# Lead magnet landing page: what to put on it

A lead magnet landing page needs six things: a headline that names the result, what is inside, a picture of the book, who it is from, a short form, and a plain line saying what they will get by email. Leave out the menu, other offers and any field you won’t use. The page has one job: helping someone decide whether to sign up.

Last reviewed 30 October 2026. Web page: https://chapbook.ink/guides/lead-magnet-landing-page/

## The six parts

| Part | Its job | How to test it |
|---|---|---|
| **Headline** | Names the result for one kind of reader | Would your reader say this about their own problem? |
| **What is inside** | Shows that the book is specific | Could these bullets be about another book? If so, rewrite them |
| **The book itself** | Shows that it is real | Is it the actual cover or page, large enough to read? |
| **Who it is from** | Says why to believe you | Does it give a reason, not only a job title? |
| **The form** | Takes the decision | Can you name a use for every field? |
| **The line under the form** | Says what they are agreeing to | Would anyone be surprised by the next email you send? |

## Keep the form short

Nielsen Norman Group’s advice on forms is plain: “Remove fields which collect information that can be (a) derived in some other way, (b) collected more conveniently at a later date, or (c) simply omitted.” It adds: “Every time you cut a field or question from a form, you increase its conversion rate.”

For a free book that usually leaves one required field, the address. A first name is worth asking for only if your emails will use it, and you can leave company size and phone number to a later conversation.

## Write the line under the form

Most pages treat this as legal small print, but it is one of the most useful sentences on the page. It sets what the reader expects, and missed expectations are how you get spam complaints.

- **Say who will write and about what.** “You’ll get the guide, then a weekly email about pricing from Sam.”
- **Say they can leave.** “Unsubscribe anytime” is enough.
- **Leave any box unticked.** Google’s sender guidelines warn against “opt-in forms that are checked by default”.
- **Link your privacy notice.** Where the GDPR applies, Article 13 lists what people must be told “at the time when personal data are obtained”, including who you are, why you want the data and how to withdraw consent.

One more point for readers in the EU. Article 7(4) says that when judging whether consent is freely given, “utmost account shall be taken” of whether a service is conditional on consent to processing it doesn’t need. A download that requires joining a marketing list raises that question, so ask a lawyer how it applies to you. This guide isn’t legal advice.

## What to leave out

- **The site menu and other offers.** Give the reader one thing to decide. A small footer with your privacy notice and contact details is enough.
- **Invented proof.** No download counts you can’t back up, and no quotes from readers who didn’t say them. A page with no testimonials is better than a page with a fake one.
- **False urgency.** A countdown on a file that will always be there tells the reader not to trust you.
- **The whole sales pitch.** The book does that later. This page only has to earn an email address.

## After the form

The moment after sign-up is part of the page. Say where the book is: on the screen now, or in an email on its way. If a confirmation is needed, say so, name the sender, and suggest they check spam. [How to deliver a lead magnet](/guides/how-to-deliver-a-lead-magnet/) compares the options, and [double opt-in](/guides/double-opt-in-why-your-list-needs-it/) has its own guide.

Then read one number for each place you share the page: how many visitors signed up. Small lists move around a lot, so don’t read much into a few days.

## Where Chapbook fits

On a paid plan, each book can have one public page. It holds a headline, a description, bullets, contents, an author block and a sign-up form, and **Write it for me** drafts the copy for you to review. Under the form, readers see “You’ll get emails from” followed by your pen name, then “Unsubscribe anytime”, linked to a privacy notice. That line is stored with each sign-up.

The page also carries bot protection on the form and shows views and sign-ups by named link. You decide whether search engines may index it, and it stays out of them until you do. After the form, the reader can read the book or download the PDF straight away. Sign-ups go to your Readers list, and from there you can export each sign-up as a CSV for your email tool. Chapbook sends no email to readers.

The sample on this page is a workbook whose second week is about a reader’s promise and page, so it covers some of the same ground from the author’s side.

## What to do

1. **Write the headline as a result.** Name what the reader will be able to do, not what the file is. “Five pricing mistakes, and the first step to fix each one” says more than “Download our free guide”.
2. **List what is inside.** Three to five bullets, each a specific thing they will learn or get. Use real chapter titles if they are good. Vague bullets tell the reader the book is vague.
3. **Show the book.** A cover or an open page tells them it is a real thing with real pages. Use the actual book, not a stock photo of a tablet.
4. **Say who it is from.** One or two lines with your name and why you know this. Add a quote only if a real reader said it and agreed to be quoted.
5. **Cut the form down.** Ask for an email address, and a first name if you will really use it. Each extra field should earn its place, so remove any you can’t name a use for.
6. **Say what happens next.** Under the form, say what they will get by email and that they can leave. After the form, say where the book is and whether to look for a confirmation email.

## Made with Chapbook: Find Your First 100 Readers

Find Your First 100 Readers: A 30-day workbook, by Maya Chen. Workbook, 5,850 words, 24 pages. A sample generated from one brief and exported unedited; it is not a customer's book. Read every page: https://chapbook.ink/examples/workbook/

The brief:

> A 30-day plan to find the first hundred readers for a nonfiction book without paid advertising. Promise: By day 30 you will have a named reader, a one-sentence promise, a short list of places that reader already gathers, and either your first hundred readers or a routine that keeps adding them. Reader: Someone who wrote the book on evenings and weekends, dislikes self-promotion, and has fewer than two hundred followers anywhere. Voice: Second person, a coach at the kitchen table; a short lesson, then a fill-in exercise; checklists at the end of each week; no invented statistics.

The outline the planner proposed:

1. How to Use This Workbook (466 words)
2. Week 1: Your Reader (1,142 words)
3. Week 2: Your Promise and Your Page (1,168 words)
4. Week 3: Where Your Readers Already Gather (1,294 words)
5. Week 4: Ask, Deliver, Repeat (1,200 words)
6. Day 30: The Review and the Routine (545 words)

## Questions

### What should a lead magnet landing page include?

A headline naming the result, a few specific bullets on what is inside, a picture of the book, who it is from, a short form, and a line saying what they will receive by email.

### How many form fields should a lead magnet page have?

As few as you will use, which usually means an email address and perhaps a first name. Nielsen Norman Group advises removing any field that can be collected later or simply omitted.

### Should a lead magnet landing page have a navigation menu?

Usually not. The page has one decision to offer, and a menu gives readers other places to go. Keep a small footer for your privacy notice and contact details.

### Can I pre-tick the box to join my list?

Avoid it. Google’s sender guidelines warn against “opt-in forms that are checked by default”, and say some regions restrict automatic opt-in, as checked on 30 October 2026.

### Do I need a privacy notice on a lead magnet page?

If you collect addresses from people in the EU, yes. GDPR Article 13 lists what to tell them when you collect the data, including who you are and why you want it. Other places have rules too.

### Does Chapbook build the landing page?

Yes, on a paid plan. Each book can have one public page with a headline, bullets, contents, author block and sign-up form, and it can write the copy for you to review.

## Sources

- [Kathryn Whitenton, Nielsen Norman Group, “Website Forms Usability: Top 10 Recommendations”, 1 May 2016](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/web-form-design/)
- [Google, “Email sender guidelines” (checked 30 October 2026)](https://support.google.com/a/answer/81126)
- [GDPR, Article 13, information to be provided](https://gdpr-info.eu/art-13-gdpr/)
- [GDPR, Article 7, “Conditions for consent”](https://gdpr-info.eu/art-7-gdpr/)