What are lead magnets?

A lead magnet is a free offer that a potential customer provides their email address to receive. I typically use books, usually in the form of a short ebook. The reader provides their email address and immediately receives the book as a download. You gain their contact information and learn what topic interests them. Afterwards, you can reach out to them and present your actual offer, such as a consultation, coaching session, or course.

How can I market my book myself?

The easiest way is with short videos, and if you have the budget, with advertising on Facebook and Instagram. In the video, you can talk about your topic and invite viewers to leave a single word in the comments. In return, you can offer your book for free. For advertising, you'll need a cover with strong contrast and a title that is legible even in a smaller size. Marketing is not a one-time task; you need to consistently maintain your efforts.

Can you make money with your own book?

Yes, but rarely with the sale of the book itself. That's not the most effective strategy. You'll earn more from what comes after: a course, coaching, consulting, an online store, or a service. The book will connect you with the right contacts for that offering. All the businesses I've built started with a book. You'll always make the most money with follow-up products.

What can be done to acquire customers?

Give your potential customers an easy way to get started, for example, by offering a free book that addresses a specific problem they face. Those who sign up demonstrate that the topic is of interest to them. Choose a topic that will provide them with an “aha” moment or quickly deliver a tangible result, leading them towards your offer. Then, stay in touch with them via email. That's how I've been working for years: a book on a specific topic, building contacts, and selling through email.

Is an ebook better than a physical book?

Yes, to begin with. I would always start with an ebook. You can much more quickly test whether your topic resonates with your audience. You don't have to send anything out. And your readers have the book immediately after downloading it. 20 to 40 pages is sufficient and can be completed in a single day. If the idea proves successful, you can expand the book. A thicker, printed book is worthwhile if you want to build authority strategically.

How much can you earn as a self-publisher?

Selling the book alone doesn't usually generate much income. That's why I'm approaching it differently. I'm considering what a reader is worth to me as a contact. For example, a real estate agent might give away a guide to buying an apartment in Düsseldorf. Each address might cost them €3 to €5. However, that contact is likely worth thousands of euros to them, because the reader will very probably buy an apartment within the next twelve months. The value is built into the offer behind the book.

A Book as a Lead Magnet: Plan a Book That Brings Clients

By Artur Neumann. Published November 4, 2026, updated November 4, 2026. 6 min read.

Plan a book lead magnet around a question your ideal client asks before buying. Choose the subject, title and next offer so the book supports your business.

I run my business in Germany. Monetary examples use euros unless another currency is stated.

All the businesses I’ve built have started with a book. For me, that remains the best marketing strategy I know.

Previously, I worked at a large advertising agency. After two years, I went freelance and founded my own book agency. There, we created books for entrepreneurs and coaches. We conducted interviews with them, wrote the text based on those interviews, and then handled design and marketing. In this way, hundreds of book projects were created, for clients and for myself.

In this article, I’ll show you how to plan a book as a lead magnet. You’ll learn how long it should be, where the content comes from, and what to consider when choosing a topic, title, and cover.

The real value is beyond the book

You can sell a book and earn money that way. However, that’s rarely the smartest approach. A book that resonates with your audience is even more valuable when it’s part of a larger offer, a course, coaching, consulting, an online store, or a service.

If you already have an offer, the book helps you collect leads for that specific offer. This works in almost every industry. We’ve created books for real estate companies, estate planning services, recruitment agencies, pain therapy specialists, and consultants for engineers. Even a dentist uses his book to promote his treatments. I’ll provide more details on that later.

How long should your book be?

My book on cryptocurrencies is 388 pages long. That doesn’t have to be the case. I’ve also created very short guides, almost like small magazines. One of those contained seven principles for greater customer acquisition and revenue. That short guide also brought me consulting clients.

My rule: as long as necessary, as short as possible. Anything from 3 to 500 pages is feasible.

For getting started, I recommend an ebook with 20 to 40 pages. You can create that in a single day. An ebook has three advantages. You can test your idea more quickly. You don’t have to ship anything. And your readers have the book immediately. If the idea proves successful, you can later expand and refine the book. A thicker, printed book is only worthwhile when you’re specifically aiming to build authority.

