Media · Media Planning

The channel-to-funnel map: matching platform to buying stage

By Paige Goodwin, Ruckus Collective · 2026 · 8 min read

Most media plans are really channel lists with a budget attached. The better way to build one starts from the funnel: work out where your buyers actually are, then choose channels to match, rather than picking platforms first and hoping the funnel sorts itself out. The map below is how we structure that decision.

Pour everything into conversion and you are optimising for the smallest slice of your market.

Only a fraction of your buyers are ready to purchase today, yet most plans aim almost all of the budget at them. The result is predictable: rising costs and flat growth. Here is how to match channel to buying stage, how much to hold at the top, and the single number that should make you nervous about your own plan.

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