How To Create A Free Course Lead Magnet As Your Nutrition Website Freebie

I cannot wait to share this step-by-step resource for creating a value-packed free course, my friend!

There are lots of options for nutrition lead magnet ideas, also known as your “freebie” or “opt-in”, that you can create for your nutrition or health coaching website, but a free course is the best one, by far.

Before we go any further, let’s chat about why you would want to create a lead magnet for your website in the first place:

Your website freebie (lead magnet, opt-in, etc...remember, they all mean the same thing) is a filtering mechanism.

Wait, what? That sounds weird.

Trust me on this one. A free course lead magnet, which is what we’re going to outline and create right now, is a fabulous way to introduce the right people to you, your expertise, how you can help them, and give them an offer to work with you.

Plain and simple.

In addition to that, and perhaps even more importantly, it will act as a filter for those who aren’t the right fit. 

Even if you already have a lead magnet funnel created on your website right now, you’ll get some juicy tips and tricks that will help refine your offer and do an even better job of filtering for your dream clients.

Sound good? You’re going to love this!

Like I said, we're going to actually outline and create your Free Course Lead Magnet for your nutrition or health coaching website in a minute, so hold tight, but first it's important to do a little housekeeping...

Let's start with a few “best practices” for any lead magnet you promote on your website:

01. All roads lead to Rome (ONE lead magnet only)

Ideally, you only want to have ONE fantastic lead magnet on your website that you will direct all your website visitors to. Luckily for you, we’re about to create the very best type of lead magnet you could make, which is a free course, so you’ll be all set!

I made the mistake early on when I was building my nutrition business online to have tons of different freebies on my website, and I see lots of members inside the Inner Circle who do the same thing. Do not make this same mistake! The reason that’s not the best use of time and resources is because it makes for a really confusing experience for your website visitors and potential clients.

Think about the client experience of someone brand new who finds your website. If they have more than one call-to-action, they will start to feel overwhelmed and unsure about which is the thing they should do first. (Having multiple different freebies or lead magnets causes this overwhelm for sure.)

Overwhelm will make your website visitors leave without doing anything, and you don’t want that!

Instead of expecting your potential client to stumble around in the dark of your website trying to figure out what the right next step is for them, which never works, by the way, you’re creating a lighted path for them to follow instead. 

No matter what page they’re at on your website, the next step is to sign up for your free course. Simple as that.

If you’re starting from scratch, this free course lead magnet is all you will need to attract your dream clients like bees to honey. You’ll be all set.

If you already have a website with multiple freebies, I highly encourage you to streamline them into one free course, using the outline below, and use this one lead magnet as the call to action for all your website pages.

Remember, all roads lead to Rome.  

02. Keep it super simple (for you and for them)

When faced with two options, one being a complicated version and the other a simplified version, choose simple every time.

I’m going to simplify this process for you as much as possible, but your brain will likely try to complicate it anyway. Don’t let that happen, ok? 

The simpler something is for you to create, or set up, or implement...the simpler it will be for your potential clients to understand and implement.

03. Don't be afraid to give away your best stuff

As you start outlining the content to include in your free course, you’re going to feel anxious about giving away all of your content for free. I totally get it, because we all feel that way at some point, and the tendency is to worry that if we give the good stuff away for free there won’t be anything worth paying you for later.

Luckily for us, that couldn’t be further from the truth, so don’t be afraid of giving too much content in your free course. Your ideal clients need to know that you can help them and that you understand their exact pain points so completely it's like you're reading their mind. 

The easiest way to do that is to knock their socks off with your free course.

You want to be so specific on exactly how you help your clients and about your deep understanding of the issues they are experiencing, because that is what will position you as the only person who can help them in the long term, which is exactly what you want.

PRO TIP: I’m not suggesting that you need to give a lot of content for it to be valuable! Remember, overwhelm is the reason your prospective clients will quit on themselves, so you want to be as concise as possible. Think about giving great content in your free course through the lens of, “How can I help someone get a quick win and some momentum without overwhelming them?”

This leads to our best practice about the content you provide in your free resource, which is a little more woo-woo, if you will. You want to make sure you’re showing up for your future clients from a place of SERVING and VALUE rather than SELLING and PROMOTING.

If you’re in the business of creating value and serving your audience, you can't go wrong. That energy will shine through on everything you create, and your dreamies will feel it.

(As opposed to the "selling" or "what's in it for me" energy, which will also shine through. If you keep your focus on serving those that have a problem you can help them with, you can't go wrong.)

Another reason it’s a good idea to include some of your best content in your free course is because when someone comes into your paid program or membership and they have already been exposed to the concepts you're going to be working with them on, it helps them get results faster. 

