Running your first ads without wasting money

• Your store page answers who it is for, what they get, the price, and delivery or refund terms
• Card checkout works (do a test purchase)
• Your ad pixel is saved on the Growth tools page so the ad platform can count sales
• You use a UTM link for each ad so you know which ad sold

The Launch checklist in your dashboard checks most of this for you.

Start with the platform where your buyers already spend time: TikTok and Instagram for visual consumer products, Pinterest for home, craft and fashion, Google Search for things people actively look for, LinkedIn for business services. AI Studio’s Target audience tool suggests audiences and platforms from your store.

Run 2 or 3 different ad ideas at a small daily budget (for example $5 to $10 a day each) for about a week. Change one thing at a time: the hook, the picture or the offer.

• Click-through rate (CTR): how many people who see the ad click it
• Cost per click (CPC)
• Conversion rate: visits that become orders (Analytics shows yours)
• Cost per sale, and return on ad spend (ROAS): revenue ÷ ad spend

If an ad costs more per sale than you earn per sale, stop it or fix the store page before spending more.

When an ad is profitable for several days, raise its budget by about 20% at a time. Big jumps often reset the platform’s learning and raise costs.