toward a purchase. It helps them choose, use or trust your products.
• Is cheap for you to deliver at scale, ideally created once and delivered automatically.

Keep those four points in mind as you read the options below.

11 lead magnet ideas that aren’t a percentage discount

1. Free shipping on the first order

Shipping costs are a common reason for abandoned checkouts. Offering free shipping instead of a percentage discount often feels just as generous to the shopper, and the cost to you is fixed and predictable rather than rising with order size.

2. A buying guide or product finder

“Which running shoe fits your stride?” or “How to choose the right mattress firmness.” A short PDF guide, or better, an interactive quiz that ends with “enter your email to see your results,” helps undecided shoppers and gives you data about what they want.

Quizzes also tell you which segment each subscriber belongs to, so your first emails can be relevant from day one.

3. Early access to launches and restocks

For stores with limited runs, drops or products that sell out, access is worth more than a discount. “Get new collections 24 hours before everyone else” works well for fashion, art prints, coffee roasters and small-batch makers.

4. A free sample or trial size with the first order

Beauty, food, tea, coffee and pet stores can offer a sample instead of money off. It introduces a second product the customer might buy later, and the cost is usually lower than a percentage discount on a full order.

5. A free gift with purchase

Similar to a sample, but tied to a spend threshold: “Join and get a free tote bag with your first order over $50.” This protects margin and can nudge order size upward.

6. Care, how-to or recipe content

Useful content that extends the life of the product:

• A leather care guide for a bag shop
• A 7-day recipe plan for a spice store
• A beginner’s pruning calendar for a plant shop
• A printable size and fit guide for a clothing brand

This kind of content also makes great material for your welcome emails.

7. Back-in-stock and price-drop alerts

Not every lead magnet needs to be a “gift.” Offering to notify someone when an out-of-stock product returns, or when a saved item goes on sale, is an extremely specific reason to share an email address. These subscribers tend to be close to buying.

8. A giveaway or monthly draw

“Enter to win this month’s bundle.” Giveaways can grow a list quickly, but they attract prize-hunters. Keep the prize tightly related to your products so that entrants are at least interested in what you sell. Also check the local rules for running a prize draw where your customers live.

9. Members-only perks or a loyalty welcome

Instead of a one-time code, offer a lasting benefit: members get free returns, birthday rewards or points from their first order. This frames the email signup as joining something rather than claiming a coupon.

10. A useful tool or template

Printable planners for a stationery store, a packing checklist for a travel gear shop, a garden layout template for a seed company. Tools get used again and again, and each use reminds the subscriber of your brand.

11. Behind-the-scenes or community access

Some audiences care about how things are made. A monthly letter from the maker, studio updates or first votes on new designs can be enough to earn a signup, especially for handmade and small-batch brands.

How to choose the right one

Use this table as a starting point:

If you’re unsure, pick two and test them against each other. Run each version to a comparable share of traffic over the same period, and compare not only signup rate but also how many of those subscribers go on to buy. A magnet that gets fewer signups but more first orders may be the better choice.

Presenting your lead magnet

A good offer still needs a good pitch. A few practical tips:

• Name the benefit, not the mechanism. “Find your perfect running shoe in 60 seconds” beats “Take our quiz.”
• Show it. A small image of the guide cover, sample kit or gift makes the offer tangible.
• Ask for the minimum. An email address is enough for most magnets. Ask for more only if you’ll use it right away, such as a birthday for a birthday reward.
• Deliver instantly. Send the guide, code or confirmation within a minute of signup.
• Set expectations. One line like “We email about twice a month. Unsubscribe anytime.” reduces hesitation.

Where to place it

Popups are the most common placement, but they’re not the only one:

• A timed or scroll-triggered popup on content and product pages
• An exit-intent popup for visitors about to leave
• An inline form at the end of blog posts and buying guides
• A slide-in or floating bar for less intrusive, always-available access
• A product page link for alerts like back-in-stock
• The checkout page as a checkbox for early access or loyalty perks

Match the magnet to the placement. A care guide fits the end of a care-related blog post. A product finder quiz fits category pages, where shoppers are comparing options. For more on building forms, see our guide to WooCommerce forms.

A mini example

Say you run a small online tea shop. Your current popup offers 10% off, and most people who use the code buy one small tin and never return.

You replace it with a two-part offer: “Take the 5-question tea quiz and we’ll send your 3 best-match teas, plus a free sample with your first order.”

• The quiz sorts people into segments (green, black, herbal, caffeine-free).
• Each result email recommends three teas from that segment.
• The first order gets a sample of a fourth tea from the same segment, which becomes a natural follow-up recommendation.

You now know each subscriber’s preference, your welcome emails are relevant, and the sample creates a reason for a second order. That’s much more useful than a one-time code.

Should you ever use a discount?

Yes. Discounts are simple, easy to understand and effective for price-sensitive categories. The point isn’t to ban them but to stop using them automatically. A few ways to use them more carefully:

• Offer a fixed amount off above a minimum spend, rather than a percentage on any order.
• Pair the discount with a second benefit, such as early access, so the discount isn’t the only reason to stay subscribed.
• Test a non-discount magnet against your current discount before assuming the discount is best.

If you do use coupons, our guide to creating WooCommerce coupon codes covers usage limits and restrictions that protect your margins.

Pick one and test it

The best lead magnet for your store is the one that attracts people who want your products and helps them buy with confidence. Start by choosing one of the eleven ideas that fits your category, write a clear headline for it, place it where it fits the visitor’s context, and compare it with your current offer for a few weeks.

If you want ready-made popup templates and targeting rules to test different lead magnets, iConvert Promoter can help you set them up without code.