SelfMade

LTV is the future of e-commerce. Our growth strategist Yaw Owusu-Boahen details the best strategy to maximize LTV in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Following the global pandemic, e-commerce is at an inflection point of adoption that will bring in a slew of new potential customers to win in the marketplace. However, increased data privacy measures taken by customer acquisition platforms makes differentiation through acquisition increasingly difficult. The firm of the future acknowledges these conflicting trends and optimizes for the levers completely in its control - LTV levers. Learning to optimize for increased LTV can be of benefit to any business in the space, especially those looking to grow sustainably in an increasingly uncertain competitive environment. #strategy #business #ecommerce #cac #ltv #startups

Your ads aren’t underperforming. Your assumptions are. Most brands throw money at acquisition without solving for retention. The winners? They build creative that drives action and loyalty. Customer LTV isn’t just a metric—it’s a strategy. If you’re not optimizing for it, you’re just renting attention.

This is the only way I’ve had a >90% hit rate on getting actually usable ad ad concepts in ChatGPT or Claude: 1. Steal like a pro. Download a transcript of an ad you already love (yours or a competitor’s). Atria AI and Ray Jang ?? makes this all too easy. 2. Overfeed the AI. Drop in all your brand’s press, blog posts, product pages, and customer reviews—load up the context. 3. Control the output. Tell ChatGPT to generate a new ad based on that info—not from thin air. 4. Now that you have a base, tell the LLM to tailor the messaging towards a certain angle or persona. 5. Send to editors, rinse and repeat. Most people treat AI like a magic idea generator and wonder why it spits out “game-changing” fluff. The truth? Garbage in, garbage out. Source: Trust me bro

AI is transforming creative strategy, but let’s be honest—it’s also creating a tsunami of generic, lifeless BOF ads. Everyone’s running the same AI-generated hooks, templated mashup structures, and soulless voiceovers. It’s a race to the bottom. But here’s where the best creative strategists—or as I now like to call them, data strategists—set themselves apart. AI is great at ideation. It can uncover untapped audiences, surface winning angles, and optimize messaging structures. But AI doesn’t make ads feel human. That’s where we come in. How to Make AI Work for You (Without Losing the Human Element) 1. Founder-Led Content Wins Every Time → AI can’t replicate the raw energy of a founder talking directly to their audience. A simple selfie video or an unscripted podcast clip builds trust faster than any polished ad. 2. Customers Who Create > Creators Who Pretend → AI can generate a “real-sounding” testimonial, but nothing beats an actual customer speaking naturally. The smartest brands aren’t hiring UGC actors—they’re activating their real users. 3. Ads That Don’t Feel Like Ads → The best brands aren’t just plugging AI outputs into templates. They’re tearing the script in two and crafting content that feels native, unpolished, and spontaneous. The Real Competitive Advantage? Creative That Feels Unscripted The brands that win aren’t the ones flooding feeds with AI-generated conversion ads. They’re the ones turning AI insights into content that actually feels human. AI isn’t replacing creative strategists—it’s exposing who actually knows how to make ads resonate.

Creative strategists, brace yourselves—your role is on the brink of a seismic shift, and most agencies and brands are woefully unprepared. The introduction of iOS 14’s privacy updates disrupted traditional media buying, leading to the rise of the modern creative strategist. Media buyers had to adapt swiftly or risk obsolescence. Now, that we could see AGI as soon as this year, creative strategy faces a similar upheaval. Conventional brainstorming and intuition-based decision-making are being eclipsed. AI is rapidly identifying strategic gaps, uncovering untapped audiences, and pinpointing winning angles more efficiently than any human strategist. Despite this, many agencies and brands continue to operate as if the landscape remains unchanged, and refuse to acknowledge the gap in their stack. The role of the creative strategist isn’t vanishing—it’s evolving. The focus is shifting from gut-driven ideation to data interpretation, enabling strategists to translate AI-derived insights into actionable content for editors (who themselves will be increasingly AI-assisted). Brands and agencies that ignore this transformation are on the verge of being extinct. The question is: Are you adapting, or will you be left behind?

