How we grew 200 subs in 2 weeks

EXAMPLE
How we grew 200 subs in 2 weeks

8 October 2024, I decided to start paid acquisition using the Meta platform.

Here’s everything I learned after spending $659.53 on ads:

1/ Broad targeting works but not too broad.

We started the campaign with 2 ad sets (2 audiences) with Advantage+ turned on.

• Without interest (broad)

• With interest (marketing)

vs.

I decided to continue with the interest audience because it’s cheaper to acquire subscribers (25 vs. 11 with equal ad spend), even though the broad audience has a slightly better open rate and click rate.

2/ Conversion pixel matters

In the first 4 days of the campaign, I made a terrible mistake. I set up my conversion pixel on my welcome page, which is typically correct for most people.

It doesn’t apply to me because my sign-up flow is as follows:

Conversion pixel should ALWAYS be set up on the setup on the page after the conversion event (subscribe) happens.

Findings: Because of this mistake, our cost per conversion was 10x more expensive. 🥲

3/ Landing page conversion rate > Ads performance

Changing our landing page copy increased our opt-in rate from 36.25% to 45.45%.

Headline: Actionable marketing tactics for B2B agency
Subheadline: Weekly curated marketing tips and trends to help grow your agency to 6-figure and impress your clients.

Headline: Actionable marketing tactics in 5 mins
Subheadline: Weekly curated marketing tips and trends to help grow your brand online, generate more leads and boost your revenue.

Findings: Copy that focuses on the benefits and headline that answers “What will I get?” perform better.

4/ Ugly ad works

We ran our ads with at least 5 creatives at all times. All of our creatives are based on proven ads by top newsletter companies.

We swiped 200+ ads from 52 companies. Then, we change the copy and adapt it to our branding.

Look at these 3 creatives: the uglier it is, the better it performs. Coincidence? I am not sure.

Summary:

• 14 days

• $659.52 ad spend

• 222 subscribers

• $2.97 CAC

• $152 revenue generated

• $2.29 true CAC

I am quite happy with the result, but I aim to reach $0 true CAC by increasing revenue generated within the sign-up flow.

TACTICS
Spy on your competitors’ Google and YouTube Ads

Many of us know about TikTok's ads library and Facebook's Ads Library; recently, Reddit also launched its own ads library.

However, very few people know that Google has an ads transparency page that shows every ad your competitor runs on Google and YouTube.

Here’s how:

1/ Search for your competitor on Google.

Most companies run ads against their name or brand to control what people see when they search for it. In this example, let's use Monday CRM as the competitor.

2/ Find one of their ads and click on the three dots at the end of the URL.

3/ Click the “See more ads” link in the pop-up that appears.

4/ Search through a treasure trove of ad ideas. 

You can filter by the date they have been running, the locations they are shown, and the ad format (text, image, or video).

Bonus Step: When I tried using the Chrome browser, it turned blank images for all ads. If you have this same issue, copy and paste the URL into another browser (Safari, Firefox, Edge, or whichever) and it should work fine.

BOOK SUMMARY
22 key insights from Scientific Advertising

A short, easy-to-read, and to-the-point, value-pack book.

All the modern advertising giants– particularly the internet gurus – swear by this book.

Although written in 1926, almost everything Hopkins says is as relevant today.

1/ The purpose of advertising is to sell

Ads are like having multiple salespeople that sell 24/7 at scale

Ads should give audiences enough to take immediate action (if necessary, offer incentives or highlight the cost of inaction)

2/ Write for one person, not a crowd

The only readers you will get are interested people. Do not take their attention for granted. If you lose them, they may never come back.

3/ You cannot sell to thousands until you learn how to win one.

4/ Don't try to be funny

5/ Don't boast or show off

6/ Don't attack your competitors or point out others' faults

7/ Focus on new customers and unconverted prospects

8/ Your image should help you to sell better

9/ Copy length is irrelevant

No one reads ads for entertainment, long or short. The more you tell, the more you sell. Present to the reader every critical claim you have.

10/ Only write headlines that attract your target audiences.

People pick out what they want to consume based on headlines. They are busy. They don't want headlines to be misleading, so make sure your content is worth their time.

11/ Be specific

"The best in the world," "Lowest prices in the world," or any other superlatives are usually damaging. They suggest looseness of expression and a tendency to exaggerate. A broad claim may lead your target audiences to discount all the statements you make.

12/ The best ads ask no one to buy

People don't like to be sold, but they like to buy. Your ads should offer information and show advantages.

13/ Always check your ads before publishing

A salesman's mistake may cost little. But advertising mistakes may cost a thousand times more.

14/ Always test your ads

Testing lets thousands decide what millions will do.

15/ Use a strategy that has the lowest cost-per-acquisition

16/ Offer trial period

There are two types of trials:

1. Pay, then use it for a week. If you don't like it, refund it.

2. Use for a week. If you like it, pay and keep it. (Recommended)

17/ Price your product/service right

People judge primarily by price. Cheap is not always a good strategy.

People want bargains but not cheapness. They want to feel they can afford to eat, have, and wear the best stuff (not cheap).

Suppose you sell women's clothing in installments. The appeal is to poor girls who desire to dress better. Women don't want to be treated as poor girls.

A product that costs more than the ordinary is perceived as above the ordinary.

A painting in the British National Gallery is advertised in a catalog as costing $750,000. Most people first pass it by at a glance. Later, they read the catalog and learned what the painting costs. They return then and surround it.

18/ People are selfish

Make it more about them, less about you.

People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

19/ Changing people's habits is very expensive.

Selling to those who have purchased or used similar solutions is easier.

20/ Sell pain-killer, not vitamins

"Prevention is better than cure" doesn't work in advertising.

Tell people what to do, not what to avoid. People will sprint away from pain and jog towards pleasure.

21/ Don't give the product you want to sell for free

It's hard to pay for something that once was free. If you are giving freebies, try to personalize the gifts. When people know something belongs to them, they try to get it.

22/ Make sure you have a good offer

• Bad product = bad advertising, not going to work

• Bad product = good advertising, might work for a short while

• Good product = bad advertising, not going to work

• Good product = good advertising (we should aim for this). A good product sells itself.

Get the PDF copy of the book here

COPYWRITING
Copywriting technique to boost content engagement

Are you struggling to keep your readers hooked from start to finish?

Brian Dean from backlink.io uses ‘bucket brigade’ to keep readers engaged and move down your content.

So, what exactly are ‘bucket brigades’?

They're strategic phrases designed to make readers curious and eager to continue reading. Think lines like, "Here's the deal," "But here's the kicker," or "Want to know the best part?", “You might be wondering.”, “Want to know the best part?.”

These are super handy and worth trying out in your next piece. Maybe even jot them down on a sticky note for easy reference!

CLICK WORTHY
ICYMI

• Bluesky got half a million new users in one day.

• Threads launched mobile analytics.

• YouTube expanded Shorts to a 3-minute limit, new templates and more.

• Meta introduces new FB local tab, messenger communities, AI integrations and more.

• Threads and X release features to help you grow your accounts.

When you are ready, here’s how I can help:

• Free SF community where I share my swipe files, cheatsheets, templates and other marketing and copywriting resources.

• 88 Ogilvy’s Ads Collection—If you’re a marketer, your swipe file is incomplete without this.

• 1:1 consulting (currently closed).

Hit reply any time! I love hearing from you.