The Million-Dollar Mistake: Why Most Course Creators Fail at Scaling Their Ads Hook

The Million-Dollar Mistake: Why Most Course Creators Fail at Scaling Their Ads Hook

by | Sep 24, 2025 | Facebook™ Ads, How To, Strategy

Here’s the truth: It’s honestly pretty easy to get your ads WORKING. It’s much harder to scale them without destroying your ROI.

 
Why? Because the same strategy that worked at $1K per day isn’t built to survive at scale. It’s just not.
 

Take it from the course creators who see their results “suddenly” fall apart when they scale from $1K per day to $5K per day.

 
There’s a reason for all of it, and it’s almost always simpler than you think.
 

 

The biggest ad scaling mistake: Scaling without a system

Getting results at a lower spend doesn’t automatically mean your funnel is ready to scale. Not even close, really. There are a few things you really have to do FIRST to make sure you don’t break your strategy. Here are the mistakes we tend to see, over and over again:
 
  • Mistake #1 — You don’t have a funnel infrastructure: You can’t scale if your funnel isn’t built to handle increased volume. Broken tracking, disconnected email sequences, or a weak nurture system can quietly kill conversions.
  • Mistake #2 — You’re relying on one or two audiences: Audiences get tired. If you’re spending big on a narrow group, fatigue will set in fast, and you’ll probably see a big performance nosedive.
  • Mistake #3 — You’re not testing and updating creative: If you’re running the same creative across the board with no testing or refresh cycle, your performance will tank as SOON as you scale.

So…. how do you fix it?

Scaling isn’t about increasing budget and hoping for the best. It’s about building a foundation that can support growth, and this goes for your whole business — ad strategy or not. This is why you really need to focus on a few things: offer/funnel alignment, creative testing, and completing your tracking set-up.

 
Every part of the funnel, from the opt-in to the sales page, needs to be intentional and aligned. A strong front-end offer is only as good as the system behind it. And, at the same time, you can’t optimize what you can’t measure. That means cAPI, pixel setup, UTMs, and proper attribution systems need to be in place before scaling begins.
 

 

Quick fixes to make a big impact

   These are the fast, high-impact changes we often make when scaling reveals a gap in a client strategy:
  • We do a lil’ creative mixup: Designing ads for multiple placements and awareness levels makes a BIIIG difference. TLDR: What works at $1K/day often needs a more robust mix at $5K/day.
  • We re-target warm audiences: Most people forget to build a strong retargeting structure, but that’s where the highest ROAS usually lives. Don’t miss this!
  • We look for clarity: If your data is unclear or inaccurate, every decision becomes guesswork. Take some time to clean up attribution and reporting so that you can actually make decisions with some confidence.
Here’s the thing: If your ROAS drops every time you increase your budget, it doesn’t mean your offer is broken. It means your systems weren’t built to scale. That’s SO dang fixable, friends!
 
If you’re ready to scale without sacrificing your performance, we’d love to talk. We’ll audit your account and help you build a launch strategy that ACTUALLY scales when your budget does.
How Female Course Creators Are Rewriting Marketing Rules

How Female Course Creators Are Rewriting Marketing Rules

by | Sep 10, 2025 | Facebook™ Ads, How To, Strategy

If you ask us, the time has LOOOONG passed for bro marketing and loud, jargon-packed ads. (Thank the Lord.)

Instead, we think today’s most successful launches are strategic, data-backed, and deeply aligned to the right audience. Female founders and course creators are *so* the leaders of this charge, too. They’re the ones rewriting the launch playbook by building trust, clarifying their message, and executing the right way.

We know, because we’ve seen it in action.

A lot of action.

 
Primarily with our incredible clients.
 
So, let’s learn from them!
 

What’s the shift?

The age of bro-marketing is fading. Tactics that relied on urgency, scarcity, and pressure are being replaced with messaging that builds trust over time. It means that, finally, none of this is about being LOUD. It’s about being smarter, more intentional, and more connected. Our most successful course creators build their launches around clear messaging, empathy-led strategy, and offers that feel aligned to their audience.

