Phil Kiel

Before you blame your creative strategy, run this checklist:

✅ **Are you launching new ads weekly?**
Pick a consistent day (e.g., Wednesday) to launch. This removes emotional decision-making and creates a clear deadline for content creation.

✅ **Are you launching *considered* ads?**
1–2 high-quality ads, not 15 versions of the same idea.

✅ **Are you iterating, not duplicating?**
A new angle or hook beats slight tweaks to the same footage.

✅ **Are you matching activity to budget?**
Small spend? Take fewer swings. 2–3 ads per week can still move the needle.

✅ **Are your ads staying native?**
Minimal text overlays. Match the platform’s style.

Do the boring, consistent work. It’s how accounts grow.

Creative and Paid Social at Taikun Digital - Ecom success powered by Paid Social and Creative Strategy - transparent and profitable performance marketing for brands.

"Should we scale this campaign or is it just bottom-funnel swooping?"

Just showed a brand how to measure incrementality without NorthBeam or Triple Whale.

Set up a custom conversion tracking Google referrals. Tracks cost per person who clicks your Meta ad, then comes back to your site via Google.

Why this matters:

Someone who sees your ad, searches your brand on Google, then converts = high-intent traffic. You created demand.

Someone who clicks your ad and converts immediately = might have converted anyway. Could be retargeting, could be bottom-funnel.

The comparison:

Campaign A (partnership content): £X cost per Google referral

Campaign B (DPA catalogue): £Y cost per Google referral

If A is cheaper, it's more incremental. You're creating demand that other channels capture.

If B is cheaper... it might just be efficient retargeting. Not necessarily incremental growth.

How to set it up:

Meta Events Manager → Custom Conversions → Create
All URL traffic (not purchase)
Referring domain contains: google.com
Add as column in Ads Manager

Now you can see which campaigns drive high-intent traffic at what cost.

The example from today's audit:

DPA campaign: higher cost per reach, higher Google referral cost

Partnership campaign: lower cost per reach, lower Google referral cost

Before scaling DPA, we needed to know: is this incremental or just closing deals partnership ads opened?

The Google referral data answered that question.

You don't need expensive attribution tools to measure incrementality. You need the right custom conversions and the willingness to look beyond last-click ROAS.

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Focusing solely on bottom of funnel conversions will only get you so far.

Here’s the problem: when all your Meta ad spend goes toward conversions, you risk bottlenecking your pipeline. You risk retargeting the same pool over and over.

The fix? Shift some spend toward upper-funnel awareness. Build long-term engagement and a healthier pipeline by balancing the funnel.

**Do this:**
- Start small: allocate 2-5% of your budget to upper funnel campaigns.
- Use existing creative from conversion campaigns to test awareness cheaply.
- Track CPM, CPMr, Organic Traffic, engagement metrics to measure impact.

**Rule of thumb:** A balanced funnel feeds itself. Starve the top, and conversions eventually dry up.

If your audience growth is stalling, start here.

Stop day-trading your ad account.

If you’re reacting to daily performance swings, you’re making reactive decisions, and that’s a fast track to volatility.

Instead, adopt a **weekly cadence** for media buying. Here’s the system I recommend for brands seeing volatility:

**Monday:** Scale budgets. Review last week’s performance and allocate spend to what’s working.

**Wednesday:** Launch new ads. Give fresh creative time to gather data mid-week.

**Friday:** Pause underperformers. Free up budget going into the weekend.

Why it works:
- Reduces emotional over-reactions to daily metrics.
- Builds momentum by focusing on consistent, predictable actions.
- Stabilizes performance, especially for solo founders or small teams.
- Frees up time to focus on high impact areas (offer, creative, seeding, partnerships, product...)

If your account feels like a rollercoaster, start here. Predictable beats reactive every time.

Spend goes up, Reach goes up, but so does CPMr.

If this goes on for too long it can flip your model upside down, the CPC, AOV, CVR needed to make the account work is out of reach. 

Here's the playbook to reducing your CPMr, by Q4 2026 you may wish you started these things today...

Inside Meta:
- Creative diversity (levels to this)
- New partnerships, running ads from new pages
- Increasing exclusions if necessary
- Account consolidation - not always required but having too many campaigns can increase frequency and therefore CPMr
- Testing upper funnel objectives

Outside Meta:
- Improving Organic Search and Organic Social activity
- New products
- Partnerships with other brands, licensing

"Who cares about CPMr, I still get a 10x ROAS" Ok I get it, but if your CPMr doubles like the example below, what part of your funnel is going to improve to maintain the efficiency?

Most teams overcomplicate creative testing.

Multiple ad sets, fragmented campaigns, and scattered data. The result? No clear signal. Just noise.