Don't have a scarcity mindset around this, go back to the SERVING mindset. When your potential clients take your free course and it knocks their socks off, they will naturally think, "If her free stuff is this good, I can't imagine how amazing the paid stuff is!" 

If you’re still struggling with what to include for free versus what to keep just for your paying clients, here’s a good rule of thumb: The “What” and “Why” you share in your free course, and you charge for the “How”.

04. Your free course can also do the "selling" for you by introducing your paid offer 

Your ONE paid offer, that is!

Remember, the point of this free course is to light the way on one path towards the next step. ONE. Do not make the huge mistake of overwhelming the minds of your potential clients by giving them a ‘choose your own adventure’ option when it’s time to let them know how they can work with you further.

You have to decide on the ONE best next step for them to take. ONE. 

I repeat: ONE.

Not, “you can work with me one on one, or you can join my group program, or you can become a member of my membership.”

That is so confusing, and you just spent the entirety of your free course establishing yourself as the expert that knows exactly what the best next step is. Don’t get wishy washy on them, now!

When you outline Day 4 of your free course below, and it’s time to roll out the red carpet and tell them how to continue working with you, make it super simple and easy to understand: 

“This is the next step for you. It's going to give you [insert big desired transformation here]. It's different than anything you've tried before because [insert your unique hook and method]. Remember, this is absolutely possible for you because [remind them of the beliefs they have shifted and objections you have overcome].”

Then give the call to action that is their next best step. (More about that below.)

Just promise me that you won’t get wishy washy at this stage of the game and list 5 different ways that you can help them. Your clients are going to work with you because you’re the expert and they don’t have to figure out the next step for themselves, so make it clear from the beginning that you’re up for the challenge!

05. Your Free Course builds your email list so you can continue knocking the socks off your subscribers over time 

Last but not least, we have to keep in mind that your free course is the mechanism that is going to build your email list, which is the key to the kingdom as far as the success of your business is concerned.

When someone signs up for your free course lead magnet on your website, they will need to enter their first name and email address for access, which automatically subscribes them to your email list. 

This is a very good thing, because the majority of your paying clients and customers will convert after 90 days of being on your email list.

Wait...whaaatttt??

I know. Why isn’t anyone talking about this?

Although a small percentage of people will take your free course and be immediately inspired to take action and work with you further, the vast majority of your sales come 90 days or more in the future after you’ve built up continued rapport via email.

If you need some tips on what and how to send to your email list to keep them coming back for more, check out this article for all the juicy ways to get more clients from your email list.

Phew, glad we took a minute for those reminders. You’re already ahead of the game!

Now, let's get into the nitty gritty of creating your epic free course.

TECHNOLOGY CONSIDERATIONS FOR YOUR FREE COURSE LEAD MAGNET

 Email delivery only or Email + Video? 

All free courses will have an email component that delivers the content for that day, or a link to a landing page with the full content,, but you also get to decide if you want to layer video on top as well. 

In that scenario you will teach each of the 4 lessons on video, which is what your emails will direct your free course students to each day.

If you’re comfortable on video, use it!

Videos convert so well because your potential clients and members will feel like they "know" you, they know your personality, and will feel like they can really tell if you're a good fit to work with them.

If the thought of doing video is making you totally shut down and get overwhelmed,, then continue with the email only option for now and make it a goal to add video for the 2.0 version of your free course. Don't let video or no video stop you from moving forward. Your people need you. 

EMAIL ONLY TECH SETUP: You can use pretty much any email service provider software that sends automated email sequences for this. Your free course will be set up as an automated email sequence that is automatically delivered at the intervals you choose. Once you set it up, it sends out on autopilot to new subscribers. Easy peasy.

EMAIL + VIDEO: The most seamless and user-friendly way to create a free course with video is on Kajabi. There is a specific template (called a Pipeline in Kajabi terms) that allows your videos and emails to sync up in a really professional free course format that will blow your mind. I'll be showing you what that looks like below.

Live or pre-recorded videos?

Assuming you're going to be including videos in your free course, you now get to decide if these are pre-recorded videos that you create or if you're going to create them live on social media. Either option works great, so it totally depends on your strengths and preferences. 

DONE is better than perfect, so don't procrastinate on this until you're a video expert. Remember, your people are struggling right now and they need your help. Serve them!

Pre-recorded videos can be edited and tend to be more polished, which would be a great option for you if you're feeling like you might need some extra help on what to say and reading from your notes, because you can edit those out.

Live videos, on the other hand, are going to be perfect for you if you're already comfortable going Live on social media and you can wing it from just an outline. This method is going to be much less "prep" for you, which is a great option if you tend to procrastinate anything that involves too much planning.

