Hey everyone,
I’m starting this follow along to share my current situation and hopefully gather some solid advice from the community. This is my very first native ads campaign, and I’ve been running it for 40 straight days. I went into it with a lot of hope, excitement, and a decent testing budget – but the numbers so far have been rough to look at.
The offer seemed promising at the start. I set up my campaign, allocated a daily budget of $100, and let the data roll in. My plan was simple: run traffic, collect as much data as possible, and gradually optimize by blocking underperforming widgets along the way.
And I’ve done exactly that… to the extreme. So far, I’ve blocked around 220 widgets that were just draining budget without giving me anything in return. That still leaves about 1,200 widgets active right now. Even after cutting out the worst-performing placements, my results haven’t really improved much.
Here’s the painful part: my ROI is still sitting at -90% after 40 days. That’s a long time to stay in the red. I’m getting only 1 or 2 conversions per day… and that’s exactly how it was when I first launched the campaign. No improvement, no scaling potential in sight so far – just the same small trickle of conversions for the same cost, day after day.
From my perspective, I’m stuck at a crossroads:
Right now, I’m honestly torn. I don’t want to give up too soon, but I also don’t want to keep bleeding money into a campaign that isn’t showing any signs of improvement.
So here’s my big question to you all: Would you keep pushing and try to optimize further, or would you cut losses and move on to something new?
I’ll keep updating this follow along with whatever decision I make and the results that follow. Any advice from experienced native ads buyers would be hugely appreciated – whether it’s on optimization, testing new angles, or knowing when to call it quits.
I’m starting this follow along to share my current situation and hopefully gather some solid advice from the community. This is my very first native ads campaign, and I’ve been running it for 40 straight days. I went into it with a lot of hope, excitement, and a decent testing budget – but the numbers so far have been rough to look at.
The offer seemed promising at the start. I set up my campaign, allocated a daily budget of $100, and let the data roll in. My plan was simple: run traffic, collect as much data as possible, and gradually optimize by blocking underperforming widgets along the way.
And I’ve done exactly that… to the extreme. So far, I’ve blocked around 220 widgets that were just draining budget without giving me anything in return. That still leaves about 1,200 widgets active right now. Even after cutting out the worst-performing placements, my results haven’t really improved much.
Here’s the painful part: my ROI is still sitting at -90% after 40 days. That’s a long time to stay in the red. I’m getting only 1 or 2 conversions per day… and that’s exactly how it was when I first launched the campaign. No improvement, no scaling potential in sight so far – just the same small trickle of conversions for the same cost, day after day.
Where I Think I Stand
From my perspective, I’m stuck at a crossroads:
- On one hand, I’ve invested quite a bit already. The campaign has been running long enough to collect significant data, so in theory, I should be able to optimize and turn it around if I find the right angles, creatives, or targeting tweaks. Quitting now might mean throwing away the data I’ve paid for.
- On the other hand, 40 days of running a -90% ROI campaign is a heavy hit to take, especially when there’s no upward trend. The performance today is the same as day one, even after all the optimization I’ve done.
Current Setup
- Traffic Source: Native ads platform
- Duration: 40 days live
- Daily Budget: $100
- Widgets Blocked: 220
- Widgets Active: ~1,200
- Conversions: 1–2 per day
- ROI: -90%
What I’m Considering Next
- Pause and re-think strategy – Take a break, analyze the data deeply, and see if there’s a pattern I’m missing before spending more.
- Test new creatives or angles – It might not be the traffic, but rather the way the offer is presented.
- Tighten targeting – Maybe the campaign is still too broad, even after blocking widgets.
- Switch offers – If the offer itself isn’t converting well on native, no amount of optimization will save it.
Right now, I’m honestly torn. I don’t want to give up too soon, but I also don’t want to keep bleeding money into a campaign that isn’t showing any signs of improvement.
So here’s my big question to you all: Would you keep pushing and try to optimize further, or would you cut losses and move on to something new?
I’ll keep updating this follow along with whatever decision I make and the results that follow. Any advice from experienced native ads buyers would be hugely appreciated – whether it’s on optimization, testing new angles, or knowing when to call it quits.