 
It matters. A lot.
 
The thing is, modern buyers aren’t making decisions after one Reel or webinar. They’re paying attention to how you show up, how consistent you are, and whether your message resonates across channels. They respond to community-first messaging (feeling supported is EVERYTHING), and they want you to show up for them consistently before they’re going to show up for you.
 

3 strategies our clients swear by
  • Focus on pre-launch engagement ads: Start warming up your audience before launch begins. Run low-cost engagement ads weeks ahead (months, really!) of open cart to drive visibility and familiarity. These can be easy to create — we love lifting and shifting things like Instagram Stories for these — and they see a big payoff. (See how they worked for this client!)
  • Diversify, diversify, diversify!: Your ideal audience is ALL over the internet. And, while Facebook and Instagram are still strong, pairing those ads with Pinterest ads, TikTok ads, and well-timed email sequences creates more consistent and sustainable results. (See how this client got a 1,741% ROAS.)

  • Actually nurture audiences: This isn’t about throwing a 10-day countdown into your funnel. The best-performing email sequences we’ve seen lead with value, connection, and relevance, every step of the way. That’s why it’s so, so important to be thoughtful about the copy you write and the way you set up your sequences! (This $560K+ launch from one of our clients is complete and total proof of this.)

Here’s a promise: you can be strategic AND successful
You don’t need to rely on high-pressure tactics to hit high-revenue goals. With the right strategy, your launch can feel aligned, supported, and incredibly effective.
 
Want a custom, data-backed strategy that blends performance with your personality? We build exactly that for our clients, every single day. Let’s talk about your next launch.
Don’t Make These Top 4 Facebook Ads Mistakes: Scaling Edition

Don’t Make These Top 4 Facebook Ads Mistakes: Scaling Edition

by | Aug 19, 2025 | Facebook™ Ads, How To, Strategy

 I often think that I should sit down, just for fun, and figure out how many ad campaigns my team and I have worked on. 

Because, like, it’s a lot.

However, I’m just gonna settle (for now) for saying this: we’ve made a LOT of mistakes along the way. We’ve also made a LOT of wins along the way, too. So, just because, I want to dive into a few of the biggest mistakes we’ve either A) made, B) seen our clients make, or C) seen others in the online space make.

Specifically, we’re going to show you a few of the biggest Facebook ad mistakes we see while people are trying to SCALE their ad campaigns — so that you don’t have to make the same mistakes. Of course.

 

Don’t Make These Top 4 Facebook Ads Mistakes: Scaling Edition

Don’t segment your audiences to test: You might think that segmenting your audience for testing is a good thing, but it’s actually the opposite of what you want to do. Instead of wasting your ad spend, focus on:

  • Building strong warm audiences from engaged users
  • Leveraging lookalike audiences
  • Testing creative, messaging, and offers within a larger, more stable audience

Don’t get lost in the number sauce: Facebook Ads Manager throws a lot of numbers at you, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. If you’re checking every metric under the sun — click-through rates, cost per click, reach, impressions, frequency, conversion rate, and a dozen others — you’ll drive yourself crazy. Even worse, you might misinterpret what really matters.

Focus on these instead: 

  • Choosing 2-3 key performance indicators (KPIs) that actually align with your goal (e.g., cost per purchase, return on ad spend, lead conversions)
  • Tracking trends over time instead of obsessing over daily fluctuations
  • Understanding that not all metrics matter equally — some are vanity numbers, while others directly impact your bottom line.

Don’t forget to optimize your ads by platform: When an ad campaign, don’t simply use one ad for every platform! Instead, remember that a Facebook feed ad is NOT the same as an IG Story ad. Make sure you:

  • Optimize your ad format, aspect ratio, and messaging for each platform
  • Keep videos short, snappy, and attention-grabbing for Instagram Stories and Reels
  • Test carousels, static images, and videos separately to see what works best where

Don’t expect higher spending to work: So, SO often, people think that spending more on an ad budget will yield a higher result. This, my friends, is not even close to true. If your creative, messaging, or audience targeting isn’t dialed in, increasing your spending will just magnify those issues — not fix them. 

