Content Funnel Formula
Educate, then connect, then promote — trust before you sell.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 80%
The Content Funnel Formula is a three-step approach to keep all your content moving toward an eventual offer. First, educate or entertain with consistent topics so people know what to expect from you. Second, layer in inspiration and authenticity through personal stories and behind-the-scenes moments, deepening trust and connection. Third, only when the time is right, move into promotion with content that naturally points to your offers and CTAs. The governing rule is to build trust first and monetize second — Hala waited over two years before selling anything to her audience.
Origin
Hala Taha describes this as her own three-step 'content funnel formula,' noting she personally focused on delivering value and being of service for over two years before ever selling anything to her audience.
Core principles
- 01Content should move in the right direction toward an eventual offer
- 02Early content educates or entertains with consistent, predictable topics
- 03Middle content builds trust through personal stories and behind-the-scenes
- 04Only promote once trust is established — build trust first, then monetize
- 05You can wait a long time before ever selling anything
How to run it
- 1
Educate or entertain consistently
In the early stages, deliver value over and over on consistent topics so your audience knows exactly what to expect from you.
- 2
Layer in inspiration and authenticity
Share personal stories and behind-the-scenes moments to deepen trust and connection with your audience.
- 3
Move into promotion
When the time is right, create content that naturally points to your offers and call-to-actions.
Pro tip Build trust first, then monetize — you don't need to start selling right away.
Watch out Selling before trust is established gets your content ignored.
In the wild
Hala waited over two years before she ever sold anything to her audience, focusing purely on delivering value and being of service throughout.
→ A trust foundation strong enough that promotion, when it came, converted.
Common mistakes
Selling before trust
Jumping straight to promotion before educating and connecting means the audience has no reason to buy, so the offers fall flat. Trust must precede monetization.
Is it for you?
Best for
Creators building a content presence who want a deliberate path from value to sales.
Not ideal for
Time-sensitive product launches that can't wait for a long trust-building runway.
From the transcript
“Build trust first and then monetize. In fact, I waited over 2 years before I ever sold anything to my audience.”
“First, in the early stages, focus on entertaining or educating with consistent topics on your social media.”
From the episode
The Creator’s Playbook: How Top Entrepreneurs Monetize Their Expertise to Make Millions Online