ElasticFlow
AI SkillPrioritize ChannelsGeneralby Gooseworks

Paid Channel Prioritizer — never spread small budget too thin

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Recommend which 1-2 paid channels to start with for founders

  • Analyzes ICP fit per channel
  • Audits competitor ad presence per channel
  • Factors in budget constraints
  • Recommends 1-2 channels to start with
  • Provides 90-day ramp plan with milestones

Who this is for

Founder

You wear every hat. These skills give you agency-level marketing analysis — CRO, SEO, copywriting — without the retainer.

See skills for this role

What it does

First paid ads decision

For founders deciding where to spend their first $5K-$20K on ads, get a clear recommendation backed by ICP and competitor data.

Channel pivot evaluation

When current channels aren't working, evaluate which other channel makes sense before pivoting blind.

Quarterly channel review

Re-evaluate your channel mix quarterly as you learn more about what works.

How it works

1

Take ICP, competitors, budget, and product type as input

2

Score each paid channel for fit

3

Audit competitor presence per channel

4

Recommend 1-2 channels with rationale

5

Output 90-day ramp plan with milestones

Metrics this improves

CPA
Lower CPA by concentrating budget on the right 1-2 channels instead of spreading thin
General

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Paid Channel Prioritizer

Answer the question every early-stage founder asks: "Where should I run ads?" This skill analyzes your product, ICP, competitors, and budget to recommend the right 1-2 channels to start with — plus a 90-day plan to get there.

Core principle: A $3K/month ad budget split across Google, Meta, LinkedIn, and TikTok means $750/channel — not enough for any platform to learn and optimize. This skill picks the best 1-2 channels and concentrates budget where it'll compound fastest.

When to Use

  • "Where should I run ads?"
  • "Which ad platform is best for us?"
  • "I have $X/month for ads — where should I spend it?"
  • "Should I do Google Ads or Facebook Ads?"
  • "Help me choose a paid channel"

Phase 0: Intake

  1. Product name + URL — What are you selling?
  2. Business model — SaaS / Marketplace / E-commerce / Service / App
  3. B2B or B2C? — Drives channel selection heavily
  4. ICP — Who are you selling to? (Role, company size, industry)
  5. Monthly ad budget — Be honest — how much can you spend?
  6. Average deal size / LTV — What's a customer worth?
  7. Current acquisition channels — How are you getting customers today? (Organic, referral, outbound, etc.)
  8. Competitor names — 3-5 competitors
  9. Landing page ready? — Do you have a dedicated LP or just a homepage?
  10. Conversion goal — Free trial / Demo / Purchase / Lead magnet download

Phase 1: Channel Scoring

1A: Buyer Intent Analysis

Where does your buyer look when they have a problem?

Buyer Journey StageLikely ChannelSignal
"I need a tool for X" (active search)Google SearchHigh-intent keywords exist
"I'm browsing and see something relevant" (passive)Meta (FB/IG)Visual/emotional product
"I need to solve this at work" (professional)LinkedInB2B decision-maker targeting
"Everyone's talking about this" (social proof)Twitter/X AdsCategory is trending
"I watch content about this" (education)YouTubeLong consideration cycle
"I discovered it through content" (entertainment)TikTokB2C, young audience, visual

1B: Competitor Ad Presence Research

Search: site:facebook.com/ads/library "<competitor_domain>"
Search: "<competitor>" Google Ads OR PPC OR paid search
Search: "<competitor>" LinkedIn Ads OR sponsored
Search: "<competitor>" advertising strategy

Also check:

# If ad scrapers available:
python3 skills/meta-ad-scraper/scripts/scrape_meta_ads.py --domain <competitor_domain>
python3 skills/google-ad-scraper/scripts/scrape_google_ads.py --domain <competitor_domain>

Build a competitor channel map:

CompetitorGoogleMetaLinkedInTwitterYouTubeTikTok
[Comp A][Active/Not found][N ads][Active/Not found].........
[Comp B]..................

Insight: Where competitors are spending = validated channel. Where they're absent = opportunity or dead end.

1C: Channel Scoring Matrix

Score each channel for this specific product:

Factor (Weight)Google SearchMetaLinkedInYouTubeTwitterTikTok
Buyer intent (25%)[1-10][1-10][1-10][1-10][1-10][1-10]
Targeting precision (20%)[1-10][1-10][1-10][1-10][1-10][1-10]
Competitor validation (15%)[1-10][1-10][1-10][1-10][1-10][1-10]
Budget efficiency (15%)[1-10][1-10][1-10][1-10][1-10][1-10]
ICP reachability (15%)[1-10][1-10][1-10][1-10][1-10][1-10]
Creative requirements (10%)[1-10][1-10][1-10][1-10][1-10][1-10]
Weighted Score[X/10][X/10][X/10][X/10][X/10][X/10]

Channel Context Notes

ChannelBest ForWorst ForMin Viable BudgetCreative Needs
Google SearchHigh-intent capture, B2B, established categoryNew categories nobody searches for$1K/moText ads (low barrier)
Meta (FB/IG)Visual products, B2C, retargeting, lookalikesNiche B2B with tiny audience$1K/moImages + video (medium)
LinkedInB2B enterprise, specific titles/industriesB2C, budget-conscious startups$3K/moProfessional content (medium)
YouTubeEducation-heavy products, long considerationImpulse purchases, tiny budgets$2K/moVideo production (high)
Twitter/XDev tools, trending categories, tech audiencesMainstream B2C, precise targeting$1K/moShort-form copy (low)
TikTokB2C, Gen Z/millennial, visual/fun productsB2B enterprise, older audience$500/moShort video (high frequency)

Phase 2: Recommendation

Primary Channel Selection

Pick the #1 channel based on:

  1. Highest weighted score
  2. Budget viability (can they afford minimum viable spend?)
  3. Creative readiness (can they produce the required content?)

