Using free digital products as lead magnets

Free digital products make it easy to offer lead magnets and other downloadable resources directly from your publication website. Whether you're sharing guides, templates, files, or consultations, free products allow visitors to access valuable content in exchange for their email address, helping you grow your subscriber list while delivering immediate value.

In beehiiv, lead magnets are created using the digital products feature by setting the product price to free. This allows you to deliver downloads, links, or coaching sessions to subscribers without requiring payment.

Because no purchase is involved, free products don’t require a Stripe account. Instead, visitors provide their email address to claim the product, and the order is recorded in your dashboard for tracking. All product formats available for paid digital products — including link/media, file/download, and coaching/1:1 sessions — can also be offered as free products.

In this article, we’ll cover how free digital products differ from paid products, how they work, and how you can manage them in your account.

Free digital products work similarly to paid products, with a few key differences: 

• No Stripe account required: Free products use a custom flow that captures the user’s email address and creates an order for tracking. Because no payment is processed, there’s no need to create or connect a Stripe account.
• No pricing fields: When creating a free product, pricing fields are hidden and the product will display as free on your website.
• Cannot be converted to paid: Once a product is created as free, it cannot be switched to paid (or vice versa). If you need both versions, duplicate the product and set the appropriate pricing type.
• New subscribers only receive their products via email: For free digital products, only logged-in subscribers will see an instant access modal and receive a link via email. New subscribers will receive their product via email only. 

1. From the left panel of your account, go to Monetize > Products.
    
2. Click on the + New product button. If you’ve never created a digital product before, this button will appear where your product list normally displays.
   
   
   
   
   If you already have products, the + New product button will appear at the top of the page.
   
   
   
3. On the Product access screen, select Free product, then click Next.
   
   
   
4. From here, the experience is the same as creating a paid digital product, with one key difference: you will not be asked to fill in the pricing fields.

Free products can include an optional survey that visitors must complete before receiving access to the product. This is useful for collecting audience insights, qualifying leads, or personalizing follow-up communication.

To attach a survey, you’ll need to have already created a survey in your account. While creating your free product, select a survey from the Survey dropdown in the product details form. This will add the survey as a step in the checkout flow before the user receives the product.

How a visitor claims a free product depends on whether they are already logged in to your publication.

When a new visitor signs up for your newsletter in exchange for a free digital product, the product will be sent to the email address they provided.

The email includes a link to the subscriber management center, where they can access and re-download the product at any time.

When a logged-in subscriber redeems a free product, an instant access modal will appear with a download link to the product. They will also receive an email containing a link to their subscriber management center, where they can access and download the product at any time.

If a survey is attached to the product, the subscriber will be prompted to complete the survey before receiving the download link and confirmation email.

Free product orders are tracked alongside paid orders in your Orders dashboard. To view them, go to Monetize > Products > Orders.

For more details about managing orders, see: Managing digital product orders in beehiiv.

Do I need a Stripe account to offer free products?
No. Free products bypass Stripe entirely. You can create and publish a free product without connecting a Stripe account.
Can I convert a free product to a paid product later?
No. Free and paid products are separate types. Because free products are not connected to Stripe, switching between the two isn’t supported. If you want both versions, duplicate the product and set the appropriate pricing type.
Can I use a discount code to make a paid product free instead?
While you could technically create a 100% discount code that reduces a product’s price to $0, we recommend using the native free product type instead. Free products are designed specifically for this use case and do not require Stripe or a checkout flow.
What happens to my visitor’s subscription status when they claim a free product?
Visitors are added to your subscriber list when they claim a free product. If double opt-in is enabled, their status will remain pending until they confirm via email, but they will still receive access to the product.
Are free product orders visible in my dashboard?
Yes. All free product orders appear in your Orders dashboard under Monetize > Products > Orders, just without a payment record attached.
Can I attach a survey to a free product?
Yes. When creating a free product, you can optionally attach a survey that buyers must complete before receiving access. This is useful for collecting lead information or audience data.