I was listening to a YouTuber talk about content marketing the other day and they said, “A podcast isn’t top of funnel.” And I remember thinking… huh. Wait. What? 🤔
I’ve been doing content marketing for a couple of decades now and I really had to think about what she meant.
And it got me thinking that despite the endless supply of gurus talking about content marketing, they often get these foundational concepts totally wrong and create confusion for everyone else.
In this post, I’m going to untangle what ‘top of funnel’ content is, why we need it, how much we need, and how to go about creating it… without the marketing-bro energy. 😉
Let’s get into it.
Key Takeaways:
‣ Top-of-funnel content helps new people discover you; you can generally identify it by the topic
‣ If you’re growing, 60-70% of your content should be top-of-funnel
‣ TOF content is for anyone unaware of a specific problem, solution, or topic you’re introducing
‣ Without TOF content, your funnel has no one to nurture or convert
What Is Top-of-Funnel Content?
Top-of-funnel (TOF) content is the kind that helps new people discover you. It doesn’t try to sell or convince, it’s an introduction:
“Hi there! Have you been wondering about [beginner question]? Here’s my take…”
✅ This kicks the relationship off and builds trust.
“Hi there! Allow me to tell you the reasons why you should choose my product.”
❌ It’s not that this is bad, it’s just not meant for someone new.
That podcast the YouTuber was talking about?
It absolutely can be top-of-funnel.
So can a blog post, video, an email series, a lead magnet, or a social media post.
TOF isn’t defined by the platform or the format.
A useful shortcut: you can usually identify TOF content by the topic.
“What is an email sequence?” = A beginner learning the basics and maybe not even sure if an email sequence is what they need.
TOF ✅
“The exact email sequence that made me $50K last month” = A case study you share with people who are considering buying your email course
Not TOF ❌
The topic tells you 99% of the time.
The only edge case is when the SAME topic serves different audiences depending on context but we don’t need to get into the weeds on that.
Do We Need TOF Content?
If every piece of content you create was ONLY for people ready to buy right now, you’d be targeting less than 5% of your total addressable market. No bueno.
The other 95%—the people who have a problem but aren’t yet researching solutions—would never find you.
Top-of-funnel content is the entry point. It’s what fuels traffic, fills your list, and grows your audience.
Here’s the other thing: if you skip TOF content and go straight to middle- or bottom-of-funnel stuff, you’re asking people to trust you before you’ve earned it.
You’re basically walking up to a stranger and saying, “Hey, wanna buy this?” without ever having a conversation first. Some people might say yes, but most people are going to think you’re weird and we don’t want that.
TOF content builds the trust that makes those middle- and bottom-of-funnel conversions work. The person who converts on your offer today probably found you six months ago through a blog post. Or a podcast episode. Or a YouTube video. That TOF content is what got them in the door. Everything else just moved them down the path.
TOF is where you start the relationship by giving value without asking for anything back.
YET. 😉
How Much of Your Content Should Be Top-of-Funnel?
If you’re still growing your audience—if you’re not at a place where you have a steady stream of new people finding you every week—then about 60–70% of your content should be top-of-funnel. Maybe even more.
I know that feels like a lot.
But if you’re not consistently creating content that helps new people discover you, your audience stops growing. And eventually, people unsubscribe, they move on, life happens—and you’re left talking to fewer and fewer people.
TOF content is what keeps the pipeline full.
Now, as your audience grows and you hit a point where you have enough people in your world—enough traffic, enough subscribers, enough consistent attention—then yeah, you can shift that ratio. You might go to 50/50. You might even go 40% TOF and 60% middle- and bottom-of-funnel, because now you’ve got an audience to nurture and sell to.
But when you’re still building? TOF has to be the priority. Otherwise you’re spending all your time talking to the same small group of people and wondering why nothing’s growing.
Creating TOF content can feel less rewarding because you don’t always see immediate results, but you don’t get frustrated with seeds you just planted… you just give them time to grow.
Who Is Top-of-Funnel Content For? (Plot Twist!)
Here’s something important that a lot of people get wrong: TOF content isn’t only for complete strangers.
Yes, it’s for people who’ve never heard of you. But it’s also for anyone who’s unaware of:
- The specific problem you’re addressing
- The solution you’re offering
- A new topic or product category you’re introducing
So someone could be on your email list for years, but if you write a blog post about email marketing when you’ve only ever talked about SEO before, that’s TOF for that topic. You’re introducing something new and you need to start with awareness.
That’s why even established businesses with big audiences still create TOF content. Because they’re always expanding, always introducing new ideas, always bringing people into new conversations.
Top-of-Funnel Topic Examples
Remember that you can identify TOF content 99% of the time by the topic itself. Here are some example topics:
“What is the best way to [do something] for [specific audience]?”
“What is the best way to structure a sales page for service providers?”
or “What is the best approach to winterizing pipes in older homes?”
“[Number] signs you need [specific solution]”
“5 signs your marketing funnel has a leak”
“7 signs your website is costing you customers”
“How to [achieve specific outcome] without [common pain point]”
“How to grow your email list without running ads”
“How to fix low water pressure without replacing all your pipes”
“Why [problem] keeps happening (and what to do about it)”
“Why your content isn’t converting (and the 3 fixes that work)”
“Why clients ghost you after the proposal”
📌 Check out The Blog Post Vault for templates like “What Is,” “Beginner’s Guide,” “Myth Slayer,” “How To,” and “List Posts” that work perfectly for these top-of-funnel topics.
And for social media and broadcast emails, our Content Calendar System gives you a strong variety of TOF content planned out and pre-written for you for two full years. If you’re using Ai to help you create content, these work like “prompts on steroids” and give you a proven content plan to follow.
The Bottom Line
Top-of-funnel content isn’t just “nice to have.” It’s the foundation of your entire marketing strategy. If you want to grow your audience and your business, you need content that helps new people discover you.
And the good news? You don’t need to be on every platform or create content in every format. You just need to be intentional about creating content that meets people where they are, answers their first questions, and invites them to take a next step.
Other Cool Topics You’ll Enjoy 😎
Funnel‑First Blogging: How to Write Posts that Fuel Your Sales Funnel
Map your blog posts to funnel stages, including the “Attract” (TOF) phase.
How To Turn Your Blog Posts Into High‑Converting Lead Magnets in 4 Steps
Focuses on using TOF content to generate leads
Content Pillars for Social Media: Complete Guide for Small Business
How to structure content and align with audience awareness stages (including top of funnel).
How to Choose Blog Post Topics: Steal Our 3‑Bucket Strategy [+ 20 ChatGPT Prompts!]
Topic-selection frameworks that help ensure you’re creating the right type of blog posts for TOF, middle and bottom funnel.
