Substack vs Blogging in ai era

by Connie Cermak | Mar 18, 2026 | Blogging, Substack

Substack vs. Blogging in the AI Era:

Learn all about both of them, and decide which One Fits Your Business Best?

Substack came in hot during Covid, and blogging had been sluggish for a while. And it makes sense why Substack experienced skyrocketing growth. People were home, routines were upside down, and suddenly a lot of smart, creative women—many of them mothers balancing work, kids, and an entirely new kind of daily chaos—were looking for more than content. They were looking for connection, identity, rhythm, and maybe even a new income stream. And that’s exactly what they found!

Substack offered all of it in one tidy little package.

Write what you know. Build an audience. Send it straight to inboxes. Get paid if people want more. I fell in love with Substack immediately.

That simple model turned everyday writers, niche experts, artists, home cooks, and compelling storytellers into real businesses. Some built loyal paid communities. Some built media brands. Some built businesses making serious money through subscriptions.

And now, while Substack continues to grow, blogging is having a comeback of its own.

Why? Because AI has changed the game, making blogging easier than ever.

Writing a fully optimized blog article is faster than ever when you know what you’re doing. You can move from idea to outline to structure much more efficiently. And for businesses that want stronger discoverability, greater domain authority, and better visibility in search—especially local search—blogging still holds enormous value.

So now we have two very different content paths that are surprisingly similar at the core.

Both can build audience.
Both can create trust.
Both can support monetization.
But they do different jobs—and one may be much better for your business than the other.

Why Substack Took Off During Covid

Substack arrived at exactly the right time.

During Covid, people weren’t just consuming content. They were craving voices that felt real. They wanted insight, companionship, honesty, and perspective from actual humans—not polished brands speaking in marketing jargon.

That’s where Substack felt fresh. It’s a refreshing change from the LOOK AT ME entertainment screaming on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat.

It gave people a place to write with personality, build niche communities, and get paid without needing a huge team, a complicated tech stack, or a perfectly polished website. It lowered the barrier to entry, but it also raised the emotional stakes in a good way. The best Substacks feel personal. Direct. And human.

And that intimacy matters.

A publication like Caroline Chambers What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking is a perfect example. It’s wildly successful because it meets readers exactly where they are: tired, busy, hungry, and not interested in pretending they have the energy to become a gourmet goddess on a Tuesday night. That kind of specificity is gold. I signed up immediately for the upgrade at the early rate of (I think it was) $5 a month. Not only have I learned how to cook, I’ve also learned how to do Substack well!

The same goes for artists like Wendy MacNaughton, whose Substack @drawtogether creates not just content, but a feeling of participation and belonging. That’s one of Substack’s greatest strengths. It doesn’t just distribute content. It creates a community around a voice and a shared interest in drawing.

Why Substack Feels Like the Old Twitter

For a lot of us, Substack feels like the internet we miss. Not the noisy, performative, algorithm-choked version. The older one. The Twitter from 2009.

Back when people actually talked to each other. Back when interesting strangers became real friends. Back when you could reach out to someone brilliant, funny, or accomplished and sometimes get a surprisingly thoughtful response back.

There was more curiosity then. More openness. More direct connection.

That’s part of what makes Substack so appealing now. It brings back some of that energy. Writers can talk directly to readers. Readers can reply. Communities can form around shared obsessions, humor, taste, craft, or lived experience.

For creators, that’s incredibly powerful.

For the right business, it can be even more powerful than traditional social media because the audience is warmer, the relationship is deeper, and the path to monetization is built in.

Why Blogging Is Making a Real Comeback

At the same time, blogging is no longer the clunky old workhorse people ignored while chasing shiny social platforms.

Blogging is back—and AI is one reason why.

Not because AI should be used to crank out lifeless content by the gallon. Please no. I tried that on behalf of a client—and while our stats showed that it helped, it was a touch niche to crack which required more than simply blogging could accomplish. (Plus the internet has enough beige sludge). But when used well, AI can help speed up research, structure, ideation, optimization, and first drafts. That means thoughtful businesses can create strategic blog content more consistently than before.

