How to Use Flodesk to Deliver a Lead Magnet Automatically

The short answer: authenticate your sending domain, host the freebie somewhere with a link, create one segment for it, build a form that adds sign-ups to that segment, decide on double opt-in, build a workflow from the Lead Magnet Delivery template triggered by the segment, put the link in its email, publish the workflow, and only then share the form; the delivery email needs a paid plan, from $25 a month on Lite (pricing page).

Disclosure: I may earn a commission through some links on this site. It does not change what this page says.

A lead magnet is the oldest list-building trade there is: something useful in exchange for an address. The trade only holds if the freebie arrives within a minute and looks like it came from the person who promised it. Flodesk's help centre documents the whole flow, and the order of the steps matters more than the design. For plans and prices, see the Flodesk glossary entry.

Before you build:

• Try the free version first. Forms work on the Free plan, and a form's Thank you tab can redirect straight to the file, with no email at all (lead magnet guide). That tests whether anyone wants the freebie before you pay. The delivery email needs workflows, which are paid: Lite is $25 a month on monthly billing for up to 1,000 subscribers (pricing page, checked on 24 October 2026).
• Use what you already have. A PDF, a checklist, a recorded training. Flodesk does not store files inside emails, so host it where you already keep files and copy the link.
• Decide what success looks like. For example, if 400 people see the form in a month and 40 sign up, that is 40 / 400 = 10%. Write down the target rate before launch so the first month is a test, not a mood.

Step 1: Authenticate the domain

Go to Account settings, Domain setup, and click Authenticate now on the domain card. Choose the automatic flow, or the manual steps and copy the SPF, DKIM and DMARC records into your domain host exactly as shown (domain guide). Records can take up to 48 hours to update, and the Domain Setup page shows progress. Do this before anything sends, because the delivery email is the first impression.

Step 2: Create a segment for this freebie

Go to Audience, Segments, + New segment, and name it after the lead magnet. The lead magnet guide is firm that each freebie needs its own segment, so the right workflow fires; reusing one segment for two freebies sends both.

Step 3: Build the form, but do not share it yet

Go to Forms, + New form, and choose a type: popup or inline for your website, full page or link in bio for a shareable link. Click Customize it on a template, and select the segment from step 2. Leave the form unpublished on your site until step 6.

Step 4: Set double opt-in

On the Forms dashboard, open the form's three-dot menu, Settings, and toggle Double opt-in. Accounts that joined after 2 April 2026 have it on by default, per the double opt-in guide. Under Account settings, Opt-in setup, replace the default signature with your own and edit the confirmation page; the confirmation email's subject cannot be changed, and it sends from your default address. Two rules from the guide shape the flow: Flodesk sends no campaigns or workflows to unconfirmed subscribers, and existing active subscribers who opt in again get no confirmation email.

Step 5: Build the delivery workflow

Go to Workflows, + New workflow, and choose the Lead Magnet Delivery template. Click + Add trigger and select the segment, or the specific form. Click the Email step, design the message, and put the lead magnet link on a button. Back on the workflow screen, confirm the sender, then add a subject line and preview text. If people who sign up again should receive the freebie again, enable Allow repeat subscribers in Settings. Click Publish (lead magnet guide).

The delivery email is a marketing email in the eyes of the law as much as a receipt. Article 13(4) of the ePrivacy Directive (EUR-Lex) prohibits direct marketing email that disguises the sender or gives no valid address to which the recipient can ask for the messages to stop. Use your real name and business in the sender, and keep the footer.

Step 6: Share the form

Copy the embed code for a popup or inline form onto your site, or share the URL of a full page or link in bio form wherever you promote the freebie. Then sign up yourself with a fresh address and time how long the email takes.

Step 7: Ask an assistant who came in

Flodesk's Claude and ChatGPT connector reads your account in plain language. In Claude, go to Customize, Connectors, Browse connectors, search for Flodesk and connect; ChatGPT needs a Plus or Pro plan. After the first week, ask: "Who signed up this month, which form did they use, and did they open the lead magnet email?" It answers from your data and can add someone to a segment, but for any change or removal it asks you to confirm before it acts. Let it read; make the segment changes yourself.

What Flodesk's guides warn about

• One segment, two freebies. It fires the wrong workflow; give each freebie its own.
• Forms on Free, workflows on paid. The email step will not run on the Free plan.
• Unconfirmed sign-ups. They receive nothing until they click the confirmation button, and they do not count towards your subscriber tier either.
• Testing with your own address twice. An already-active subscriber does not get the double opt-in email again, which looks like a fault and is not.

Flodesk's workflow template is designed to turn a download into a subscriber, which is what the vendor is paid for. Your job is narrower: the person asked for one file. Send it, then let the next email earn the right to the one after.

FAQ

Can I deliver the freebie without an email?

Yes. Add a redirect URL in the form's Thank you tab and subscribers go straight to the file. The lead magnet guide still recommends the delivery email too, so people have a copy to come back to.

Why did a test sign-up get no email?

Usually double opt-in: the address is unconfirmed until the confirmation button is clicked. Or the address was already active, in which case Flodesk sends no new confirmation email.

Which file types can I give away?

Anything you can link to: a PDF, a video or a hosted resource. Files are not stored inside Flodesk emails.