Why Top Of Funnel Content Matters For Brand Growth and Visibility

Have you ever wondered why some brands seem to naturally capture attention and build lasting connections? It often lies in their ability to capture audiences with top-of-funnel content. This is often the crucial first step that helps you establish a strong online presence.

For businesses looking to grow organically, top funnel content isn’t just another box to tick. It’s an effective content marketing strategy that can help capture and nurture new customers. By creating helpful content that educates, informs, and fascinates, you’re essentially starting conversations with your new audiences. You’re establishing your brand as a new trusted companion in your audience’s journey through the marketing funnel.

What is a marketing funnel?

The traditional marketing funnel, literally shaped like a funnel, helps visualise the customer journey from the first point of contact with a brand through to the final purchase decision. It’s essentially a step-by-step guide to understanding and guiding potential customers as they move through different stages of awareness, consideration, and decision.

• At the top of the funnel, you’ll find awareness content aimed at attracting a wide audience. For instance, imagine a new coffee shop looking to attract coffee lovers. They’d share enticing images of latte art and brewing tips to create awareness about their brand or product.
• As prospects consider your brand, they move down to mid-funnel. The content becomes more targeted and detailed, for example, coffee tasting and brew guides, information on coffee options, monthly newsletters to address specific needs or concerns, etc.
• At the bottom, your prospects are almost ready to make a decision. For this, content such as customer reviews and testimonials, information on pricing and opening times and limited-time discounts work to encourage decisive action.

These are the basics of the traditional marketing funnel, which can become more simple or complex depending on the specific needs of a business. Additionally, there are many other models, such as the Flywheel model, the RACE framework and customer journey mapping, that provide alternative approaches to understanding and engaging with your audience.

No matter which model you go with, top-of-funnel content is important for business growth. It sets the stage for drawing in new audiences, which is vital for any successful content marketing strategy.

What is a top of funnel content?

• At the top of the funnel, you’ll find awareness content aimed at attracting a wide audience. For instance, imagine a new coffee shop looking to attract coffee lovers. They’d share enticing images of latte art and brewing tips to create awareness about their brand or product.
• As prospects consider your brand, they move down to mid-funnel. The content becomes more targeted and detailed—think coffee tasting and brew guides, information on coffee options, monthly newsletters to address specific needs or concerns, etc.
• At the bottom, your prospects are almost ready to make a decision. For this, content such as customer reviews and testimonials, information on pricing and opening times and limited-time discounts work to encourage decisive action.

These are the basics of the traditional marketing funnel, which can become more granular and complex depending on the specific needs of a business. Additionally, there are many other models, such as the Flywheel model, the RACE framework and customer journey mapping, that provide alternative approaches to understanding and engaging with your audience.

No matter which model you go with, top of funnel content is important for business growth. It sets the stage for drawing in new audiences, which is vital for any successful content marketing strategy.

Why top of the funnel content matters

For increasing your brand’s visibility

Awareness content is like an introduction to your brand for new audiences. It pulls in curious visitors, encouraging them to explore what you offer. So when you share quality, helpful tips and info that genuinely solve problems, it grabs attention and helps more people discover your content on search results.According to HubSpot, companies that blog receive 55% more website visitors and 67% more leads than those that don’t.

For engaging with your audience early

With brand awareness content, you’re inviting your audience to join a conversation that aligns with their interests or needs. As they interact more with your content, they’re more likely to see your brand as credible and trustworthy, which is key to guiding potential customers further along their journey to conversion.

This early engagement is often measured through touchpoints that track how top-of-funnel content brings in eventual leads and sales. Platforms like HubSpot, GA4, or integrated CRMs can help you see how ToFu content supports the broader customer journey.

For building brand authority

Building authority means positioning your brand as a go-to source in your field. When your content consistently offers valuable insights and solutions, you earn your audience’s trust. And we all know trust plays a big role in purchasing decisions.

In fact, 70% of consumers prefer getting to know a company via articles rather than ads. Articles present information in an informative and neutral way, demonstrating the company’s expertise and providing value to the reader. This leads to fostering a deeper connection with the audience and establishing a company as a credible source of information. 

But how do you effectively create top-of-funnel content that resonates with your audiences?

Tips for effective top of the funnel content

Creating early-stage content that clicks involves understanding what your potential customers are looking for and delivering real value. SEO research into the right keywords and intent can really help you understand what your audience is curious about or concerned with. This approach places your content and brand right at the fingertips of those searching for solutions or answers.

Keyword intent matched to ToFu content can be:

• Informational: “How to choose a sustainable backpack”
• Educational: “Why sustainable travel matters”
• Exploratory: “Best carbon offsetting tools in 2025”

Tools like AlsoAsked, SEMrush, and Google’s People Also Ask can help uncover popular early-stage queries that drive ToFu traffic..