And that matters because your blog does something Substack usually doesn’t do nearly as well.

Blogging builds your own domain.

It strengthens your website.
It supports your SEO strategy.
It improves discoverability.
It helps search engines and AI-driven search tools understand who you are, what you do, and where you do it.

If you’re a local business, that becomes especially important.

A strong blog can support local discoverability, service relevance, and geo-targeted search intent in a way that a newsletter platform simply can’t fully replace. For businesses trying to show up in search results, AI summaries, and location-based queries, blogging is still one of the smartest long-term moves on the board.

The Pros and Cons of Substack

Let’s Start with the Pros of Substack

Substack is fantastic for creators and businesses with a strong voice and a niche audience. It’s ideal when people are subscribing to you as much as your information. It’s also one of the most natural platforms for recurring revenue through paid subscriptions.

It works especially well for:

writers
artists
chefs
commentators
educators
experts with a clear point of view
businesses built around community, personality, and insider access

Substack also makes it easier to build a direct relationship with readers. There’s less friction. Less noise. Less dependence on social media antics.

Cons of Substack

Substack is not always the best tool for discoverability through search. It also gives you less control than a fully owned website ecosystem. You’re building on someone else’s platform, even if it’s a lovely one.

And not every business has content people want to pay for every month.

That’s the truth nobody says loudly enough.

Some audiences want connection. Some want utility. Some want transformation. Some want occasional updates and would never pay a subscription fee in a million years. That doesn’t make your work less valuable. It just means your monetization model needs to match your audience behavior.

The Pros and Cons of Blogging

Let’s Start with the Pros of Blogging

Blogging is powerful for discoverability, domain authority, and SEO. It gives you an owned asset that can keep working for you over time. A strong blog can support service pages, internal linking, authority building, and visibility in both traditional and AI-influenced search.

It’s especially useful for:

local businesses
service providers
real estate professionals
therapists
consultants
designers
contractors
medical and wellness practices
businesses that need to be found by people already searching for answers

A strategic blog also helps position your expertise. It gives your audience reasons to trust you before they ever contact you.

Cons of Blogging

A blog without strategy is just a very polite pile of clutter.

You need structure, keyword awareness, audience understanding, internal links, helpful content, and clear calls to action. Blogging is not magic just because it exists. It needs direction.

And yes, AI may make blogging faster, but faster doesn’t automatically mean better. The quality still matters. The originality still matters. The strategy still matters.

When blogging backfires.

In 2025, I published a blog post about memes that became a huge hit. However, it became ‘too successful’ for the wrong reasons. The post generated so much traffic that Google’s bots began misidentifying my site’s niche, diluting my “topical authority” and confusing the ranking signals for my core marketing strategy consulting services. While the viral surge was exciting, it lacked strategic alignment with what I actually want people to contact me for.

Instead of simply deleting the post and losing that hard-earned SEO equity, I’m pivoting the content to focus on the high-level marketing psychology behind meme culture. By transitioning from ‘content commentary’ to ‘strategic implementation,’ I can resolve the indexing confusion with Google while providing a more evergreen, sophisticated resource for brand growth.

Which Platform Is Better for Your Business?

That depends on what kind of business you’re building.

If your brand is driven by personality, intimacy, commentary, creativity, or a highly engaged niche audience, Substack may be the better fit.

If your growth depends on search visibility, stronger website authority, local discoverability, and long-term SEO value, blogging may be the smarter move.

And in many cases, the real answer isn’t one or the other.

It’s both.

Substack can nurture loyalty.
Blogging can improve discoverability.
Substack can deepen connection.
Blogging can widen your reach.
Substack can support subscriptions.
Blogging can support service sales.

They’re different doors leading into the same house.

Monetization Matters More Than the Platform

This is the part that really matters.

