How to position emails

Let’s look at those first few emails after someone downloads your lead magnet. This is a magical — and critical — step in your relationship with any prospect. This is where expectations are set and your new subscriber decides if you’re worth paying attention to or if you’re just another marketer cluttering their inbox.

That means, before you send a single email, you need to have a clear strategy for positioning your content delivery emails.

In this lesson, you’ll learn:

• Why the delivery email is more than just an attachment link.
• How to use to your email data—to click rates and to the keywords they use in replies—to develop the groundwork of your email messaging.
• How to track engagement thoroughly. Not just opens, but what people do after they click.
• The tools you need to assess what’s working, develop a delivery strategy that builds anticipation, and—best of all—to THINK before you write your first automated email.

Let’s get started!

Tracking clicks with tags & UTMs

Your customer research doesn’t end once someone downloads your lead magnet or opens your email. By tracking howprospects engage with your material, you can learn what’s most important to them — and by extension, what problems your audience wants to solve the most.

For example, you can:

• Use tags and UTM parameters that tell you exactly what parts of your PDF they’re clicking on.
• Track which links in your delivery email get clicked first.
• Monitor how long people stay on specific pages after following links.

Let me show you how to set this up the right way. When you deliver your PDF, don’t just send a single download link. Instead, break your content into sections that can be individually accessed through separate, tagged links:

Hi [Name],

Here's your free guide to [Lead Magnet Title]. You can download the complete PDF here, or jump straight to the section you need most:

- [Section 1 Title] → link with utm_medium=email&utm_content=section1
- [Section 2 Title] → link with utm_medium=email&utm_content=section2
- [Section 3 Title] → link with utm_medium=email&utm_content=section3

Remember that every click is a signal. When a new lead bypasses your full PDF download and jumps straight to “Section 3: Advanced Implementation” – that’s invaluable intelligence about where they are in their journey.

A key feature of this setup is that each click gets tagged in your CRM or email platform. Taking this extra step allows you to segment your audience based on their actual behavior rather than your assumptions.

Too many marketers use a generic “Click here to download” link and miss all this intelligence. You’re not just delivering content – you’re gathering data that shapes your entire follow-up sequence.

How to maximize engagement & follow-through

Once you deliver your lead magnet to your prospect, the next goal is to create a seamless bridge that moves them from “interested browser” to “engaged subscriber.”

Here’s what separates high-converting delivery emails from forgettable ones:

• Acknowledge the specific problem they’re trying to solve: “You downloaded this guide because you want to reclaim those lost hours in your day without sacrificing quality time with your kids.” This shows you understand their world.
• Prime them to take action before they even open your PDF: “As you read through page 12, you’ll find the ‘Time Blocking Template’ — I recommend implementing this tomorrow morning before your kids wake up.” This creates anticipation for specific content within your lead magnet.
• Close with a clear expectation for what happens next: “After you’ve had a chance to try the time blocking technique, reply to this email with any questions. I’ll be sending you an implementation checklist tomorrow to help you stay on track.”
• Create targeted segments to customize your messaging. For example, if you teach time management strategies, how do you package your recommendations? A stay-at-home mom looking for time management tools has different anxieties than a corporate executive trying to optimize their team’s workflow. Your delivery emails need to reflect those different motivations.

I’ve found that email delivery sequences that include 3-5 touchpoints over a week perform significantly better than single “here’s your PDF” emails. Each touchpoint should highlight different sections of your lead magnet, offer implementation tips, and invite engagement.

Summary

Your delivery emails are not passive vehicles—they’re active conversation starters. With proper tracking and strategic messaging, you can transform a simple PDF delivery into an intelligence-gathering, relationship-building opportunity that shapes your entire follow-up sequence.

Your emails should address the specific pains and motivations of your target segments. After all, your subscribers aren’t just downloading info—they’re looking for solutions to real problems.

Remember, the ultimate goal with any lead magnet is implementation. When your subscribers actually use what you’ve sent them, they become invested in your approach and more receptive to future offers.

3 Takeaways

1. Track specific behaviors, not just opens and clicks. Use UTM parameters and segmented links to understand exactly which parts of your content resonate most with different subscribers.
2. Position your delivery emails around implementation, not just information. Give specific guidance on how and when to use different parts of your lead magnet to increase the likelihood of subscribers taking action.
3. Create a multi-touch delivery sequence rather than a single “here’s your download” email. Each message should highlight different sections, provide implementation tips, and invite engagement to maintain momentum.

What to do next

Rewrite your delivery email to include at least three segmented links to different sections of your PDF, each with unique UTM parameters.

Then set up a simple tracking system (in Google Analytics or your email platform) to monitor which sections get the most attention.

You might be surprised by what draws the most attention!

In the next lesson, we’ll create a segmentation framework that uses the behavioral data you’ve collected to personalize your follow-up sequence.