What You Should Know About Creator Funnels

If you want to turn a side project into a profitable business, the very first thing you need to understand isn’t content, or virality, or even monetization. It’s the funnel.

I’ve spent the past few years writing for some of the top marketing tech brands in the world — companies like HubSpot, which practically coined the term “marketing funnel,” and beehiiv, which helps creators build email-driven businesses.

And one thing is crystal clear to me: every successful startup, creator, and service-based business has some kind of system to move strangers into buyers. That system is the funnel.

At its core, a funnel is simply how people find you, come to trust you, and eventually buy from you. It’s not a sleazy sales gimmick (or it shouldn’t be).

It’s a structured way of consistently attracting and converting the right people without needing to manually hustle for every single client, subscriber, or sale.

Why Creators (Especially) Need Funnels

We live in the age of infinite content. Most creators I know don’t have a discovery problem. They have a conversion problem.

They’re creating content. They’re getting likes, maybe even followers. But they’re not turning that attention into income — at least not in a predictable, repeatable way.

A funnel is the difference between being internet-famous and being sustainably self-employed.

As HubSpot’s research shows, today’s buyer journey is non-linear.

It takes more touchpoints than ever before for someone to make a decision. Especially if you’re selling a high-ticket service, course, or consulting offer — chances are your audience isn’t going to see one post and immediately hit “Buy Now.” They need time. They need to trust you. And they need a clear path.

That’s what a funnel gives you:

• A top of funnel to build awareness and attract the right people

• A middle of funnel to educate and nurture their interest

• A bottom of funnel to show your value and convert them into paying customers

It’s not magic. It’s just how people make decisions — and smart businesses, including creator-led businesses, design for that reality.

The Creator Funnel in the Wild

So what does a funnel look like outside of a SaaS dashboard or marketing team’s whiteboard?

Let’s start with the creator version.

One of my favorite simplified frameworks comes from Ghost, which breaks the creator funnel into four clear stages:

1. Discovery

2. Trust

3. Access

4. Purchase

1. Discovery: Help People Find You

This is your top-of-funnel — and for creators, it’s almost always powered by content.

Think platforms like:

• LinkedIn, where I personally spend most of my time

• TikTok or YouTube, where the algorithm can serve your niche content to exactly the right person

• Even Instagram or X, depending on your audience

The goal at this stage isn’t to sell — it’s to get found. And the best way to do that? Create content that’s specific to your ideal client or customer.

Don’t try to appeal to everyone. Be clear, be niche, be useful. Algorithms are incredibly good at finding patterns, they just need to know who to serve your content to.

Justin Welsh puts it this way:

2. Trust: Earn the Right to Ask

Once someone finds you, your next job is to build enough trust that they’re willing to take a small action. Usually, this means giving you their email address — which, in creator land, is one of the most valuable assets you can earn.

Personally, I’ve followed some creators for months before I took that step. It wasn’t until they shared a guide, resource, or webinar that actually solved a problem I had that I signed up.

This is why lead magnets still work. Done right, they’re just a value exchange:

→ I give you something genuinely helpful

→ You give me permission to keep the conversation going

3. Access: Show Up in the Inbox

Now that you’ve made it to someone’s inbox — treat that space with care. It’s premium real estate.

Your job here is to continue delivering value, deepen the relationship, and help them move from “passive reader” to “warm lead.” This doesn’t mean bombarding them with pitches. It means teaching, sharing, storytelling, and creating clarity around how you can help.

The creators I stay subscribed to are the ones who teach me something every week. They don’t just try to sell me. They help me think.

Ali Abdaal’s newsletter is a great example of this and something I look forward to opening each week and thoughtfully reading through it.

I’m also in Rachel Meltzer’s Pop Club community for freelancers. She recently opened up some free spots for 1:1 coaching, and I thought this was a great way to build trust among her ideal clients.

4. Purchase: Make the Ask (When It’s Right)

Finally, once you’ve delivered consistent value and built trust, you can make an offer. This could be:

• A low-ticket digital product

• A high-ticket coaching or service offer

• A community, event, or program

The offer itself isn’t what makes someone buy — the journey does. If you’ve built the funnel right, the purchase becomes a natural next step.

For example, I subscriber to Rachel’s emails for months before joining Pop Club. I A) had to make sure it was the right community for me and B) had to wait for it to feel the right time financially as I’m super strict about adding new monthly business expenses.

Jenny Gritters has also taught me a lot on this topic, and her main argument is that marketing and sales don't have to feel sleazy and gross and like selling 24/7.

Instead, she's trying to build actual relationships with her target customers and just build it over time. She doesn't feel the need to rush it or put pressure on it.

I'm probably somewhere in the middle of the funnel for her - I've been to some events, I've paid for a couple of level events, but I haven't signed up for the high-ticket offers. But I can see the journey from trust to access. When the timing is right for me, I'm sure there will be an opportunity in the future.

Two Funnels, One Business (And the Mess in the Middle)

Here’s where things get interesting — and a little messy.

Right now, I’m building two funnels at the same time. One of them is well-oiled and profitable, and the other is still in progress.

Let me explain.

Funnel 1: My Freelance Business (a.k.a. What Pays the Bills)

My core business is helping marketing tech companies tell better stories — through long-form content, SEO-optimized blog posts, and founder-led storytelling. I’ve worked with companies like HubSpot, beehiiv, and others to create content that drives traffic and builds authority. That business has a funnel, even if I didn’t realize it right away.