**Here’s the better approach:**
- Consolidate all creatives into a single campaign with one ad set.
- Use CBO (Campaign Budget Optimization) to let the platform find the winner.
- Let it run long enough to generate confident insights.

Why it works:
- Cleaner data: One ad set = fewer variables muddying performance.
- Faster learning: The platform allocates spend dynamically based on results.
- Easier iteration: Once you know what works, you can scale or test variations.

If your campaigns feel chaotic, start here. Simplify the structure, and watch the signal emerge.

"Every time I raise my budget, CPA tanks for days. So I just duplicate winning campaigns at small budgets."

Just got off a call with a founder spending $30k/month across 8 duplicate campaigns. Same ads. Same targeting. Small budgets. All because scaling one campaign caused CPA to spike from $19 to $40.

This is the hardest way to run an account.

Three campaigns improve. Three get worse. Next day it reverses. You're constantly seesawing between which campaigns are working and which aren't.

Here's what's actually happening:

When you duplicate campaigns, you're forcing Meta to run separate auctions for the same ads against the same audiences. Each campaign is competing with itself for delivery.

Result: fragmented data, inconsistent performance, permanent learning phase across all campaigns.

The fix:

One campaign. One ad set. All ads competing in the same auction with consolidated budget and data.

"But when I scale one campaign, performance tanks."

Yes. For 3-5 days. Then it stabilizes. That's the algorithm expanding reach beyond your warmest audiences.

The solution isn't to avoid the dip by fragmenting into small campaigns. It's to build a routine that removes decision-making fatigue:

Monday: increase budget
Wednesday: launch new creative
Friday: pause underperforming ads

Boring. Systematic. Predictable.
Stop jet skiing. Start cruise shipping.

Most founders at $30k/month are trying to day-trade their way to $60k/month. They're making 50 micro decisions per week and wondering why the account is unstable.

The accounts that scale to $100k+? They picked a structure, stuck with it for 60+ days, and optimized at the ad level, not the campaign level.

You can't find a winning structure if you blow it up every time performance dips for three days.

"I'm going to make 5 new ads per week."

Reality: 1 ad in the last month.

Just got off a call with a founder who's the sole creative producer for a $30k/month account. His goal: 5 ads per week. His output: 1 ad in 30 days.

He's not lazy. He's running the entire business. Product development, customer service, operations. Then at 5pm on Thursday he remembers "I need to make ads today."

This is the pattern at every DTC brand between $20k-50k/month.

Here's what I told him:

Stop aiming for 5 ads per week. Aim for 2 really different ads per week.

Not 10 variations of the same talking head with different b-roll.

2 conceptually distinct ads:
Different emotional driver (fear vs aspiration)
Different objection (price vs efficacy)
Different proof type (reviews vs before/after)
Different format (UGC vs demo vs static)

Quality over quantity. Conceptual diversity over asset volume.

The bigger issue: no creative system.

He's using ChatGPT to generate 20 different angles. Half are relevant. Half are worthless. He's overwhelmed before he even starts.

The fix: Pick 2-3 core pillars. That's it.

For his brand (male personal care):
Performance/results
Convenience/routine
Confidence/identity

Every ad speaks to one of those three things. No more angle brainstorming. No more analysis paralysis.

Then build the weekly routine:

Monday: increase budget
Wednesday: launch 2 new ads (1-2 per pillar)
Friday: pause underperforming ads

Boring. Systematic. Removes decision fatigue.

Most founders think they need 50 ads per month to scale. They actually need 8-12 conceptually different ads and a structure that lets those ads get meaningful spend.

At $30k/month, creative production capacity is the bottleneck, not budget, not account structure, not Meta's algorithm.

Build the creative system first. Then scale budget.

The accounts spending $100k+/month? They solved creative production before they hit $50k/month. They didn't try to scale first and figure out creative later.

If you're the sole creative producer and you're already struggling at $30k/month, you won't make it to $60k/month without either hiring creative help or building a sustainable 2-ads-per-week system.

Stop trying to be a creative agency. Start being a brand with a repeatable creative process.

Your campaigns don’t just drive direct conversions, they influence other channels too. Ignoring this leaves money on the table.

Here’s how to fix it:

Step 1️⃣ 
Create a custom conversion to track Google referrals:
Separate conversions for all Google traffic (paid and organic), Brand Search, Shopping, PMax. Measure visits that come via Google after Meta ad engagement.

🛠️ Setup
For all Google traffic use [Referring Domain] contains [Google]
For a specific campaign such as Brand Search, reference your UTM: [all URL traffic where URL] contains [campaign=###]

Step 2️⃣ 
Analyse placement efficiencies. Which ads and placements drive the most Google referral traffic? (Hint: Different placements impact referrals at different rates, Instagram Stories and Reels often win.)

