The Marketer’s Guide to Tripwire Funnels (And How to Build One in WordPress)

A tripwire funnel is one of the most powerful tools in digital marketing, and also one of the most misunderstood.

In our experience helping thousands of WordPress businesses build sales funnels, we’ve seen tripwires that instantly cover 100% of ad spend, and others that convert at 0%. The difference is rarely the product, but it’s the strategy.

Tripwire sales funnels help you grow your list of buyers by lowering the barrier to entry and making it insanely easy to do business with you!

You may be selling physical products or online courses, but tripwire marketing is for everyone.

In this post, we’re going to show you what we’ve learned from analyzing thousands of funnels and help you create compelling tripwire offers to set up a profitable and scalable tripwire funnel in WordPress.

What Is a Tripwire Funnel? (And Why This Strategy Works So Well)

A tripwire funnel is a simple yet highly effective marketing strategy that quickly turns new leads into paying customers.

Instead of waiting weeks or months for a subscriber to buy, a tripwire funnel accelerates the process by presenting a small (low-price), irresistible offer immediately after someone joins your list.

They’re well-aligned with your core offer and help you convert a percentage of these buyers into high-ticket clients.

The best part? Creating a successful tripwire offer doesn’t require long and complicated sales pages.

A short persuasive argument to sell a product under $50 is enough to seal the deal!

Once you've got the prospect’s foot in the door, systematically increase their order value. You can make relevant post-purchase upsell offers to improve your return on ad spend.

As a team that has helped thousands of WooCommerce stores build profitable sales funnels, we’ve consistently seen that the fastest-scaling businesses are those that convert leads into buyers early, even with a tiny purchase.

Take a cue from the masters of conversion, Starbucks, who have executed the tripwire strategy brilliantly.

They introduced a new size, Picco, for all their beverages. It’s the smallest size at a super low introductory price.

This offer, advertised on the front door, allows Starbucks to attract new customers, especially those who’ve probably never bought from Starbucks before!

Once inside, these new customers complement their purchases with brownies or sandwiches, hence checking out with higher order values.

Thus, tripwire funnels, also called break-even funnels, help qualify buyers rather than just leads.

How a Tripwire Funnel Marketing Works (Simple Breakdown of the ‘Foot in the Door’ Technique)

A classic tripwire funnel strategy follows two core steps:

1. The free offer (lead magnet)

You start by offering something valuable for free, like a checklist, cheat sheet, mini-training, guide, webinar, or template.

In exchange, you collect the visitor’s email address.

This free resource warms up the lead and builds trust.

2. The tripwire offer (low-cost, high-value purchase)

Immediately after they opt in, on the Thank You page, present a low-ticket tripwire offer, such as a small, high-value product priced between $7 and $47.

Examples include a mini-course, a digital template pack, a sampler or trial kit, a workshop replay, or a 7-day challenge.

This isn’t your core product. It’s intentionally priced low to remove friction and get a micro-commitment.

The Anatomy of a Perfect Tripwire Funnel (3-Step Flow)

Every high-converting tripwire funnel is built on three core components working together seamlessly.

1. A high-value lead magnet

This is your freebie and the entry point into your funnel. It must solve a real, immediate problem for your audience. 

Great examples include a checklist, a short email course, or a plug-and-play template. 

If the lead magnet isn’t genuinely useful, the rest of the funnel falls flat.

2. An irresistible tripwire offer

Your low-cost product should be the exact next logical step after the lead magnet.

If your lead magnet is a Grocery Shopping Checklist, your tripwire could be a $7 Recipe Book that uses those ingredients.

The goal is to deliver quick, surprising value while making it almost impossible to say no.

3. A scarcity-driven offer page

Your tripwire is shown on a dedicated, time-sensitive page. This offer shouldn’t be available anywhere else on your site. 

Add a sense of genuine urgency, such as a countdown timer or limited-time pricing, to encourage action.

Here are the two ways to create the tripwire funnel:

• Start with the tripwire offer: This funnel starts with a paid offer. You can have a two-step order form and capture the emails on the first step.
  
