Email funnels are the backbone of any online business.
Even in the age of social media and instant messaging, email marketing remains one of the most effective digital marketing strategies. At the heart of this strategy lies the email funnel — a powerful tool designed to guide your email subscribers through their customer journey and convert them into loyal customers.
Creating a solid email funnel that doesn’t lose leads is both an art and a science. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the essentials of email marketing funnels and how to optimize them for amazing results.
Table of Contents
What is an email funnel?
An email funnel is a series of emails designed to guide potential customers through different stages of their journey, with the goal of turning them into paying customers and brand advocates. Think of it as a path that turns casual subscribers into your brand’s biggest fans.
The journey typically begins when someone subscribes to your email list and continues until they make a purchase or complete another desired action.
The main goal of an email funnel is to move new subscribers through different stages of the customer journey, from awareness to consideration, and finally to decision and retention.
Email Funnel Essentials
To make your email funnel a success, you need these 3 key elements:
1. Value-add. To keep your subscribers engaged, it's key to provide real, relevant content that adds value. People stick around when they find value in your emails. This approach builds trust, likeability, and credibility, making subscribers feel glad to be on your list.
You can also offer a free lead magnet — an additional piece of content they receive in exchange for their email address. Remember, your content shouldn’t be one long sales pitch; it should genuinely help and educate your audience.
2. Establish authority. For people to want to do business with you, they need to see you as an authority in your field. It's human nature to follow those we perceive as knowledgeable and confident. You need to demonstrate your authority in your email funnels.
Share tangible proof of your expertise, such as social proof and success stories, to create an aspirational feeling among your subscribers. Show them that you know your stuff and they’ll be more likely to trust and follow your recommendations.
3. Make relevant offers. To generate sales from your email funnel, you need to offer something for your subscribers to purchase.
Ensure that your offers are relevant to your customers and aligned with your email sequences. A well-timed, relevant offer can significantly boost your conversion rates and drive sales.
5 Steps in an email marketing funnel
An email marketing funnel is all about guiding your audience from being aware of your brand to becoming advocates. Here’s how to map out your email funnel for each stage of the email marketing customer journey.
1. Awareness: Making a memorable first impression
The awareness stage is where potential customers first learn about your brand and get a general idea of what you offer. You want to impress them with a great first email to make that first impression a long-lasting one.
Goals
- Create brand awareness.
- Educate your audience.
- Grow your email list.
To nail this stage, here are some strategies to employ.
- Invest in brand awareness campaigns. Make your business stand out in the crowded digital space.
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Be top-of-mind. You want to be the first brand potential customers think of. How do you do this?
- Build a targeted email list. Collect emails from people who are genuinely interested in what you offer.
- Run retargeting campaigns. Reach out to visitors who have shown interest in your website but haven’t taken action yet.
- Use social media. Join your target audience’s favorite platforms to widen your reach.
Email marketing funnel example: Awareness
This welcome series email from Casper perfectly suits this stage of the funnel. As a first impression, the email establishes authority by highlighting Casper as America’s #1 in product quality, giving immediate assurance to potential customers.
Without explicitly mentioning prices, the email effectively uses CTA buttons to encourage readers to learn more about the brand and its offerings, prompting further engagement.

Email tip: To attract subscribers, use various list-building techniques, like offering a valuable resource, such as an ebook or a free webinar, in exchange for their email address. This incentive, known as a lead magnet, encourages people to share their contact information with you.
2. Consideration: Standing out from the crowd
In the consideration stage, your leads are weighing their options between you and other brands. Your email campaign has already grabbed their attention; now it's time to convince them to choose you.
Goals
- Nurture leads.
- Provide value.
- Build trust.
Here’s how to make them see you're the best choice.
- Show you’re the best solution to their pain points by highlighting your key benefits better than anyone else.
- Provide detailed information about benefits of your product or service to help prospects make an informed decision.
- Share customer testimonials, case studies, and success stories to build credibility and showcase real-life benefits.
Email marketing funnel example: Consideration
This email from Three Nails features customer testimonials highlighting how their product has made a difference in their lives. The reviews give potential customers a reason to believe.