In the end, the platform itself is not the strategy. Your monetization strategy is the strategy.

You can have a beautiful Substack and no clear reason for people to upgrade.
You can have a fully optimized blog and no compelling offer behind it.
You can have readers, traffic, opens, followers, and applause—and still not be making money in a way that supports your business.

That’s why the smartest question isn’t, “Should I choose Substack or blogging?”

It’s, “How does this platform help me create value, and monetize what I do well?”

I’m currently working with a client on a unique Substack upsell for a niche audience that will be genuinely interested in it. That’s the key right there. Not everything is for everyone. And thank goodness for that.

The best offers are specific.
The best communities are intentional.
The best monetization strategies are built around what your audience actually wants.

Yes, I’m on Substack

And if you’re on Substack, come find me there. I haven’t posted in a few years, but it’s my favorite place to be. I’ll be sharing occasional sketches, stories, and little glimpses into the things I notice and can’t help but turn into words or color.

I also have plans for an upgraded paid subscription, and truthfully, that’s where I’d really love to hear from you. What would you actually pay a monthly fee for? Sketching tutorials? Downloadable wallpaper or postcards? Behind-the-scenes creative process? Actual monthly mailings? I’d really love to spend more time sketching, and I’d love to hear from you. For now, if you’re interested in seeing my work, you can find my loose, colorful sketches on Instagram.

Let me know what would feel worth it to you. And let me know if you’re on Substack, too. I’d love to follow you there.

—Connie

Meta Ads vs. Organic Reach: Why Your Ad Spend Might Be Killing Engagement

by Connie Cermak | Mar 11, 2026 | Content Marketing, Meta Ad Spend

Is Your Meta Ad Spend “Muting” Your Message?

I hate to say this, but your Meta ads might be the reason nobody is seeing your best work.

This blog article explains why your paid ads might be keeping your best organic work from being seen or why your engagement has flatlined, and what you can do about it.

You’re doing the work. You’re out in the community, hosting events at the coolest spots in the valley, and your “Tribe” is engaged in real life. But on Instagram? Your likes are in the basement and your reach has flatlined.

If you’re spending hundreds (or thousands) of dollars a month on Meta ads that are pushing one narrow message while your organic feed is celebrating another, you’ve likely landed in the Meta Penalty Box.

The “Signal Mismatch” is Real

When your paid ads and your organic content don’t speak the same language, the AI gets a Signal Mismatch. In 2026, the algorithm is a personality profiler, not just a math equation. It categorizes your business based on the “signals” you send.

Here is how it plays out across different industries:

The Fitness Professional: You run ads for “weight loss” (a utility/problem-solving signal), but your organic feed is full of high-performance lifting and community hikes (a lifestyle/aspiration signal). The AI shows your “Tribe” videos to “Quick Fix” shoppers who scroll past, telling the algorithm your content is boring.

The Real Estate Expert: You run ads for “Free Home Valuations” (a transactional signal), but your organic feed is a beautiful curated look at Montana’s beauty and splendor and local history (an authority signal). The leads looking for a quick number don’t engage with your high-end storytelling, so the algorithm stops showing your beautiful listings to everyone.

The Boutique Maker: You run ads for a “20% Off Sale” (a discount signal), but your organic feed is all about the slow, intentional process of your craft (a value signal). You attract “bargain hunters” who don’t care about the process, and the AI assumes your “behind-the-scenes” content isn’t worth promoting.

What’s happening under the hood:

The Wrong “Seed” Audience: Meta takes the people who clicked your transactional ads and uses them as the “test group” for your organic posts.

The “Scroll-Past” Effect: Because those people are looking for a transaction—not a relationship—they scroll past your authentic community content.

The Algorithmic Chill: The AI sees that lack of engagement and assumes your content is low-quality. It then throttles your reach, even for your most loyal followers.

