What I notice in the first 10 seconds of your funnel
The difference between compounding trust and planting uncertainty from the moment they subscribe
Originally published in Bev Feldman’s newsletter, Automate with Heart, on July 28, 2026. As such, this speaks specifically to the context of email marketing strategy — but can be applied to any type of funnel, whether that’s a paid Substack following or an old-fashioned list of phone numbers.
So you set up your email funnel, updated your messaging, and automations are humming along. Congrats!
But is it still feeling a little stilted, or subscribers are dropping off before completing onboarding, and you can’t put your finger on why?
Here’s what I notice in the first ten seconds of most email funnels:
A social bio or post with a sharp CTA to subscribe…
That leads to a landing page with different imagery and a two-year-old headshot…
Which sends me a first email in a completely different color scheme…
And links to a website that matches none of the above.
If you’re feeling called out, don’t click out yet! Know that this is completely normal. It usually means that your business has outgrown your brand faster than your assets can keep up.
Your email signup page got built quickly when the priority was just getting people on the list — which is absolutely the way to start. Done beats perfect every time! But it now hasn’t been touched since, and neither have your email templates or website, which each got designed or refreshed in different years. Is this sounding familiar?
Like most new and solo business owners, you probably never consciously decided to keep shifting your visuals — they just accumulate, one decision at a time.
That drift is normal, and email is where it shows up first: it’s the touchpoint people encounter most often, and the one they compare most directly as they are shuffled through your signup sequence between multiple pages and platforms in the span of 90 seconds.
A subscriber moving through your sequence usually doesn’t consciously count “inconsistent branding” against you.
But subconsciously, they register a low-grade uncertainty about who they’re actually dealing with, and that’s not a great way to start any relationship!
If you’re looking at your own funnel and notice visual gaps, fortunately there’s an easy fix: we just need to catch the brand up to where you are now, across the board.
The immediate and obvious solution is to simply apply your most recent color scheme and font selections across your funnel consistently…
Or, if you want to put the same care and intention that you’ve put into your funnel, your messaging, and your subscribers’ overall experience, I recommend that you begin from the same foundation.
How do you want to be perceived? How do clients feel when they first find you, and how do they want to feel instead? What’s the emotional promise of your offer and how you, specifically, deliver it?
Because you’ll get the most bang for your buck with “consistency” by also visually differentiating yourself from others in your field.
If everyone else is using beige-and-sage sophisticated pastels, but you have a brighter and bolder personality, make that visually clear! Other like-minded people are probably looking for it. (“Where are the cool accountants who make this fun?”) Those who resonate will be excited to hire you, and those who aren’t will still mention you when they meet someone who is fun ;)
If your clients are always complementing your warm and welcoming demeanor, maybe you trade out corporate office stock photography for more casual or lifestyle imagery. This will draw in the people who usually find your industry too technical or intimidating — and happen to be your best clients. (“I want a lawyer who I can invite to dinner, not someone stiff or scary.”)
When your visuals match your overall messaging and brand experience — and are consistent throughout your funnel and other touchpoints — a deep, subconscious level of trust compounds with every interaction.
This sets people up to get what they expect by the time they get on a call with you while also filtering out those who won’t be the best fit.
If you see yourself at this juncture, where it’s time to match the quality and consistency of your visuals up to the rest of your marketing (not to mention your exceptional work itself)... I’d love to hear from you! Comment or email me if this stirred anything up and let’s talk about it.
