Hi, I’m Karan Paswan
a Google Ads Expert. Performance Marketer. Life Long Learner.

9 September 2025

Your Ads Don’t Have a Budget Problem, They Have a Messaging Problem

Let me ask you something.

When your ads don’t perform, what’s the first thought that comes to mind?

👉 “Maybe my budget is too small.”

👉 “If I just spend more, maybe it’ll work.”

👉 “My competitor is outspending me, that’s why they’re winning.”

I’ve heard this from clients again and again. And honestly? I used to believe it myself.

But after managing crores in ad spend, I’ve learned a hard truth:

It’s rarely a budget problem. It’s almost always a messaging problem.

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The Client Who Blamed the Budget

A while back, I was working with an eCommerce client. They were spending ₹50,000/month on ads and barely breaking even.

Their first reaction?

“Karan, let’s double the budget. If we push harder, we’ll get more sales.”

But here’s the kicker: their core message was “High-quality home décor products.”

Now, think about it. Does that excite anyone?

Does it make someone stop scrolling and pull out their wallet?

Of course not.

So instead of spending more, we fixed the message.

We rewrote their ad to:

“Handmade home décor that lasts years—not months. Add warmth to your home with eco-friendly, artisan-made products.”

Same budget. Same targeting. Same product. Just a sharper message.

Result? 3X ROAS in 30 days.

They didn’t need more budget. They needed a message that actually resonated.

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Why Messaging Matters More Than Money

Here’s the simple truth:

• Budget is fuel.
• Message is the engine.

If the engine is broken, it doesn’t matter how much fuel you pour in. You won’t move forward.

I’ve seen businesses burn through lakhs chasing “bigger budgets,” when the real leak was that their ads never spoke to the customer in the first place.

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Weak vs. Strong Messaging

Let’s play a quick game. I’ll give you two messages. You tell me which one works better.

Example 1: Fitness App

❌ Weak: “Download our fitness app for workouts and tracking.”

✅ Strong: “Get fit in 20 minutes a day—no gym required. Personalized workouts you can do anywhere.”

Which one makes you want to take action? Exactly.

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Example 2: B2B Catering Service (a real client I worked with)

❌ Weak: “We provide catering services for offices.”

✅ Strong: “Fresh, hygienic corporate lunches delivered daily—starting at HKD 150 per plate. Trusted by 50+ Hong Kong offices.”

Same service. Same food. But the second message connects, builds trust, and gives clarity.

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Example 3: Software Company

❌ Weak: “Our software has AI-powered dashboards.”

✅ Strong: “Cut reporting time in half. Get insights in seconds, not hours—with our AI dashboards.”

Nobody buys dashboards. They buy time saved and better decisions.

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My 4-Step Messaging Filter

Whenever I audit a client’s ads, I run their message through this filter:

1. Clarity: Would a 10-year-old get it?
2. Outcome-driven: Does it show what result I’ll get?
3. Specificity: Can you back it with proof, numbers, or trust signals?
4. Relevance: Does it speak directly to me (the customer) instead of “everyone”?

If even one answer is “no,” that’s where the budget leak is happening.

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Quick Challenge for You

Take one of your current ads (Google, Meta, or LinkedIn) and test it with these two questions:

• Is it talking about features or selling the outcome?
• Is it generic or does it make someone stop and say, “That’s me”?

If your answer leans toward features and generic, don’t increase your budget. Fix your message first.

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Why This Matters in 2025 and Upcoming Years

Here’s the thing: ad costs are rising everywhere. Google, Meta, LinkedIn—it doesn’t matter. CPMs and CPCs are climbing.

That means you can’t afford to waste money on bad messaging.

The brands that win aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets. They’re the ones who communicate the clearest.

Because the clearer your message, the less budget you need.

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Final Takeaway

The next time your ads aren’t working, don’t rush to double your spend.

Pause. Step back. Ask yourself:

• Is my message clear?
• Is it selling an outcome or just describing a feature?
• Does it make my ideal customer say, “This is exactly what I need”?

Because here’s the golden rule:

👉 A strong message with a small budget will always beat a weak message with a big one.

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Over to You

Have you ever fixed your message and seen a dramatic change in results?

Reply and tell me—I’d love to feature some of your stories in future editions.

And if you’re tired of wasting ad spend on weak messaging, DM me the word “Message”. I’ll do a free ad audit for you.

Until next time,

Karan Paswan

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14 August 2025

You Don’t Need a Funnel, You Need a System

Everyone talks about funnels. Few talk about systems.

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Funnels. Funnels. Funnels.

If you’ve spent even 10 minutes in a Facebook group or YouTube rabbit hole about online business, you’ve heard it:

“All you need is a high-converting funnel.”

But here’s the truth:

Funnels are part of the equation. Not the whole game.

You don’t need a fancy funnel. You need a system.

And this shift in thinking can save your business from wasting money on overhyped tools and underperforming templates.

Let me explain why.

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What is a Funnel vs. a System?

A funnel is a sequence. It’s usually linear:

• Landing page →
• Email capture →
• Sales offer →
• Upsell

It works like a pipeline: pushing people from Point A to Point B.

But in the real world, people don’t move like that. They scroll. They bounce. They compare. They DM. They click your ad, forget you, then come back a week later.

A system is dynamic. It connects multiple touchpoints, collects data, and creates intentional loops:

• Ads
• Retargeting
• Email nurturing
• Video content
• Sales follow-ups
• CRM tracking

Think of it like an ecosystem. Instead of pushing users through a path, it attracts, educates, follows up, and closes the loop.