How to Escape the Penalty Box

Escaping the “Penalty Box” isn’t about spending more money; it’s about alignment. When your paid message and your organic soul are in sync, the algorithm stops guessing and starts working for you. To get back to real results, the strategy has to shift:

Amplify the Spark: Use your spend to boost the content that shows your “Tribe” in action or your expertise in play, rather than just the “Problem” you solve.

Target Interest, Not Desperation: Find the high-value clients who share your lifestyle and values, rather than just those looking for a one-time transaction.

Command the Algorithm: Provide the AI with a clear, consistent identity. When your paid and organic signals match, your visibility returns.

The goal is to bridge the gap between your digital spend and your real-world impact. When the messaging is written for your dream audience, it’s consistent and it’s intentional, the community—and the algorithm—will follow.

Then there’s The “Pay-to-Play” AD Treadmill

There’s an even deeper risk to misaligned ad spend: Reach Dependency. When you spend consistently on transactional ads, you are training the algorithm to see you as a “Pay-to-Play” brand. By filling your follower list with people who only clicked for a “fix” or a “discount,” you dilute your core audience.

When you post something authentic and organic, Meta “tests” it on a small group of those followers. If they don’t engage—because they were only there for the ad offer—the algorithm assumes the post is a dud and kills its reach. This creates a vicious cycle: your organic reach drops so low that you feel forced to pay to “Boost” your posts just so your own community can see them.

You aren’t just paying for leads; you are inadvertently paying for the right to be seen by your own tribe.

The Strategy of Alignment

If you feel like you’re shouting into a void despite a healthy ad budget, it’s time for a strategic intervention. You don’t need to “hack” the system; you need to align it.

The first step you can take is to look at everything you’re posting and make sure it’s all aligned. Before you hit “Confirm” on your next ad set, ask yourself: Does this ad reflect the soul of my brand, or am I just chasing a metric? If your ads are selling “Skinny” but your heart is selling “Strength,” the algorithm will always find the disconnect—and it will always charge you for it.

Getting Off the Treadmill

Escaping the Meta Penalty Box requires a return to Digital Intentionality.

Audit your signals: Ensure your paid message is a preview of your organic reality.

Prioritize the Tribe: Focus on engagement from your actual community, even if it doesn’t “scale” as fast as a generic ad.

Reclaim your Narrative: Stop letting the algorithm define who you are based on a transactional click.

The goal isn’t just to be seen; it’s to be understood. When your digital footprint is intentional, you don’t have to pay for the right to speak to your own people. You just have to be yourself—consistently, clearly, and with purpose.

Ready to find your alignment? I’m here to help you bridge the gap between your digital spend and your real-world impact. Let’s make sure your “Social Nectar” is actually reaching the people who need it most.

Send me an email with the subject line “HELP” and I’ll respond quickly. Or give me a call, or send a text: (312) 285-6848

Fixing Stalled Business Growth: The Brand Clarity Secret

by Connie Cermak | Jan 20, 2026 | Fixing Stalled Growth Case Study, Marketing Consulting, Marketing Strategy

Why Brand Clarity is the Secret to Fixing Stalled Business Growth

If you’re looking for the secret to fixing stalled business growth, I want you to hear this first: it doesn’t mean you’re failing. It usually means your business evolved… and your digital presence hasn’t.

So now you’re doing what smart, capable founders always do when things slow down: you push harder.

More content. More platforms. More effort. More “shoulds. More frustrations.

Why Fixing Stalled Business Growth Requires Clarity

When your brand is unclear, people hesitate. And when people hesitate, Google hesitates too.

When Your Brand Feels Like a Storage Locker, Search Treats It Like One

Think of your digital presence like a set of signals. Tiny breadcrumbs across the internet that help people (and search engines) answer one question:

Can I trust this business to solve my problem?

If your signal is scattered, outdated, or inconsistent, the message becomes:
“Not sure.” And “not sure” is the fastest way to lose a client. It’s also the fastest way for Google to choose someone else.