Email tip: Send a compelling email to new subscribers to give them a taste of what to expect if they stay on your list.
3. Conversion: Sealing the deal
The conversion stage is the heart of your email marketing funnel — where all your hard work pays off. Imagine this step as the moment a window shopper steps into your store, ready to make a purchase. Your job? Make it irresistible for them to say no.
Goals
- Turn leads into customers.
- Increase sales.
- Track conversion rates.
Here are some dynamite email strategies to make sure you close the deal.
- Prepare a limited-time offer exclusively for subscribers, such as discounts, to encourage a purchase.
- Highlight the urgency and exclusivity of the offer to prompt immediate action.
- Ensure your emails have a clear, compelling call-to-action (CTA) that guides your subscribers on what to do next.
Email marketing funnel example: Conversion
This email from Clare with a limited-time offer is designed to instill a sense of urgency and exclusivity to drive conversions.

Email tip: Avoid spamming. Customers are still delicate at this stage. A simple thank you or order confirmation email is enough to confirm their decision and start building a positive post-purchase relationship.
4. Retention: Keeping the love alive
Once a new customer makes a purchase, the focus shifts to customer retention. Keeping them engaged and coming back for more is essential. Think of this stage as cultivating a garden — nurture your customers, and they’ll keep growing with your brand.
Goals
- Reduce churn.
- Increase customer lifetime value.
- Re-engage inactive subscribers.
To keep the love alive, try these strategies.
- Send relevant follow-up emails that provide additional value and keep your brand top-of-mind.
- Upsell and cross-sell based on the customer’s buyer journey and their interactions with your content. Recommend products that complement their previous purchases based on their ecommerce habits.
- Offer personalized product recommendations and exclusive deals that resonate with each customer to keep them engaged.
Email marketing funnel example: Retention
This Nike’s cross-selling email offers relevant complementary products that match what’s already in the cart. They’ve also included additional perks exclusive to Nike members, such as free delivery and free returns.
This creates stickiness, ensuring customers find added value in a variety of offerings and are less likely to switch to competitors.

Email tip: Ask for customer feedback on their experience and use insights to improve future interactions. This shows you value their opinions and are dedicated to meeting their needs.
5. Loyalty and Advocacy: Turning customers into champions
The final step is all about delighting your existing customers so they become loyal advocates for your brand. Happy customers are more likely to send referrals to your brand — the ultimate goal of any email marketing campaign.
Goals
- Enhance the customer experience.
- Encourage repeat purchases.
- Create brand advocates.
Here’s how to turn customers into your biggest fans.
- Design loyalty programs that reward repeat purchases and long-term engagement.
- Collect and showcase customer reviews and testimonials to build trust and credibility.
- Engage with your customers on social media to create a community around your brand.
Email marketing funnel example: Loyalty and advocacy
This email from NOTIQ shows a heartfelt appreciation for subscriber loyalty. A $20 reward is added to make the customer feel valued.

