/Advertising
Question
Spent €150 on Facebook ads, got 2000 clicks, 0 sales - is my product dead?
Posted by •10/21/2025
Just finished my first real ad test and I'm honestly crushed.
Product: LED reading light that clips onto books
Price: €24.99 (cost is €6 from supplier)
Audience: targeted "book lovers", "kindle", "reading" interests, age 25-55
Results after €150:
- 2,147 link clicks
- 0 add to carts
- 0 sales
- CTR was 2.1% which I read is decent?
My landing page has the product photos from AliExpress (I know, I know), a basic description, and I'm using a free Shopify theme.
Is the product just bad? Or is there something else going on? I don't understand how I can get 2000 people to my site and not a single one even adds to cart.
Feeling pretty defeated right now. This was money I really couldn't afford to lose.
Product: LED reading light that clips onto books
Price: €24.99 (cost is €6 from supplier)
Audience: targeted "book lovers", "kindle", "reading" interests, age 25-55
Results after €150:
- 2,147 link clicks
- 0 add to carts
- 0 sales
- CTR was 2.1% which I read is decent?
My landing page has the product photos from AliExpress (I know, I know), a basic description, and I'm using a free Shopify theme.
Is the product just bad? Or is there something else going on? I don't understand how I can get 2000 people to my site and not a single one even adds to cart.
Feeling pretty defeated right now. This was money I really couldn't afford to lose.
2 Replies
•10/21/2025
Gonna be real with you: spending €150 on traffic to a page with AliExpress photos and a free theme is like paying for billboards to advertise a lemonade stand with a cardboard sign.
The traffic wasn't the problem. Your offer was.
Before your next test: order the product yourself, take real photos, write copy that actually addresses why someone needs a clip-on reading light (partner sleeping? Reading in bed without disturbing them?), and add some social proof even if you have to give away 5 units to friends for honest reviews.
I know that sounds like a lot of work but that's literally the job. The ads are the easy part.
The traffic wasn't the problem. Your offer was.
Before your next test: order the product yourself, take real photos, write copy that actually addresses why someone needs a clip-on reading light (partner sleeping? Reading in bed without disturbing them?), and add some social proof even if you have to give away 5 units to friends for honest reviews.
I know that sounds like a lot of work but that's literally the job. The ads are the easy part.
•10/21/2025
Ouch but fair. I think I was so focused on "testing fast" that I skipped the basics.
Question though - how do you take good product photos without professional equipment? I don't have a studio setup or anything like that.
Question though - how do you take good product photos without professional equipment? I don't have a studio setup or anything like that.
•10/21/2025
You don't need a studio. Your phone is fine if it's from the last 5 years.
My setup that's made me thousands:
- White poster board from dollar store (curved against wall for seamless background)
- Natural light from a window (indirect, not direct sunlight)
- Phone on a stack of books to keep it steady
- Free Snapseed app for minor editing
More important than "pro" photos: show the product IN USE. For your reading light, take a photo of it clipped to an actual book, in a dimly lit room, with the light on. That sells the benefit, not the product.
Lifestyle > studio shots for most products.
My setup that's made me thousands:
- White poster board from dollar store (curved against wall for seamless background)
- Natural light from a window (indirect, not direct sunlight)
- Phone on a stack of books to keep it steady
- Free Snapseed app for minor editing
More important than "pro" photos: show the product IN USE. For your reading light, take a photo of it clipped to an actual book, in a dimly lit room, with the light on. That sells the benefit, not the product.
Lifestyle > studio shots for most products.
•10/21/2025
2000 clicks and zero add to carts means it's almost certainly not the product - it's your landing page.
If the product was completely wrong, you'd expect at least a few accidental add to carts. Zero means people are bouncing immediately after clicking.
Be honest: if you landed on your own page as a stranger, would YOU buy? AliExpress photos are a killer. They scream "this is dropshipped from China and will take 3 weeks."
Quick diagnostic questions:
- What's your page load time? (check with Google PageSpeed)
- Do you have reviews on the product page?
- Is your price shown clearly or do people have to hunt for it?
- What does your checkout process look like?
Don't spend another euro on ads until you fix the page. Seriously.
If the product was completely wrong, you'd expect at least a few accidental add to carts. Zero means people are bouncing immediately after clicking.
Be honest: if you landed on your own page as a stranger, would YOU buy? AliExpress photos are a killer. They scream "this is dropshipped from China and will take 3 weeks."
Quick diagnostic questions:
- What's your page load time? (check with Google PageSpeed)
- Do you have reviews on the product page?
- Is your price shown clearly or do people have to hunt for it?
- What does your checkout process look like?
Don't spend another euro on ads until you fix the page. Seriously.