Step 3️⃣ 
Use this data to optimize. Double down on placements and creatives that amplify cross, channel lift. If your Brand Search gets a 10x ROAS, how do you scale this on Meta?

🤔 Why it matters 
If Meta ads are fueling high, converting Google traffic, you can justify scaling spend, even at lower ROAS.

Stop measuring ads in silos. Build systems that show the full picture.

If your creative win rate isn’t on your radar, it should be.

**What is win rate?**
It’s the percentage of ads spending your threshold testing budget and exceeding your target KPI. This metric tells you which formats, angles, and creators consistently deliver results, and which don’t.

**Why it matters:**
Tracking win rate lets you identify patterns in performance. For instance, graphic ads might outperform video. Certain angles (“noisy restaurants” or “German engineering”) may win repeatedly. Knowing this allows you to focus resources where they’ll drive the most impact.

**How to use it:**
- Audit your creative formats: Which types (static, animation, video) have the highest win rate?
- Double down on angles: Look at your top-performing narratives and replicate them.
- Refine creator partnerships: Measure creator performance by win rate, not just spend.

**Rule of thumb:** A strong win rate is 10–20%. If it’s lower, you’ll need to test more ads to find winners.

Measure win rate consistently. It’s a clearer signal than chasing ROAS alone.

Wrong diagnosis. Launching more creative isn’t the solution. 

Here’s the pattern I keep seeing:
- Brands launch 50+ ad assets per week, thinking volume equals better odds.
- They dilute their resources, making it impossible to analyze what’s working.
- “Winners” don’t scale because the system is built for churn, not momentum.

What’s actually happening:
Most accounts aren’t winning because they don’t have 50 great ideas to test. Over-testing stretches bandwidth and makes it harder to spot the real outliers.

What works instead:
- **Reduce volume.** 5–10 well-thought-out ads per week is plenty.
- **Consolidate spend.** Let good creative pick up momentum over time.
- **Stop day-trading.** Focus on long-term performance, not micro-adjustments every 1-3 days.

If your ad account feels chaotic, start by cutting your weekly launches in half. Fewer inputs, clearer insights, better results.

If your reach is flat week over week, your ads are stuck showing to the same people repeatedly.

That’s not just a waste of spend, it’s a performance killer. Higher costs, lower engagement, and audience fatigue.

Here’s how to measure if your campaigns are bringing in fresh audiences:

**Track rolling reach and net new reach.**
Rolling reach = total unique people reached over a set period.
Net new reach = how many of those people are seeing your ads for the first time.

When reach stagnates, it’s a signal:
- Your targeting may be too narrow.
- Your creative isn’t pulling in new audiences.
- Or your budget is capped in a way that limits scale.

**Rule of thumb:** If your net new reach isn’t growing, your audience pool is shrinking.

Measure reach trends alongside engagement metrics (like saves, shares, and referral traffic) to justify upper-funnel spend.

If you’re stuck at flat reach, start by expanding audience inputs or refreshing creative.

The difference between good brands and unicorns? Aggression.

Aggressive budgets. Aggressive ROAS targets. Aggressive messaging. Aggressive creator seeding. Aggressive margins.

Scaling isn’t about playing it safe. It’s about pushing every lever harder.

Testing more ads isn’t the problem. How you’re launching them is.

**Partnership ads** are one of the most underutilized tools for brands with a strong founder presence. Here’s why they work:

- They leverage personal trust and authenticity. Audiences engage differently when they see a person, not a brand.

- Meta’s algorithm favors them. Partnership ads often deliver **lower CPMs** and **higher click-through rates**, which compounds across your campaigns.

Here’s how to implement them:

1. **Run high-performing founder content as partnership ads** under the founder’s profile, with partnership status enabled. Let Meta decide the best identity.

2. **Launch consistently.** Start with 2 partnership ads per week alongside your other creative.

3. **Don’t overcomplicate.** Use existing content and focus on conversational, natural settings. Founder content works because it feels human—not polished.

If your CPM is creeping up, or your frequency is climbing past 3.5 over 7 days, this is where I’d start.

Daily ROAS swings aren't the problem. The real issue? Reacting to them.

Rolling 3-day averages tell you what’s actually happening. Stop pausing ad sets because of one bad day. Zoom out.

We're still speaking to brands spending $500k - $1mil per month who aren't:
- measuring funnel impact.  
- running TOF campaigns correctly.

Two slides we give away as a starting point 👇

Dan Cons

Public Nectar

Public Nectar is a performance marketing agency that helps brands grow profitably through paid social, Google Ads and email marketing.

I’m responsible for assessing the fit of potential clients and helping them decide whether working together is the right choice for their business.