Secondary Channel Selection

Pick channel #2 only if:

  • Budget > $3K/month (enough for two channels)
  • It serves a different funnel stage than channel #1
  • It doesn't require creative they can't produce

Budget Allocation

Budget LevelRecommendation
< $1.5K/mo1 channel only — concentrate everything
$1.5K-3K/mo1 primary + retargeting — primary channel + Meta/Google retargeting ($300-500)
$3K-7K/mo2 channels — 65% primary, 25% secondary, 10% retargeting
$7K+/mo2-3 channels — diversify with testing budget

Phase 3: 90-Day Ramp Plan

Month 1: Foundation (Days 1-30)

Week 1: Setup

  • Set up conversion tracking (Pixel, GTM, GA4)
  • Create landing page (if needed)
  • Build initial audiences / keyword list
  • Launch 2-3 ad variants on primary channel

Week 2-3: Learn

  • Collect data — do NOT optimize yet
  • Monitor for setup issues (tracking, disapprovals, targeting)
  • Minimum 500 impressions per variant before judging

Week 4: First Optimization

  • Pause worst-performing ad variant
  • Add 1-2 new variants based on early signals
  • Adjust bids/budgets based on CPM/CPC data

Month 2: Optimize (Days 31-60)

  • Review conversion data — any ads producing results?
  • Launch retargeting campaign (if not already)
  • Test new audiences / keywords
  • A/B test landing pages (if conversion rate is low)
  • Begin secondary channel test (if budget allows)

Month 3: Scale or Pivot (Days 61-90)

  • If working: Increase budget 30-50% on winning audiences/keywords
  • If not working: Diagnose (bad targeting? bad LP? bad offer?)
  • Evaluate secondary channel test results
  • Run this skill again with real data → ad-campaign-analyzer

Phase 4: Output Format

# Paid Channel Strategy — [Product Name] — [DATE]

## Your Profile
- Product: [Name]
- Model: [SaaS / B2C / etc.]
- ICP: [Summary]
- Monthly budget: $[X]
- Conversion goal: [Goal]

---

## Channel Scoring

| Channel | Score | Verdict |
|---------|-------|---------|
| [Top channel] | [X/10] | **PRIMARY — Start here** |
| [Second channel] | [X/10] | **SECONDARY — Add in month 2** |
| [Third channel] | [X/10] | Test later if budget grows |
| [Others] | [X/10] | Not recommended now |

---

## Why [Primary Channel]

**Top reasons:**
1. [Reason — tied to their specific product/ICP]
2. [Reason]
3. [Reason]

**What competitors are doing there:** [Evidence]

**Minimum viable budget:** $[X]/mo
**Expected cost per conversion:** $[X-Y] range (category benchmark)

---

## Why NOT [Channel They Might Assume]

[Brief explanation of why the obvious choice isn't right — e.g., "LinkedIn is too expensive for your $2K budget — you'd only reach ~500 people/month"]

---

## Budget Allocation

| Channel | Monthly Budget | Purpose |
|---------|---------------|---------|
| [Primary] | $[X] | [Prospecting / Lead gen] |
| [Retargeting] | $[X] | [Bring back visitors] |
| [Secondary — Month 2] | $[X] | [Test — evaluate after 30 days] |

---

## 90-Day Ramp Plan

### Month 1: [Primary Channel] Launch
[Specific weekly actions]

### Month 2: Optimize + Test [Secondary]
[Specific actions]

### Month 3: Scale or Pivot
[Decision criteria]

---

## Pre-Launch Checklist
- [ ] Landing page live and tested
- [ ] Conversion tracking installed and verified
- [ ] Initial audiences / keywords built
- [ ] 3 ad variants ready
- [ ] Daily budget cap set ($[X]/day)
- [ ] Weekly review scheduled

Save to clients/<client-name>/ads/channel-strategy-[YYYY-MM-DD].md.

Cost

ComponentCost
Competitor ad research~$0.40-1.00 (Apify, if using ad scrapers)
Web researchFree
Analysis and planningFree (LLM reasoning)
TotalFree-$1.00

Tools Required

  • web_search — for competitor research and channel validation
  • Optional: meta-ad-scraper, google-ad-scraper for competitor presence check
  • Optional: ad-creative-intelligence for deeper competitor ad analysis

Trigger Phrases

  • "Where should I run ads?"
  • "Which ad platform should I use?"
  • "Help me pick a paid channel"
  • "Google Ads or Facebook Ads?"
  • "I have $[X]/month — where should I advertise?"
  • "What paid channels work for [product type]?"