Why Offering Downloadable PDFs is Important
Offering downloadable PDFs allows you to provide in-depth content like guides, whitepapers, and e-books that users can access and refer to at their convenience. This not only provides more value but also positions your business as an authority in your industry. PDFs are also a great lead generation tool when exchanged for contact information.Gaps You're Missing Without PDF Downloads: 60% of Users Prefer Saving Content for Later
- 60% of users prefer saving longer, detailed content to review later, especially when it comes to valuable resources like guides and reports. Without offering downloadable PDFs, you may miss out on lead generation opportunities by not having gated content.Offering in-depth, downloadable content also helps users engage more deeply with your material and trust your expertise.
Examples: How PDF Downloads Drive Leads
HubSpot - 30% Increase in Leads
By offering downloadable e-books and whitepapers as gated PDFs, HubSpot increased their lead generation by 30%, with users exchanging contact details for in-depth resources.Neil Patel - Engagement Boost
Neil Patel uses downloadable PDF guides to give his users access to deeper marketing strategies. This has helped him engage users who prefer to consume content offline.OptinMonster - Gated Content Drives Conversions
OptinMonster generated a 22% increase in email subscriptions by offering downloadable PDFs in exchange for email addresses on blog posts and guides.Plan: How to Offer Downloadable PDFs to Drive Engagement
Here’s a detailed plan to add downloadable PDFs to your website:Write detailed guides, reports, or whitepapers that provide significant value to your audience.
Ensure the PDF is well-designed, easy to read, and mobile-friendly. Tools like Canva or Adobe Spark can help you design professional-looking PDFs.
Offer your PDF in exchange for user information like email addresses. Tools like Mailchimp or ConvertKit make it easy to gate content.
Place call-to-actions (CTAs) for your PDFs on relevant blog posts, product pages, or landing pages to drive downloads.
Run A/B tests to see whether gating or ungating your PDF content works better for your audience.
Do It Yourself
- Step 1: Choose a valuable topic your audience wants to dive deeper into and write a comprehensive guide or report.
- Step 2: Use a tool like Canva or Google Docs to format and create a PDF version.
- Step 3: Set up a landing page where users can download the PDF in exchange for their email address.
- Step 4: Use email automation tools like Mailchimp or ConvertKit to follow up and nurture leads who download the content.
Key Takeaways
- Offering downloadable PDFs provides value by giving users detailed content they can save and access later.
- PDFs drive leads when gated behind a sign-up form, allowing you to build your email list. Ensure your PDFs are well-designed and easy to access across devices for the best user experience.
FAQ
The Most Common Questions
Why offer downloadable PDFs?
PDFs allow users to save and access longer-form content, such as guides or reports, at their convenience.
How do PDFs generate leads?
Offer valuable PDF content in exchange for an email address or other lead information.
What types of content work well as PDFs?
Whitepapers, reports, guides, and e-books are common types of downloadable content.
Should PDFs be gated content?
Gated PDFs can help generate leads, but ungated content can build trust and provide value upfront.
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