QUIZ FUNNELS: THE MOST UNDERRATED MARKETING TOOL

Morning!

I am genuinely nervous to share what you’re about to read. Because it’s something I have been obsessing over recently, and honestly… I probably should be keeping it under wraps.

But in the name of marketing, I’m going to let you in on it today.

Let’s get into it!

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THE PLAYBOOK

I think every business should have a quiz funnel.

That’s an opinion I’m honestly afraid to share. Not because I doubt it, but because I don’t think many businesses have caught on yet… and I’m slightly worried that writing this will make people take the idea and run with it.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t something I came up with. Quiz funnels have been used since the start of the internet. But they still remain one of the most underrated marketing tools out there.

And I genuinely believe every single business should have one.

Which is kind of ironic, because if you go by classic marketing principles, the idea of adding extra steps before someone purchases would be considered a bad thing. We’ve been told for years to remove friction, reduce clicks, and make the customer’s path to purchase as quick as possible.

But when you optimise solely for limiting friction, you miss out on having a “Little flirt” with your customer (as Daniel Priestley puts it).

Because customers value being seen and heard more than they’ll ever value things being quick. They don’t want to quickly buy some generic product, they want to buy things they feel were specifically chosen for them.

Endless studies have shown that humans place dramatically more value on something that feels like theirs - this applies before they even purchase as well.

People are willing to pay extra for a football shirt with their name and favourite number on vs a plain one. They’d rather buy a watch engraved with their initials than the same model straight off the shelf.

And that’s exactly what a good quiz funnel does. It transforms basic, standard products into something that feels personalised.

What really got me thinking about all this was something that happened recently with my brother, Morgan.

He’s currently training for his first Ironman, and for weeks, we’d been going back and forth about what supplements he should take on race day. The problem was, we had no idea what would be right for him specifically.

Then he stumbled upon a company called Precision Hydration.

At first, he was just browsing. Looking for energy chews and electrolyte tabs.

Then he noticed a small button in the top corner: “Free Fuel & Hydration Plan”.

He clicked it.

Over the next 20 or 30 seconds, he answered 7 or 8 really specific questions, questions like:

• What race are you doing? (It even listed Ironman Austria.)

• What’s your weight?

• Your age?

• Your experience?

• Your expected race time?

• Is it your first Ironman?

• What’s the predicted temperature on race day?

Then it generated a personalised fuelling and hydration plan tailored to him. All with a “Buy Now” button underneath, letting him purchase the exact products he’d need for race day.

60 seconds later, the products were purchased.

That’s the power of a quiz funnel.

It takes a collection of standard products and makes it feel like a custom solution.

But while these kinds of funnels are already being used in some industries, most companies still aren’t using them. Especially in B2B.

So today, I’m going to break down 3 of the best quiz funnels I’ve come across and explain what makes each one so effective.

Funnel 1: Precision - Personalised Hydration Plan

Let’s start by taking a look at the Precision Hydration funnel.

One of the main reasons I love it is that there are a million and one different hydration brands out there.

• Science in Sport

• Prime

• Bulk

Yet with a simple quiz, Precision Hydration managed to place themselves in this differentiated “blue ocean”.

While every other company in the industry is focused on cost per click and reducing friction on their site, Precision Hydration is doing something completely different. They’re trying to give people the most personalised fuelling and hydration plan possible for their race.

And that’s what the quiz funnel allows.

So let’s take a look at what specifically makes this quiz funnel work so well.

1. The Positioning

To start with, it’s the way they frame it. You’ll notice it doesn’t say “Take the hydration quiz”. It says “Get your free personalised fuel and hydration plan”.

That simple shift in language is huge. It doesn’t feel like a quiz. It feels like a freebie. A resource. It’s framed as something useful, not something that takes effort. And that framing makes a massive difference.

2. The Depth Of Personalisation

What really impressed me was how specific the quiz got. My brother is doing Ironman Austria, and he was literally able to add that exact race into the funnel.

From there, the quiz took into account the predicted weather on the day. The terrain. The elevation. His weight. His age. His expected time. His experience. Whether it was his first race or not.

It was one of the most personalised quiz funnels I’ve ever seen. And that’s such an important detail, especially when it comes to something like a race.

