Marketing funnel examples save you from frustration and wasted effort. You wouldn't build a house without a blueprint, and a marketing funnel provides the same overarching structure your campaigns need.

When I started breaking down funnels into distinct stages, my own marketing results improved significantly. Everything began clicking into place.

Every stage of the funnel now plays a specific role. I tailor messages to match my audience’s needs at different points in their buyer’s journey.

Here’s the good news: you don’t have to start from scratch. I’ve pieced together proven tactics and battle-tested examples to help you build smarter, more effective funnels today.

Funnels guide your audience step by step through their buyer's journey, ensuring that each interaction is purposeful. 

Here's how funnels can make your campaigns more effective.

A clear funnel focuses your communication. Instead of overwhelming your audience with generalized content, you send targeted messages that match where they are in their decision-making process.

Streamlined flows — from awareness to conversion — simplify processes and reduce friction between digital marketing funnel stages.

Funnels break the customer’s path into distinct stages, showing you where prospects drop off or lose interest, and real examples spotlight potential issues.

Learn how to identify and remedy these weak points. For example, you might need to simplify a complicated form or refine a landing page to convert more leads.

Effective funnels turn a sprawling, disorganized campaign into manageable steps. Each stage has a defined role. You can develop intricate strategies that are still easy to execute.

When you’re stuck in a creative rut, seeing how others approach funnels can be game-changing. You might pick up inspiration for a bold email design or a clever upsell.

The beauty of a funnel is that it doesn’t treat everyone the same. It acknowledges that customers need different things at different stages. By tailoring your approach to their needs, you form connections that feel personalized and authentic, building long-term trust and loyalty.

When your funnel works, you have a repeatable process to generate leads and conversions. This repeatability is crucial when scaling your efforts. 

Rather than reinventing the wheel, you can replicate a successful funnel, such as an email newsletter strategy, for different campaigns

Let's break down each of the three main stages of the marketing funnel and their top strategies. These are the principles on which successful marketing funnel examples rely.

The top of the funnel is where potential customers first encounter your brand. This stage is about creating interest and offering value, not pushing for a sale. 

Your goal is to provide educational, engaging content that connects with your audience while encouraging small next steps.

At the ToFU stage, your audience is exploring their challenges or researching a topic. Offer non-salesy, informative content that answers their questions.

A well-optimized blog — or blog/newsletter — can draw traffic through search engine optimization (SEO), positioning your brand as a trusted resource. 

Invite further engagement without pressuring people. You can direct them to other useful resources on your website, inviting them to stay and engage.

Make your value clear at every stage. For example, highlight why visitors want to receive your emails on your newsletter landing page.

In the first marketing stages, awareness is your primary goal. Social media content is great for capturing attention with vibrant visuals and quick tips. These posts resonate with professionals and casual browsers when they’re polished yet conversational.

Cold outreach done right introduces your brand to new audiences. Skip the sales pitch and focus on helping prospects.

A tailored email that addresses their challenges works better than generic messaging. For example, offer a resource like a quiz that helps them evaluate their current position with respect to your industry. 

This approach keeps your outreach helpful, not pushy.

Small, actionable steps help move your audience from passive to engaged. Encourage them to subscribe to your newsletter, view additional content, or download a free guide.

Integrate your readers into your community with opt-in email forms that only require low commitments. Make them feel supported in their journey and get them used to saying "yes" to your brand.

At this stage, it’s all about delivering value. By guiding without selling, you form stronger connections that naturally lead your readers further into the funnel.

The middle of the funnel is where connections deepen and casual interest turns into genuine curiosity. At this stage, prospects want more value and personal engagement.

Your mission — should you choose to accept it — is to provide tailored insights, build trust, and showcase your expertise using thoughtful, helpful content.

Use the top email newsletter services to create email sequences that keep prospects interested. Transition casual readers into loyal subscribers by expanding on topics they value.

If you offer paid content or applications, highlight the benefits of upgrading or offer free trials so subscribers can see for themselves.

Who knows? You could even create a resource so valuable that it gets acquired — like beehiiv superstar Milk Road.

Start tailoring your approach beyond an individual's funnel stage. Send content based on their interests, job titles, etc.

If your funnel begins with a quiz, follow it up with customized emails based on their results. Share insights explaining the results, their implications, and actionable next steps.

Every piece of MoFU content should address a specific challenge or need for your audience. The best material flows, with each piece adding something new or developing a sequence.

Show that you understand your readers’ pain points and have solutions. Provide case studies, testimonials, or demonstrations of how you address their needs.

An empathetic, customer-centered approach works well in marketing funnel examples. Speak directly to your audience's challenges, aspirations, and goals.

Invite feedback or questions to create a dialogue with your audience. Including surveys, polls, or interactive elements in your content.

Start with your confirmation email template and invite readers to share more about what they want from you.

Two-way communication feels personal and shows prospects that you value their opinions and time.