Case Study: Cleaning Up a Fragmented Digital Presence

I worked with a founder whose digital presence looked like a hallway of open doors.

There were old websites. Old bios. Old URLs. Old profiles. A career full of accomplishments… displayed like a scrapbook with no table of contents.

He wasn’t inexperienced. He was highly experienced. And that was the problem.

His current passion and direction were buried under twenty years of “proof” that he’d done a lot of amazing things. So when a potential client tried to find him, they didn’t get a clear message. They got a cloud of mixed signals. They didn’t click on any of those amazing links because there were too many, and they didn’t match up. So, they moved on.

Here’s what that looks like in real life:

A prospect Googles you and thinks: “Wait… are these even the same person?”

They can’t tell what you do now.
They don’t know who you serve.
They don’t know what the next step is.
So they leave.

Now zoom out: Google is doing the same thing… at scale.

Google is basically a cautious matchmaker. It doesn’t want to introduce someone to the wrong “you.”

If your website, profiles, and citations don’t agree on who you are and what you do, Google won’t confidently pair you with a search query. It will pick the competitor with cleaner signals.

We realized that fixing stalled business growth for this founder meant more than just a new logo—it meant a total alignment of his digital signals.

How to Align Your Brand for Better SEO Results

When we work on fixing stalled business growth, we didn’t start with tactics. We started with alignment.

We clarified the current offer and the current audience.
We unified language across the platforms that matter.
We cleaned up outdated URLs and old references that were muddying the water.
We built a clear path so clients knew exactly where to go next.

Only after that did SEO and content strategy start working the way people think it works.

Because now Google had something it could confidently match to a query. And humans had a message they could trust.

Now we can focus on the pivot. We can build momentum in the new direction.

And now the marketing has traction.

Four of the Most Common Reasons for Stalled Business Growth

Stalled growth usually shows up when one of these is true:

1: Your Brand Hasn’t Evolved with Your Business

Your website is speaking in an earlier version of you — and your best-fit clients can feel that. When there’s a gap between who you are in person and who you appear to be online, it creates cognitive dissonance for your audience. If a prospect has to work too hard to reconcile the expert they heard about with the outdated website they see, they’ll choose the path of least resistance: clicking away and finding someone else whose brand and message is clearer.

note: if you’d like to learn more about cognitive dissonance, this is a great article from Psychology Today.

2: Your Messaging is Too Broad to Be Memorable

If you serve ‘everyone,’ no one recognizes themselves. Our brains are hardwired for selective attention; if a prospect doesn’t immediately see their specific problem reflected in your words, their internal filter labels you as ‘not for me’ and they move on.

3. Inconsistent Brand Signals Across Platforms

The human brain is a prediction machine that craves patterns to feel safe. When your LinkedIn says one thing but your website says another, you trigger an ‘error signal’ in a prospect’s mind—and in the world of online business, inconsistency is interpreted as instability.

Nothing here is “bad.” It’s just not aligned.

4. Unclear Calls-to-Action (CTA)

Even when people like you, they still don’t know what to do next.
A brand that doesn’t guide people will lose people.

When the next step isn’t obvious, the brain defaults to ‘no’ to save energy. A brand without a clear path doesn’t just lose interest; it creates ‘analysis paralysis,’ forcing the prospect to do the work you should have done for them.

Example 2: Why Service Businesses Often Look Like “Side Projects” Online

This one is common: the business is excellent in real life, but online it feels unfinished.

For this service business, fixing stalled business growth meant rebuilding the site around real search intent.

Think:

A beautiful website… with no structure.
Pages that don’t answer the obvious questions.
No specialty or location signals.
No proof points (reviews, results, credentials).
No clear next step.

Humans interpret that as risk. Google interprets it as low confidence.

What helped

We rebuilt the site around real search intent (what people actually type).
We created service pages that matched specific problems.
We strengthened trust signals (reviews, authority, clarity, consistency).
We made the next step obvious.

Once the foundation was clear, SEO started compounding. Because clarity compounds.

