On the podcast: Setting sensible goals for paid marketing, how to measure and learn from the results, and why a single ad creative can completely change the trajectory of a company.Top Takeaways? Set clear and realistic goals before investing in paid UA — and make sure you can afford to experiment. It can be tough to get to ROAS positive, and even tougher to get that return quickly.? Monthly ad budgets should ideally start at $10-20k for big, algorithmic platforms — increasing data volume for optimization — while lower budgets call for exploring non-algorithmic platforms and influencer marketing.? Successful ads are built on in-depth, comprehensive user understanding, including their triggers and responses to different messages — before investing in advertising.? Test and iterate radically and substantially in the the quest for the ideal creative: Promising concepts need further refinement and tweaking, especially given the unpredictable nature of what might work.? Focus on conversion rates, not just high user engagementfor ad campaigns — low conversion can negatively affect overall performance, and ad platforms like Facebook and Google aim for a balance between engagement and revenue.About Thomas Petit?‍? Independent subscription app growth consultant.? Thomas has worked with hundreds of clients and helped manage tens of millions of dollars in ad spend.? “Know your expectations and know what you're after… a lot of people don't ask this question in a deep enough way.”? LinkedIn | TwitterLinks & Resources‣ David’s talk at Mau Las Vegas‣ Revisiting the Fundamentals of App Marketing Post IDFA — Thomas Petit‣ Check out MADV - Mobile. Ad.ventures on Substack‣ Connect with Thomas on LinkedIn‣ Connect with Thomas on Twitter‣ Get involved in the Sub Club communityEpisode Highlights[2:50] Minimum viability: What does it take to start making paid UA work? The answer depends on what you want to achieve with it.[9:44] The early bird catches the worm: If you know what you want from the get-go, Thomas explains why starting paid UA early might not be a bad strategy. But only gamble what you can afford to lose.[14:00] A word on Facebook: If running on a tight budget, Thomas “strongly recommends against” buying ads on Facebook because of targeting and demographic challenges.[18:44] Cash moves everything around: The guardrails around scaling on algorithmic platforms necessitate a five-digit monthly budget minimum. Below $10-20k a month you’re operating in a very tough spot.[24:57] Good Ol’ Google: Operating on low budgets, choosing keywords for Google searches may still work. Using a simple landing page builder is an avenue to explore — but only very early on when you need to assess SEO and imagery. The three checks are: goals, cash, and ARPI.[31:31] Scaling paid UI: Thomas goes deep into how to scale paid UI, and how MMPs and SDKs play into that.[39:56] The measure of success: It’s critical to assess evolving trends based on changing spend. But attribution isn’t (and never was) an exact science. Look at whatever tools you have at your disposal for an estimate.[45:39] His toolkit: Thomas talks about the tools he uses for modeling incrementality across product and subscription lifecycle events.[53:44] Let’s get creative: With growing automation, getting ads right is crucial. Messaging, USP, and understanding your audience all factor into effective ads. Don’t rely on intuition.[1:05:01] USP: There’s no secret formula for a single, winning USP, but you need to test it to understand what users react to.[1:09:41] Spanning the gap: Some successful ads are indirect and don’t transition. The relation between downloads and transitioning is a tough nut to crack, but teasing and explicitly explaining it’s an app are good ways to try at least a slight transition.[1:13:26] Clickbait install rate: Beware of the delicate interplay between clicks, reduced install rate, ad spend, and ROI.