At this stage, consistency is vital. From your tone to the frequency of your communications, you want to be predictable — aka reliable.

At the MoFU stage, your role is to nurture, not to push a sale. Share actionable insights or tools that enhance your readers’ knowledge without expecting immediate conversion. This makes potential customers more likely to trust you as they progress further down the funnel.

The bottom of the funnel is all about turning prospects into customers. At this stage, your audience is ready to decide. 

Your role is to clearly demonstrate why your product or service is the right choice. Every piece of content should answer the question, “Why this?” with compelling benefits and urgency.

Clarify the value your solution brings to the table. Focus on how it solves specific problems or provides unique advantages. 

Avoid fluff and ensure that prospects understand what sets you apart.

For example, your newsletter upgrade page could break down the differences between free and premium content.

Encourage prospects to act quickly by using time-sensitive offers, limited spaces, or exclusive deals. Calls to action (CTAs) like “Save your spot” or “Start your subscription today” create urgency and turn interest into action.

Offer exclusive perks like discounts, additional resources, or VIP access to make the decision even more appealing. These extras add tangible value and serve as a nudge for hesitant prospects to move forward.

If your funnel involves demos or consultations, emphasize the return on investment (ROI) prospects will get. Address their main pain points and frame the demo as a natural progression in solving their challenges. 

Tailored CTAs like “Book your free demo” feel accessible, not aggressive.

Leverage data to deliver highly targeted offers. Whether it’s personalized ads from a quiz or messaging based on past interactions, tailored recommendations show you understand your readers’ needs. 

Ads with CTAs like “Start your free trial” make next steps feel seamless.

Simplify the final steps in your sales funnel stages. Ensure that the checkout, scheduling, or signup process is smooth and intuitive. 

Tools like Stripe, Calendly, or Webflow can help minimize friction and make conversions hassle-free.

Address any last-minute doubts with testimonials, case studies, or guarantees. Showing proof of success from other customers can reassure prospects that they’re making a smart decision.

Every piece of BoFU content should feel tailored and purposeful. By staying focused on your audience’s challenges and offering solutions, you make saying “yes” feel effortless.

Now it’s time to look at real-world marketing funnel examples. I've drawn from multiple channels and industries to give the best possible overview.

Matt Brown’s Extra Points newsletter demonstrates how a well-thought-out funnel can transform niche content into a successful business. 

Brown’s strategic approach moves prospects from engaging blog content to paid subscriptions and, finally, to innovative partnerships.

It's essential to find the right niche. 

Brown’s blog focuses specifically on the business of college sports and acts as the entry point to his audience. By covering less-reported topics, his content attracts a hyper-targeted group of professionals, journalists, and passionate fans.

Brown builds stronger relationships with his audience by turning readers into paying subscribers through his premium newsletter on beehiiv. Subscribers get access to exclusive, well-researched content.

"People pay for expertise, perspective, and stories they can’t find anywhere else,” Brown explains. He's learned how much content he needs to provide and what he can charge for it.

The final stage of Brown’s funnel leverages creative partnerships, such as licensing his content to universities. He offers bulk subscriptions tailored to educational institutions, complete with perks like guest lectures and an online research library on the topic.

The strategy diversified Brown’s income and positioned his newsletter as an invaluable resource for sports management programs.

You can convert cold prospects into loyal customers through thoughtful outreach and tailored content.

The cold outreach process begins with identifying prospects who match your ideal customer. Build a focused prospect list.

Then, you can customize cold emails for these individuals. Including trigger-based actions, such as links or CTAs, helps gauge their interest. For example, if a prospect opens an email multiple times, it signals strong initial engagement.

Don't forget: get your emails into inboxes by following sender name best practices and other tips to improve email deliverability.

Retargeting campaigns keep potential customers interested. 

Follow up when prospects take actions like opening an email or clicking a link with personalized content. For example, if someone opens an email twice but doesn’t click, a follow-up email with a new approach might be sent.

The beehiiv platform shines when it comes to customized automation, allowing brands to infinitely tailor their approach and gently nudge people further down the funnel.

Tweak your prospects' final step with dedicated landing pages. Instead of having every customer end at the same point, you can secure more conversions by appealing to specific segments of your audience.

Business-to-business (B2B) brands often use cold email for outreach. 

This landing page from Hack the Box offers a choose-your-own-adventure format. After a simple opt-in form and a few statistics, it provides multiple learning avenues.

This funnel example demonstrates how a strategic approach to LinkedIn advertising can guide potential customers from initial awareness to final conversion through a thoughtful sequence.

LinkedIn is a well-established channel for B2B brands. 

The recently acquired beehiiv newsletter The Neuron started its journey to the top with Noah Edelman converting his LinkedIn following to email subscribers.

If you don't have as much organic reach, consider paid advertising with LinkedIn ToFU ads that inspire curiosity. 

