Back to Funnels & Conversions
Section 11 · App Marketing Funnels
The 8 Funnels Every SaaS Needs
Trial-to-paid is only one of them.
Customers
Revenue
Why it works
SaaS doesn't have one funnel — it has eight, and they all interlock. Most teams build only 2 and wonder why growth stalls.
Connects to
Customers
Revenue
When to use it
Build homepage, trial, and onboarding first. Layer the others as you scale.
When NOT to use it
Don't build a referral funnel before product-market fit.
How to use it
- Homepage funnel — visitor → trial signup.
- Demo funnel — for higher-ticket buyers who need a walkthrough.
- Trial funnel — activation in <24 hours.
- Subscription funnel — pricing → checkout → tax/coupon.
- Feature education funnel — in-app + email tours.
- Upgrade funnel — usage triggers → upgrade nudges.
- Retention funnel — engagement scoring + win-back.
- Referral funnel — incentivized invites for happy users.
Examples
Activation
Slack's 'send 2,000 messages' activation metric drove their entire onboarding funnel.