  If the prospect converts, great, you have a sale. And if they don’t, you can follow up using emails with a good marketing strategy.

• Start with lead generation: A tripwire offer isn’t a replacement for a lead magnet. You can always start with a freebie tripwire offer and advertise it well.
  
  Once someone signs up for the freebie, they'll see the low-dollar offer, the tripwire! If they choose to buy, great! Otherwise, you already have the lead and can sell them through well-planned marketing automation.
  
  A good tripwire offer sure needs an abandoned cart recovery strategy.

Both methods work equally well. It’s only a matter of testing to see which of these converts higher for the products and services you sell.

Make sure your free tripwire offer is related to your opt-in and provides a ton of value to your ideal customers and set up retargeting ads for best results.

How to Set Up a Tripwire Funnel? (Step-by-Step Guide)

Setting up a tripwire funnel is easy. We're going to be using FunnelKit Funnel Builder to do that!

FunnelKit is a WooCommerce plugin that lets you build beautiful lead and sales funnels with pre-built templates.

With a robust rule builder to display the right offers to the right people, built-in A/B testing, in-depth analytics, and more, you have a full package to build funnels that convert.

Make sure to install and activate FunnelKit Funnel Builder before moving to the main process.

Step 1: Create a new sales funnel called 'Tripwire funnel'

To add a new funnel, simply hit the ‘Create New Funnel’ button on the top right. This will let you see all the pre-built templates we have.

You will see a library of pre-built templates. These templates are designed for different purposes and for selling both physical and digital products.

For our use case, we've chosen the 'BestTaste' template.

FunnelKit is compatible with various page builders, including Bricks, Elementor, Gutenberg (Block Editor), Divi, Oxygen, and others, via shortcodes.

We’re going to be using Elementor to customize our template. So let's import it by clicking on the ‘Import This Funnel’ button.

Your tripwire funnel will have a sales page, checkout page, one-click upsell offer and a thank you page.

Step 2: Customize your tripwire offer (landing) page

Here's what the backend interface with the pre-built funnel looks like:

Next, edit the landing page for the tripwire offer.

A high-converting landing page has the following sections:

• A compelling headline
• Problems faced by your audience (Your messaging should hit the nail on its head)
• Benefits of your offer
• Social proof
• Bonuses (if any) with their individual values
• Final CTA section

Since we have imported a pre-made template, all we have to do is edit the text and add our own images.

You can, of course, add your own sections and remove the ones you don’t want.

Step 3: Customize the checkout page of your tripwire funnel

The checkout page is fully customizable. You can edit which fields to show, split the checkout process into multiple steps, add new fields, and more.

Here’s the flexible field editor that allows you to do all this and more:

Take a look at the customized checkout page template:

This checkout page is designed with FunnelKit’s WooCommerce checkout manager plugin. 

It looks beautiful and has all the high-converting elements you need to enhance conversions.

Step 4: Add an order bump to your tripwire funnel checkout

An order bump is a meaningful offer that helps you boost your average order value (AOV). To add a bump, make sure the relevant product is already added under WooCommerce products.

The tripwire examples that we discussed above all use the power of order bumps to make more dollars per transaction.

And why not? You have nothing to lose here. Adding an order bump in FunnelKit is really easy.

All you have to do is click on the ‘Add Order Bump’ button below the checkout page.

Next, enter the name and import the order bump skin you want.

You can select the product to display as an order bump:

Choose the product to set up an order bump. You must add the product you'd like to cross-sell as an order bump under WooCommerce > Products.

Once you do that, select the product in the products section of the order bump. Select the quantity and configure the discount amount (if applicable). Further, stylize the order bump element.

Here you can add the title and description to match the product and make it sound desirable:

Be sure to write a compelling description to make the order bump in your tripwire funnel sound desirable.

Keep in mind that everything is fully customizable, from the styling of the section to the text to order bump skin, colours and more.

You can even add multiple order bumps using the same interface with ease.