A simple creative iteration cut CPA by 59% I saw Olly Hudson's recent post and wanted to echo his point. We tested a refined testimonial format with clearer messaging, and the impact was undeniable: CPA dropped from $267 → $109 Click-to-purchase rate more than doubled (7.54% → 19.51%) Higher engagement without increasing spend Why did it work? ? More specific social proof → Vague praise doesn’t sell. We highlighted a testimonial that removes objections. ? Sharper headline → The first version was soft. The new one is bold, benefit-driven, and stops the scroll. ? Better contrast & readability → If users have to work to read your ad, they won’t. Now, they don’t have to. Sometimes, a small creative tweak outperforms a net-new ad. That’s why 30% of your pipeline should be iterations. Want to know what’s working in performance creative right now? Let’s chat.

We Are So Back (and So Are High CPMs). For all my devoted fans (all 2 of you) who have been wandering the digital wasteland without me—I know, it’s been rough. But dry your tears. We’re back, and now there is three of us. And we’re talking high CPMs (because if there’s one thing we can count on, it’s Meta making us pay more for the same clicks). So, when CPMs spike? We go back to fundamentals. ?? Top of Funnel → Founder Content. Get your founder on video. Doesn’t matter if it’s on Zoom, on an iPhone, or filmed in a dimly lit basement—just do it. Authenticity wins. Add some light banter. Sound bites happen naturally when humans act like… humans. ?? Middle of Funnel → Social Proof + Media. This is where we dissolve doubt. If you have press coverage, use it. If you don’t, make it. Blog posts? Sure. Fake "Best X of 2024" listicle? Why not. The goal is to build credibility, not wait around for a journalist to care. ?? Bottom of Funnel → Hyper-Relevant Billboard Ads. Not actual billboards (unless you have that kind of budget, in which case, flex). Billboard-style creative in the city where your audience lives. Running ads for a NYC brand? Make the ad look like an NYC subway ad. Hyper-relevance makes people think, “Oh, this is for me.” That’s it. Now go forth and fight high CPMs the old-school way.

Can you really run Facebook ads with just $20/day? Here’s the truth: Yes, but only if you spend it wisely. Otherwise, that $20 is buying you approximately three clicks, a whole lot of frustration, and a conspiracy theory about how Meta is out to get you. Here’s how to stretch a small budget: → Start with retargeting (your warmest audience will always convert cheaper). → Focus on video views + engagement first (you can build a warm audience for pennies, then hit them with a conversion ad). → Pick ONE variable to test at a time (if you’re testing the hook, don’t also change the CTA, audience, and offer. That’s just gambling). → Don’t expect miracles (but if your ads are good, $20/day can bring in real data). Small budgets = patience. But done right, they work.

?? 300+ Ads Launched in Feb: What Worked? As always, 70% net new, 30% iterations. ?? Talking Head + B-Roll (Iteration) ? Creator/founder in a floating circle with brand colors ? B-roll playing behind them ? +22% hold rate ?? The “Why Would I Buy This?” Hook (Net New) ? Calls out the #1 objection upfront ? Example: "Why would I buy this when [competitor] exists?" ?? Hilarious, But Useful, Client Testimonials (Iteration) ? ?? Non-Alcoholic Beer: “Brought a six-pack to a party and left with three new best friends. People are passionate about good NA beer.” ? ?? Meal Replacement Shake: “I don’t know who needs to hear this, but blending it with oat milk will change your life.” ?? The “Talking to a Friend” Voiceover (Iteration) ? No polished script, no forced enthusiasm ? More “uhs” and “y’knows” than an over-explainer at a party ? +18% CTR ?? What flopped? ? Generic UGC that was formulaic and not persona oriented (albeit aesthetically pleasing) ? Overproduced brand ads ? Stock photo energy (or Midjourney tbh) in static ads—nobody’s clicking on that

Your Testimonial Ads Are Boring—Here’s How to Fix Them You know your testimonial ads are underperforming when they sound like this: ? “I love this product!” ? “It changed my life!” ? “It’s so great!” These tell the consumer nothing. What a Good Testimonial Ad Actually Does: It assuages doubt. It speaks to hesitations people have before buying. Example: We’re running a testimonial ad for an NA beer company. The review? “This is just about the best pilsner I’ve ever had. Period.” Why does this work? ? Tackles the biggest doubt: Will an NA beer actually taste like beer? ? Adds credibility: The reviewer is clearly a beer snob (aka, the perfect validator). ? Tells a story in a single sentence. The Takeaway? Golden Nugget reviews > Generic praise. Find testimonials that remove friction and answer objections—not just fluff up your product. Because "this product is great" isn’t moving anyone down the funnel. Anyway, cheers. Happy Thursday. ??