Glossary › TOFU

What Is TOFU (Top of Funnel)?

TOFU (Top of Funnel) is the awareness stage of the marketing funnel where potential customers first discover they have a problem or need. TOFU content educates a broad audience without pushing a specific product, casting the widest net to attract people who might eventually become buyers.

What TOFU Content Looks Like in SaaS

TOFU content answers the questions people ask before they know a solution exists. Typical formats include:

Educational blog posts — "What is [concept]?" or "How to [solve problem]" articles
Industry reports — data-driven content establishing authority in a space
Beginner guides — comprehensive introductions to a topic or discipline
Thought leadership — original perspectives on industry trends or challenges

TOFU content typically targets informational keywords with high search volume but low purchase intent. A project management tool might publish "how to run a sprint retrospective" — useful content, but the reader isn't shopping for software yet.

The TOFU Trap in SaaS Content Marketing

Many SaaS companies over-invest in TOFU content because the traffic numbers look impressive. A blog post ranking for "what is project management" might bring 50,000 monthly visitors. But if only 0.01% of those visitors ever become customers, the actual business impact is minimal.

This creates what some marketers call the "content treadmill" — teams produce more and more TOFU content chasing traffic metrics while the sales pipeline stays flat. The fix isn't to abandon TOFU entirely, but to balance it with MOFU and BOFU content that captures existing demand.

Where TOFU Fits in the Funnel

TOFU sits at the top of a three-stage journey:

TOFU (Awareness) — the buyer realizes they have a problem
MOFU (Consideration) — the buyer researches types of solutions
BOFU (Decision) — the buyer compares specific products and chooses one

TOFU content builds the audience. Product-led content and BOFU pages convert them.