To scale strategically, do these first:

  • Strengthen your engagement and audience trust FIRST
  • Test and optimize at lower budgets before ramping up spending
  • Adjust your budget in increments

Scaling your Facebook ads is all about working smarter, not just spending more, digging into a million numbers, or throwing things at the wall. Avoid these mistakes, and you’ll actually be able to set yourself up for stronger performance, better engagement, and real growth.

Promise.

How to Scale an Ads Campaign, The Right Way

How to Scale an Ads Campaign, The Right Way

by | Aug 5, 2025 | How To, Strategy

If there’s one piece of business advice I want to scream from the rooftops, it’s this: You HAVE to diversify your ad spend. And then you have to diversify it again. And then you have to diversify it again.

If you don’t diversify your strategies — and you don’t focus on reaching a wide variety of audiences across a wide variety of platforms — you are selling yourself so, so short. 

However, if you DO diversify your strategies, you can really sustain your momentum, increase your conversion rates, and create more touchpoints. 

So, let’s chat about it. (Well, and better, let me show you HOW to do it.)

 

How to Diversify Your Ad Spend to Scale

  1. Have a presence on all platforms.

The best way to diversify your ad spend is by making sure you’re taking an approach across all 4 of the major platforms: Pinterest, YouTube, Meta, and TikTok. All of them have a unique opportunity to reach a different suite of audiences, and they’re all engaged in unique ways. 

For instance, Pinterest ads are likely going to be found while audiences are looking for inspiration. YouTube ads are going to pop up while your audience is learning or enjoying something new. Meta ads are going to reach your audience on some of their most-used social platforms. TikTok ads are going to give you the chance to reach short-form content lovers in a way that can stop their scrolls very intentionally.

While you don’t have to have a HUGE presence on every platform — most businesses don’t necessarily have time for that — I do recommend employing at least a small strategy on all of them. 

  1. Prioritize video promotion.

If the thought of diversifying your actual content creation efforts themselves makes you nervous, I get it. That’s why I’d say to choose video as your main promotional creative. It can be re-used and re-formatted for a variety of platforms, and it’s designed to align with the visual, watchable kinds of algorithms that your go-to platforms utilize, which makes it a no-brainer. 

Plus, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel! Instead, you can create one piece of hero content — think: a 10-minute video — and use different pieces of it across your different ads.

  1. Segment your ads cross-platform.

While some of your audience may be on all 4 major platforms, some of them may not be… and this is a huge opportunity for you to reach NEW people! By thinking through your different options and segmenting your ads by either audience OR by offer, you can really spread your earning chances. Plus, you can learn how these other audiences react to your messaging and offers… which might just make you a LOT of money in the future.

—

And, my friends, there you have it — 3 easy, SIMPLE ways to start diversifying your ad spend… and, with it, your opportunities for success.

I’m here for you, and I can’t wait to see what you do with it!

The Evolved Launch Strategy: What’s Working Now for 7-Figure Course Creators (And What’s Not)

The Evolved Launch Strategy: What’s Working Now for 7-Figure Course Creators (And What’s Not)

by | Jul 16, 2025 | Uncategorized

It’s hard to argue with one simple fact: it’s never been more accessible to learn a LOT of things. Like, you could log onto the internet and learn pretty much anything you could ever want.

It’s the coolest. 

At the same time, it’s never been more accessible to TEACH something, either. There’s a huge market for online courses, and creating strong, valuable courses can make you some big money. In fact, many of our clients here at System Envy are 7-figure course creators, and they have the kind of audience engagement and conversion rates that we all dream of.

So if you’re a 7-figure course creator — or an aspiring course creator — yourself, guess what? You’re in a really, really amazing place. However, taking an evolved, intentional approach is more important than it ever has been before. 

