What it is for

A lead magnet is the guide, playbook, or checklist someone gives you their email address to get. In B2B, the ones that work are specific: one problem, one role, one clear way to solve it. This outline is for a written guide of roughly ten to twenty pages. A busy reader gets the point from the summary page; a serious reader works through the chapters and the worksheet.

Each section has a job. The cover says what it is and who it is for. The summary earns the next ten minutes. The problem and framework pages teach. The chapters make the framework usable. The worksheet turns reading into doing, and the last page says what to do next.

When to use it

You are writing your first lead magnet and need a structure before you write a word.
You have a long blog post or a conference talk that could become a downloadable guide.
Your current lead magnet is a generic ebook and signups have not turned into conversations.
You need a resource for a specific campaign, such as a LinkedIn post series or an event follow-up.

The template

Square brackets mark what you fill in. Timings are starting points.

Page 1

Send: Cover

Title: [a plain, specific title that names the outcome, e.g. The [role] guide to [outcome] in [timeframe or constraint]].

Subtitle: [who it is for and what it contains, e.g. A [number]-step framework, [number] templates, and a worksheet for [type of team]].

[Company name and logo]. [Author name and role, if a named author adds credibility]. [Version or date, so you can update it later.]

A specific title gets downloaded by the right people. A clever title gets downloaded by the wrong ones.

Page 2

Send: One-page summary

Who this is for: [the role and situation, in one or two sentences]. Who it is not for: [one sentence, so the wrong reader can stop here].

The short version: [the framework in three to five bullets, one line each. A reader who only reads this page should still get the main idea].

How to use this guide: [one sentence, e.g. Read chapters 1 to 3 in order, then fill in the worksheet on page [number] with your own numbers].

Many readers will only read this page. Make it complete on its own.

Page 3

Send: The problem

[Describe the problem the way the reader experiences it, in their words. Two or three short paragraphs. Use a concrete scene, e.g. It is the first Monday of the quarter and [role] is trying to [task] with [the broken tool or process].]

Why the usual fixes do not hold: [workaround 1] and why it breaks. [Workaround 2] and why it breaks.

What a good outcome looks like: [one paragraph describing the state the reader wants, specifically].

No product mentions yet. The reader should feel understood before they are taught.

Page 4

Send: The framework

[Name the framework in plain words, e.g. The three-part [topic] plan.] It has [number] parts: [part 1], [part 2], [part 3]. [One sentence on why the parts are in this order.]

[A simple diagram or table showing the parts and how they connect. One page, no more.]

Each of the next chapters covers one part: what it is, how to do it, and what to watch out for.

The framework is the thing people remember and share. Keep it to one page.

Chapter 1

Send: Pages 5 to 7

Title: [Part 1 of the framework, as a verb phrase, e.g. Decide what to measure].

What it is: [one paragraph]. Why it matters: [one paragraph with a concrete example].

How to do it: [three to five numbered steps, each one an action the reader can take this week].

Common mistake: [one specific mistake and how to avoid it]. Example: [a short, realistic example, real and permissioned or labelled as illustrative].

Every chapter follows the same shape.

Chapter 2

Send: Pages 8 to 10

Title: [Part 2 of the framework, as a verb phrase].

What it is: [one paragraph]. Why it matters: [one paragraph].

How to do it: [three to five numbered steps]. [Include a template, a table, or a sample if one exists, e.g. a sample email, a scoring table, a one-page plan.]

Common mistake: [one]. Example: [one].

Chapter 3

Send: Pages 11 to 13

Title: [Part 3 of the framework, as a verb phrase].

What it is: [one paragraph]. Why it matters: [one paragraph].

How to do it: [three to five numbered steps].

Common mistake: [one]. Example: [one]. [If you have a fourth or fifth part, repeat this shape. Stop before the guide passes twenty pages.]

Worksheet

Send: Pages 14 to 15

Title: [Your [topic] plan] or [The [topic] checklist].

[A fill-in page the reader completes with their own situation. For each part of the framework: one question, one blank, one example answer. E.g. Part 1: What will you measure? ______ Example: [example].]

[A short checklist of the steps from all chapters, in order, with boxes to tick.]

[One line at the bottom: If you fill this in and want a second pair of eyes, send it to [email address].]

The worksheet is the part people print, and a natural reason to reply.

Next step

Send: Last page

What to do this week: [the first two or three actions from the framework, so the reader starts without needing you].

Where to go deeper: [two or three links to your related articles, tools, or templates].

How [company] helps: [two or three plain sentences about what you do for teams with this problem]. [One call to action: a call, a reply, or a specific page.] [Author name and a way to reach them.]

One ask, placed after the reader has already got value. Not on every page.

How to adapt it

For a checklist rather than a guide, cut to four pages: cover, summary, the checklist itself, and next step.
For a template pack, replace the chapters with one page per template: what it is for, when to use it, the template, and one filled-in example.
If your framework has five parts, keep each chapter to two pages so the guide stays under twenty.
If you cannot share a real example in a chapter, write an illustrative one and label it as such. Never present a made-up example as a client result.
If the audience is technical, add a short glossary after the framework page.

The thinking behind this template: What lead magnets work for B2B companies?.

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This is one of Sawa's illustrative frameworks, not a copy of client work. It claims no result. Last updated 2026-10-08.