The Final Word on Fixing Stalled Growth

Stalled growth isn’t a sign that you need more “stuff”—it’s a sign that your brand has outgrown its current container.

As a Creative Marketing Strategist, I look at your digital presence and identify where your authority has become ‘noise.’ I slice through that noise to help you move past the fragmented signals of past successes to build a unified, clear path for your future ones.

I bridge the gap between high-level strategy and technical execution—bringing the diagnosis to a viable, visible solution so that when the world finds you, they finally see the expert you actually are.

Ready to move from “doing everything” to being known for what you do best? Let’s align your strategy and your signals.

Let’s talk for thirty minutes to see if we’re a good fit. Check out my Contact Page. Give me a call: (312) 285-6848 or send me an email: [email protected]

Let’s Talk About the “Member Experience”

by Connie Cermak | Sep 10, 2025 | Content Marketing, member experience

Exceptional Member Experiences create a strong emotional connection with the brand & the community

These experiences often make members feel seen, heard, and genuinely valued. Here are some examples of companies with long-term, loyal members, and the key strategies brands have used to create such memorable experiences:

Unexpected Acts of Kindness and Personalization

Going “off-script” to provide a moment of delight is a surefire way to get people talking. This is where a brand makes a customer feel like a person, not a transaction.

Chewy: The online pet retailer has become famous for its customer service. Customers have shared countless stories of Chewy’s agents sending handwritten sympathy cards and flowers after a pet passed away, or creating custom portraits of their pets. This level of empathy and genuine care is impossible to automate and creates powerful, shareable moments.

Ritz-Carlton: The luxury hotel chain empowers its employees with a budget of up to $2,000 per guest to resolve any issue without needing a manager’s approval. This trust in employees allows for immediate, exceptional problem-solving and has led to legendary stories, like an employee flying a forgotten laptop to a guest’s next destination.

Creating a Community and Sense of Belonging

Brands that successfully build a community around their products or services turn customers into advocates and friends. This can create a culture where the brand is the “third place”—a home away from home.

Lululemon: The athletic apparel company has successfully created a community around its products. Their new loyalty program, which garnered 9 million sign-ups in five months, offers members not only product access but also exclusive events and classes. This strategy makes membership about an active lifestyle rather than just discounts on gear. It reminds me of the kind of place where working and doing what you love feel like the same thing—a complete junction.

Peloton: Peloton’s genius lies in its community. Users are not just buying a bike; they are joining a social network of fitness enthusiasts. Members can track each other’s progress, celebrate milestones, and join live classes, which fosters a sense of accountability and shared purpose that drives brand loyalty and word-of-mouth promotion.

Exclusivity and Recognition through Membership Tiers

A tiered system can create a powerful sense of status and reward for a brand’s most loyal customers.

Starbucks: The Starbucks Rewards program is one of the most successful loyalty programs in the world, with over 34 million active U.S. members. The program simplifies the buying process through its app and offers rewards that customers genuinely want, like free food and drinks. The ability to “level up” through different tiers keeps members engaged and coming back.

Sephora: Sephora’s “Beauty Insider” program is a masterclass in this strategy. The program has different tiers (Insider, VIB, and Rouge) that offer progressively better benefits, such as exclusive events, early access to products, and unique gifts. This makes members feel like they are part of an elite club and provides a clear incentive to spend more to reach the next level.

Rewarding More than Just Transactions

The most talked-about loyalty programs recognize that customer loyalty is about more than just purchases.

LEGO Insiders: Beyond just earning points for buying sets, the LEGO Insiders program rewards members for activities that show their passion for the brand, such as registering their sets and engaging with the online community. This approach reinforces the emotional connection to the brand and turns a transactional relationship into a hobby.

Patagonia: As a brand with a strong mission, Patagonia’s word-of-mouth success is built on its commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. Their Worn Wear program, which encourages customers to buy and trade used gear, is a loyalty initiative that aligns with their core values and makes their customers feel good about their purchases. This authentic brand identity creates a strong, loyal following and inspires customers to share their passion.

