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Want to create mesmerizing lead magnets like online courses, swipe files, or toolkits?

But every time you build something in Notion, it ends up looking bland and amateurish?

I've been there too.

Notion gives you limitless potential for building lead magnets...but figuring out how to make them visually captivating is a whole other ball game.

The good news?

A few simple design tweaks make all the difference between lackluster and luxury.

I recently gave a Notion-based course a makeover using strategic design techniques.

The upgrade was SERIOUS.

It went from generic to downright gorgeous!

You can check out the breakdown I wrote in this thread for more details:

But for now, let me spill the tea on 5 effortless ways to design sensational lead magnets with Notion:

First impressions matter big time.

Welcome readers with a bold, polished homepage menu.

It doesn’t have to be a gallery view database like I did for X Operator, it can be a simple menu or callout box with a video embed.

The goal is to make it look branded AND make it functional.

Just look at the “menu” I build for my Notion Product Builder course.

It’s simple. But it’s branded and it guides the user to exactly where they should go.

The point of a “menu” is to make your product easy to navigate while providing a branding touch stone for the design of your product.

Don’t overcomplicate it.

Keep customers engaged by building linked database sub-menus between sections or modules.

This is what I did for Sebastian’s course.

Every page has several navigation options.

No page should EVER be an island.

Always make it easy for the user to interact with and navigate your product.

I mostly do this with the use of buttons.

Just label your button, add an icon, and select “Open Page” as the action. Make sure you select the “Full Page” option to make it act like a navigation button.

Offering logical pathways between lessons maintains clarity and simplifies navigation massively.

So many people miss this one, but it’s essential to making your product feel professional:

Visual. Hierarchy.

This is actually SO simple.

Use toggle headers, table of contents, callout boxes, and toggles.

The point of this step is to ensure that it’s easy to skim your content.

Make it easy for their eye to scroll over the page and glean the important info.

Not only will this make your product easier to use and take in, but it will make it feel much more intentional and thoughtful. This - in turn - makes it feel like your product is more professional.

Notion + Canva is an elite combination.

It makes it crazy easy to design on-brand graphics.

I did this for my course (shown above) as well as Sebastians and it made a WORLD of difference in the professionalism and branding.

Sprinkling these throughout establishes cohesion while highlighting key information.

My favorite ways to do this are through cover images + gallery views (like I did in X operator) or through cleverly place images as seen here:

The best lead magnets feel active and engaging.

Quizzes, trackers, accountability forms - they can all be built directly inside your Notion lead magnet.

Making customers an active part of the experience pays dividends.

My favorite ways of creating interactivity:

One of the best parts about building a tool with Notion is its ability to not only share information, but to share TOOLS.

Don’t miss out on it.

(and if you want to know how to build tools in Notion, check out this past issue of the Notion Nerd Newsletter)

With these 5 design tips, your next Notion lead magnet will hook and hold attention like never before.

Want my personal help sprucing up your Notion lead magnet?

Just ask! I'm happy to help you captivate your dream audience.

That’s all for now!

Stay Nerdy my friend 🤓

– Madison