More important than the length is the topic. As an author, you face a dilemma. You want to be precise to attract the right customers. But you also want to be broad to reach as many people as possible. I recommend starting with a specific focus. Tailor your book to a particular target audience, a specific type of person. I explain why that’s more effective in this article Narrowing your target audience.

For example, a small guide titled “Seven things to consider when buying an apartment in Düsseldorf.” Anyone who signs up to receive it is very likely to purchase an apartment in Düsseldorf within the next twelve months. For a real estate agent, each of those addresses is potentially worth thousands of euros. It might cost him only 3 to 5 euros to acquire that lead.

The content is already in your head

Creating a book is much easier today than it used to be. You can record a voice memo or dictate your thoughts to an AI. You can transcribe a webinar, a course, or a coaching session. Or you can record a Zoom conversation with a client and turn it into a book. With AI, that can take just a few hours.

Use your own words and stories, not generic content from ChatGPT. That’s what makes your book valuable and demonstrates your expertise in the subject.

My first major book was for my book agency. It explained how to use a book to acquire new clients. That book helped me gain coaching clients. Many readers called me afterwards and said, “I want to do that with you.”

You should know this: only 3 to 5% of people will ever read your book cover to cover. Most will only flip through a few pages. Nevertheless, they still want it, just like people collect things. That’s why marketing, and ongoing marketing, is ultimately what matters. I explain how to distribute your book using simple videos in this article From video to email contact.

The topic: An “aha” moment that leads to your offer

Before choosing a topic, clarify one question: What are you selling? Then, find a topic that provides your ideal customer with their first and biggest “aha” moment through your book. Or a topic that allows them to achieve a concrete result very quickly.

The “aha” moment should lead to your offer. Here are two examples:

For a manufacturer of patio covers, we created a book that explains what buyers should look for.
In the book “Pain with Heart,” for one client, the “aha” moment was: In addition to physical pain, there are other factors that can intensify the sensation of pain. Many people aren’t aware of that.

Those who experience that “aha” moment will see you as an authority.

Speed also works very well. Many of my books focused on that. For example, I once sold makeup brushes. We created a book about a makeup routine in seven minutes. It showed the seven brushes you need for that routine. We sold the brush set.

With a book on how to build an online business in three days, we sold workshops in Düsseldorf and Vienna. The book outlined what we would do in the workshop. Those who wanted to implement it attended the workshop, and we worked with them on their computers. Ultimately, your book should best solve a specific problem.

The title: Your ideal customer should think, “I want that.”

Dr. Philipp Maatz is a dentist. Many of his patients experience anxiety about visiting the dentist. They are often hesitant to smile, feeling embarrassed and covering their mouths. We created the book “Smile with Confidence: How Patients with Dental Anxiety Can Regain Their Quality of Life” for them. The book has been very successful. The article Direct Marketing explains how Dr. Maatz uses it to attract patients.

The key principle: Your ideal customer sees the title and thinks, “That’s exactly what I want, need, or want to achieve.” Imagine you are your absolute ideal customer and see your book. Do you immediately think, “That’s exactly what I want?” If so, you have a good title.

The Cover Must Look Good on a Mobile Phone

You will most likely promote your book on Facebook and Instagram. Initially, this is usually the best way to acquire around 100 new email addresses per day. People scroll quickly on these platforms. Your cover will appear very small on the screen.

I studied design. Despite that, my basic rules for a cover are simple:

Strong contrasts and a bold background that makes the title stand out.
A large title in a clear font that is easily readable even in a small view.
An image that complements the title.

A good example is “My Probiotic Life: Three Simple Steps to a Healthy Gut.” The cover features a banana and carrots. For a book about Alpine properties, the cover shows the Alps. You immediately understand what it’s about. When someone clicks on your ad, they are taken to a simple page featuring the cover, title, and an email signup field. The article Building Your Email List explains how to create such a page.

Your First Step

Answer these four questions in writing:

What are you selling, and to whom?
What “aha” moment or quick result can a short book provide for your ideal customer, leading them to your offer?
What title will make them think, “That’s exactly what I want?”
What customer conversation, course, or voice message already provides the content?

Then, take a day and turn that into an ebook of 20 to 40 pages. Test it. If the idea proves successful, you can expand on it.