Carousel ads can be particularly effective, allowing brands to showcase multiple slides of content, each telling a cohesive story or highlighting product benefits.

For example, a software as a service (SaaS) company targeting manufacturing firms might include slides presenting market challenges, key stats, and a high-level overview of their solution. This collection feels approachable while offering enough to entice users to explore further.

Once leads subscribe, offer them educational newsletters or even an email mini-course that offers deeper insights. Platforms like Notion provide great course templates, making it simple to develop the ideas you introduced in your social media content or ads.

That same SaaS company could create a three-part email series on a niche topic such as product information management.

The final stage closes the deal with a live demo.

At this point, leads are familiar with the brand and its solution. The demo showcases how the product can work for them. A personalized walkthrough encourages confidence and removes barriers to purchase.

When I partnered with a Minneapolis med spa to grow their customer base, I crafted a short but sweet three-stage funnel, starting with a social media giveaway.

We kicked things off with a Valentine's Day giveaway. I created the contest through Woorise and advertised on Instagram and Facebook. We also sent out a blast to the current email list, since subscribers could earn entries for each new referral that joined the fun.

The prize was an incredible body sculpting package designed to introduce the audience to several available services.

The sign-up form required their name, email, and a multiple-choice question asking them to select which services most interested them. 

Entrants were automatically segmented accordingly.

The contest increased the spa's email list by 4% and also attracted new followers on social channels.

I'm a big believer in the email marketing lifecycle. It's crucial to customize content for prospects at different stages of the journey.

In this med spa campaign, new subscribers received a welcome email taking them on a virtual tour of the brand. It included glowing testimonials, a list of local awards, results photos, and a little about the spa's offerings.

Finally, after announcing the giveaway winner, every entrant received a personalized follow-up email with a limited-time offer and more information about specific services.

I reminded entrants of their interests and gave them one of five limited-time offers, tailored to their chosen category. Many recipients booked appointments.

Strategy is more important than tools, but the right applications make everything a whole lot easier.

Here's how I use different applications at each funnel stage.

At the top of the funnel, the primary goal is to grab attention — and contact information.

Moving leads into the middle of the funnel requires building trust and maintaining engagement. Here, organization and personalization are key.

Finally, at the bottom of the funnel, it is about making the conversion process effortless and targeted.

Remember, this stage is all about building trust and providing a seamless experience. Follow up with personalized communication and valuable resources to solidify the relationship with potential customers.

Funnels require constant fine-tuning. Small tweaks to targeting, CTAs, and framing can drive big results.

If I had the med spa giveaway to do over, I'd start personalizing content from the get go. Instead of a simple thank you message, I could have redirected entrants toward the right treatments.

I could create a signup flow that sends people to a landing page with crucial business details and a block of recommended blog articles based on their interests. This was a missed opportunity.

Sometimes you even need to rethink your desired outcome. Matt Brown didn't start his newsletter with the intention to develop university partnerships, but they've become one of his biggest revenue streams.

Pay attention to your metrics, letting data guide you as much as possible. What leads to good open rates or generates the most clicks? Don't be afraid to experiment. We're all still learning.

Marketing funnels are the backbone of an effective strategy, guiding your prospects seamlessly from awareness to action.

Start tailoring your approach. Match messages to the customer's journey — meet them where they are with what they need.

The right tech stack helps. Make beehiiv part of yours. You'll get all the tools you need from easy signup forms to segmentation and automation features that let you tweak your approach to every customer.

Claim your beehiiv free trial today! Your next marketing breakthrough is just a few clicks away. Don't you want to be featured on the next list of incredible marketing funnel examples?

Why Trust Me

I'm an experienced digital marketer with years of practice running marketing funnels. I also routinely research and publish on the latest trends and proven best practices for publications like this one.

One example of a marketing funnel is the process of moving people from social media platforms like LinkedIn to email — and then providing them with a personalized demo or free trial of your service.

At the top of the funnel, LinkedIn posts attract interest and drive users to sign up for a free email list or mini course. This content should nurture prospects with practical insights.

At the bottom of the funnel, marketers can invite participants to book a demo or take advantage of a special offer

The marketing funnel method is a structured approach to guiding prospects through the customer journey. It starts with raising awareness at the top of the funnel, nurturing their interest in the middle, and leading them to act at the bottom.

The method helps you target messaging at each stage to meet the needs of your audience.

The five stages of a sales funnel are the same, but people break down these funnels in different ways.

The simplest way to outline the funnel is with the three stages: ToFU, MoFU, and BoFU. Other people divide the middle stage into interest and consideration, signifying increased engagement.

Finally, you can also think of marketing as a five-stage funnel:

Customer retention emails are a great way to keep people coming back, converting again and again.

You can find more marketing funnel examples from blogs, case studies, or marketing-focused websites that share detailed strategies.

Browse the beehiiv blog for great case studies and creator spotlights. Taken together, they prove that there are many possible paths to success.