See, while people are still devouring online courses (the global e-learning market is expected to hit $842B by 2030!), there’s a catch: audience fatigue is real. People are used to seeing the same marketing, the same messaging, and the same launches. If you want to stand out, you’ve got to evolve.

Lemme show you how to do it.

Step 1: Make sure you’re not making these mistakes.

Your audience is smart, and I can promise you that they’re not even kinda interested in seeing ads for the exact same, unchanged course year after year. 

While evergreen courses are a good thing (obviously!), there’s a big difference between something that’s strategically evergreen versus never-updated. If you don’t want to completely update your course content, it’s important to at least change up your messaging, add bonuses, and restructure the way you launch your programs. Otherwise, you run the risk of isolating an audience or making them feel like you’re no longer the best option. 

Now if you ARE updating your course content (woohoo!), be sure that you’re also updating and testing different messaging hooks in your marketing content and ad campaigns. For instance, take Facebook ads. They allow you to test several different options for headlines, copy, and images within each placement, which is *so* helpful in figuring out what your audience actually cares to see. Easy strategy win!

Step 2: Embrace these evolved launch strategies.

Working with the clients we do means that we’ve been on the team of some very successful launches. (Hint: $13 million in a SINGLE course launch? Oh, yes.) And there’s one thing all of these launches have in common — we’ve strategized the HECK out of them. 

Here are tips from the evolved launch strategies we use with our 7-figure course creator clients:

Test different attention-grabbing video formats: It’s no secret to literally anyone that we’re in a big video-first world right now, and this involves a lot of different video formats. Lean into this by testing different types of videos in your course launches! Need ideas? If you’re running ads to a polished, produced video, make sure you test a less-professional, more unfiltered one, too. If you’re running ads to animation-heavy, graphic-heavy videos, make sure you’re testing videos with your face in them, too.

  • Consistent audience engagement: One of the BEST ways to sell courses like you mean it is by regularly, intentionally engaging with your audiences outside of the launch period. We are huge on our clients running regular engagement campaigns to connect with and provide value without any sales attached — and the result regularly leads us all to surpass launch goals.
  • Diversified ad spend: Back in the day, Facebook was the primary place to sell courses… but that’s not necessarily the whole truth anymore! Your audience is online all over platforms, so diversify your ad spend to reach those platforms — think: TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Facebook, beyond. It matters.
  • Timely course and webinar content updates: Our 7-figure course creator clients are really, really good at aligning their courses and webinars to their communities’ current pain points, and it makes all the difference for them. Make sure you’re thinking of your audience’s present-day needs as you create content for your launches and your ads, and work to make sure that you’re genuinely aligned with their (and, honestly, the world’s!) current sentiments. 

Whew, that was a LOT — but trust me here: it’s the difference between a good launch and a great one. And if you can take only one thing from this blog post, take this: your audience wants to feel listened to. When you can meet them where they are, with what they need, you’ll have yourself a strategy that works every single time.

Need ad support for your next course launch? Reach out to our team here — or find tons of advice, tips, and strategy-backed insights here. 

Adding Seasonality to Your Facebook Ads… Without the Cheese

Adding Seasonality to Your Facebook Ads… Without the Cheese

by | Dec 11, 2024 | Facebook™ Ads, How To

Guys, ‘tis the season!

Specifically, ‘tis the season for mistletoe, gingerbread, snow (unless you’re with me in Georgia), community, family, and all things holiday…

…and it’s THE most fun part of the year. I mean, come on — whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or just the vibes, there’s something extra special in the air.

But, holiday vibes aren’t the only good thing about this season. See, if we’re being honest, I can’t leave out one of the big, big things that this season brings for entrepreneurs: ample opportunities for SALES, engagement, and launching.

After all, it’s called the biggest shopping season of the year for a reason. People are online at this time, and they’re actively buying a lot of things. At the same time, they’re getting ready for a new year — which is why so many of my clients see a boost in purchases post-Christmas.

Enter one of the biggest questions I get this time of year.

 

How do I make my ads seasonal… without being cheesy?

