Scaling YouTube Creator Merch came to us with a challenge: while they had a dedicated fanbase and strong brand identity, they struggled to scale beyond $20K/month in revenue while maintaining profitability. Previous attempts to grow through paid ads led to rising customer acquisition costs and inconsistent returns on ad spend.
As a YouTube creator-led brand, their goal was to expand their reach beyond their existing audience while keeping ad spend efficient. They needed a structured advertising strategy that would allow them to grow sustainably without sacrificing margins.
Ambitious but achievable target based on market research
Critical to ensure profitability during rapid growth
Reduce platform dependency and diversify traffic sources
Implement processes that would allow continued scaling beyond 90 days
Implemented a clear 3-stage funnel (TOF, MOF, BOF) with distinct creative approaches and messaging for each stage. This replaced their previous single-campaign approach.
Developed a systematic testing process for ad creative, rotating 3-4 new concepts weekly while maintaining proven performers. Utilized clear pet owner personas to guide creative development.
Created lookalike audiences from high-value customers and implemented interest-based targeting to find new customer segments beyond obvious pet owner categories.
Shifted optimization from pure CPA to value-based metrics, allowing higher acquisition costs for customers likely to make larger initial purchases.
Built comprehensive Performance Max campaigns, leveraging Google’s AI to identify high-intent shoppers across the Google ecosystem.
Completely restructured product feeds with enhanced titles, descriptions, and custom labels to improve Shopping campaign performance.
Identified high-converting keywords in the pet accessories niche and created targeted search campaigns with strong negative keyword lists.
Implemented defensive brand campaigns to prevent competitors from capturing brand search traffic.
Revenue
ROAS
Cost Per Acquisition
$42,800 revenue (69%)
7.5x ROAS
$19,600 revenue (31%)
9.8x ROAS
Diversifying across platforms provided stability and unlocked new customer segments that wouldn’t have been reached through Facebook alone.
The systematic creative testing process was the single biggest factor in maintaining performance while scaling, preventing ad fatigue.
Focusing on customer value rather than pure acquisition cost allowed for more efficient scaling and better quality customers.
The clear funnel structure and systematic testing processes created a framework that could support continued growth beyond the initial scaling phase.