In my last piece, I turned heel. 😈

So in this one I'm bringing the heat. 🔥

Here's a spicy take:

I lowkey hate lead magnets.

They feel fake as hell.

Let's back up first tho.

Have I created lead magnets before? Yup.

Did I feel like the scum of the earth? Also yup.

My first one was a PDF called: "How to Increase Your Website Conversions."

Speaks for itself.

At first, I offered it as a free download on my website. No email required.

But the common advice? Hide it behind an email wall. Use it to build your list.

My body rejected this idea. I could feel my insides contracting.

But everyone says that’s just what you do, right?

They're "successful" and I wasn't… so I eventually went along with it.

I felt like an absolute slimeball.

Even the energy behind creating the lead magnet was fake. It wasn’t coming from a genuine place. I created it because everyone said that’s what you had to do to prove your authority or showcase understanding in your expertise.

I know what you're thinking: "It's just your conditioning telling you it's wrong to ask for emails."

No, bro — it's ignoring your intuition, your internal guidance system.

Btw — I'm not blaming anyone. I get that some people are well-intentioned. But this was a lesson in discernment for me.

Lead magnets come off as generous: "Here's a gift, for FREE."

But they hide behind the fine print: "Just uhhh, give me your email address so I can continue to market to you and maybe sell you some shit."

My assumption is that most lead magnets weren't created to genuinely give, but as a strategic way to get subscribers. Aka, they come from lack energy.

"I need to do Y so I can get Z."

That's why common complaints surrounding them is that they are generic or don't provide useful information.

If I'm being honest, my lead magnet was shit you could easily google. It was just under my branding and writing.

I eventually stopped offering lead magnets cuz:

1. I hate them.
2. Even though my offer is web design, I still struggle tying it into my overall 'Life is a Video Game' brand.

Real Connection Can't Be Funneled

Last year, I came across a creator named George Kao. He confirmed my intuitions on lead magnets.

In one of his videos, he explains how marketers refer to them as an ethical bribe.

He responds:

"Ethical bribe doesn't make sense. You can't bribe someone ethically."

Duuude. I feel this in my soul.

He says the industry average for open rates is around 23%. When he was using lead magnets, he had 10k subscribers… and about a 12% open rate. Half the industry average.

Now that he ditched lead magnets and only attracts people who actually want his emails? His average open rate is 35%. Higher than the industry average.

And I believe it.

The people whose newsletters I enjoy reading are not people who "captured" me with a lead magnet. They're people who I find interesting. I came across their work and thought: "I want more of this."

On the flip side?

I recently mass-unsubbed to a shit-ton of emails I never read — most of them from people who lured me in with some freebie years ago.

I mean think about it… if someone bribes you onto their list with some free shit, you're probably not actually excited to hear from them, right?

Resonance > Tactics

The solution to this is quite simple: Just be honest with people.

• What are you really offering?
• What problems do you solve?
• What topics do you write about?
• What's your brand philosophy or the transformation you’re leading people toward?

Lead with that.

Trust that when you lead with clarity and authenticity, the right people will join through resonance. You don't need to bait them.

At least, that's my plan.

And if I ever make something free again, I'll be sure to post it on my website un-gated.

Until next time my friend,

—Priscilla [Player 2]

P.S. if this resonated with you, I highly recommend checking out George Kao's full video on this topic.