What Is Lead Generation?
Lead generation is the process of attracting and capturing the contact details of potential customers — turning anonymous interest into known leads you can follow up with. It typically happens through gated content, forms, events and ads, and feeds the top of the sales funnel.
Key takeaways
- Lead gen captures contact details, turning interest into known leads.
- Common tactics: gated content, forms, events, webinars, paid ads.
- It's narrower than demand gen, which builds market-wide awareness and intent.
How lead gen works
You offer something of value — a guide, a webinar, a tool — in exchange for contact details, usually via a form. The captured lead enters your CRM, gets scored and nurtured, and is handed to sales when it's ready. The lead magnet is the trade that makes it work.
Lead gen vs demand gen
Demand gen creates the interest; lead gen captures it. The two work together: demand gen builds an audience that wants you, lead gen converts that audience into known, followable contacts.
Frequently asked questions
What is lead generation?
The process of attracting potential customers and capturing their contact details so you can follow up — turning anonymous interest into known leads.
What's the difference between lead gen and demand gen?
Lead gen captures contact details from interested people; demand gen builds the awareness and intent that makes those people interested in the first place.
What are common lead generation tactics?
Gated content and lead magnets, forms and landing pages, webinars and events, and paid advertising that drives form fills.
Related service: Build lead gen in HubSpot