Scan time: 2-3 min / Read time: 5-7 min
Hey rebel solopreneurs 🦸♀️🦸♂️
Most creators waste months writing 50-page eBooks as lead magnets for their email list.
Smart ones build simple templates in 20 minutes.
✳️ Why this works
Before you can sell digital products, you need an email list.
To build an email list, you need something to give away for free. A lead magnet.
Most creators think: "I need to write the Ultimate Guide. A comprehensive eBook. Prove my expertise."
So they open a blank doc. Start writing. Get 10 pages in. "This isn't comprehensive enough."
Get 25 pages in. "The structure is wrong."
Get 40 pages in. "Someone else probably did this better."
Delete. Start over.
4 months later? Still no lead magnet. Still no email list.
Here's the thing:
Your audience doesn't want to read 50 pages. They want to solve a problem. Fast.
Think of it like giving someone directions.
Option 1: Write them a 50-page book about navigation, map-reading, GPS technology, and the history of wayfinding.
Option 2: Hand them a simple map with the route marked in red.
Which one do they actually use?
The map. Every time.
Templates are maps. eBooks are textbooks.
One gets used immediately. The other sits in a folder labeled "Read Later" and never gets opened.
Your readers want actionable. Not comprehensive.
They want fill-in-the-blank. Not essays.
They want "Here's exactly what to do" not "Here's everything you could possibly know."
Templates deliver this. In 20 minutes instead of 4 months. BAM.
Let's see how Emma figured this out:
🔍 This works best with a trained AI sidekick.
Not set up yet? [Train in 5 minutes →] | [Test with sample →]
Emma is a productivity coach. Posts on Twitter 5 times a week.
But here's her problem.
After 9 months, Emma had 2,400 Twitter followers. Email list? 47 people.
She knew she needed a lead magnet. But what kind?
Everyone said: "Write an Ultimate Guide. Create a comprehensive eBook."
So Emma tried. Opened blank doc. Started writing "The Complete Guide to Productivity."
Got 3 pages in. "This isn't comprehensive enough."
Got 10 pages in. "The structure is wrong."
Got 20 pages in. "Someone else probably did this better."
Delete. Start over.
4 months. Same cycle. Zero published.
The problem? Emma believed she needed a 50-page eBook to prove her expertise.
She didn't know templates could work better.
Then Emma found something. A principle from someone who'd built a multi-million dollar newsletter business.
A concept called "The Template Method."
It explained exactly why eBook paralysis was killing her list growth. And how to create lead magnets in minutes instead of months.
Emma decided to follow these steps:
Step 1: Generate 10 template ideas for her niche Step 2: Build one template using AI
📝 Step 1: Emma generated 10 template ideas
Emma decided to create templates instead of eBooks.
But which template would her audience actually want?
Morning routine tracker? Goal-setting worksheet? Time-blocking guide?
She had no clue which one would work.
But wait. If she could generate 10 targeted ideas instantly, she could pick the best one in minutes.
Here's what she tried:
The template idea generator prompt:
I want to create a free template I can give away to people who follow my content on social media.
I will give you my niche, and you will give me 10 template ideas I can create as lead magnets.
For each template idea:
- Make it solve a specific problem my audience faces
- Make it something they can fill in or follow step-by-step
- Make it actionable (not just informational)
Return format:
1. Template name
2. One-sentence description of what problem it solves
3. Why this audience would value it
---
INPUT:
Niche: {INSERT Your niche/topic e.g., "Productivity for remote workers"}
The AI sidekick returned 10 template ideas.
Emma scanned the list:
Weekly Time-Blocking Template (solves: scattered schedule chaos)
Project Prioritization Matrix (solves: everything feels urgent)
Meeting Notes Template (solves: losing track of action items)
Deep Work Planning Sheet (solves: constant interruptions killing focus)
Energy Management Tracker (solves: working when depleted)
Emma stopped at #5. "Energy Management Tracker."
That's the struggle her audience mentioned constantly. "I'm tired all the time. I don't know when to do focused work."
Completion moment: Emma knew exactly which template to build. The one that solved the energy problem.
🛠️ Step 2: Emma built the template in 15 minutes
Emma had the idea. Energy Management Tracker.
Now she needed to actually create it.
She used this prompt:
The template builder prompt:
I want to create a free template I can give away to people who follow my content.
I will give you my niche and a description of the template I want to create.
You will create the complete template for me with these sections:
1. Welcome header with WHO it's for and WHAT problem it solves
- Format: "Welcome to [Template Name]! This template is for [WHO] so that [OUTCOME]."
2. How to use this template (2-3 bullet points)
3. The actual template structure with:
- Clear section headers
- Fill-in-the-blank fields marked with underscores or brackets
- Brief instructions where needed
- Checkboxes, tables, or formatting that makes it easy to use
4. A simple tip or reminder at the end
Make it clean, simple, and immediately usable. Format in Markdown with clear headers and structure.
---
INPUT:
**Required:**
Niche: {Use the niche from above}
Template description: {INSERT What the template should do e.g., "Energy management tracker that helps identify peak focus times and avoid burnout"}
Key benefit to emphasize: {INSERT Main outcome}
**Optional (skip if you've done context setup):**
Target audience details: {INSERT Specific audience info if relevant}
The AI sidekick returned a complete template.
Emma read through it:
Welcome to the Energy Management Tracker! This template is for remote workers who want to identify their peak focus times and avoid burnout.
How to use:
Track your energy 3 times per day (morning, afternoon, evening)
Note what activities boost or drain you
Review weekly to find your patterns
Morning Check (9-10am) Energy level (1-10): ___ What I did this morning: ___ Energy boosters today: ___
Afternoon Check (2-3pm) Energy level (1-10): ___ Focus quality: High / Medium / Low What drained me: ___
[Template continued with evening check and weekly review...]
Emma scanned it. All the sections she needed. Clear instructions. Easy to fill in.
Copy. Paste into a Google Doc. Add her branding. Export as PDF. Done.
15 minutes from prompt to finished lead magnet.
Not bad.
Completion moment: Emma had a complete, ready-to-share template. No 4-month eBook needed.
📊 Emma's results after 3 weeks
Before:
Lead magnet: None (stuck in eBook paralysis for 4 months)
Email list: 47 people
List growth: 2-3 signups per week
After:
Lead magnet: Energy Management Tracker (created in 20 minutes)
Email list: 183 people
List growth: 40-50 signups per week
Her process now:
Generate 10 template ideas (60 seconds)
Pick the best one (2 minutes)
Build complete template (15 minutes)
Add branding in Google Doc (3 minutes)
Export as PDF
Publish
Total time: 20 minutes. Not 4 months.
Her AI sidekick handles template structure and formatting automatically. Bingo.
🧩 Your turn
Copy both prompts into your AI sidekick. Run them in the same chat.
Paste your niche into Prompt 1. Your AI sidekick generates 10 template ideas.
Pick one. Describe it in Prompt 2. Your AI sidekick builds the complete template.
Generation time: 60 seconds total. Time to publish: 20 minutes.
That's it, my fellow outliers!
Yours 'turning your expertise into income 10x faster' Vijay peduru 🦸♂️