Marketing funnel trends come and go, but one thing that never changes is how easy it is to obsess over the top of the funnel. I used to think more reach meant more revenue.
But that thinking led to bloated email lists, unqualified leads, and campaigns that looked good on paper but didn’t convert.
The real game?
Mapping the full journey, from the moment someone discovers your content to the moment they take action.
In this blog, I’m walking you through what I do at every stage, what broke, what worked, and what I borrowed from great newsletters.
Why Understanding Funnel Stages Changed My Marketing Approach

Before I understood funnel stages, I was running on instinct—just putting things out there: content, posts, newsletters. Some worked, most didn’t. But nothing felt like it was building toward something.
I realized:
Not everyone needs the same message.
Each piece of content should have a job.
Conversion isn’t magic, it’s momentum.
Now, when I write a blog post, I know exactly where it fits. Is it meant to drive awareness? Then I pair it with a soft CTA, maybe a free newsletter signup. If it’s for consideration, I might include a lead magnet or case study. Conversion? That’s where email sequences and product CTAs come in.
That shift—from scattered content to intentional flow- is what helped me stop chasing vanity metrics and start tracking actual movement through the funnel.
It’s not about adding 10,000 leads overnight. It’s about understanding why someone moves and building for that.
3 Main Stages Of The Marketing Funnel
Awareness (Top of Funnel)

This is where I spark curiosity. I’m not selling here, I’m earning attention.
Here’s what I do:
Write SEO-focused blog posts that answer high-intent questions. Think “newsletter landing page examples” type content.
Post consistently on LinkedIn. The posts that work best for me are personal, punchy, and problem-solving.
The Milk Road crushed this by using memes, simple breakdowns of crypto news, and outrageous subject lines to build brand recall. Their “stupid simple” tone made crypto digestible for everyone and wildly shareable.
Consideration (Middle of Funnel)

Now people know me, but they’re still evaluating. This is where I build trust.
My go-to moves:
Short email courses (3–5 emails over a week). I build these in beehiiv using automations.
Deep-dive content like playbooks or comparison guides.
Surveys or quizzes built in Typeform that segment readers based on interests or needs.
Cody Sanchez nails this phase. Her funnel often starts with a spicy Twitter thread → leads to a free downloadable → which triggers a welcome sequence packed with value. Each step deepens the relationship, no hard sell needed.
Look at this business:
• $3.3M HVAC company
• 27% growth
• Trained team
• Recurring contracts...Would you buy it?
Here's the breakdown:
— #Codie Sanchez (#@Codie_Sanchez)
1:34 PM • May 17, 2025
Conversion (Bottom of Funnel)

Shaan Puri uses his brand to full effect here. He sends weekly newsletters (on beehiiv) that blend ideas, offers, and insights. Here’s where people go from “interested” to “invested.”
new one minute blog: creativity <3’s constraints
— #Shaan Puri (#@ShaanVP)
6:22 PM • May 16, 2025
I use:
beehiiv newsletters with strong CTAs. I rotate between product drops, case studies, and testimonials.
Free trials and calendar links (Calendly for sales calls, beehiiv for landing pages).
Retargeted content that addresses objections and shows transformation.
Tools I Use at Each Funnel Stage
Top of Funnel

Typefully for scheduling social
Ahrefs for keyword research
Canva for visuals and thumbnails
Middle of Funnel

Notion for building lead magnets
Typeform for audience segmentation
Google Docs for collaboration
Bottom of Funnel

beehiiv for newsletters, automations, segmentation, and referrals
Calendly for frictionless booking
How beehiiv Helps Me Nurture Subscribers At The Bottom Of The Funnel
beehiiv isn’t just an email tool—it’s my conversion engine.

And the numbers back it up:
Open rate (2024 avg): 37.98%
Click rate: 4.64%
Spam complaint rate: just 0.04%
I also love that it’s built for creators, not corporate marketers. No bloat. Just performance.
My Advice For Building A Funnel That Converts
Start lean:
One post for awareness
One freebie for consideration
One newsletter CTA for conversion
Then iterate.
Use tools that give you data, not guesses. beehiiv tells me which links get clicked and which emails fall flat. That’s how I improve each step.
And finally, don’t automate everything. Reply to emails. Add a personal note. That human touch is still your unfair advantage.
Final Thoughts On Putting This Into Practice
Funnels aren’t about force—they’re about flow.
The Milk Road didn’t “sell” crypto. They made it fun. Cody Sanchez doesn’t push products. She builds relationships. Shaan Puri doesn’t hype—he educates.
And that’s the takeaway: Great funnels feel like guidance, not pressure.
So build with intention. Start with one subscriber, one solution, and grow from there.
If you’re serious about converting traffic into action, start by switching to a platform built for exactly that.