Account Executive

The Remote Goat

I help eCommerce marketing agencies increase sales revenue by closing more leads over the phone through my Conscious Closing Framework.

Founder

Ads by Nomads

Ads by Nomads is an eCommerce growth marketing agency that helps clothing & accessories brands grow by increasing their profitability and sales revenue through Facebook Ads, Google Ads and email marketing.

I run the business and also handle all interactions from the first time someone speaks with us, through to deciding they want our help growing their e-commerce store.

I've got ten years of experience working in the digital advertising industry, specialising in e-commerce. I know how to get to the heart of the problem and come up with solutions that have helped hundreds of e-commerce brands achieve their revenue and return on ad spend [ROAS] targets.

Criteo

Criteo is a global technology company that enables brands and retailers to connect more shoppers to the things they need and love. 

At Criteo, I was responsible for working with large advertising agencies like Zenith, Starcom and Wavemaker to help brands like HP, Reckitt Benckiser and Heineken increase e-commerce sales revenue, volume and market share through key retail partners.

Sales Manager, Brand & Agency (UK Tier 1)

Ve Interactive

Ve is a global technology company who provides Connected customer engagement solutions for e-commerce businesses that want to find and grow their audience, convert more customers and optimise marketing spend.

In this role, I was responsible for helping apparel brands maximise the return on their programmatic advertising spend and managing a team of digital consultants who do the same for e-commerce companies across multiple industries.

Head of Client Direct Programmatic Sales

I was responsible for the management and growth of the Home and Garden, Consumer Electronics, Food and Bev sectors. 

Working with brands like Miele, Nestle and Henkel. My team consisted of three digital consultants, three account managers and a client implementation specialist who ensured the successful acquisition, maintenance and optimisation of our client’s programmatic advertising and conversion rate optimisation campaigns.

Head of Retail

I was responsible for the management and growth of the Charity and Education sectors. 

Working with charities like Oxfam, Save the Children and Unicef. My team consisted of two digital consultants and one account manager who ensured the successful acquisition, maintenance and optimisation of our client’s programmatic advertising and conversion rate optimisation campaigns.

Head of Charities and Education

Working in the Education, Recruitment and Charities team, I was solely responsible for introducing our website performance technology and generating revenue from sectors where Ve Interactive had marginal presence at the time. Further responsibilities of mine included mentoring junior members of staff, attending and presenting at conferences, uncovering new partnership opportunities and maintaining timely and accurate details of my sales activities to my sector director.

Senior Digital Consultant

Educate

I was the most senior person on the UK digital team, reporting directly to the sales director, tasked with maintaining sales performance whilst increasing revenue from key university clients. My other main responsibilities included attending and presenting at industry conferences, maintaining media relationships, developing new product offerings, mentoring and appraising team members, training sales staff, assigning territories and team forecasting.

Senior Account Manager

Working on the UK and International digital teams; I was responsible for generating ad revenue from UK University/College marketing departments and ad agencies. My duties included weekly prospecting, cold calling, arranging and attending meetings to cross sell Educate's digital portfolio, helping them to recruit students onto courses at all education levels. Further responsibilities include executing campaigns and reporting on performance.

Account Manager

Sales Expert for Marketing Agencies

As a former agency owner, I know how much you want to succeed.

But to do that, you need to close more sales. 

The problem is you’ve got an overload of inbound leads and can’t keep up with demand. 

And that makes you feel frustrated as you've become the bottleneck in your business, which is impacting your ability to grow. 

I understand how you feel. Missing out on potential clients is super frustrating. 

And that is why I have used my Conscious Closing Framework to help companies like yours close  £5M+ in sales to eCommerce brands. 

I have worked with agencies like Zenith, Starcom and Wavemaker and sold to brands like Heineken, Beats by Dre, Mars and many more. 

And although the global brands and agencies are great, my real love is freedom. 

And that’s why I want to help independent eCommerce marketing agencies and their clients get the sales they need to live the life they want. 

So if you are ready for me to take closing sales off your plate, here’s how it works: ⬇️

✅ Step 1: Book a call
 
Let’s chat about your offering, what you’re currently doing, and what you're looking to achieve to see if working together might be a good fit. 

✅ Step 2: Review your plan
 
I’ll apply my framework to your needs so you can see how I can support your growth and help you decide whether working together is the right for you.

✅ Step 3: Leave it to me

Sign the agreement and start putting calls in my calendar. Get ready to hear - all of these guys are going ahead. Let’s begin the onboarding process.

So, send me a DM, and we can have a chat. 📥.

Or, if you’re not quite ready for that yet, check out my free newsletter: 
  
➡️ https://theconsciouscloser.carrd.co/

So you can stop stagnating and start scaling your agency. 

✌️

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