While sticking out online is always important, there’s something a little bit MORE important about sticking out this time of year. People are so inundated by ads, campaigns, and gift guides that it can be really, really easy to fade into the background — or, worse, to seem disingenuous or cold.

It’s why incorporating seasonality into your ads intentionally (and subtly!) can make such a difference.

Let’s talk about how you can do it.

 

4 ways to use seasonality in Facebook ads

 

Add holiday-esque elements to your creative: If there was a particularly well-branded season, it would be the holiday season — so lean into it! Utilize different color palettes (from the typical red & green to warm midnight blues and jewel tones), incorporate textures like glitter or snow, and sprinkle in subtle seasonal icons in your imagery and video creative. This allows your ads to stick out as timely and festive without feeling overtly obvious, allowing them to stand out in crowded feeds.

Stay inclusive: You may be celebrating Christmas or Hannukah, but your audience likely spans a variety of traditions — or none at all! While seasonal focus is a good thing this time of year, don’t accidentally alienate important members of your audience. Instead, be sure to open up your ads to everyone by testing with a variety of inclusions — and balance secular holiday vibes (think: cozy winter scenes) with subtle nods to different ones.

Weave seasonal opportunities to your copy: Your copy is one of the easiest (and most effective) places to weave in a seasonal message — whether it’s a lighthearted pun or a celebratory tone… Play around with a variety of ad copy that includes a medley of holiday emojis, text, and messaging styles… and pay attention to what your community seems to be resonating with.

Utilize the holidays as built-in time constraints: Timeliness is often a huge piece of successful ads, and the holiday season is all about time. Whether it’s a countdown to gifting deadlines or the thought of a New Year reset, people are naturally aware of the ticking clock. Use this to your advantage by testing a variety of messaging that plays with limited-time offers, New Year countdowns, year-end specials, and beyond.

My friends, you’ve got this! The holiday season is such a unique time to connect with your audience — and these tips are built to help you do so inclusively, intentionally, and effectively.

I can’t wait for you to put it all to use!

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Your Guide to Boosting FB Engagement

Your Guide to Boosting FB Engagement

by | Oct 2, 2024 | Facebook™ Ads, Strategy

Theeee most awkward (and irritating) thing EVER = launching Facebook ads, only to realize that they’re getting pretty much zero engagement. Basically, it’s like that fear of standing up for a speech, clinking your glass, getting all eyes on you, and forgetting every single word you had planned to say. 

Been there. And so have my clients.

Here’s the thing, though: there’s a fix for this. (Really, there are a LOT of fixes for this.) 

If you can target the right people, utilize the right frameworks within your ads, and create the right kind of content, you’re solid. Promise. And, as usj, I’ve got you covered with exactly what you need to know to get there.

But, first, lemme answer one question for ya:

Why aren’t my FB ads getting any engagement?

Diagnosing a non-engaging Facebook ads campaign can be tricky since there are a lot of reasons why a lack of engagement could occur. However, I can pretty much guarantee you that it’s one of a few things: incorrect targeting, weak creative/copy, or a not-so-great offer. And if you feel like you USED to get engagement on a set of ads (but no longer), then it’s very likely ad fatigue.

Are these the ONLY problems? No. But are these the most likely ones? YES. So let’s fix ‘em.

Your Guide to Boosting FB Engagement

I’m all about proven strategies for boosting FB ad engagement, and my clients are living proof of it. (Like, hellllooOOOO, six-figure launches! Hi!) While there are a lot of things we utilize over here (I talk about testing constantly, as y’all know), here are the engagement strategies I swear by for boosting your Facebook ads.