What Makes a Member Experience Exceptional

Here are several other contexts where a strong member experience is crucial and what makes them exceptional:

Professional Associations and Organizations

These are classic membership models, but the most successful ones have evolved beyond just providing a directory and a newsletter.

The Experience: Members feel like they’re part of an exclusive network that provides tangible career advancement and a sense of shared professional identity and a supportive community.

Examples: A professional association that offers not just conferences, but also exclusive mentorship programs that pair seasoned professionals with new members, or a private Slack channel where members can get real-time advice on difficult work problems. The value comes from the network, not just the content.

High-End Gyms and Fitness Studios

Membership in these places is about more than just access to equipment; it’s a lifestyle and a community.

The Experience: It’s about feeling like you’re part of a supportive group with a shared commitment to wellness. The experience is designed to be a sanctuary from the outside world.

Examples: A gym that goes above and beyond with personalized attention, like a staff member who remembers your name and your regular workout routine, or a studio that hosts social events like a post-workout recovery program or a member-only activity. The experience makes you feel seen and valued, creating a strong incentive to stick with it. My own gym, Peak Fit in Whitefish and Kalispell, is a perfect example of creating a culture of support, encouragement, and community participation.

Subscription Boxes and Curated Services

The member experience here turns a simple delivery into a personalized, exciting event.

The Experience: It’s about the feeling of surprise and delight with each new box, as well as the sense that the brand “gets” you.

Examples: A local food subscription box that not only sends seasonal foods but also includes a printed recipe card with the story of the farmer who grew it. Or a wine club that provides access to virtual tasting sessions with the winemakers themselves. The experience goes beyond the product to create a deeper narrative. Gary V, the pioneer of social media, started with one bottle of wine and a small table in the corner of a small space on his family’s vineyard, sharing wine tastings on video before Facebook even had business pages.

Non-Profit Organizations and Foundations

For these groups, membership is not about a product but about a shared mission and a sense of making a difference.

The Experience: Members feel like they are directly contributing to a cause they care about. The brand makes it easy and fulfilling to be an active participant.

Examples: A wildlife conservation group that provides its members with regular, personalized updates on the animals they are helping to protect, including photos and GPS data. Or a local food bank that offers a volunteer “member day” where members can see the impact of their contributions firsthand and meet the people they are helping. The reward is a sense of purpose and a clear connection to the mission.

Media and Content Platforms

While a subscription to Netflix is a member experience, the most talked-about platforms go a step further.

The Experience: It’s not just about content consumption, but about discovery, community, and feeling like you have an insider’s view.

Examples: A streaming service that offers exclusive virtual Q&A sessions with the creators of a new series. Or a news publication that hosts private digital roundtables with its journalists to discuss major stories, creating an exclusive intellectual community for its most loyal readers.

Retail Loyalty Programs

The best loyalty programs are a far cry from a simple punch card.

The Experience: Members feel like they’re getting special access and benefits that are unavailable to the general public, not just discounts.

Examples: A shoe store that offers members a “first look” at new releases and early access to sales before anyone else. Or a brand that gives its top-tier members exclusive customization options for their products. This sense of privileged access is a powerful motivator for loyalty and word-of-mouth promotion.

The Sales Funnel that Sorta Worked

by Connie Cermak | Sep 10, 2025 | Content Marketing, Funnel Marketing

The Truth About Online Sales Funnels: Hype, Hope, and Smart Decisions

One of those “life-changing” online coaching offers landed in my inbox this morning. Typically, I hit delete before I make it to the third sentence. But this one, despite the flashing promises and typical sales funnel hype caught my eye. So I kept reading.

