<!-- Updated: 2026-02-11 -->
# Info Products & Courses Paid Advertising Template

## Industry Characteristics

- Impulse-buy potential for low-ticket ($7-$97) products
- Webinar/VSL funnels dominate for high-ticket ($500-$5,000+)
- Creator/founder personal brand is the biggest asset
- Emotional decision making — transformation promises drive sales
- High margins (80-95%) allow aggressive ad spend
- Retargeting is critical — multi-touchpoint journeys
- Seasonal peaks around New Year (resolution buying) and September (back-to-learning)

## Recommended Platform Mix

| Platform | Role | Budget % | Why |
|----------|------|----------|-----|
| Meta (FB/IG) | Primary | 35-40% | Precise interest targeting, video-heavy, retargeting |
| YouTube | Primary | 35-40% | Long-form content, VSL pre-rolls, intent-based audiences |
| Email | Supporting | 15-20% | Nurture sequences, launch campaigns, repeat buyers |
| TikTok | Testing | 5-10% | Education content, organic-to-paid amplification (min $50/day campaign) |
| Google Search | Testing | 5% | High-intent "best [topic] course" queries |

## Campaign Architecture

```
Account — Meta
├── Cold Traffic — Prospecting
│   ├── Ad Set: Interest stacks (3-5 related interests)
│   ├── Ad Set: Lookalike 1% of purchasers
│   ├── Ad Set: Lookalike 1% of email list
│   └── Ad Set: Broad (no targeting, creative-driven)
├── Warm Traffic — Lead Nurture
│   ├── Ad Set: Lead magnet downloaders (not yet purchased)
│   ├── Ad Set: Webinar registrants (not yet attended)
│   └── Ad Set: Email subscribers (no purchase)
├── Hot Traffic — Retargeting
│   ├── Ad Set: Sales page visitors (3 days)
│   ├── Ad Set: Cart abandoners
│   ├── Ad Set: Webinar attendees (didn't buy)
│   └── Ad Set: Video viewers 75%+ (7 days)
├── Buyer Campaigns
│   ├── Ad Set: Upsell to next product
│   └── Ad Set: Cross-sell related products
└── Advantage+ Shopping (if product catalog)

Account — YouTube
├── Brand
│   └── Brand terms + course name
├── Discovery
│   ├── In-stream: 2-5 min VSL-style ads (skippable)
│   ├── In-feed: educational content thumbnails
│   └── Shorts: hook → value → CTA
├── Custom Intent
│   ├── Competitor course names
│   ├── "[Topic] course" queries
│   └── "[Topic] tutorial" queries
└── Retargeting
    └── Channel viewers, website visitors
```

## Creative Strategy

### What Works for Info Products
- **Founder-to-camera video**: authentic, personal, story-driven
- **Student testimonials**: specific results with numbers ("made $10K in 30 days")
- **Free value content**: teach something valuable, then pitch the course
- **Webinar/challenge ads**: "Join my free 5-day challenge"
- **Before/after transformation**: student journey stories
- **Carousel**: key takeaways or curriculum preview
- **UGC-style**: casual, phone-recorded testimonials (TikTok/Reels)

### Funnel-Specific Creative
| Funnel Stage | Creative Type | CTA |
|-------------|--------------|-----|
| Lead magnet | Free guide/checklist ad | "Download Free" |
| Webinar | Founder video, value preview | "Save My Spot" |
| VSL/Sales page | Problem-agitation-solution video | "Watch Free Training" |
| Tripwire ($7-$27) | Quick value pitch, urgency | "Get It Now" |
| Core offer ($97-$997) | Testimonial, transformation | "Enroll Now" |
| High-ticket ($1K+) | Case study, founder credibility | "Apply Now" |

### Video Ad Structure (Meta/YouTube)
1. **Hook** (0-3s): pattern interrupt, bold claim, or question
2. **Problem** (3-15s): agitate the pain point
3. **Solution** (15-45s): introduce your framework/method
4. **Proof** (45-60s): testimonials, results, credentials
5. **CTA** (60-75s): clear next step with urgency

