Tripwire Funnels: What They Are & How to Use Them in your Online business

The first sale is the hardest to get, but once you’ve gotten someone to take out their wallet, it becomes a lot easier to convince them to make another purchase. That’s where Tripwire Funnels come in. They make it possible for you to increase your earnings per transaction.

In this article I’m going to cover…

  1. What a Tripwire Funnel is
  2. How Tripwire Funnels work (usually)
  3. Some example scenes (with pictures!) so you get a sense of what it looks like
  4. Helpful questions so you can decide if they are right for your business
  5. Examples from my own Product Ecosystem to give you ideas of how to use them
  6. Tools you’ll need so you can create Tripwire Funnels for yourself
  7. Why you should set them up (Spoiler Alert: Because they are ✨magical✨)

What is a Tripwire Funnel?

I’m not a big fan of the word “tripwire”. I’m using it because that’s become the term we use to describe a one time offer or OTO… a special opportunity we’re offering buyers that creates a win-win. They get a nice discount on something, and we ultimately make more money.

This OTO is part of the journey we take our audience on with the end goal of making a sale and bringing them a bit deeper into our world and making them a super fan. This offer is typically heavily discounted and it entices someone to take you up on a really great deal.

How do Tripwire Funnels work?

Tripwire Funnels don’t have to be specifically one way or another, but I’m going to explain how they typically are designed to function.

  • Your audience lands on a page that contains a way by which they would sign up for your email list in exchange for something free (or even low cost). This can be a blog post or an opt-in page designed to market a freebie.
  • After they submit their name and email address to claim the product, they get redirected to a Tripwire Page which oftentimes includes a thank you and maybe some sort of further instruction such as “check your mail for access information”. The page continues with information about a special deal you have for them.
  • A lot of people make the page time-sensitive with a Countdown Timer (I don’t, and that’s just my personal choice) in order to pressure the potential buyer into making a quick decision. Once the timer expires, the offer goes away, and usually you don’t make such an offer to them at such a steep discount again… hence the term “one time offer”.
  • You may choose not to ever offer that product again, or you may choose to offer it again later at a lesser discount, or full price.

What do Tripwire Funnels Look Like?

Now that you have an idea of how they work, here’s a general idea of what they can look like. I’ve mocked up a couple of example scenes, and I’ll walk you through each.

Scene 1: They Purchase Your Tripwire

After opting in for your freebie, your new subscriber lands on your Tripwire Page and are met with their special offer. Your freebie (or information on how to access it) is already on their way to their email via whatever Email Marketing tool you use.

In this scene they decide to buy your OTO via whatever cart system you’re using (more on this later in the article, but I adore ThriveCart for this).

This next part is your choice, but you can direct them to an Order Receipt (they should be receiving this automatically via whatever payment processor they chose anyways – PayPal, Stripe, etc), or you can do what I prefer to do which is to redirect them to a Thank You Page where you can give helpful information such as how to access their purchase, join your Facebook group, follow you on social media, etc.

Here’s my standard Thank You Page as an example.

All the while, information on how to access their OTO purchase is also on its way to them, plus they should receive automatic access if they are enrolling in a course.

Scene 2: No Tripwire is Purchased

After opting in for your freebie, your new subscriber lands on your Tripwire Page and are met with their special offer. Your freebie (or information on how to access it) is already on their way to their email via whatever Email Marketing tool you use.

In this scene, they choose not to purchase the OTO (or they run out of time via Countdown Timer in which case the page may redirect to a Thank You page as explained in Scene 1).

This is where the scene ends. You might offer them something else later on via email, or you could offer them the same product at a lesser discount.

Are tripwire funnels right for my business?

Truth is, they aren’t right for everyone… and it’s okay if you ultimately decide that they aren’t a good fit for you. Business isn’t one size fits all. 😊 Here’s some questions you can ask yourself to help you decide if they are right for your business:

  • Do I want to grow my email list? – The answer to this one should probably be YES.
  • Do I have more than one product to offer my audience yet? – If you don’t, that’s okay. It takes time to create a Product Ecosystem. If the answer to this is currently “No”, it just means you need to spend a little time making additional products before you’re ready for this step.
  • Is it possible to automate the selling of my products? – You may be running a business that doesn’t have such a solution. Perhaps you’re telling something tangible, and you have found it impossible to automate due to needing more information before fulfilling orders.

How do I use tripwires for my business?

Now that you have an general understanding of what they are and how it can look, it’s time to really consider how you would use them in your business. Of course it’s going to be different for everyone and it’ll greatly depend on your Product Ecosystem, but here’s some examples* from my own Product Ecosystem to help you get the creative juices flowing…

Free Opt-InTripwire Offer
Opt-In Page Template for ElementorTripwire Page Template for Elementor (I’m aware of how incredibly meta this is)
Affiliate Marketing for BloggersAmazon Unlocked Course (to learn about using the Amazon Affiliate program to earn money blogging)
Sticky Business: How to Get StartedSticky Business: Outsourcing vs DIY (to help you decide whether to outsource sticker production, or create them yourself for your sticker business)
*These are just examples – they don’t necessarily reflect the current offers

How do I create a Tripwire Funnel for my business?

To create a Tripwire Funnel, you’re going to new a few things. Here’s a list, which includes my favorites…

  • Email Marketing Tool – I personally use ConvertKit and have for yeeeears. It’s one of the most robust tools available at its price point (there’s even a free option to get you started). You’ll need a tool like this so you can collect emails, and automate the delivery of your freebie (or deliver information on how your subscriber can access / claim it).
  • Website / Landing Page – I have my own self-hosted WordPress website, and primarily I use the Elementor Plugin (it’s free!) to design landing pages on my website for both my Opt-In Freebies, as well as my Tripwire Pages.

    In fact, here’s a free opt-in page template to get you started! It comes with tutorials so you can customize the whole thing to fit your brand. 😊
  • Cart System – You need some way by which you sell your OTO so that you can collect payments and deliver the product. I personally use ThriveCart because it’s such a sophisticated system. It integrates beautifully with ConvertKit, and it even comes with a free Course Hosting Platform. Oh… and it’s a one time price, so it ultimately saves you an epic ton of money.
  • Tripwire Page – Circling back to the need of a website and landing page, you’ll need a Tripwire Page to redirect your subscribers to.

    I use Elementor to create mine. Here’s my high-converting Tripwire Page Template for Elementor. 🎉
  • Thank You Page – The final piece… you need a page for people to land on that provides them with info on how to access their product(s), and other steps they might take within your world.

Why should I set up a Tripwire Funnel?

Tripwire Funnels are super effective, and they really don’t cost you anything once you have all of the tools you need. You can easily make back your investment with them. They have been such a game changer in my business because ultimately I’m earning more money per subscriber and the whole dang thing is automated!

I highly recommend you consider them for your business if they sound like a good fit. They take a little time to set up, but it’s very “set and forget”, making them ideal.

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