The Paid Ads Playbook.
Landing pages, creative, UGC and testing — what to build, what to test, and how to read the results.
Stop sending paid traffic to your homepage
Your homepage is built for people who are browsing. Paid social sends people who were just sold on one specific thing. Here’s how to tell when that mismatch is costing you, and what to build instead.
The Black Friday creative checklist: what to have ready before the sale
A phase-by-phase checklist for Black Friday creative: the offer, landing pages, ads for every sale phase, sizes, copy, naming, tracking, sold-out plans and who's on call.
October 28, 2026 · 6 min read
Ad CreativeWhy static ads still work in a video-first feed
Video dominates the feed, but static ads are still the fastest way to test a message. Here's where statics earn their place, where video is stronger, and how to run the two together.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
TestingHow long should an A/B test run? A practical guide for ecommerce
Set the sample size before you launch, run whole weeks, and don't stop the moment a result looks significant. Here's how to time an ecommerce test, and what to do when traffic is thin.
October 28, 2026 · 6 min read
UGCWhat UGC actually means for paid ads (and what it doesn't)
"UGC" can mean a customer's post or a paid creator's video. Here's what it means in paid social, the formats worth knowing, why it can work in feeds and where it falls short.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
StrategyHow performance-based creative partnerships work
What a performance-based creative deal actually is, what the written agreement needs to define, who the model suits, and the questions to ask any partner before testing starts.
October 28, 2026 · 6 min read
Landing PagesThe anatomy of a landing page built for paid social traffic
A section-by-section walk through a campaign landing page, from the first screen to the sticky mobile buy bar, and the job each section has to do.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
Black FridayBlack Friday offers that protect your margin
How to compare sitewide discounts, tiers, bundles, gifts, free shipping and BOGO by working out contribution margin per order first, with a worked example and a way to test offers.
October 28, 2026 · 6 min read
Ad CreativeThe hook is the ad: writing headlines for static creative
On a static ad, the headline does most of the work. Seven hook types, how to make them readable at scrolling speed, how to match them to your landing page, and a worked example.
October 28, 2026 · 6 min read
TestingWhat to test first on a landing page when traffic is limited
Small tweaks need huge samples to prove anything. With a few thousand visitors, test big, meaningful differences first. Here’s the order to work in.
October 28, 2026 · 2 min read
UGCHow to brief UGC creators for ads, not just content
A brief built for ads gets you footage you can recut and test. What to include, from hooks and proof shots to deliverables and usage terms, plus a template you can copy.
October 28, 2026 · 6 min read
StrategyCAC, MER, ROAS and contribution margin, in plain English
Four numbers that decide whether your paid ads are working, each defined with a worked example, plus how to find your break-even ROAS and which metric to use for which decision.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
Landing PagesDesigning for the thumb: mobile landing page rules for paid social
Practical rules for mobile landing pages that get paid social clicks: first-screen content, thumb-reach buttons, tap targets, pop-ups, in-app browsers and real-phone testing.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
Black FridayMessage match: your Black Friday ad and landing page should say the same thing
The fastest way to lose a click you paid for is to land someone on a page that doesn’t mention what the ad promised. A simple checklist for keeping ads and pages in sync.
October 28, 2026 · 2 min read
Ad CreativeAngles vs. variations: are you testing ideas or just colors?
Testing ten background colors isn't the same as testing ten ideas. How to tell angles from variations, where to find new angles, and how to name ads so results stay readable.
