How to Build a Sales Funnel
Career freelance writer and copywriter Robert W. Bly breaks down what a sales funnel is and how to build one yourself.
Writing copy has long been the central task and skill for freelance copywriters. But today, of equal and sometimes even greater importance for the copywriter is knowing how to build a sales funnel.
A sales funnel outlines the sequence of steps in the sales process: What must happen to take people from strangers to prospects to customers.
The sales funnel steps are:
1—Attract from the population those people who might be customers for what you are selling.
2—Convert these potential customers to qualified prospects: people with the money, authority, and desire to buy what you are selling.
3—Engage prospects in a conversation that generates and amplifies their interest in what you are selling.
4—Get them to purchase the product.
5—Retain them as satisfied buyers as well as cross-sell and upsell them to additional offers.
We use the funnel metaphor because, as in a real funnel, the mouth is wide, so you can attract everyone who might conceivably be a buyer. Then, as you move through the funnel, it narrows as you select out the smaller group that actually become buyers.
What communications are used in each stage of the sale funnel[1]?
At the top of the funnel, blog posts, infographics, social media posts, videos, influencer content, display ads, and other engaging content to attract attention and build initial interest.[2]
In the middle of the funnel, information that builds trust and helps prospects make intelligent decisions about whether your product is the solution for them: case studies, comparison guides, long form blogs, interactive content, white papers, product brochures, interviews, reviews, and performance data.
At the bottom of the funnel, we use a variety of communications to close the sale and get the order including testimonials, pricing, proposals, demos, webinars, and presentations with irresistible offers—and compelling calls to action that drive commitment.
Do copywriters handle sales funnels?
For the longest time, the primary task of the copywriter was to write all these various marketing materials; product managers and marketing managers were responsible for working out the strategy for the sales funnel.
Today copywriters still write the marketing materials, but many also consult with their clients on the sales funnel—and are frequently asked to contribute suggestions, tactics, and ideas to increase conversion rate—that is, get more people through the funnel and turn them into paying customers.
Some copywriters include sales funnel optimization ideas as part of their overall service. Some put their strategies into a written marketing plan, for which they charge a separate fee in addition to their copywriting fees for specific deliverables.
[1] “Capitalize on the power of newsletters to build B2B sales,” SmartBrief Update.
[2] Martech Zone, 7/28/25.
