Day 87: Adding 15-Second Creatives to Push the Funnel Forward

Summary

Jonathan shares an update on his year-long journey to reach $240K in sales, discussing the performance of his funnels and ads. He reports $741 in sales for the day with a modest profit of $29, acknowledging that the Black Friday competition is affecting ad results. Despite challenges, Jonathan is encouraged by improvements in his new funnel, especially the rise in average order value from $40 to $70. He has been testing various ad formats, including shorter videos and carousels, and plans to refine his strategy further, aiming for better engagement and returns. The day ends on a positive note with hopes of surpassing $700 in sales.

Takeaways

• 📅 Jonathan gives a Day 87 update of his one-year journey to reach 240k in revenue.
• 💰 Yesterday’s sales were $741 with about $42 in ad spend, resulting in a modest $29 profit.
• 📉 He notes margins are still tight, likely due to Black Friday competition and large advertisers dominating feeds.
• 📊 After reducing ad budget by £40 recently, ad performance surprisingly improved with lower cost of sale.
• 📈 He highlights the importance of looking at weekly and monthly trends rather than single-day fluctuations.
• 💡 The new funnel is showing promise with a significantly higher average order value (~$70) compared to the main funnel (~$40).
• 🎥 He has been testing various ad creatives: carousel, static images, a 1-minute video, and now a new 15-second short video.
• 🚀 The new 15-second video is already getting strong distribution from Facebook and a better outbound click-through rate.
• 🧩 He plans to update the carousel ad tomorrow and will showcase how each frame is structured.
• 🎨 By tomorrow he will have six different creatives running, aiming to test a wide variety of formats and styles.
• 🔄 He intends to produce even more diverse and fun video content to better resonate with his audience.
• 📈 Current day sales are at $598 by 6 PM, giving him confidence that the day may again surpass the $700 mark.

Q & A

What were the sales and profit results Jonathan reported for the previous day?

He reported $741 in sales with an ad spend of $42, leaving a profit of $29 for the day.

Why does Jonathan believe his margins are currently lower than desired?

He suspects that Black Friday and heavy advertising competition are affecting performance, with large advertisers dominating the feeds of his audience.

How did reducing the ad budget impact the performance of his ads?

After reducing the budget by about £40, the ads began performing better and the cost of sale decreased, though Jonathan is cautious about attributing the improvement solely to the budget change.

What budgets are currently allocated to Jonathan’s funnels?

His original funnel is running at £300, and his new funnel is running at almost £100.

What key difference has Jonathan noticed between his regular funnel and his new funnel?

The new funnel has a significantly higher average order value—around $68 to $70—compared to the regular funnel’s average order value of about $40.

What types of creatives has Jonathan been testing in the new funnel?

He has tested carousel ads, static images, a one-minute video, and has recently added a 15-second condensed video featuring a pack shot.

How did the newly added 15-second video perform shortly after launch?

It began receiving strong distribution from Facebook and showed promising outbound click-through rate differences, though Jonathan notes it's too early to rely on any metrics.

What is Jonathan’s plan for the next day?

He plans to update and launch a new carousel ad and provide a breakdown of how he structures it.

How many creatives will Jonathan be running after launching the new carousel?

He will have six creatives running, each different in type or format, including pack shots, lifestyle shots, carousel ads, and both long and short videos.

What is the current sales performance for the day at the time of recording?

Sales have reached $598 by around 6:00 PM, giving him optimism that the day may surpass $700.

Why does Jonathan emphasize looking at trends over multiple weeks rather than single days?

He notes that e-commerce performance is a roller coaster, and individual days vary too much to provide reliable insight—weekly or monthly trends reveal the true trajectory.