  • Go back to your targeting: To put it bluntly, people don’t engage with the people they aren’t connected with. There’s just TOO MUCH on the internet for that. It’s why you need to make sure you’re targeting the right audiences, which is why it’s so important to get detailed, get nitty-gritty, and get, well, targeted. Build custom and lookalike audiences, take the time to warm up your people, and make sure that your targeting is correct and up to date within your Ads Manager.
  • Invite conversation with your creative: If you want people to engage with your Facebook ads, they need to be encouraged to do so. Make sure that your graphics or videos are aesthetically pleasing, conversational, and vibrant — and then integrate in questioning, direct speak, and clear calls to action within your copy. If you want people to respond, click, and comment, be sure you’re telling them exactly what to do.
  • Integrate limited-time offers and scarcity: An easy way to encourage engagement is by making it almost an emotional requirement to purchase at the lowest price/get in at the best time. To do this, build limited-time cart opens, discount codes, and incentives (like bonuses) into your ad campaign plan. 

Examples of highly-engaging ads

I’m always the luckiest to have suchhhh incredible clients, and they make my job EASY. Here are some tidbits that can help you guide your strategy to get the MOST engagement…

Let your videos end on a cliffhanger. Kind of like cable TV (okay, not really). Instead of giving away EVERYTHING in a video ad, try testing a video format that needs a click to get the full answer. This format works especially well for something like a podcast ad. Instead of giving away the entire conversation, preview just the question and a snippet of the answer to make your audience seek more.

Try long-form copy. Conversational-style copy in a long story format can connect you to your audience. Make sure to sprinkle in your clearly defined call-to-action, but test telling a personal story! This makes your ads relatable, where people are bound to either like it, or best case, click to read MORE of your story on the landing page!

Get clear on the pain points of your offer, and list them. You KNOW you’ll relate to your audience if your offer can fix even ONE pain point they are facing right now. Brainstorm a BIG list of what your offer can fix, and then test out shorter copy on images or in your copy directly to shout out those issues and highlight yourSELF as the fix!

Your next steps

Now that you have a better idea of how to boost Facebook ads engagement, it’s time to start going for it! Here’s your homework: create a new ads campaign utilizing a WARM audience (don’t have one yet? Start working on warming up an audience before you do this), and then test with a few different versions of creative. 

I want you to test one version with a video (I love a talking head video), one with a carousel ad that asks a question, and one with a typical graphic-on-image. Then, I want you to ASK for engagement in each version of that ad. You can ask people to “press play,” “take a click,” “leave a comment,” or something else entirely — but ask for engagement.

Then, take a look at your results. What encouraged the most engagement? What worked the best? Take that, learn from it, and run with it.

You’ve got this.

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The Evolved Launch Strategy: What’s Working Now for 7-Figure Course Creators (And What’s Not)

8 Reels Ideas for Small Business Owners

by | Nov 8, 2023 | How To, Strategy

You guys… we’re in a Reels WORLD these days.

 

(Really, we’re in a short-form video world these days.)

 

In fact, statistics actually show that 73% of consumers prefer watching those types of videos, that short-form video ad revenue will cross $10 billion, and that they receive 2.5X more engagement than long-form ones.

 

Basically, you have to get on the short-form video train… especially when it comes to ads.

 

Here’s the thing, though: I know you’re busy, and I know that coming up with new ideas for video content seems like the absolute LAST thing that should be on your list of priorities. Plus, it’s hard to come up with ideas. 

 

I get it. So let me give you some Reels ideas!

 

8 Reels ideas for your small business

When you’re creating Reels or other pieces of short-form video content for your business, there are a few things you’ll want to remember. First, keep it short (under a minute is great, but under 45 seconds is even better). Second, show off your face! Let viewers peek inside your brain, and remember to give them a look inside your business. It works!

 

Here are some ideas:

 