Do I have to say it again? This isn’t about you! It’s about serving and helping your dreamies who are struggling right now. Procrastination is not allowed.

To produce your free course Live, you will use the same process we're going to go through below for outlining your free course content, and for each video do it live on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or whatever platform you're currently engaging with your dreamies on. 

Step 2 will be downloading the live video recording, which may or may not include you doing Q&A at the end with anyone on live asking questions, and uploading it into your Kajabi free course so you can link to it in your email sequence indefinitely. 

 (We aren’t going to let those Live video recordings just wither and die on social media!) By putting the recordings into the Kajabi Pipeline I'm going to show you below, you’ll have created an evergreen free course lead magnet for your website that will be working for you 24/7. Yay!

PRO TIP: Creating high quality audio and video content is important, but luckily for us, it’s easy to do with a few simple tips and tricks on lighting and sound. Follow the guidelines in this article and you’ll be all set!

SO WHAT DO YOU PUT IN A FREE COURSE?

Time to outline what's actually in these videos, right?

We're going to do a tried and true 4 video free course, which is also called a product launch or value video series.

You can also call this a “Free Challenge” and structure it exactly the same way that we're going to do here.  I have the belief that a Free Course has a higher perceived value from a website visitor's perspective, so that's what I would recommend calling it, but this is totally up to you. The structure will work either way.

Figure out your Clear and Compelling Hook: 

Before we get started figuring out exactly what you want to include in your free course, you need to make sure you’ve done the deep work of figuring out who your target audience is (your dreamies) and how you help them. 

Furthermore, what beliefs do you need to help them shift so they will understand that you are exactly the person to help them solve their big problems?

This is your “hook”. It sounds a little sleazy and salesy, but it’s not. Think of your hook as the differentiating factor between you and everyone else making noise and trying to get the attention of your dream clients. 

How is your perspective or experience a little different than the rest?

How is your approach totally different from what they have tried before that didn’t work in the past?

Can you show them that what they thought was their issue isn’t really the issue at all, but you know what the true root cause is and you can help them with it?

This is where you want to really spend some time and get clear, because the content of your free course is going to be focused on positioning you as the expert to solve a very particular problem for your audience...so knowing who that audience is and what they’re struggling with is a prerequisite!

Ok, let’s move on to figuring out what you’re going to talk about in this fantastic and life changing free course that is going to completely knock the socks off of your prospective clients and get a ton of new leads on your email list.

VIDEO / LESSON 1:

This video, and the accompanying email that will deliver it, is all about the opportunity. This is where you are going to plant the seeds with your audience about what is possible, and what benefits are able to be achieved.

A good way to think about the content in this lesson is like a lawyer in a courtroom. You’re going to start by introducing yourself and your area of expertise, perhaps some details about your journey and why you’re an expert in this area based on your own story of transformation or the results you’ve helped others achieve, and then you’re going to “make a case” about why that opportunity is is also possible for your audience.

Basically, you’re warming up the jury and getting them thinking about what is possible for them.

Using stats, research studies, current events or other third party resources is a great way to build your case, if you will. Sprinkle in any good stories that you have, and be excited.

By the end of Lesson / Video number one, you want your audience to be eagerly anticipating the next video because you’ve teased a few tidbits about what’s to come and they’re getting excited about the possibility that this transformation and the results they’re desperately searching for might be possible for them, too.

Remember, I keep saying “video” because that’s the gold standard, but you can deliver the first version of your free course just with email if you want. 

Just don’t skip the emails, even if you’re using video to deliver the content! You will use the emails to link to your video pages and remind them to go watch.

If you have a way for your free course students to engage with you, tell them what to do! A great call to action would be to have them comment on the video page (by enabling comments using the setup I’ll be showing you below) or to reply to your email with a specific takeaway or insight they got. 

Get creative on this, but always have a Call-To-Action (CTA) in your lessons. The more engaged your audience is, and the more accustomed they are to taking action on your content, the better. 

PRO TIP: A great transition at the end of Video 1 to build anticipation for what’s to come is to say something like, “Now that you see [the opportunity] here, what’s the very first thing you should do? That’s what we’re going to dive into in the next lesson / video.”

VIDEO / LESSON 2:

This is where you get into some teaching.

In the first video you were casting a vision of the opportunity that is possible, and now you’re transitioning into breaking it down into the very first step that they need to take towards that result.

You want the education that you share in this video to be very valuable to your audience, and to get them a “quick win”, so to speak. When your audience makes a little bit of progress towards their goals, that momentum is very powerful.

Even just a tiny bit of success after watching your video will reinforce the belief that maybe it really is possible for them to get the results they’re after, and you’re the one to help them do it.