Even just being able to say “we know what you’re training for” makes the whole experience feel that much more useful.

3. The Conversion

The other thing they do really well is what happens after the quiz. Morgan didn’t have to figure anything out. All the key products he needed were pre-selected, in the right quantities, ready to go.

At that point, price becomes less of a factor. He’s not comparing it to other brands. He’s not second-guessing the basket. Because it feels like it was built for him.

So he clicks “Buy Now”. Puts in his details. And a few days later, his entire fuel and hydration plan arrives at his door.

Funnel 2: Runna - Customised Training Plan

Staying in the theme of running, another brand that’s doing this brilliantly is Runna. It’s a training app that was recently acquired by Strava.

I’ve talked before about how well they use their employees as influencers and how relatable their marketing is. But one thing that often gets overlooked is how strong their quiz funnel is.

Just like the Precision Hydration planner, Runna’s funnel is built around a personalised training plan - giving people a specific plan based on where they’re at.

Which is so key for getting people on board with their app at every level of their running journey.

Because if I’m slightly overweight and trying to run my first 5K, I need a very different plan than someone who’s already fit and just wants to improve their 10K time. Or someone who's a regular footballer and is transitioning into longer-distance runs.

The problem is, most running plans ignore this entirely. A lot of training apps, and even popular running influencers, just hand out one-size-fits-all PDFs.

Runna flipped that.

Their whole product starts with a quiz funnel. You go through a short series of questions, entering your current fitness level, how many times per week you want to train, your goals, etc.

At the end, all it asks for is your email. Then it delivers your personalised training plan.

Here’s what I love about it:

1. It makes the product feel like it was built just for you

There’s a big difference between downloading a generic plan and receiving one that was built from your answers.

That moment of personalisation (even if the product behind the scenes is templated) makes the plan feel like it was designed with your specific journey in mind.

2. It lowers the barrier to entry

Many training platforms throw people into account creation or pricing pages straight away. Runna doesn’t.

They lead with value. The funnel helps people get clear on what they want, gives them a taste of what’s possible, and then asks for an email.

3. It builds early commitment through clarity

By the time someone has answered all the questions about their goal, their pace, and their schedule, they’ve already committed. There is a sunk cost with the time they’ve already put in. That mindset shift is hard to create with traditional product pages or marketing copy. The quiz funnel creates it naturally.

Funnel 3: Neil Patel - SEO Audit

So far, every example in this list has been from the B2C world - selling running plans, fuelling strategies, or physical products. But these funnels work just as well (if not better) in the B2B space.

And what Neil Patel is doing with his SEO audit funnel may be the use case of a quiz funnel I’ve ever seen.

But craziest of all, it’s his main landing page and homepage for his website.

The first thing you see when you land on neilpatel.com is a simple question

“Want more SEO Traffic?”

And right underneath, a single field asking for your website URL.

You drop in your URL. Answer 5 questions about your business. It scans your site. And within 30 seconds, you get a personalised SEO audit along with a 7-week step-by-step plan showing exactly how to fix what’s broken.

It’s beautiful.

Here are 3 of my favourite things about this funnel:

1. It leads with the outcome

The call to action isn’t “Get an audit” or “Take our SEO quiz.” It’s a promise: “More SEO traffic.”

That shift in language is everything. People don’t want to be tested. They want results. And this positions the tool as a shortcut to those results, not another form to fill in.

2. It gives you value before saying a word about the business

Most agency websites start by telling you who they are, who they’ve worked with, and why they’re different. This one flips that. You don’t get an offer of an outcome. It says, “Let us help you first. We’ll introduce ourselves later.”

3. It feels like minimal effort and sets up a no-brainer offer

All it takes is your URL. In return, you get a 7-week personalised SEO action plan built around your site.

Why would anyone say no to that?

 🌱 THE GREENHOUSE

Things I’ve saved this week that are worth seeing:

• Daniel Priestley breaking down quiz funnels. (See here)

• Great podcast on quiz funnels. (See here)

TL;DR

1/ You
2/ Should
3/ Have
4/ A
5/ Quiz
6/ Funnel

It’s funny how quizzes used to get written off as gimmicks, and now the smartest brands are using them as the most efficient way to collect leads.

Safe to say we will be doubling down on quiz funnels.

Until next Sunday.

— Niall

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