Email tip: Build brand loyalty by implementing programs that reward your most dedicated customers. Offer them exclusive perks and discounts, and encourage them to share their positive experiences with their network. A heartfelt thank you email can go a long way in making them feel appreciated and valued.
How to build an email marketing funnel
It might sound like a daunting task, but creating an email marketing funnel is all about understanding and guiding your audience through their journey with your brand. Let’s have a look at how to do this effectively.
Define your goals
First, you need to know what you want to achieve. Are you looking to boost sales, engagement, or grow your email list? Clear goals will shape your funnel strategy and help you measure success.
Create a customer journey map
A customer journey map visually outlines the steps a customer takes from their first interaction with your brand until conversion. It allows you to answer the four critical questions — Who, Where, When and How. To create one, you need to:
- Identify touchpoints. Where is the customer interacting with your brand? This could be via your website, social media, in-store visits, etc.
- Understand customer needs. Identify what your customers need at each touchpoint, and find ways to meet those needs.
- Map the journey. Create a visual representation of the customer journey. Include key steps from awareness to loyalty. This helps identify opportunities or gaps in your email marketing strategy.
Segment your audience
Not all subscribers are the same. Segment your list based on demographics, behavior, or purchase history. This allows you to send more personalized and relevant content, increasing engagement and conversion rates.
Further reading: Email Segmentation: 10 Strategies & How to Get Started
Use opt-in forms
Opt-in forms help you gather new leads and build your email list. Customize your form templates and place them strategically on your website or other channels. Ensure they’re simple and indicate the value of subscribing. Additionally, with opt-in forms, you can collect other customer data such as location, phone number, that will help you with segmentation.
Engaging pop-ups can also be used to get email subscribers. However, be careful with this approach as some people find them intrusive.
Choose your email marketing software
Choosing the right email marketing software is key. Look for software that is easy to use, customizable, allows bulk emails, segmentation, automation, and provides comprehensive analytics. Brevo is a recommended option that offers these features.
Create compelling lead magnets
A lead magnet is a valuable resource that you offer in exchange for an email address. It could be a free trial, an ebook, a discount, a checklist, etc. Make sure it’s relevant, solves specific pain points and is appealing enough for your audience. Offer it via a sign up form or a dedicated landing page.
Build a landing page
Your landing page is where the magic happens. It’s where your lead magnet lives and where visitors will exchange their email addresses for your valuable content. Keep it simple, visually appealing, and with a clear call-to-action (CTA).
Set up a welcome email series
First impressions matter. Once someone subscribes, send a welcome email as an icebreaker. Introduce your brand and give them an idea of what to expect. A welcome email is also an opportunity for you to communicate your value proposition and share useful tips and resources. Sometimes all people are looking for is that value add.
Use a drip campaign
A drip campaign is a series of automated emails sent at specific intervals. It helps keep your leads warm and engaged over time. It’s also often used to guide your leads through the sales funnel by providing relevant and valuable content at every stage of their journey.
To set up an effective drip campaign:
- Plan your content. Outline the topics and sequence of your emails.
- Automate. Use your email marketing software to schedule and send emails.
- Measure and adjust. Track open and click-through rates, and refine your emails based on performance.
Retain your customers
After a purchase, the journey isn’t over. Map out strategies to keep them engaged after doing business with you.
Send follow-up emails, ask for feedback, provide product update and tips to get the most out of their purchase. Offer exclusive deals and content to keep them coming back.
Track email marketing analytics
Tracking metrics is key to making sure your email marketing funnel is working.
Some of the important email marketing metrics you should pay attention to include open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and unsubscribe rates. Use these insights to refine your strategy and improve performance.
Good to know: You can adjust your email marketing funnel depending on audience interaction. It’s not set in stone. Keep testing and refining to get the best results.
Best practices for effective email funnels
Automate your email sequence
Automation is your best friend when it comes to email funnels. Marketing automation tools like Brevo help you send the right message at the right time, based on triggers like sign-ups, purchases, or engagement actions. This ensures your subscribers receive timely, relevant content without you lifting a finger.

Marketing automation sequence created with Brevo
Clean your email list
A smaller engaged list is far more valuable than a large unengaged one. Regularly clean your list to remove inactive subscribers, invalid email addresses, and duplicates. Again, Brevo can help you with the process.
With email list cleaning, you’ll improve deliverability rates, reduce costs, and get more accurate statistics. We recommend that you clean your lists at least once a year. However, if you notice decreased engagement, increased bounce rates, or a higher unsubscribe rate, clean it up right away.
Pro tip: Blocklist inactive contacts instead of deleting them. This ensures you won’t accidentally re-import them or send them emails in the future.
Troubleshoot
If you're not seeing the desired results from your email funnel, don’t hesitate to go back to the drawing board. Identify the root causes and find solutions so your marketing efforts don't go to waste.
Check your open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates to pinpoint where your email funnel might be leaking. A/B test different elements such as subject lines, CTAs, and content, then refine based on analytics and performance.
Experiment with email frequency and timing
Timing can be a game-changer for your email campaigns. Experiment with different schedules to see what works best in terms of engagement and conversion rates. Analyze the results and find the sweet spot for your audience.
Personalize
Go beyond the recipients by name. Tailor your emails to reflect their interests, behavior, and preferences. Make your subscribers feel truly understood and valued. Personalized emails can significantly boost engagement rates.
Optimize for mobile
More than 50% of emails are opened on mobile devices. Ensure your emails are optimized for mobile with a responsive design, quick load times, and clear, accessible call-to-action buttons. A mobile-friendly user experience is crucial for keeping your audience engaged.