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What We're Building
A complete sales funnel in Systeme.io on the free plan:
- A professional landing page with opt-in form
- An automated email sequence for new subscribers
- A checkout page for your product or service
- A thank-you page and follow-up funnel
If you've used ClickFunnels or Kajabi before, you'll recognize the concepts — but Systeme.io is significantly cheaper (and has a real free plan). If you're new to funnels, this tutorial will walk you through every click.
For a full pricing breakdown, see our Systeme.io Pricing 2026 guide.
Why Bother with a Funnel?
Most ops teams skip funnels because they sound like marketing fluff. But here's what a funnel actually does:
- Qualifies leads before they reach you — someone who fills out a form and reads your emails is more serious than someone who just filled out a contact form
- Automates follow-up — sends your intro, your pricing, your case studies without you touching anything
- Shows you what's working — Systeme.io tracks where leads drop off, so you know which page or email needs fixing
Step 1: Sign Up and Pick a Template
Create your account
Go to Systeme.io and sign up for the free plan. It gives you:
- Up to 2,000 contacts
- Unlimited emails
- 1 sales funnel
- 1 blog
- 1 course/product
That's enough to test your offer before paying anything.
Choose a funnel type
From the dashboard, click Sales Funnels → Create a Funnel. Systeme.io has templates for:
- Lead Magnet Funnel — give away a free resource in exchange for an email (best for building a list)
- Webinar Funnel — register people for a live event with automated reminders
- Sales Funnel — direct product or service sales
- Bridge Funnel — move people from a low-cost offer to a high-ticket one
For your first funnel, pick Lead Magnet Funnel. It's the simplest and most versatile for ops teams.
Step 2: Build Your Landing Page
Customize the template
Systeme.io's drag-and-drop builder works like a simplified version of Kajabi or ClickFunnels. You can:
- Change the headline and subheadline
- Swap images (use their free stock photo library or upload your own)
- Add bullet points explaining what the lead gets
- Customize the opt-in button text
Keep it simple for now. Your page needs: a clear headline, 3-5 benefit bullets, and one button. That's it.
Connect an email automation
On the same page, set up the opt-in automation. This is what happens when someone clicks the button. Configure it to:
- Add them to a specific email list (create one called "Lead Magnet Downloads")
- Send the lead magnet (a PDF download link email)
- Send them to a thank-you page confirming they're in
Step 3: Set Up the Email Follow-Up Sequence
Create a 3-email sequence
Go to Marketing → Email Campaigns and create a new campaign. Design it like this:
Email 1 (Day 0 — Instant): Deliver the lead magnet. Keep it simple: "Here's your download link. By the way, here's what we do."
Email 2 (Day 2): Share a case study or result. Show someone who used your approach and got results. This builds credibility without being salesy.
Email 3 (Day 5): Make the offer. Present your service or product clearly. Include pricing, what they get, and a link to book a call or buy.
Systeme.io's email editor is basic but functional. You can add images, links, and buttons. Keep emails to 150-200 words max — long emails get ignored.
Add a tag on purchase
Create a tag called "Customer" and configure it to apply automatically when someone buys. This lets you:
- Remove customers from the sales sequence (they already bought)
- Add them to an onboarding or upsell sequence instead
- Segment your list for future campaigns
Step 4: Add a Checkout Page
Create your product
Go to Products → Add Product. Define your offer (service, digital product, or subscription). Set the price and add a description.