As you plan out the content you’re going to teach in Video 2, and throughout your entire free course, for that matter, put yourself in the shoes of your dream client who is going to be going through your content:

What does he/she need to believe about themselves to continue taking action?

How can you teach something valuable that will help them get some momentum without overwhelming them?

Basically, the question becomes, “How can I teach you something useful in the simplest and most concise way?”  That’s what you want for Lesson / Video two.

If you have any worksheets, checklists or guides that will help make this even easier for your students, include them here!

Remember from our discussion earlier that you don’t want to withhold your best content because you’re afraid that giving it away in your free course will devalue your paid offer. That is the absolute wrong way to think about this!

Give great content and value, with 100% of your effort and energy focused on serving your audience and helping them get a tangible result that’s going to help them keep moving forward, and you can’t go wrong.

Your Call-To-Action at the end of Lesson two could be to share their results or insights on what you taught them. 

PRO TIP: To transition to Video / Lesson three, you can build anticipation with something along the lines of, “Now that you know exactly what to do first to begin making progress, what’s next? What’s the big picture on all the steps? So glad you asked, because we’re going to look at the 30,000 foot view in the next lesson.”

VIDEO / LESSON 3:

This lesson is where you’re going to take the opportunity to share your signature method (blueprint, framework, etc) that gets your clients the results they’re looking for.

(For the members of the Inner Circle, this is your Progress Path! You’ve already done the work of outlining the 3-5 stages of transformation you take your clients through, and the steps for each stage.)

You’re going to use Lesson three to casually address the most common objections your prospective clients will have when it comes to your paid offer (that you’ll be revealing in Lesson four), and also to show them an overview of the stages you’ll be guiding through. 

Your prospective clients want to know that you deeply understand their fears, struggles and challenges specifically...and that you know how to help them get the results they want.

Show them they can trust you with all of that through all the content of your free course, ok?! 

In Lesson Three this will look like:

1. Outlining the 3-5 Stages of progress they will experience with an emphasis on what someone is thinking, feeling and doing in each of these stages and the steps they need to take to get to the next stage. They need to know that you get them and their innermost fears and thoughts.
   
   
   
2. Framing this information in the context of their biggest objections: If not having enough time is an issue, make sure you’re positioning your method as something they can do with a minimal time commitment. (As long as that’s the truth!)

If you know that the reason your prospective clients haven’t had success in the past is because what they were trying to do was way too complicated, you want to emphasize over and over again how simple your method is in comparison.

Make sense? You got this. You’re the expert and you know exactly what your people need, so show them!

PRO TIP: By now your prospective clients are feeling very curious about the specifics of your paid offer, which you’ll be revealing in the next Lesson. Foster lots of anticipation about that offer and keep them excited so they tune in for their next steps. 

VIDEO / LESSON 4:

This is your sales opportunity.

You’ve done such a great job of laying the groundwork in your previous 3 lessons / videos, so don’t let your foot off the gas at this point!

First, you want to recap everything they have learned from you so far: The big opportunity and results that are possible for them, the quick win and first step you helped them with in Lesson 2, and then the full framework overview of how you take your clients from that first step into the land of transformation that they want to be in. 

If they’re still tuning in to this lesson, it’s because they want to know what you have to offer, so don’t be shy or minimize the quality of your paid offer.

PRO TIP: Note that I said offer and not offers. You are not going to give them multiple options of how to proceed from here; you give them ONE NEXT STEP to take to work with you further. You’ve just spent a ton of time and effort proving that you know what the best course of action is for them, so don’t get wishy washy at this point and expect them to choose their own adventure. That will backfire, for sure.

Now’s the time to explain your paid offer, with an emphasis on the benefits and not just the features, and how easy it is for them to get started. Have a button on this page that takes them to the next step, whether that’s a full sales page with more details, a form to fill out for a consultation call with you, a link to book a spot on your calendar, or a checkout page.

If you’ve done a good job of explaining what’s included in your offer, a checkout page with bullet points and a quick summary should be sufficient.

PRO TIP: You will want to have multiple follow up emails over the course of multiple days that direct them to Lesson 4 and all the details of your offer. You may feel like you’re “spamming” them, but if they are a good candidate to become a client they want you to send those emails!

Phew, you did it! You outlined your Free Course!

If you’re curious about how to set up the technology to automate this juicy nutrition website freebie you just outlined, watch the video below. 

Whether you use something like Kajabi to produce a polished lead magnet like I do or just use an automated email sequence to start, the most important thing is to just get it going. It will never be perfect, anyway, so don’t spin your wheels trying to get it to that level. Your people need you!

Hopefully this goes without saying, but if you love this strategy and want more ways to make money in your nutrition business, you need to join Your Next $1K.

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