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:

  • 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.

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.”

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.

Reply

or to participate

Keep Reading

No posts found