  1. Office tours: Give viewers an inside look into the place where your magic is made (bonus points if you create commissionable links for things they might want for themselves).
  2. Lifestyle content: Some of the most engaging content you can ever create is lifestyle-related, whether it’s showing your post-work wind-down routine with kids (hiii, balance!) or even sharing a quick rundown of the sheet pan meal you swear by on heavy meeting days.
  3. Community-focused videos: Leaning on community is a huge gamechanger for businesses and brands, and this goes for you and your Reels, too! Show everything from testimonials to retreat recaps to Zoom screenshares on Reels and encourage your viewers and followers to get in on the action.
  4. Trending audio: Trending audio on Reels (and on TikTok) creates a fun, strategic blank canvas that you can really create good things on. I love utilizing these trending audios for everything from testimonials and sales to funny moments and inside looks.
  5. BTS content: People love getting a peek behind the curtain, and it can create a really effective way for you to entice them into working with you — so try it out! I always recommend showing things like the BTS of building your course, showing the scenes behind a photoshoot, and sharing the vulnerable moments when you want to, too.
  6. Real life: Have a blooper or a real-life scenario? Make it into a Reel! Whether it’s an entrepreneur moment gone wrong — we’ve all forgotten to put the mug under the Keurig — or a showcase behind your daily schedule, show it off!
  7. Pictures: Wanna make Reels content as easy as possible? Use pictures and text on images to make a quick-moving carousel or fun visual effect. It’s simple and so, so effective.
  8. Deep dive with screenshares: Have a course or a product that you’d love to give more details on (or show a tutorial for)? Create a Reel with your screenshares! Psst… another really fun way to do this is showing a BTS screenshare, too (for instance, a time-lapse of your time on Adobe Illustrator or of a blog post you’re writing).

 

Those are some of my favorite abstract ideas. Most importantly, have FUN! Here is some wonderful inspo from some clients, just take a look through their IG!

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Do Podcast Ads Work?

Do Podcast Ads Work?

by | Oct 17, 2023 | Entrepreneurship, Facebook™ Ads, How To

Over the years, we’ve been able to work with clients on countless course launches, membership programs, product offers — you name it. Essentially, we’ve been able to see our clients make these massive, massive moves (with the help of Facebook ads), and it’s been, quite simply, the BEST.

 

Lately, though — while we’ve still been doing lots of launches, memberships, and offers — we’ve also been supporting clients on their podcasts. In fact, several System Envy clients have top worldwide podcasts (casual!), and we pretty regularly get asked about podcast ads from our audience.

 

So, here’s to the big question we’ve been getting lately: “do podcast ads work?”

 

Short answer: yes. 

 

Long answer: let’s talk about it.

 

Podcast ads work if you do them right

A consistent ad strategy can lead to hundreds of thousands of clicks to and subsequent downloads of your podcast — and when they’re done right, you can typically count on a cost-per-click of under $0.10, a high clickthrough rate of 10% or more, and a cost-per-download average of around $0.60. 

 

And, here’s why: if you run consistent podcast ads, you’re able to boost your most valuable content in a purposeful, impactful way — leading to new listeners, a more engaged audience, and, in turn, more earnings because of that podcast of yours. Plus, you can use your podcast to align with your business offers in themselves — and use your podcast ads audiences to retarget any of your aligned offers, too.

 

Win, win, win.

 

How to build a podcast ads strategy

When you’re running ads to your podcast, there are a few things we’ve found that really do work for maximum effect:

 

Keep it timely: You can reuse and re-promote old episodes, but make sure that this isn’t your focus! The more timely — AKA, new episodes, please! — the better, especially when it comes to building a highly engaged audience.
Video works well: We really recommend recording your podcasts live, and then utilizing snippets to run ads. We’ve seen great podcast ad success by showing audiences an inside look, pulling small teaching moments, and sharing the funniest pieces of an episode. 
Run multiples in a cycle: With our clients, we’ve noticed the biggest success — and ROI — by running multiple videos (3-4 at a time, typically) for about a weeklong cycle. Then, within that cycle, you can A/B test everything from video length to copy to see what’s really working and what’s not. 
Keep track: There’s nothing more important (well, besides testing) than keeping track of your ads, consistently taking note of your findings, and reporting final numbers. Don’t leave this step out, okay?!

 

So, my podcast pals, here’s your job: run some podcast ads! They’re easy to start, low-cost to run, and maximally effective with the right strategy — and you will grow your podcast with ‘em.

Ready, go!

