7 Point Checklist for a High Performing Lead Capture Page

Are you struggling to generate leads?

You’ve created an irresistible freebie for your audience. You’ve setup a lead capture page. And, you’ve promoted it far and wide in your circle through email, social media and the works.

Now, it’s time to watch leads roll in.

BUT.

It’s not working. Your email subscriber list is still hovering near zero. Your audience isn’t opting in. Bounce rates are high and conversions rates are super low.

What’s wrong?

If your freebie is great and your page is getting a good amount of traffic, there might be a problem with the page itself. There may be a reason why it’s not converting as well as it should be.

Does the headline suck? Or is the form too long? Or maybe the description’s too vague?

What is it?

Lets find out. We’ve created a 7-point checklist to turn your barely performing page into a lead generating machine.

1. Killer Headline

On an average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar. -David Ogilvy

The first thing your audience will see when they land on your page is the headline. If your headline doesn’t persuade them to read further, they’ll click the {x} button faster than you can say STOP.

These are 2 main elements of a catchy title.

It’s clear: The readers should know instantly what they’re going to get if they opt in. Forbes lead magnet ‘The Little Black Book of Billionaires’ is a great example. It’s succinct and to the point. It doesn’t beat around the bush, making you guess what the lead magnet is really about. You know you’ll find little known secrets of billionaires through this report.

forbes lead capture page

It’s benefit driven: A benefit driven headline is one that talks about a customer’s pain points and desires instead of droning on and on about it’s features.

Rejoiner’s headline is a benefit-focused headline that nails their audience’s core pain points – abandoned carts.

lead magnet headlines

Picture Credits: (QuickSprout)

Another great example is NetApp’s headline. It focuses on their readers’ desire to save millions and that is aptly described in this headline.

lead capture page headline

When brainstorming headlines, keep the following things in mind,

  • Come up with at least 20 to 25 headlines.
  • Avoid using the pronouns ‘me, I, us, we’. Focus more on ‘you, your pain, how this will make your life easier.’
  • Use emotional words.
  • Use a headline analyzer to optimize your headlines. One of the best ones is Coschedule’s Headline Analyzer.

2. Personalized Copy

This is where you sell them your lead magnet. They’re excited about your offer and want to know more. They’re dying to find out,

  • What’s in it for them?
  • Why should they opt in for this particular lead magnet?
  • How exactly will it solve their problem?

Your copy should focus on answering these questions and giving them a solution.

Keep in mind these 2 things when writing the description.

1. Benefits driven copy vs Features driven copy

Benefits driven copy as mentioned above describes what’s in it for your customers instead of gushing about how awesome your product is.

lead capture page copywriting

 

For example,

‘This eBook has 4 chapters and each chapter explains how you can write landing page, sales page, About Page, and Homepage copy’

Vs.

‘Does copywriting frighten you? Do you think you can’t ever master the art of copywriting? Does your website copy suck? Are your conversions non-existent? We’ve got the perfect solution for you. Learn how to write sales pages, landing page, homepage and About page copy through this eBook. You’ll get access to proven templates and tons of examples to make the entire process painless and super easy!’

Which one do you think would work better?

The latter one, because it focuses on the customer, addresses their pain points and problems, and offers a solution.

2. Short and sweet does the trick

Increasingly shrinking attention spans of internet users mean that you’ve got about 8 seconds to grab their attention and push them into action.

  • Write 3-5 bullet points where you clearly but briefly mention the benefits of downloading your free product and how it can change the user’s life.
  • Use layman terms and emotional words to get your point across in a better way.
  • Focus on a conversational copy. Write like you’re talking to your audience face-to-face.
  • Stay far, far away from a keyword rich, fit-for-search-engines copy. You’re writing for humans not machines, so keep this in mind.

3. Optimized lead capture form

“Hmm, this free product sounds pretty interesting. It may just solve my problem.”

This is where your audience is at. They’re intrigued by the headline. The description pulled them in right away and now they’re desperate to get their hands on your free product. The only barrier is the lead capture form.

A lead capture form can easily make or break your offer. There are 2 core elements of a form that successfully captures leads.