## Targeting Strategy

### Meta
- **Interests**: Tony Robbins, Gary Vee, Marie Forleo (or niche equivalents)
- **Behaviors**: engaged shoppers, recent online course purchasers
- **Lookalikes**: 1% of purchasers (best), 1% of email list, 1% of webinar attendees
- **Broad**: no targeting, let creative and algorithm decide (works at scale)
- **Exclusions**: existing purchasers of the same product, email unsubscribes

### YouTube
- **Custom intent**: search terms for your topic ("learn [skill]", "[topic] course")
- **Competitor channels**: target viewers of competitor YouTube channels
- **In-market**: education, online courses
- **Affinity**: lifelong learners, business professionals
- **Placements**: specific high-traffic videos in your niche

### Email List Integration (Critical)
- Upload customer lists monthly for exclusions and lookalikes
- Segment by: purchasers, webinar attendees, email opens, lead magnet downloads
- Dynamic retargeting based on funnel stage

## Budget Guidelines

| Metric | Info Products Benchmark |
|--------|----------------------|
| Meta CPC | $0.50-$2.00 |
| Meta CPL (lead magnet) | $2-$8 |
| Meta CPA (tripwire $7-$27) | $5-$15 |
| Meta CPA (core offer $97-$997) | $30-$100 |
| YouTube CPC | $0.10-$0.30 (in-stream) |
| YouTube CPV | $0.02-$0.10 |
| Google CPC (course keywords) | $2-$6 |
| Funnel ROAS target | 3-5x (blended across funnel) |
| Min monthly budget | $2,000+ (Meta-first approach) |

### Budget by Funnel Type
| Funnel Type | Cold Traffic % | Retargeting % | Buyer % |
|------------|---------------|---------------|---------|
| Lead magnet → email nurture | 60% | 30% | 10% |
| Webinar funnel | 50% | 35% | 15% |
| Direct-to-offer (low ticket) | 70% | 20% | 10% |
| Application funnel (high ticket) | 40% | 40% | 20% |

## Bidding Strategy Selection

| Platform | Monthly Conversions | Recommended Strategy |
|----------|--------------------|--------------------|
| Meta | Default | Lowest Cost (volume during launch) |
| Meta | Efficiency priority | Cost Cap at target CPA |
| Meta | Revenue tracking | ROAS Goal (3-5x blended target) |
| YouTube | Default | Maximum CPV |
| YouTube | 15-29 conversions | Maximize Conversions |
| YouTube | 30+ conversions | Target CPA |
| Google | <15 | Maximize Clicks (cap CPC) |
| Google | 15-29 | Maximize Conversions |
| Google | 30+ | Target CPA |

## KPI Targets

| Metric | Month 1 | Month 3 | Month 6 |
|--------|---------|---------|---------|
| CPL (lead magnet) | <$8 | <$5 | <$4 |
| Webinar registration CPA | <$15 | <$10 | <$8 |
| Front-end ROAS | 1.0 (break even) | 1.5 | 2.0+ |
| Blended ROAS (with backend) | Track | 3.0 | 5.0+ |
| Email list growth | Track | 1,000+/mo | 3,000+/mo |

## Common Pitfalls

- Spending big on cold traffic to sales page without a lead magnet/webinar warm-up
- Not tracking backend revenue (upsells, email sales) — front-end ROAS looks terrible
- Same creative running for 60+ days (Meta fatigue sets in at 2-4 weeks)
- YouTube ads without strong hooks — skip rate kills you in the first 5 seconds
- Broad targeting too early (need 50+ conversions/week for Broad to work on Meta)
- Not testing price points before scaling ad spend
- Ignoring email nurture — ads drive leads, email closes sales
- Over-promising in ad copy — leads to refund requests and policy violations