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Where Most Businesses Get Stuck: Funnel Chasing

I’ve seen countless businesses burn cash on funnel software, courses, and templates—thinking one magic setup will fix their sales problem.

Here’s what usually happens:

1. They build a landing page in ClickFunnels.
2. Write a few emails.
3. Run some Facebook or Google Ads.
4. Get low conversions.
5. Panic. Rebuild the funnel again.

Result? Time lost. Money burned. Confidence shaken.

The real issue?

They didn’t lack a funnel. They lacked a system.

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What Does a Working System Look Like?

Let me show you through a real example from one of our clients at Run2Promotion.

Client: A B2B catering service in Hong Kong

Goal: Generate qualified leads for corporate lunch programs and event catering

What we didn’t do:

• Build a complicated 5-step webinar funnel
• Offer a lead magnet
• Spend weeks on automation tools

What we did instead:

Step 1: Clarity on the Offer We focused the offer on what businesses actually wanted: “High-quality, on-time daily corporate lunches starting.”

Step 2: Laser-Targeted Google Ads We ran local Google Search Ads for keywords like:

• “Corporate Catering Hong Kong”
• “Buffet services”
• “Event Catering”

Step 3: Landing Page Focused on Action

• Clean headline: “Get Fresh Corporate Lunches Delivered”
• Quick form: Name, company, number of employees
• One CTA: Book a free tasting

Step 4: Manual Follow-Up Loop

• When a lead submitted, our client got an instant email and call prompt
• They followed up within 15 minutes (speed = trust)
• Tracked in a simple Google Sheet CRM

Step 5: Retargeting on Meta

• Anyone who clicked but didn’t fill the form saw testimonial ads for 10 days

Step 6: Email Touchpoints

• Automated emails sent tasting reminders, client logos, sample menus

Results in 60 days:

• Cost per lead: HKD 450
• Conversion rate: 18%
• Average deal size: HKD 3500 + Repeat Buying

It wasn’t a funnel. It was a functioning lead-gen system.

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Why Systems Work Better in 2025 and Also Work in 2026

In a noisy, AI-powered ad world, a system gives you:

• Flexibility: You can test creative, shift ad budget, and still keep tracking the big picture.
• Reliability: Even if one part breaks (like an ad account ban), your entire process isn’t dead.
• Data Loops: You learn faster. Every click, bounce, and call feeds your system.

Funnels give you frictionless flow. Systems give you sustainable growth.

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Build the Engine, Not Just the Path

Funnels are important. But they’re like roads.

Without a strong engine (offer, follow-up, feedback loop, data), you’re just hoping the car moves.

As a performance marketer, the biggest unlock I’ve found isn’t a new hack, tool, or secret landing page.

It’s thinking in systems, not sequences.

So the next time you hear someone say, “I just need a funnel…”

Ask:

What happens after someone opts in? Who follows up? How do we track real ROI?

Because in 2025, those who treat marketing like a machine (not a slot machine) are the ones who scale.

Let’s build systems that grow, not just funnels that look good.

14 August 2025

The $10,000 Lesson I Learned from a Failed Campaign

Not every win is profitable. Not every loss is a waste.

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There was a time I thought I had it all figured out.

I was working on a performance marketing campaign for a promising D2C client. Great product. Decent website. Solid pricing. We launched with high hopes and an even higher budget.

The first week? Amazing. Click-through rates (CTR) were strong. The cost per click (CPC) was below average. We were driving tons of traffic to the landing page.

But sales? Flat.

That campaign went on to burn over $1,000 with barely any ROI to show for it.

Painful? Yes. Pointless? Not at all.

Because that failure taught me more than any win ever did.

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The Real Problem: I Was Optimizing the Wrong Thing

It’s easy to chase metrics that look good in reports:

• CPC under ₹20
• CTR above 4%
• 1,000+ new visitors/day

But none of those matter if you don’t get conversions.

In this case, the biggest issue wasn’t the traffic. It was the offer. The messaging. The landing page that looked nice but didn’t sell.

We were trying to optimize the wrong part of the system. The funnel was sending water into a leaky bucket.

I call this the “beautiful funnel, broken outcome” problem.

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What I Learned (and Now Apply to Every Campaign)

1. Validate the offer before scaling
2. Copy > Design
3. Traffic isn’t success
4. Spend slowly, learn quickly

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A Real-World Rebuild: Same Product, New Approach

After the failed campaign, I went back to the drawing board.

We didn’t change the product. We changed how we presented it.

• Rewrote the landing page with more urgency and testimonials.
• Added a better guarantee.
• Created a simpler offer structure.

Then we relaunched with a just $50 per day budget.

Guess what?

Break-even in 5 days. Profitable in 10.

Same ads. Same product. Better system.

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Losing Money is Part of the Game (If You Learn From It)

If you’re running ads, building brands, or growing a business, you will fail sometimes.

The goal isn’t to avoid all losses. The goal is to design your learning curve.

Today, I use systems that test assumptions early, track what matters, and adapt fast.

And every client I work with benefits from the mistakes I paid for.

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If this newsletter hit home, hit reply and tell me:

• What was your biggest marketing failure?
• And what did it teach you?

Want more behind-the-scenes lessons like this? Stay tuned. Because real growth is messy—but it’s worth it.