a single source, nothing corroborates it

Bought traffic stops the day the money stops

Two builders describe the same shape: the only spikes in one maker's weekly signups were the weeks he ran search ads, and without them he settled back to about four addresses a week. Paid suits brands buying awareness, needs cash up front, and produces nothing the moment the card stops being charged. Treat the volume as rented, and do not put it in a growth chart as though you own it.

The method

1. 01

   Expect signup volume bought with ads to disappear the moment you stop paying, so treat paid spikes as rented rather than earned traffic.

2. 02

   Treat paid ads as a poor fit for a small product business: they suit brands buying awareness, they need cash up front, and results stop the day the spend stops.

What it returned

• The only two spikes in Zue's weekly email signups were the weeks he was running Google Ads; without ads he settled back to about four addresses a week

Sources

• How teaching and storytelling can build a profitable businessNathan Barry · nathanbarry.com · 2013-09-03
• When Your Business Refuses to Make MoneyCory Zue · coryzue.com · Hypothesis 5: The top of my funnel is just way too small · 2017-08-07