/General Questions
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Getting clicks but no sales?
Posted by
ADMIN
•12/18/2025This is the most common thing I hear. "I'm getting traffic, people are clicking, but no one buys."
There's a lot of reasons why this happens product selection, audience targeting, store design, offer, ads approach but I want to focus on one that I see constantly.
It's how ads are being run.
The typical approach
Find a product. Build a store. Run ads that say "Buy Now" or "50% Off - Limited Time" to cold traffic.
Clicks come in. Sales don't.
Think about it from the customer's side
Someone's scrolling Facebook. Not shopping. Not looking for anything. Just killing time.
An ad pops up. Product they've never seen. Brand they've never heard of. And it's asking them to buy right now.
Would you? Probably not. You don't know if the product actually works. You don't know if the company is legit. You don't know if you'll ever receive it. Too many unknowns. Easier to scroll past.
The 3% problem
At any given time, only about 3% of a target market is actually ready to buy.
Think about yourself. How often are you ready to buy something the moment you see it? Almost never. You're either not aware you need it, or you're aware but not actively looking, or you're researching but not ready to commit.
That's the 97%. Real potential customers just not right now.
"Buy Now" ads to cold traffic are fighting over that 3%. Everyone else who clicks? Curious but not ready. They leave. The ad spend is gone.
Can you still get sales this way?
Yes in some cases. If the product hits an urgent problem at the right moment, and the offer is strong enough, high perceived value ... some people will buy on impulse.
But that's a lot of "ifs." And when it doesn't line up perfectly, you're left guessing what went wrong.
The real issue
There are two ways to advertise.
First way: chase the 3% who are ready now. Direct offer. "Buy Now. 50% Off. Limited Time."
This works on Google. Someone who types "best shoe cleaner for white sneakers" is already looking. They have intent. They're in that 3%. A direct offer makes sense.
On Facebook? Instagram? TikTok? People aren't searching. They're scrolling. They're not in buying mode.
Running "Buy Now" ads there is like walking up to strangers and asking them to marry you. Doesn't matter how good you are - they don't know you yet.
Second way: expand the reach from 3% to about 40%. Instead of asking for a sale immediately, the goal is starting a relationship. Offer something valuable first. Build trust over time. When they're ready to buy, you're the only option they've been hearing from.
This approach takes longer to set up. But it's also why some stores scale while others stay stuck cycling through products and blaming the ads.
There's a lot of reasons why this happens product selection, audience targeting, store design, offer, ads approach but I want to focus on one that I see constantly.
It's how ads are being run.
The typical approach
Find a product. Build a store. Run ads that say "Buy Now" or "50% Off - Limited Time" to cold traffic.
Clicks come in. Sales don't.
Think about it from the customer's side
Someone's scrolling Facebook. Not shopping. Not looking for anything. Just killing time.
An ad pops up. Product they've never seen. Brand they've never heard of. And it's asking them to buy right now.
Would you? Probably not. You don't know if the product actually works. You don't know if the company is legit. You don't know if you'll ever receive it. Too many unknowns. Easier to scroll past.
The 3% problem
At any given time, only about 3% of a target market is actually ready to buy.
Think about yourself. How often are you ready to buy something the moment you see it? Almost never. You're either not aware you need it, or you're aware but not actively looking, or you're researching but not ready to commit.
That's the 97%. Real potential customers just not right now.
"Buy Now" ads to cold traffic are fighting over that 3%. Everyone else who clicks? Curious but not ready. They leave. The ad spend is gone.
Can you still get sales this way?
Yes in some cases. If the product hits an urgent problem at the right moment, and the offer is strong enough, high perceived value ... some people will buy on impulse.
But that's a lot of "ifs." And when it doesn't line up perfectly, you're left guessing what went wrong.
The real issue
There are two ways to advertise.
First way: chase the 3% who are ready now. Direct offer. "Buy Now. 50% Off. Limited Time."
This works on Google. Someone who types "best shoe cleaner for white sneakers" is already looking. They have intent. They're in that 3%. A direct offer makes sense.
On Facebook? Instagram? TikTok? People aren't searching. They're scrolling. They're not in buying mode.