👉 Check out our complete WooCommerce order bump post for crafting compelling offers.

Step 5: Add a one-click upsell page and thank you page

The one-click upsell template is pre-selected. To add one-click upsells and downsells, simply click the page to start customizing them.

Here, you can add post-purchase upsells and downsells. Further, dynamically link them so that, upon acceptance of one offer, you can show the other, and upon rejection of one, you can show another.

👉 Learn how to offer relevant product recommendations in your WooCommerce store to boost your store’s average order value (AOV).

Next, add a custom thank-you page. Here's the template for our thank you page:

👉 Check out our detailed guide to designing your WooCommerce thank you pages for your store for relevant product recommendations.

Tripwire Funnel Real-World Examples: 4 Incredible Examples of Tripwire Done Right

Let’s take a look at some incredible examples of Tripwire funnels.

Example #1: Frank Kern's $27 Tripwire Offer

• A promise in the headline: Your tripwire offer sales page needs a compelling headline that makes a definitive promise. Be sure to fulfill this promise through your offer.
  
• Explicitly state the offer’s validity (countdown timer): Kern has a countdown timer on the sales page. Studies show that timers are effective, even in 2023.

• Headshot video: The video here is the star of the page - it takes center stage. Also, the thumbnail shows him talking, and as a viewer, it makes you want to know more.
  
• State the price early: The tripwire offer price is stated early on the page. Below the video, you can see the offer price of $27.

Example #2: Kim Garst's Mini Course Creation Plan (Tripwire Funnel)

This one isn’t a one-time offer and one can buy anytime through her website. 

The idea is to familiarize people with Kim’s paid products through this irresistibly priced tripwire offer. 

Here’s what stands out about it: 

• The language appeals to its audience: ‘Mini digital product’, and ‘Quickly and easily’- such phrases resonate with the audience that wants to create courses.
  
• State the number of days to achieve the goal: Garst makes a bold promise, stating that one can create their own course in just 7 days.
  
• Always create and highlight bonuses: Bonuses are crazy-good ways to get sales. The sales page spotlights the bonuses along with their individual prices. Pack more value than the prospect expects!

Example #3: Gaby Bernstein's Low-Cost Challenge Funnel

Challenge funnels are a big hit these days! People feel motivated to act when there’s a community of like-minded individuals working toward the same goal.

Even in niches like weight loss, where everyone’s specific goal can be different, the process is the same, and people feel more empowered when they tread the same path with others.

• Create a deadline-based challenge: Determine the right challenge for your business. Create the challenge, set a start date, build an execution plan, and go live.

• State the problems people face: On the Tripwire offer’s sales page, Bernstein highlights why people aren’t able to manifest their life dreams on their own.
  
• Reinforce the call to action: The CTA button is highlighted well throughout the page. After almost every section, there's a button to take action and move to the checkout page.

Example #4: Hydrant’s Variety Pack/Sampler for Different Flavours

Hydrant is a lightly flavored, real juice-powered, refreshing electrolyte mix that helps you hydrate. 

Here are the key takeaways from its tripwire offer sales page. 

• Create a variety pack: If you sell physical products like Hydrant, it makes a lot of sense to offer a sampler or variety pack of different flavors. Here, Hydrant has grouped three of its flavors- lime, grapefruit, and orange- to create a special combination pack.

• Break the total amount into a daily equivalent: The offer is priced at nearly $30 a month, and they’ve advertised it as ‘Less than $1 a day’. Now that helps the human mind process the price better; it does sound like a steal!

• Infuse your tripwire page with social proof: Not only have they highlighted social proof from popular magazines in the domain, but also from regular customers. The reviews are written in simple language and sound relatable!

Here’s what Nik Sharma, a marketing consultant for the DTC brand, has to say:

Someone higher in the funnel is keener to try a variety pack or a sampler for the least amount of dollars spent (i.e., a 3-can sampler with $5 shipping), whereas someone further down the funnel is open to spending more. - Nik Sharma. 