  • Position

The lead capture form needs to be placed above the fold. When users click on the lead capture page, they should instantly see the form.

lead capture form example

Picture Credits: HubSpot

  • Length

A long form that requires everything, from your middle name to the number of employees in your organization, can get tedious at times. A shorter one which asks for just the email address doesn’t provide you with enough information about your lead. You need something in the middle. Ask for the most crucial information only. Limit yourself to 3 fields at most. And use lead generation software to ensure the captured data is being sent to the right marketing tools.

4. Attention-grabbing CTA button

An optimized lead capture form means that your audience is now primed and ready to turn into a lead. It’s now the CTA buttons responsibility to provoke immediate action and turn them into leads.

Here are three ways you can transform your boring CTA button into one that you can’t help but click.

  • Use contrasting colors:

A contrasting CTA button is more eye catching than one that blends in with the lead capture form. You should definitely use your brand colors when designing the page but when you’re working on the CTA button, a sharp contrast in color can do wonders for your conversion rates.

Blue and orange is a killer combination for CTA buttons and Kissmetrics demonstrates that here perfectly.

CTA button optimization

Picture Credits: (WordStream)

  • Use words that encourage action:

A boring, ‘meh’ CTA button that says ‘Sign Up’ may make your audience rethink their decision. But an action-encouraging CTA button that says, ‘Get Your Free eBook’, or ‘Start Your Free Trial’ will invoke quick positive reactions. Square used this tactic to create a winning CTA button.

 

CTA button Optimization

Picture Credits: (WordStream)

  • Size of the button:

Since you want the CTA button to stand out and attract attention, it’s size matters, too. It should be big enough that visitors notice it right away but not so big that it distracts from the other content on the page.

GiftRocket’s CTA button has all the core elements of a great CTA button in place. It’s size is big enough to draw your eyes towards it, the color pops, and the words used are action inducing too.

 

CTA button optimization

 

A great example of how to create a perfect CTA button.

5. Eye-catching graphics

65% of senior marketing executives believe that visual assets (photos, video, illustrations and infographics) are core to how their brand story is communicated – Hubspot

Graphics are an important part of every landing page. And a lead capture page is no exception.

According to a research by MIT, ‘the human brain can process entire images that the eye sees for as little as 13 milliseconds’. So, they not only improve the overall feel of the page, but can also help persuade users to opt in.

For example, if your lead magnet is an eBook, an image of the front cover is an obvious choice for graphic.

 

lead magnet pictures

Picture Credits: Digital Marketer

But here are some other less-obvious graphics you can use on your page,

  • The author bio page if you have one. It will serve two purposes. Convince the users that the lead magnet is indeed an eBook and shine some light on you and your work.
  • A page from the eBook which can serve as a teaser of sorts.
  • The contents page to show users what you have in store for them

So while choosing graphics, don’t be afraid to explore different options. Ikea sure isn’t. They’ve used a screenshot of how their Catalog will look on an iPad as a graphic for their page to give a teaser of how awesome the catalogs going to be.

lead magnet pictures

Picture Credits: Digital Marketer

However, don’t add any image that doesn’t add to your overall message.

6. Short case studies or testimonials

90% of respondents who recalled reading online reviews claimed that positive online reviews influenced buying decisions – Dimensional Research

A short case study or testimonial that explains the benefits of working with you flawlessly can help increase your leads.

 

lead capture page testimonial examples

 

According to Social Fresh, ‘Customer testimonials have the highest effectiveness rating for content marketing at 89%.’

However, don’t go overboard when adding testimonials. Add one or maximum two. Make sure they’re short. No one reads long paragraphs. You can also add a certain quote by your customers raving your product in quote marks, or take a part of their testimonial and add that.

To further increase it’s value, add a head-shot of the reviewer with their name and brand.

7. Social Proof

  • Number of customers you have,
  • Images of brands you’ve served,
  • Images of clients you’ve sold your service to,
  • Images of publications you’ve written for or been written about in,
  • Number of your fans and followers,
  • Number of email subscribers,

And so on.

social proof examples

These are all various examples of social proof. Social proof can give your lead capture page that extra push it needs to convince users you’re the real deal. A number of brands have started incorporating this tactic in their lead capture pages.

social proof examples

These were the 7 main elements of a high performing page that captures leads. Which ones are you incorporating? And which ones were you not aware of? We’d love to hear about your experiences in the comment section below!

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