Here’s how it works:

Top of Funnel (TOFU):

I publish content on LinkedIn regularly, sharing marketing tips, behind-the-scenes project wins, and strategy breakdowns. These posts build visibility and attract the right kinds of founders, marketing leads, and content managers.

Middle of Funnel (MOFU):

If someone likes what they see, they often check out my portfolio, sign up for my newsletter, or DM me to start a conversation. I’ve also had people book intro calls directly from a single post — but usually, they’ve seen my work more than once.

Bottom of Funnel (BOFU):

Once we’re on a call, I send relevant samples, propose a custom content package or retainer, and walk them through how I can help. This part is tailored, not automated — and that’s intentional for high-ticket services.

This funnel works. It’s clear, aligned with my goals, and it runs consistently — because I’ve built my reputation over time.

Funnel 2: My Creator Business (a.k.a. Still Loading)

Then there’s the other funnel — the one I’m building in real time.

This is the funnel for Creator Diaries, for Pub & Property, for the experiments I’m running in community, content, and digital products.

It’s a funnel for people like me — builders, solopreneurs, creators — who want to design a business and life they actually want.

And the truth is, this funnel is incomplete and I’m still stuck in the middle a bit.

Discovery is working.

My audience is growing steadily on LinkedIn. I’ve figured out how to create niche, helpful content that speaks to people’s aspirations — and it’s leading to newsletter signups and DMs from people who say, “I feel seen.”

Trust is building.

The newsletter is consistent. The content is thoughtful. People reply. They forward it. That part feels good.

But then… I stall.

I don’t yet have a clear offer on the creator side. No product, no community, no program (yet). I’m still trying to figure out:

And so my funnel — like many creators’ — stops midway.

I’ve moved people from discovery to trust… but not from trust to transformation.

You Can Have Multiple Funnels — But You Need Clarity

It’s okay to have more than one funnel. Many of us wear multiple hats: consultant and creator, service provider and brand builder. But each funnel needs its own destination. Otherwise, you’re just building attention loops instead of businesses.

I’m in the messy middle right now.

Testing ideas. Exploring whether I want to launch a paid community, a cohort experience, or something else entirely.

And that’s okay.

Funnels evolve — especially for creators. The key is not to chase the latest format or revenue model. It’s to listen to your audience, figure out what real problem you can solve, and build your funnel backwards from there.

Lessons from Creator School (And Where I’m Stuck)

Joining Level Up Creator School has helped me level up how I think about funnels — not just as a marketer, but as a creator building a business from scratch.

I already understood the fundamentals. I’ve written about them, implemented them, helped startups turn them into revenue.

But building a funnel for yourself — with your own face, your own story, your own product — is a whole different game.

Here are a few takeaways that have stuck with me:

1. Funnels Are About Focus

You don’t need a million offers. You need one clear path from attention to transformation.

This is where I’ve been stuck. I’ve nailed the discovery part. I’ve built trust. But when it comes to what I want people to do next, I’ve feel unsure. Now I’ve got to do the deep work to understand what I actually want to do before I can get other people on board.

Do I want to launch a community? A cohort? A strategy sprint? A premium newsletter? The ideas are there — but the funnel can’t work unless the next step is clear.

Creator School challenged me to zoom out and ask:

Not the thing everyone else is doing. The thing only you could deliver.

2. The Bowtie Funnel: Beyond the First Sale

One of the more advanced concepts I’ve been exploring is the bowtie funnel. It starts like a traditional funnel: move someone from stranger to customer.

But it doesn’t just stop at the first purchase; it includes a product ladder that grows with your audience.

Here’s how it works:

• You guide someone from top of funnel (discovery) through middle of funnel (education and trust-building) to bottom of funnel (first purchase).

• But instead of stopping there, you offer multiple ways to help that same person over time — through different price points, formats, and access levels.

A great example of this is Amanda Goetz. Her core focus is helping people achieve success without burning out. She’s built her funnel to guide creators and professionals through that journey — and her offers reflect different entry points and needs:

• A free newsletter that builds trust and offers insight

• A masterclass for people ready to go deeper on productivity and mindset

• Office hours groups for ongoing coaching and support

3. People Buy from People Who Make Them Feel Seen

This has been a subtle, but powerful reminder. Funnels aren’t cold systems — they’re built on relationships. And the best ones are designed around empathy, not just strategy.

The creators I trust the most don’t just teach me something — they understand me. They speak to my goals, my fears, and my ambitions before I even voice them.

That’s the kind of creator I want to be. And that’s the kind of funnel I want to build.

Where I’m Headed

I’m currently testing ideas for what that bottom-of-funnel offer might look like. Some possibilities:

• A strategy sprint to help solopreneurs clarify their personal brand and story

• A cohort experience focused on creator business foundations

• A community with virtual coworking and real-life meetups for builders

[P.S. if any of these ideas would be something you’re interested in drop me a note or reply here!]

The funnel isn’t finished yet. But I’m building it brick by brick, in public.

And the coolest part is that every piece of content I share — like this essay — is part of the process.

Your Funnel Is Your Foundation

You don’t need to go viral. You don’t need to post every day. You don’t even need a perfect product (yet).

But if you want your side project, newsletter, or service to become a sustainable business — you do need a funnel.

A funnel gives you direction. It turns curiosity into trust, and trust into revenue. It helps you build something intentional instead of just spinning in the content creation cycle.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to be clear.

You can have multiple funnels. You can iterate on your offers. You can change your mind.

But when you think like a business owner — and design like one — you give yourself the structure and clarity to actually grow.

So start there.

One step. One stage. One funnel.

— Taylor