Nik Sharma
Founder, Sharma Brands

See how Hydrant uses order bumps to cross-sell highly relevant items to the buyers:

The #1 Mistake: Why Most Tripwire Funnels Fail

After helping thousands of WooCommerce and digital businesses build high-converting funnels, we’ve found one core reason most tripwire funnels fail:

It’s misalignment (nothing to do with ad spend, pricing, or design).

Most struggling funnels look like this:

• Lead Magnet: “Free 10-Step Guide to Fat Loss Training”
• Tripwire Offer: “Get 50% Off My $97 Course on Becoming a Fitness Expert!”

This is the fastest way to kill trust.

Your visitor is in a fat loss training mindset and suddenly you pitch them a fitness course. It feels random, disconnected, and almost like a bait-and-switch.

When the problem and the offer don’t match, your conversion rate drops to zero.

A high-converting tripwire funnel, on the other hand, maintains perfect continuity:

• Lead Magnet: “Free 10-Step Guide to Fat Loss Training”
• Tripwire Offer: “Get the $7 Fat Loss Chart Bundle + a 15-minute ‘Ask Me Anything’ audio guide.”

See the shift?

The second offer doesn’t introduce a new topic or a new problem. It simply helps the user achieve their existing goal faster.

This is the psychological power behind tripwire funnels: you’re removing the next friction point in the journey they’ve already started.

A great tripwire doesn’t change the destination. Instead, it accelerates it.

Best Practices for Maximizing the Conversion Rate of Your Tripwire Funnel

By now, you’ve understood tripwire marketing and how it works. You’ve also seen some really good examples executed well by top-notch marketers. 

Let's study the best practices.

• Never treat the tripwire offer as a standalone offer

Yes, at the start, it might look like tripwire offers aren’t designed to make profits, and they’re the loss-leaders, but in reality, profits can be made on the back end with additional offers.

With paid ad costs going through the roof, it only makes sense to systematically boost a buyer’s average order value. 

What’s the best part? You have nothing to lose here.

• Add an order bump to the tripwire funnel

An order bump is an optional offer on the checkout page.

You don’t have to enable it by default. If a buyer is genuinely interested in what you have, they can add it to their order with a single click. If not, they make the main purchase and move on. 

The UI is clean and compelling but not pushy. It’s a subtle nudge, a simple reminder.

• Add post-purchase upsells and downsells

Next, show them one-click upsells. With one-click upsells, you’ve already secured the initial sale.

Plus, let’s not forget that it’s five times more cost-effective to sell to the same buyer than to acquire an entirely new customer. 

By not including these complementary offers in your funnel, you may miss the opportunity to increase your revenue per transaction.

• Use marketing automation to make more profits

Tripwires are great ways to get people interested in your business. But how do you keep them engaged so that they may spend more?

Automated sequences are the way to go about it! After you’ve got people through the door, nurture them and engage them through automated sequences. 

Based on your strategy, marketing automation can help you sell while you sleep! Take a cue from the ace marketer, Jill Stanton's abandoned cart recovery email from her tripwire funnel:

You can create an abandoned cart recovery strategy for free by using the FunnelKit Automations plugin for WordPress.

Go further by welcoming the new buyers using post-purchase emails. Nurture the new buyers and gradually turn them into high-ticket clients.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Tripwire Funnel

Get Ready to Drive Growth and Sales with a Tripwire Funnel!

A tripwire funnel is a fundamental shift in how you acquire customers.

It's the first and most critical step in building an automated sales machine that funds its own growth, turning cold traffic into a valuable list of proven buyers.

In our experience analyzing thousands of funnels, the single biggest factor for success is alignment.

Your offer must feel like the perfect, logical next step for the user, not a random sales pitch.

Place your tripwire offer right after the lead magnet, or start with the tripwire offer itself, and test out different methods.

Make sure your tripwire aligns well with your core offer and represents your brand well. That’s all!

Start today. Focus on providing real value, solve the next part of your customer's problem, and you'll have built the engine for a scalable, profitable WordPress business.

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