Blogs posts and articles

Blog posts and articles are a pillar of content marketing, and for a good reason. They are foundational for inviting people into your brand’s story. They give you the space to delve into topics that are important to your audience at the discovery stage.

The way people consume information has changed dramatically, particularly with the introduction of Large Language Models (LLMs) such as AI overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity. These AI platforms are reshaping how your content is found, viewed and interacted with by your audiences. To appear on these LLMs means your top funnel content needs to be optimised for AI search engines.

LLMs look for information that’s not only trustworthy and high-quality but also structured in a way that makes it easy for them to interpret and understand the content. Focus on using semantic HTML, bulleted lists and FAQ-style content. Include links to trusted online sources, cite data where possible and ensure your articles are regularly updated. Freshness is a key ranking factor in AI summaries. 

So, when you’re creating top funnel blogs and articles, it’s essential to focus on clarity, relevance, and consistency. Write content that meets the user’s intent and format it to include clear headings and subheadings. This makes it digestible not just for your audience but for AI as well.

Remember to repurpose longer-form blog content into bite-sized social snippets, such as carousels, story highlights, or short-form Q&A reels or turn it into Digital PR stories to create opportunities to gain links back to your blogs and website. Distribution is just as important as creation. 

Consider syndicating blog posts on Medium, republishing in your newsletter. Tag partners for co-promotion on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn etc.

Videos and reels

Videos and reels are a lively way to grab your audience’s attention. They can break down complicated topics into easy-to-digest pieces. As more and more people turn to video content, including it in your top-of-funnel strategy is a very smart move.

Plus, Google often features YouTube videos in its AI overviews, making video content a powerful tool for increasing your brand’s reach and visibility.

When creating videos, aim for clarity and relevance. Deliver content that speaks to your audience’s specific interests. Short and snappy video formats usually do better at keeping viewers’ attention. And don’t forget, adding subtitles or transcripts can help make your content accessible to a wider audience.

Podcasts and audiobooks

Podcasts offer a unique way to build a personal connection with your audiences, like having a cosy chat over a cup of coffee. They appeal to a broader group of audiences, from busy folks doing daily long commutes to those wanting to relax at home or anyone looking for some on-the-go entertainment.

Podcasts and audiobooks have become popular options that cater to different lifestyles, making them essential for connecting with diverse audiences, including younger demographics, educated individuals, and those with higher incomes.

Authenticity matters when doing podcasts because your listeners are looking for genuine experiences and connections. Let your personality shine through by inviting real, meaningful discussions. Inviting guest speakers or industry experts can also add depth and variety, making episodes feel like spontaneous yet insightful discussions.

Also, focus on providing value and insight by tackling topics that hit home with your audience’s interests or challenges. Share practical advice, inspiring stories, or intriguing interviews that will leave listeners with something valuable to think about your brand and messaging.

Social media posting

Social media is all about building communities based on shared interests. These platforms are like a bustling public square where anyone can talk about your brand, interact with you, as well as join in and listen to the conversation.

With the rise of TikTok, particularly among younger generations, social media has evolved into a platform for discovering information, much like how we use Google for searches. This is why TikTok has become crucial for reaching a younger audience.

Focus on creating short videos that are entertaining yet informative. Use catchy music, trends, and hashtags to capture attention and increase your reach. 

You can repurpose key video moments into social reels, email GIFs, or carousel posts, maximising reach across formats.

Also, keep your communication interactive to keep your audience interested and talking about your brand. Post visuals, polls, or even questions to encourage a two-way conversation to make sure your brand followers feel heard and valued.

Don’t forget email marketing

Email marketing is often overlooked at the awareness stage, but it plays a key role in nurturing early interest.

Offer lead magnets, like downloadable guides, checklists, or toolkits, in exchange for email signups. Then set up simple welcome sequences to keep your brand front-of-mind while your leads explore further. Even just a 3-email sequence can increase early-stage engagement significantly.

Keep it fresh

Top of funnel content isn’t set-and-forget. Run content audits every 6–12 months to update stats, re-optimise metadata, and spot opportunities for new angles. Consider turning a blog into a podcast episode, a video explainer, or a downloadable checklist.

Whether you choose to create blogs, videos, podcasts or social media content, it’s important to nurture this audience engagement using storytelling. Stories stick with people and resonate on a deeper level, making your brand more relatable and memorable. Ultimately, the brands that tell the best stories build the most loyal audiences.

See how we helped Greenpeace develop a content strategy that lead to a 247% increase in organic traffic, drawing over 15,000 visitors to the site.

Ready to start telling your brand’s story? Got any questions? We’re here to help you grow.

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