How to build an email funnel that actually works…

What is an email marketing funnel?

An email funnel isn’t just about sending a monthly newsletter — it’s about creating a journey that moves someone from “this looks interesting” to genuinely impressed and confident enough to reach out, make an enquiry, or complete a purchase.

When done well, an email funnel is one of the most effective and cost-efficient ways to generate revenue. The best part? It runs quietly in the background, building trust, warming up new subscribers, and shortening your sales cycle without you having to chase every new enquiry.

How to build a funnel that works

Buyers don’t move in a straight line anymore. People get distracted, pause their decision-making, revisit your website, and compare you with competitors before they make that first contact. They might ignore your first email, then open the next one and only take action a few weeks later.

According to research shared by Neil Patel, the number of interactions a potential customer has with a brand before purchasing has been rising steadily — from around 8.5 in 2021 to over 11 by 2025 (neilpatel.com). These touchpoints can include emails, social posts, blog articles, ads, website visits, webinars or recommendations so it’s no wonder the sales process is taking longer and longer.

Your funnel needs to reflect this behaviour, so don’t rush people to quickly towards a sale. Instead, stay visible, relevant and genuinely helpful at every stage, and you’ll build familiarity and trust long before the sales conversation even begins.

Step 1: Define the end goal

Before you start building emails, think about the action you want your subscriber to take. Is it to make a purchase, book a call, request a demo, or download a brochure?

Ask yourself:

• What might stop someone from converting at this stage?
• Can you provide proof or reassurance to build trust?

A helpful trick is to build your funnel backwards — start with the action you want them to take and plan each step that leads there.

Step 2: Build your Top of Funnel (TOFU)

Your TOFU goal is simple: capture attention and collect basic info like name, email, company, or phone number so you can start nurturing your list and building awareness of your services.

Here’s some good Top of Funnel content ideas::

• A downloadable guide or checklist
• Signup for a free webinar
• A free trial of your product or service
• Offer a discount or time-sensitive incentive
• Give them access to exclusive content 

Tip: Use a dedicated landing page with a single, clear call-to-action. Make it obvious what action you want your subscriber to take, so they don’t wander off to other pages before taking the action your want!

Step 3: Build your Middle of Funnel (MOFU)

Unfortunately this is the point where we see most businesses fail!

During this MOFU stage, the emails you create should focus on educating, building authority, demonstrating your expertise, and introducing proof to help eliminate any objections.

Here’s some of our content ideas to build your middle of funnel:

• Educational emails
• Industry insights or mistake breakdowns
• Case studies or testimonials
• Objection-handling emails
• Soft conversion invitations

Think of MOFU as the stage where your audience starts leaning in — your job is to give them reasons to trust you and stay engaged.

Step 4: Strengthening the Bottom of Funnel (BOFU)

Now your audience is warming up to you and your business, it’s time for you to encourage them to take the leap to and converting from a subscriber to a customers/client.

Some great examples of this are:

• Share recent client wins and ROI – “Our last client increased website leads by 35% in 3 months after working with us.”
• Offer a free consultation – “Book a 30-minute free strategy call to see how we can help your business grow
• Provide limited-time incentives – “Sign up before Friday to get 20% off your first month.”
• Reinforce social proof – “Here’s what [Client Name] said: ‘Working with this team doubled our enquiries in just two months!’”

Tip: Why not make your emails behaviour-driven.

If you want your funnel to really perform, think behaviour-driven automation. This means sending emails based on what people actually do — visiting a page, checking pricing, attending a webinar, clicking a link, abandoning a cart, or even going quiet for a while.