Running "Buy Now" ads there is like walking up to strangers and asking them to marry you. Doesn't matter how good you are - they don't know you yet.
Second way: expand the reach from 3% to about 40%. Instead of asking for a sale immediately, the goal is starting a relationship. Offer something valuable first. Build trust over time. When they're ready to buy, you're the only option they've been hearing from.
This approach takes longer to set up. But it's also why some stores scale while others stay stuck cycling through products and blaming the ads.
9 Replies
•12/18/2025
the 3% 40% thing make sense
•12/18/2025
what about retargeting? If someone visited my site but didn't buy, can I hunt them with a buy now ad since they already know me? Or still farm?
OP
ADMIN
•12/18/2025Retargeting is different they already know you so you can be more direct. But don't just hit them with "buy now" again. Think about why they didn't buy. Address objections. Show reviews. Remind them of the problem. "Still dealing with (problem)? Here's what 500 customers said after trying it" works better than just repeating your original ad. They saw that already and didn't convert
•12/18/2025
He damien can i send u a Dm
OP
ADMIN
•1/3/2026Sure
•12/18/2025
for testing one variable at a time how long do I run each test before deciding a winner? I get impatient after like 2 days and want to change things
OP
ADMIN
•12/18/2025You need enough data to actually learn something. Rough guide: at least 1000 impressions or €50 spend per variation, whichever comes first. With small budgets that might mean 3-5 days per test. 2 days usually isn't enough unless you're spending a lot. The impatience is what kills most people they change everything before learning anything. Force yourself to wait for real data
•12/18/2025
you mentioned ugly ads outperform polished ones. Does that mean I shouldn't use professional product photos? I spent money on a photographer and now I'm second guessing it
OP
ADMIN
•12/18/2025Professional photos are great for your product page. But for ads, especially on social, overly polished stuff looks like an ad and people skip ads. Test both your professional shots AND simple phone photos with text overlay. Often the real looking content outperforms because it blends into the feed. The photographer money isn't wasted, just use those photos in the right places
•12/18/2025
wait so on google I can hunt but on facebook I should farm? What if I'm running both? Do I need completely different strategies and landing pages for each platform?
OP
ADMIN
•12/18/2025Yes different strategies. Google searchers already have intent they typed "car jack for camper". Send them to a product page, make the sale. Facebook scrollers have no intent you interrupted them. Send them to a lead magnet page, capture email, nurture, then sell. If you send Facebook cold traffic to the same page as Google traffic, the Facebook people bounce because they're not ready. Different mental state = different page
•12/18/2025
how many nurture emails before you pitch the product? And how far apart should they be? I don't want to spam people but also don't want them to forget me
OP
ADMIN
•12/18/2025General rule: 3-4 value emails before a pitch. Space them 2-3 days apart at first, then you can slow down to weekly. Email 1: deliver the lead magnet + one extra tip. Email 2: story or case study. Email 3: common mistake or myth. Email 4: soft pitch with the product as the solution. Then continue value emails with occasional offers. The ratio should feel like 80% value 20% pitch
•12/18/2025
what if my product doesn't have an obvious lead magnet? I sell phone accessories. What free thing would someone want related to phone cases? Can't think of anything
OP
ADMIN
•12/18/2025Think about the moment not the product. Who specifically buys phone cases? New iPhone owners? People who just cracked their screen? Clumsy people who drop phones constantly? Each has a lead magnet. "Just got the new iPhone? 5 accessories most people forget that protect your investment" or "Cracked your screen twice this year? The 3-minute phone protection audit". The lead magnet serves the person in the moment, not the product category
•12/18/2025
this makes sense but I only have like €150 to test with. If I'm farming and collecting emails instead of sales, how do I actually make money before I run out of budget? Feels like I need more runway for this approach
OP
ADMIN
•12/18/2025With €150 your goal isn't profit anyway it's learning. Use that budget to test if your lead magnet resonates. If you can get emails for €1-2 each, you know people are interested. Then nurture those 75-150 people manually via email. Some will buy. That revenue funds your next test. Hunting with €150 usually just burns it with nothing to show. At least farming builds an asset even if small