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Launching a Course With a Personal AND a Business Brand: Content Planning Edition

Launching a Course With a Personal AND a Business Brand: Content Planning Edition

by | Oct 4, 2023 | Entrepreneurship, Facebook™ Ads, How To

At System Envy, we have a lot of clients who have 2 important things:

 

  1. A business with a successful, popular, and profitable course or product offer.
  2. A personal brand that they love just as much.

 

Chances are, you fit in that category, too. After all, you’re not just a businessperson — you’re A HUMAN! And, the way we see it… that personal brand matters just as much.

 

Here’s the thing, though: likely, your personal brand and your business brand are going to have different strategies when you’re planning for a launch — and approaching them both with different strategies is key to making an impact and staying sane… especially when it comes to content planning.

So, let’s break it down.

Courses vs. personal brands: How to plan content for each.

 

Course content planning: Business brand So, you’re prepping to launch your course — and you’re wondering how the heck to plan the content so it’s not the same as your personal brand? I got you.

 

First off, you need to have an understanding of your funnel (essentially the journey from freebie to offer to checkout). What does each step look like? What do you want each click/each engagement to turn into?

 

Then, since you’re running a business account, you need to focus — and focus heavily — on building engagement and rapport with cold audience members. Plan content that adds serious value (freebies, educational videos, small learnings, etc.), and create a schedule that pours into those who may not be too familiar with your brand yet. (Psst — any warm audience members are going to love this, too!)

 

For bonus points, get personal on your business account, too. Talk about why you created this course/offer, share testimonials, and give your audience insight into the results and wins YOU have achieved from it.

 

Course content planning: Personal brand When you’re prepping to launch your course as a personal brand, you want to approach the strategy a little differently. However, the overarching idea is the same — to encourage people to float through your funnel and, eventually, make that big-ticket purchase.

 

To do this, niche your content down to the people following your personal brand who are raving fans of yours (and will, in turn, buy from you). Focus on nurturing them, adding value to them, and simply being yourself. Feel free to share freebies and educational videos, but also take the time to invite them into your life through the lens of your course — and take the time to appeal to them through that personal connection you already have.

 

Sound simple? That’s because, my friend, it is. If you’ve been building an engaging personal brand, you definitely have people who want to support you on it — you just have to reach them in the right way.

 

Also, keep your audience in mind. This is of utmost importance when you’re balancing posting about your business, but also about your life around your business. In most cases, if you feel like you’re overdoing it, you’re probably right on the money. But do consider your audience and how well you’ve trained them to hear from you while launching. Our clients have done a phenomenal job of teaching followers that we WILL be emailing and posting about offers.

For example, if you’re currently launching a course, think about the phase of your launch, and how many posts you want to make for each phase

  • Webinar
  • Cart Open
  • Cart Close

If you create 8-10 posts for each phase, your webinar phase is a week, and your cart period is a week, then you could have the following organic content plan:

  • reel with long-form copy about the benefits and learnings from the webinar/course
  • image with short copy about how to join
  • reel with long-form copy about your personal expertise and the results from the webinar or course learnings
  • image with long-form copy sharing a sneak peek of the strategy you’ll share in your webinar or course
  • personal reel about your lifestyle, learnings lately, etc. with CTA to engage in the comments (for example: “Comment below if you agree” or “Tag that person in the comments”)
  • carousel with testimonial images for the course or webinar takeaways
  • personal image about your life and hobbies, more casual, storytelling
  • reel with b-roll footage and a thought-provoking text on image, explain the text in the caption long-form and then invite people to the webinar/course
  • reel sharing answers to any objections your audience might have about joining
  • personal reel about how you created the course content or webinar

 

This is a pretty good mix of content for your audience to digest, and not feel like they’re being overwhelmed with your offer. Keep in mind, that you should be posting consistently with your previous posting schedule. If you rarely post and then turn it into high gear during a launch, and post 3x/day, your audience miiiight notice, and not take kindly to this strategy. Post what feels right for your regular routine!

 

— And, there you have it — our simple tips for creating course-friendly content, regardless of a business or a personal account! As usual, remember: the key lies in testing, engaging, and adding value to your audience. In all honesty, THAT is what matters.

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