r/AskMarketing

Ive been running a lead gen agency for about 4 years now, mostly google ads and meta ads plus some seo. Decent business, we do ok. But the ad costs keep climbing every single quarter and a few of my clients have been asking if theres a way to generate leads without being dependent on ad platforms that can change their algorithm or jack up CPMs whenever they feel like it

That got me looking into cold email seriously for the first time. Ive always known it existed obviously but I kind of dismissed it as spammy until I started seeing the actual numbers some people are posting. Like $300 to $500 a month in tooling generating 20 to 40 qualified meetings? If thats even half true the unit economics destroy what im doing with paid ads where were spending $3k to $8k a month per client on ad spend alone before my management fee

Ive been doing some research the last couple weeks trying to understand the infrastructure side. From what I gather you need dedicated inboxes that are warmed up, theres companies like PuzzleInbox and Instantly and Smartlead that handle different parts of this (still a bit fuzzy on which tools do what honestly), you need a way to find and verify contact data, and then you just send short personalized emails. Am I oversimplifying it or is it actually that straightforward

The thing im trying to figure out is whether cold email works as a reliable repeatable channel or if its one of those things where some people get great results and most people quietly fail. Because with ads I can pretty reliably predict what $5k in spend will produce. Can you get to that level of predictability with cold email or is it always a bit of a gamble

Also curious if anyone here has made the transition from paid channels to cold email or runs both. Howd that go. Is it realistic to add cold email as a service for my existing clients or is it different enough that id basically be learning a whole new skill from scratch

Not trying to start any ads vs cold email debate just genuinely exploring whether this makes sense to add to what we already do

I’m a college student who is majoring in marketing, we have been learning about the basics of marketing and I just been wondering what other skills I should learn before I graduate to enhance my employment rate? Thank you for answering.

Hi, I made a game for Steam MacOS and iOS and Android but didn’t market it at all.

It has a homepage and basic marketing trailer and images up on each platform.

Now, after being on the market for like, 6 months, I think I need to get off my behind and market it.

My game isn’t, amazing or special, mid/low tier quality but still handmade by me (ok I bought the music).

Which way do I go to market it? Facebook? Google ads? Reddit ads? Lots of options but I lack clear direction and always get overwhelmed by the amount of choices to take.

Asking for some help from marketing pros like you guys / gals ❤️ Thanks in advance for reading even if you don’t comment 🙏🏻

Looking to spend some time inside an agency setup and get closer to how different teams actually run accounts day to day.

I’ve been working with Meta ads and want more exposure to real client work, different structures, and ways of thinking — not just doing things in isolation.

Happy to help out where needed, take on smaller pieces of work, and learn as I go. Not in a rush, just looking for the right environment to improve in.

I run a dog supplement brand with a monthly subscription & single purchase option. I have a £600/month budget initially, until I have some extra cashflow coming in. The aim is to reinvest 50% income back into ads.

with this limited budget my main concern is getting some customers initially, and not burning through my cash with 0 results.

I know Google has higher intent compared to facebook, is this a better option for running ads to get first traction? what would you recommend here?

also what kind of ad cost per sale would be typical? as the product is aimed as a subscription I am comfortable with higher customer acquisition cost

I'm also looking at tiktok live etc, but as I understand it, the main scalable lever here is paid ads.

My immediate thought is fuck off.

Of course I'm a bit more diplomatic. I can't help but think though... "If someone offered YOU a deal where you do months of your expert work for free, with the promise of maybe getting paid later based on factors partly outside your control would you take it?"

No? Then don't ask me to.

Revenue share really means that they don't understand your expertise enough to pay for it, and I'm they're not confident enough in their own business to invest in it."

Hey everyone I’m building a travel brand based in India. We create personalised trips focused on culture local experiences and slow travel for people coming from the UK USA and Europe.

I’m not looking for the usual ideas like ads or basic social media stuff. I want to try something different that actually connects with people and feels real.

What are some creative or unexpected ways you’ve seen brands grow or get attention in a genuine way Would really appreciate any ideas or thoughts thanks

Would anyone know the best places I can go to for finding high quality images that I can put on my Recruitment Consultantcy Website?

As I haven't launched my business yet, I don't have real team photos or office photos for my website. I want high quality skyline or building images, or corporate style images that fit my premium website.

Any steers or advice on this is really appreciated, thanks

Everyone is talking about whether AI can replace UGC. I want to talk about what happens after you have made the switch and you are actually living with that decision. Have you seen anything that was just unexpected from your side?

I have heard that businesses are getting lower costs, faster production, and more variations to test. AI UGC is also changed, and still changing. Avatars are becoming more realistic, voice and tone are improving, and hand movements and gestures are now controllable. Tech is improving a lot. If we discuss the AI ugc in 2025, that literally sucks for every business, because realism was missing there, but now, I can say, the AI UGC tech stack has improved a lot.

