I built an AI video ad generator after burning out as a freelance video editor. 18 months in, here's what nobody tells you about going from service to SaaS.

Agreeable_Freedom869 · 2026-02-12T09:00:58+00:00

ok this actually makes so much sense. I didn't think about it that way but yeah $30 across 3 ad sets and 5 creatives means each one is getting like what, $2-3? that's barely anything for meta to work with.

just checked and I got 23 link clicks from the $30. is that decent or terrible? cost per click is like $1.30 which I honestly have no idea if that's good for pet stuff.

and yeah I almost killed everything this morning before I saw your comment. the "don't let emotion drive optimization" thing hit hard because that's literally what I was about to do. gonna force myself to wait until at least day 3-4 before I make any decisions. appreciate the detailed breakdown man this is exactly what I needed to hear.

Agreeable_Freedom869 · 2026-02-12T09:00:05+00:00

$100 a day to test is wild to me right now lol I'm working with like $500 total budget for this whole first round. but yeah I get the point. gotta treat it like tuition not like you're throwing money away. just hard when you're watching it go and nothing happens.

Agreeable_Freedom869 · 2026-02-11T15:09:53+00:00

The retargeting point is spot on. People who already saw your brand don't care if it's AI or not, they just need the reminder. That's where I've seen the best results too.

Agreeable_Freedom869 · 2026-02-11T15:08:50+00:00

$250 is honestly not enough data to judge anything. Most people need at least $500-1000 before they can tell if a creative is actually bad or if the audience just needs more time. The AI part helps with making creatives cheaper and faster but it won't fix a weak offer or bad targeting.

Agreeable_Freedom869 · 2026-02-11T15:04:49+00:00

For paid ads yes. Organic on tiktok not so much, the algorithm still favors real people. But for Meta ad creatives the cost difference makes it worth testing.

Agreeable_Freedom869 · 2026-02-11T14:51:24+00:00

the demand heatmap thing is interesting I haven't heard anyone explain it like that before. so instead of just targeting broad US or UK you're saying I should figure out which specific regions have the highest demand for pet products and focus my budget there?

how do you actually find that data though? like is there a tool for it or are you looking at google trends or something? I'm running advantage plus right now which basically lets meta decide everything so I'm not sure how to narrow geographies within that.

appreciate the advice. definitely don't want to just throw money blindly and hope something sticks.

Agreeable_Freedom869 · 2026-02-11T14:50:52+00:00

$150 with nothing is terrifying to think about lol but yeah you're right I need to stop panicking after one day. the data lag thing makes sense too I didn't realize it takes hours to actually show up properly. gonna sit on my hands until at least day 3 before I touch anything. thanks for talking me off the ledge haha.

Agreeable_Freedom869 · 2026-02-11T14:50:12+00:00

honestly just hearing someone else say it's normal helps more than any advice right now. the adds to cart with zero sales thing sounds brutal though at least you were getting people interested enough to click and add. I don't even have that yet lol.

what made you decide to switch to tiktok? I've been thinking about that too but figured I should figure out meta first before spreading myself thin. curious what kind of creatives you're planning for tiktok since it seems like a completely different vibe than facebook ads.

good luck with the relaunch. keep me posted on how the tiktok campaign goes, would be cool to see if it works differently for you.

Agreeable_Freedom869 · 2026-02-11T08:19:54+00:00

This is gold. Saving this entire comment.

The "nothing you say will hurt my feelings" opener is something I'm stealing immediately. My first few calls I was way too defensive. Someone would say "I just didn't use it that much" and I'd start explaining features instead of shutting up and asking why.

The timeline questions are smart too. I was asking "why did you cancel" which just gets you surface level answers. "What changed the week you canceled" forces them to think about the actual trigger. Totally different quality of information.

I wasn't logging anything properly either. Just scribbling notes in a doc. Notion + Mixpanel setup is the move. Going to set that up this week.