For a mere $7, I could earn an online coaching certificate! Serious red flag. I continued reading. And when I’m done, I do two things: I put the entire email into AI to determine the legitimacy of the person who sent it (not the course. That came later). And low and behold… the coaching coach is totally legit! Next, I ask AI to review the certification. The results – what I thought: the certification isn’t recognized by an overarching certification counsel. It’s just a piece of paper backed by his name – which, again, is legit.

Now, even more curious, I decided that for $7, I could dip my toes! I mean, why not? The email was good. Really good. Let’s talk about what made his email so good I dropped $7 just to get a look at his complete sales funnel. And why in the end, I didn’t bite at the typical sales funnel upsell.

The Masterful Upsell

What followed was an upsell sequence that was practically a masterclass in sales funnel design. And since we’re all swimming in a sea of online opportunities like this, I thought I’d pull back the curtain and show you exactly how these funnels work—the pros, the cons, and how to tell the difference between words designed to stir emotion and investments that actually deliver results.

How a Sales Funnel Works

The Hook (Top of Funnel)

Usually a free or low-cost entry point: a webinar, a $27 ebook, or an introductory course.

Purpose: Build trust, prove value, and lower the barrier to entry.

The Upsell (Middle of Funnel)

After purchase, you’re offered an upgrade: “Before we finish setting up your account, here’s something special you’ll only see once.”

Purpose: Leverage your excitement and momentum to move you into a bigger purchase.

The Value Stack (Bottom of Funnel)

Price comparisons are laid out to show you what a “great deal” you’re getting (e.g., “This usually sells for $2,000, but today only it’s $129”).

Purpose: Use contrast and urgency to invest feel irresistible.

The Guarantee

Most funnels include a money-back guarantee to reduce risk.

Purpose: Nudge hesitant buyers into action by eliminating the “what if it doesn’t work” objection.

Why Sales Funnels Work

Emotional Appeal: The copy is designed to excite you—“world-class results,” “transform your life,” “only today.”

Scarcity & Urgency: Limited-time language pushes you to act before you have time to overthink.

Social Proof: Testimonials and authority figures are highlighted to create credibility.

Value Anchoring: You’re shown a high original price, then offered a steep discount, making the new price feel like a bargain.

The Pros

Inspiration: These funnels can motivate you to take action and invest in yourself.

Affordability: Low-cost offers sometimes do provide solid insights or personal growth at a fraction of traditional training prices.

Structure: You’re guided clearly through the decision process, which can feel reassuring rather than overwhelming.

The Cons

Overhype: Promises of becoming “world class” in a week or “guaranteed income” should always raise a bright red flag.

Limited Recognition: Many certifications aren’t backed by formal accreditation, meaning they may hold little weight in professional circles.

False Urgency: “Today only” offers are often recycled in future funnels.

No Guaranteed Results: A course alone won’t transform your career—implementation, practice, and experience matter far more.

A Smarter Way to Decide if You’re Going to Buy Into the Sales Funnel

Here’s a checklist to run through before hitting “buy”:

What do I really want from this purchase—personal growth or professional credibility?

Does this certification carry weight in my industry or is it self-branded?

Am I buying because of genuine interest, or because the language made me feel urgent and emotional?

If I learned even one valuable skill from this, would the price be worth it?

Could I achieve the same results by practicing with free or lower-cost resources first?

Final Thoughts

The online world is full of opportunities—and some of them really can be transformative. But it’s essential to recognize when you’re in a sales funnel, and to pause long enough to separate words on a page from investments that lead to real results.

For me? The $7 course was worth it for curiosity and personal growth. It was fun, light, and gave me a peek into a space I’ve always been drawn to. And I got to see the subsequent options in the coaching certificate sales funnel.

The $129 upsell, though—that’s where I hit pause. And that’s the lesson: you don’t have to buy everything in the funnel to get value! Sometimes dipping a toe in is enough.

The key is balance: enjoy the growth opportunities when they align with your goals, but don’t confuse clever marketing with guaranteed success.

Comments? Questions? A Good discussion? I’d love to hear from you. Email me and let’s have a chat.

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