October 28, 2026 · 6 min read
TestingCTR, conversion rate, CPA or ROAS: choosing the metric that decides a test
Every test metric answers a different question, and some crown the wrong winner. Here's what CTR, conversion rate, CPA and ROAS each miss, and how to pick one primary metric plus guardrails.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
UGCThe first three seconds: UGC hook formats that stop the scroll
Eight UGC hook formats that give people a reason to keep watching, how to film several hooks per video, and how to test them while keeping the rest of the ad constant.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
StrategyAttribution for ecommerce brands: what to trust when Meta, Shopify and GA4 disagree
Meta, Shopify and GA4 will rarely show the same number. Why they differ, which one to trust for each decision, and simple ways to check whether your ads are actually driving sales.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
Landing PagesWhere social proof belongs on a landing page
Which kinds of social proof to use, where each one belongs on a landing page, how to match proof to objections, and how to keep reviews real and compliant.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
Black FridayWhat a Black Friday landing page needs (and what to cut)
What belongs on a Black Friday landing page, from the offer above the fold to shipping cutoffs and sold-out handling, plus the navigation, pop-ups and clutter to remove.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
Ad CreativeEight static ad formats every ecommerce brand should have in rotation
Eight static ad formats worth keeping in rotation, from benefit callouts and comparisons to review cards and bundles, with when each one works and a quick build tip.
October 28, 2026 · 6 min read
TestingTesting ads and landing pages at the same time without muddying the results
Change the ad and the page at once and you can't tell which one moved the result. Here's how to structure ad tests, page tests and angle tests so each answers one clear question.
October 28, 2026 · 6 min read
UGCTurning one UGC video into ten ads
Break one creator video into hooks, beats, B-roll and quotes, then rebuild it into ten testable ads, each matched to the right landing page and named so results stay readable.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
StrategyCreative is the targeting now: how broad audiences changed paid social
Broad audiences and automated campaigns mean your ad now tells the platform who it's for. How to write creative that finds its own audience, and why the landing page has to keep the same promise.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
Landing PagesPage speed for paid traffic: what to fix first and what to ignore
A prioritized list of page speed fixes for landing pages that get paid traffic, how to measure with PageSpeed Insights and real phones, and what not to obsess over.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
Black FridayWarming up audiences before Black Friday
Why ad costs climb at peak and how to prepare: build awareness with education and creator ads, grow email and SMS lists with early access, fill retargeting pools and test creative early.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
Ad CreativeCreative fatigue: how to spot it before your CPA does
CPA is the last metric to tell you an ad is tired. The earlier signals to watch, how to rule out other causes, and when to refresh an ad versus replace the angle.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
TestingWhy your A/B test winner stopped winning
The variation won, you rolled it out, and the lift faded. Here's why that happens, from regression to the mean to shifting traffic, and how holdouts, re-tests and better records protect your next winner.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
UGCRunning ads from a creator's handle: partnership ads and Spark Ads explained
What creator whitelisting is, how Meta partnership ads and TikTok Spark Ads work at a general level, the terms to agree before launch, and the risks to plan for.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
StrategyHow much of your ad budget should go to testing?
There's no magic percentage. A practical framework for splitting testing and scaling budgets, sizing each test from your CPA, graduating winners, and knowing when to test more or less.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
Landing PagesAdvertorials and listicles: when a pre-sell page beats a product page
What advertorials and listicles are, when a pre-sell page earns its extra click, when it doesn't, how to structure each, and how to keep it clearly labeled and honest.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
Black FridayAfter Black Friday: Cyber Week, December and turning sale buyers into customers
What to do once Black Friday ends: Cyber Monday offers, shipping cutoffs, gift guides and gift cards, post-purchase flows, honest reporting, and turning discount buyers into repeat customers.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
Ad CreativeHow to write a creative brief that gets usable ads back
Most unusable ads start with a vague brief. What a good creative brief includes, a fill-in template you can copy, and the common failures that waste a production round.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
TestingHow to build a testing roadmap that compounds
Random tests produce random learning. Here's how to write hypotheses, prioritize with a simple score, run big swings before details, and keep a test log that feeds the next brief.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
UGCUGC usage rights and disclosure: what to agree before you run the ad
The usage terms to settle with creators and customers before a UGC ad runs, from paid usage and edits to whitelisting and raw files, plus the basics of honest disclosure.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read
StrategyWhen to fix the offer instead of the ad
Sometimes the ad isn't the problem. How to read your funnel to separate creative issues from page, offer and checkout issues, plus the offer levers worth testing on a landing page.
October 28, 2026 · 5 min read