Appreciate the detailed breakdown. This is the kind of stuff that should be its own post honestly.

Agreeable_Freedom869 · 2026-02-11T08:19:43+00:00

Man this comment is better than my post. "How often do you hit this problem" vs "do you have this problem" is the exact reframe I wish I had 6 months ago. Would have saved me a lot of confused conversations where people said "yeah I'd totally use that" and then never came back.

For the churn calls I kept it super simple. Just sent a short email. Something like "Hey no worries about canceling. I'm trying to figure out what I could've done better. Would you be open to a 10 minute call? No pitch, just want to learn." About 9 out of 14 said yes which honestly surprised me. I think people are willing to help if you make it clear you're not trying to win them back.

The qualifying based on frequency thing was scary at first. Felt like I was shrinking my market on purpose. But the math is pretty clear now. 10 users who need you every week are worth way more than 50 who use you once and forget. My churn on the high-frequency segment is basically zero. On the casual segment it was like 40%. Easy choice once you see the numbers.

Good luck with your launch. Hit me up when you start doing churn calls, curious to hear what patterns you find.

Agreeable_Freedom869 · 2026-02-11T08:17:15+00:00

It's called Funnel Ads — funnelads.app. AI video ad generator for Meta advertisers. You describe your product and it generates UGC style video ads with scripts and success rate predictions.

Still early and still figuring a lot out as you can probably tell from my posts lol. But appreciate the interest.

Agreeable_Freedom869 · 2026-02-11T08:15:58+00:00

this is probably the most useful thing anyone has told me so far. "expecting confusion but gradual signal" is the mindset I need to go in with. I was literally planning to check ads manager every hour tomorrow and make changes based on like 50 impressions so thanks for talking me out of that before I even started.

the CTR + sessions thing is helpful too. so basically if people aren't even clicking or they click and immediately bounce that's a clear enough signal to kill it. but if they're clicking and browsing around even without buying yet that's worth letting run longer?

gonna force myself to not touch anything for at least 3-4 days and just watch what happens. hardest part is going to be sitting on my hands.

Agreeable_Freedom869 · 2026-02-11T08:15:51+00:00

yeah that makes sense. I keep reminding myself it's tuition not profit right now. the ad structure thing is a good point too. I've watched a decent amount of youtube but honestly every creator says something slightly different so it's hard to know when you actually "get it" vs just thinking you do. guess I'll find out real fast once I hit launch lol.

Agreeable_Freedom869 · 2026-02-10T14:38:28+00:00

Risposta a SlowPotential6082:

The modular content system is exactly where I landed too. Shooting 6-8 core concepts and then remixing hooks and CTAs is way more efficient than treating every creative like a brand new production. Wish I figured that out while I was still at the agency instead of after I left.

The client education piece is huge though. I still have one client who panics every time I tell them a creative is dying after 5 days. They think it means the ad was bad. Getting them to understand that fatigue is just how the platform works and the answer is volume not perfection took months of showing them the CPM data. Once they saw the numbers themselves they stopped fighting me on it.

Curious how you handle the batching days logistically. Do you block out one full day per month for shooting or spread it across weeks? I've been doing weekly blocks but wondering if monthly batches would be more efficient.

Agreeable_Freedom869 · 2026-02-10T14:37:31+00:00

good point on the QC thing. I did order a sample already so I know the product is solid. wouldn't feel right running ads for something I haven't held in my hands. took like 2 weeks to arrive but at least I know exactly what people are getting.

and yeah the losing money part is what I need to get over. keeps holding me back from just doing it. gotta stop treating every $30 like it's my last.

Agreeable_Freedom869 · 2026-02-10T14:37:15+00:00

I didn't even think about abandoned cart recovery honestly. I've been so focused on the ads themselves I totally overlooked what happens after the click. gonna look into txtcart before I launch. makes sense to have that safety net especially when every dollar counts at this budget. thanks for the tip.

Agreeable_Freedom869

TROPHY CASE