Today's sponsor
Shoppers are adding to cart for the holidays
Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.
Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.
If you’re a small business owner, here’s a familiar scenario:
Your ads were performing well…
Clicks were coming in…
CTR looked solid…
CPM low...
But conversions suddenly tank.
And what’s the first thing you blame?
The ads.
You assume the creatives fatigued, the audience got tired, the algorithm changed, or Meta “stopped spending properly.”
So you start tinkering:
New hooks, new visuals, new angles, new formats.
But here’s the truth most overlook:
👉 If your ads are getting clicks, the ads are usually NOT the problem.
👉 Your offer might simply be weaker than your competitors’.
Ads create attention.
Offers convert that attention into money.
And if your competitors are offering more value at the exact moment your customer is comparing options…
you lose — even if your ads are better.
Let me show you with a real client story.
Case Study: The “Silent Killer” Behind Dropping Conversions
One of my agency clients is in the home & garden niche.
They had a great selling product — let’s call it product X.
Ad performance looked great:
Strong CTR
Healthy outbound clicks
Good add-to-carts
…but purchases suddenly dropped.
We dug into competitors.
Pricing? Nearly identical.
Creatives? Comparable.
Then we spotted it:
👉 Competitors were offering FREE shipping and faster delivery.
My client wasn’t.
So what looked like an “ad problem” was actually an offer imbalance.
We added free shipping + faster delivery.
Didn’t change a single ad.
Didn’t touch the campaign structure.
Didn’t redo creatives.
Conversions jumped back up.
Same ads.
Same product.
Different offer.
Different outcome.
Sometimes it’s not your ads.
Everyone else is just offering more.
Note: We worked with our client to ensure the offer is doable — don’t promise anything they can’t fulfill.
Your Ads Can’t Save a Weak Offer
Consumers compare. Always.
When they open three tabs — yours, a competitor’s, another competitor’s — they don’t choose the best ad.
They choose the best value proposition.
Even a tiny offer difference can make or break conversions:
Free shipping
Faster shipping
Add-on services
Guarantees
Phone Support
Complicated checkout flow
Discounts
Payment options etc.
Your offer is the most powerful variable in your funnel.
REMEMBER: The ad grabs attention & brings the costumer to the store. The website sells.
If you want a deeper breakdown of a great offer, revisit DAS #77 — How Winning Offers Can Supercharge Meta Ads.
Conclusion
In our client’s case, the entire problem was solved with free shipping.
But the offer gap can be a lot of variables: landing page, bundles, guarantees, flexible payments — whatever increases perceived value.
Your ads weren’t broken. Your targeting wasn’t broken. Your creative wasn’t broken.
Your offer just wasn’t as strong as the alternatives.
Optimize your offer first — then optimize your ads.
🍩 Snackable Challenge
Check competitor websites today.
If any of them offer more value than you do, fix your offer before touching a single ad.
Help me write better content for you. Answer these 2 questions:
Are my emails too long?
How did you like this issue? (Be honest please)
♥️ Tools we love to use at my agency:
My ultimate list of FREE Ad Libraries for spying on competition and inspiration
Get my FREE Facebook Ads Hook Library and make it yours.
My favorite FREE newsletters on Ads & Media Buying.
For Ad Creative Inspiration in almost every niche: Magritte.
Use code: RENE10 to get 10% OFF.
#1 Newsletter Builder platform for founders, creators, writers (website, automations, quizzes) Beehiiv.
Get 30-days Free Trial + 20% OFF for 3 months with this link.
Email Marketing tools for e-commerce Klaviyo or Mailerlite. We choose the one that fits our client’s needs between these two.
Best Pop-up Tool for e-commerce to grow your email list: Optimonk
Link in Bio and mini-website builder for Instagram & TikTok we use Taplink.
Our go to No-Code Drag & Drop website and landing page builder with 170+ prebuilt templates: Sitejet
* If you click the links above, we may receive a tiny commission that helps keep Digital Ad Snack running—thank you!
From Boring to Brilliant: Training Videos Made Simple
Say goodbye to dense, static documents. And say hello to captivating how-to videos for your team using Guidde.
1️⃣ Create in Minutes: Simplify complex tasks into step-by-step guides using AI.
2️⃣ Real-Time Updates: Keep training content fresh and accurate with instant revisions.
3️⃣ Global Accessibility: Share guides in any language effortlessly.
Make training more impactful and inclusive today.
The best part? The browser extension is 100% free.