What do you think about the AI UGC? Anything you can share, positive insights, or something you are still struggling with. Looking for fruitful insights from your side.

If someone has no experience in video production. No team. Just me, a laptop, and a bunch of AI tools I am still figuring out. Everyone talks about consistency, hooks, and retention. I get the theory. The mistakes you made in the first 3 months that nobody warned you about. Now, AI is doing everything, like image designing, editing, video generation, and many more stuffs. AI has literally changed the video industry, which was completely different 2 years ago.

If you've been through this starting phase, even a year ago, I'd really appreciate hearing what you know now that you didn't know then. One piece of advice to those who are looking for career opportunities in video marketing in 2026.

I’m looking for a free AI tool for image generation to make marketing mockups. Please reply with recommendations!

advised me

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to get started with PPC (Google Ads, Facebook Ads, etc.) but I don’t have access to a website to run campaigns. I want to practice and build skills that I can showcase later.

Did you start with simulators, free tools, or side projects? Any tips or resources to get hands-on experience would be amazing

Thank you ☺️

I’m running an AI voice agent service, but I’m not seeing much initial traction.

I’ve been posting content on product hunt, HN, my blog, social(X,threads) and here as well, but I’m having trouble getting users to complete the onboarding process. I’m not sure if the problem lies with the landing page itself. I’m considering events, influencer marketing, and paid ads, but before that, what’s a good way to generate initial traction just to validate the landing page or the idea itself? maintaining community like discord works?

salut,

les proxy 4g sont ils utils au marketing digital ?

I spent 2 years creating something special for those that love 80s 90s stuff.

I made an authentic global retro radio station complete with app that makes your mobile look like a walkman with a spinning cassette. It is authentic because instead of just music, I also play old jingles, movie quotes, TV themes etc.

People love it and the apps have over 10k downloads and 5 stars but I really want to go to the next level and have no idea how to do this.

I have leverage reddit (both paid and organic), plus other social media advertising. It is pretty hit and miss with engagement.

I am looking at influencers now but unsure if that will be worth it.

Basically I have a proven good product but am unsure how to "get it out there"

Any ideas are welcomed.

Thanks

There's always something that could be improved. Copy, targeting, landing pages, etc. How do you usually figure out what's actually worth focusing on?

Genuine question because everything I’ve tried feels outdated. Exit popups get instantly closed, retargeting costs are going up, and email only works if you already have their address.

Feel like there has to be something better than showing the same 10% off popup to everyone regardless of why they’re actually leaving. What’s the move in 2026? What’s working for you guys right now?

Some background - I graduated in Summer 2021 aka right after Covid. My last year and a half of college was completely online and i’ll admit I definitely slacked and had a hard time learning anything during that time. I was nervous about getting a job after graduation since it was the aftermath of the pandemic and I was hearing horror stories about the job market at the time, especially for grads. I got very lucky - a couple months before graduating, I got a job offer from an Agency I interned with the year before. The job was Associate Media Planner. Of course i hopped on that offer ASAP considering how difficult finding a job was gonna be and how desperate i was for a job. I started and immediately felt so lost. I got trained on how to use MediaTools and Mbox/Prisma .. and that was pretty much it. I got the hang of it quickly, but never felt like i got a handle on actually planning/strategizing. I felt like i missed a few classes in college, because i never understood what was going on or what being a media planner actually means or how to even do that. I also was hoping the role would be more creative and i was surely mistaken. Never thought i’d be looking at so many excel sheets. I felt so lost and terrible at my job, But I figured fake it till you make it.

It’s 5 years later, im still at the same agency, have only gotten one promotion (sr associate) and i still feel lost and terrible at my job and i think it’s no longer ok to fake it till i make it. i’ve worked on 3 different accounts, so been working with different teams and never felt like I had someone to really make sure i knew what i was doing or to take me under their wing in any way. I feel like i should know a lot more than I do by now, but for some reason i just don’t understand anything about Media Planning. it’s not clicking for me. It doesn’t help that 90% of my job is looking at excel sheets and numbers everyday. i’m creating trackers for trackers. i dont even know what im looking at anymore. i hate it. i hate that all i do everyday is crunching numbers and filling out trackers until my eyes and brain hurt.

Maybe media planning is just not for me, but what is? and idk how to get out of it. I feel stuck in a job i hate. We all know the job market sucks right now. i have no idea how to get out of here. any advice? which jobs/roles would be a good transition?

Suppose a $100 budget is approved for your team. Let’s say, a 14-day budget, and you have full freedom to subscribe to the AI tool that can help you to generate revenue, let’s say, you can choose, free or paid, according to your requirements, but from $100, you have to collect $150 as revenue in 14 days, now how your AI tools list looks like?