What this guide gives you
A simple way to fix weak lead ads fast. On Monday, you refresh anything marked Bad. Every day, you fix what is Urgent. Below you’ll see what to change, with copy you can paste and image ideas that work in local feeds.
Quick definitions
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Good: Hitting your goal. Leave it alone. Watch frequency. Scale slowly.
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Normal: Close to goal. Keep running. Add one small test if you have time.
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Bad: Misses the goal. Refresh on Monday with new copy and new pictures.
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Urgent: Way off the goal (pick a ceiling, for example about $3 per lead). Fix daily. If it does not recover after two tries, pause and replace.
30-minute Monday plan (for “Bad” sets)
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Duplicate, don’t overwrite. Clone the weak set. Turn off the old one. This keeps your history clean.
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Swap the image first. Use a real local photo (street, sign, face, plate of food, pet) shot in good light. No heavy text on the image.
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Update the headline with your town name. People stop when they see their town.
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Tighten the first line. One clear benefit. One sentence. Then a short call to action.
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Retest with 2–3 variants. Change one thing per variant (image, headline, or first line).
Daily triage (for “Urgent” sets)
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Check the basics. Link works? Form loads? Target correct? If anything is broken, fix that first.
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Swap in a proven format. Use your last winner’s layout (same structure), new local image, and a town-name headline.
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Switch the angle. From “news” to “this week,” from “general” to “one specific win” (e.g., “5 free things this weekend”).
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Reduce friction. Shorten the form. Keep only name + email. Remove extra questions.
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Cap the loss. If it’s still urgent after two quick tries, pause and replace with a fresh set.
Copy you can paste (by publication type)
Community
Headline: River Park, here’s your week
First line: Short local news + 3 things to do. Friendly, no fluff. Join free.
Food
Headline: Where to eat in River Park (new this week)
First line: Real spots, real photos, no chains list. Deals when we find them.
Cause / Pets
Headline: Pets that need a home in River Park
First line: Meet two faces each week + simple ways to help. Kind and local.
Image ideas that stop a scroll
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Community: recognizable corner, park sign, library steps, small event photo.
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Food: a real plate on a real table, natural light, hands optional.
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Cause / Pets: one pet in soft light, eye contact, clean background.
Tip: Use fresh photos. When a set goes Bad, lead with a new image before you touch the words.
What to change on “Bad” (the checklist)
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Image: swap to a real local photo. No text on the picture.
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Headline: add the town name and one concrete promise (“5 free things this weekend”).
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First line: one sentence that says what they get and how often.
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Call to action: plain and short (“Join free”).
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Audience sanity check: if you aimed too narrow, open it up a bit; if too broad, add one simple interest.
What to change on “Urgent” (the checklist)
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Fix or replace fast. If the cost per lead is above your ceiling, don’t wait. Duplicate a known winner and update the image + town name.
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Try a different hook. “This week” often beats “general news.” “Meet Daisy” can beat “adopt pets.”
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Shorten the path. If you can, send to a simple Letterman page with one form. Keep it light.
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Watch frequency. If people have seen it too many times, the set will slide. Rotate a new image.
Before / After examples
Community
Before (Bad): “Get local updates!”
After (Fix): “River Park: 3 free things this weekend.”
Food
Before (Bad): “Explore restaurants.”
After (Fix): “New in River Park: 2 openings + one hidden lunch deal.”
Cause / Pets
Before (Bad): “Adopt a pet today.”
After (Fix): “Meet Daisy (gentle 2-yr old). Local adoption steps inside.”
Your one-page routine
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Monday (Bad): duplicate → new image → town-name headline → short first line → launch 2–3 variants.
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Daily (Urgent): check basics → swap to proven layout → change hook → reduce form friction → pause if still off after two tries.
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Always: don’t edit a winner in place. Clone to test.
