What is a funnel? and how to create one for less than £20

If you're trying to sell a product or service, then understanding a funnel is critical to your business.

Michael Smith

6/25/20256 min read

Here at stackd we don't roll in bs, fluff, crud or anything else of the same nature. we believe in clearly labelling processes out step by step so you can rise above the noise and understand what is you need to do. so what is a funnel?. If you’ve spent more than five minutes in online business circles, you’ve heard the word “funnel” thrown around like it’s some magic money machine. The problem? Most people either overcomplicate it or sell you tools you don’t need. In this post, I’ll break down — in plain English — what a funnel actually is, what it does, and how to set one up step by step without paying for bloated software or “all-in-one” platforms. You don’t need Clickfunnels or Kajabi to win. You need clarity, consistency, and the right tools (many of which are free or dirt cheap).

A funnel is simply a structured path that guides someone from not knowing you exist to becoming a paying customer — and ideally, a repeat one. Think of it like dating. You don’t ask someone to marry you the moment you meet them. First, you spark interest (awareness), then build a relationship (trust), and only then do you make your offer (pitch). In business, this journey is broken into three key stages: (Read to the end for step by step instructions and links to tutorials)

Top of Funnel (TOFU): Awareness

This is where you catch someone’s attention for the very first time. But it’s not enough to just get noticed — you need to lead them somewhere. The goal of TOFU isn’t just reach, it’s direction.

Real-world examples of TOFU content:

A short UGC-style video on TikTok that hooks interest and links to your free resource
A Facebook ad optimized for leads, sending viewers to your landing page
A blog post titled “5 Mistakes Small Businesses Make on Instagram” with a call-to-action at the end
A carousel post on Instagram with tips, followed by “Link in bio for full guide”

The key is: this content should always link to the next step — a landing page, sign-up form, or opt-in of some kind.

Middle of Funnel (MOFU): Engagement + Trust

Now that you’ve captured their attention and they’ve clicked through, your job is to build trust and collect their contact info (usually an email). This is where your lead magnet comes in — something valuable you give away for free in exchange for their details.

Examples of good MOFU lead magnets:

A free downloadable guide (e.g. “How to Set Up Your First Funnel Without Spending a Penny”)
A tutorial video or mini-course (e.g. “Watch me build a funnel in under 30 mins with free tools”)
A free trial or audit (e.g. “Get a free homepage review in 24 hours”)
A toolkit or template (e.g. “Copy-and-paste email funnel template”)

To make this work, you’ll need to connect a free email marketing tool — like MailerLite, Systeme.io, or ConvertKit — to deliver your lead magnet and follow up automatically.

Don’t worry — we’ll walk you through exactly how to set this up step-by-step below.

Bottom of Funnel (BOFU): Conversion

This is the final stage — where you make the sale. But here’s the important bit: don’t try to sell right after someone signs up. Let your emails do the heavy lifting. Use a short email sequence (3–7 days) to:

Share your story or mission
Provide helpful content or results
Overcome objections or common fears
Introduce your offer
Create urgency with a time-limited bonus or discount

Examples of BOFU content:

A compelling sales email with a personal story and link to your offer
A “last chance” email with testimonials and urgency
A sales page on Gumroad, ThriveCart, or even a Notion page with Stripe checkout
A “Book a free call” CTA if you sell services

If your TOFU and MOFU did their job, this is where the trust pays off.

A funnel is built for one purpose: to turn strangers into leads, and leads into customers. It gives people a clear, focused path — from seeing an ad or piece of content, to clicking a landing page, grabbing a freebie, and eventually buying something. Funnels don’t just sit there; they work. And when paired with the right kind of ad — whether it’s a Facebook lead ad, a TikTok video, or an Instagram post — you’re putting your offer in front of people who already want what you’re selling. Instead of hoping someone stumbles through your website and figures it out, a funnel actively leads them from curiosity to conversion.

Build a Full Funnel for Under £20 in a Weekend (No Expensive Software Required)

You don’t need ClickFunnels, GoHighLevel, or any of those overpriced “all-in-one” platforms that promise the world and charge you £97/month for things you can easily do yourself. Most of them just bundle tools that already exist — email, landing pages, automations — and sell you the illusion that they’re the only way to succeed. That’s just not true.

If you’ve got a solid offer and a free weekend, you can build a fully functional funnel — from landing page to email sequence to ads — for under £20, using beginner-friendly tools that do 90% of the work for you.

Here’s exactly how to do it:

Step 1: Set Up Hosting with Hostinger (£1.99/mo)

Start by getting yourself a cheap, reliable website host.
Hostinger is perfect for beginners — it offers drag-and-drop website templates, built-in WordPress integration, and automatic domain setup. No tech skills needed.

Basic plan starts at £1.99/month
Upgrade to £2.99/month and get a free domain name worth £8.99
You can install WordPress with 1 click
Drag-and-drop builder included, no need to code
Everything is automated (DNS, SSL, email setup, etc.)

This gives you a real, functional website with your own domain — no ugly subdomains or complicated server stuff.

Step 2: Set Up a Free MailerLite Account (0.00)

Next, go to MailerLite — one of the best free email marketing tools available.

The free plan gives you:

Up to 1,000 subscribers
12,000 emails per month
Automation workflows
Landing pages, forms, and email templates

Here’s how to set it up:

Create a form (e.g. call it “Leads”).
Use the drag-and-drop builder to design it — add a headline, email input, and a submit button.
Once done, MailerLite gives you a code snippet. Embed this into your website (your Hostinger site).
Create an automation workflow:
- Trigger: “When subscriber completes a form”
- Step 1: Send a thank you email with your free download or bonus
- Step 2: Add a 1-day delay
- Step 3–6: Create a nurture sequence — e.g. Day 2: value tip, Day 3: another freebie or story, Day 4: soft pitch or testimonial

Congrats — your email funnel is now automated.

Step 3: Use Canva + ChatGPT to Create Your Ad Content (Free Trials)

Now it’s time to drive traffic to your funnel with an ad.

Use Canva and ChatGPT to build everything without hiring a copywriter or designer.

In Canva, use the AI-powered ad generator — just type in your idea and let it spit out design variations.
Add your brand colours, a call-to-action, and a bold scroll-stopping headline.
If you don’t have a logo, generate one in Canva (they even give you a 30-day free trial of the Pro plan).
In ChatGPT, prompt it like this:
“Create a compelling Facebook ad headline for a free guide on [your topic]. Make it hit a common pain point.”
“Write a one-sentence CTA that gets people to sign up for my free checklist.”

This gives you a high-quality, conversion-focused ad with zero guesswork.

Step 4: Set Up a Facebook Page and Run Targeted Ads (£5–£10)

Now bring traffic in. Set up a Facebook Business Page, and then log into Meta Business Suite (don’t use the Boost Post button or Ad Centre — they’re very limited).