Mini Masterclass: Email, CRO, Ads

Knowing how and when

Hi friends!

As promised, here’s part 2 of the Mini Masterclass.

Now, I’ve been running ads and managing media agencies since my previous company, so when it came to Perk by Kate, ads and email weren’t unfamiliar tools — in fact, they were two of the key drivers that helped me grow the brand from the ground up.

Because I’d been hands-on with performance marketing, I was able to properly assess agencies. They had to not only understand the technical aspects — they had to show me they knew more than I did.

After going through three different agencies, I came to a conclusion that changed how I work:

The traditional agency model doesn’t work for me.

So I brought everything in-house. And with that, it means I’m building my in-house expertise, with the strategies and tactics that WORK for my brand. And that’s precious.

Now, I know many of you have dabbled in ads. Maybe you're here because your results weren’t great. Maybe you’ve said:

“Ads don’t work for me.”
“I tried ads and wasted money.”
“I didn’t get any conversions.”

Let’s shift that today.

Try this quick mindset reset with me:

• Start by listing your top 3 best-performing ads or social posts.

• Look at what did work. What messaging, what format, what vibe?

• Now rewrite the internal script:

  • ❌ “Ads are hard.” → ✅ “I’m learning what works.”

  • ❌ “I’m bad at this.” → ✅ “I’m mastering growth.”

  • ❌ “I wasted my budget.” → ✅ “Every test gets me closer.”

Because here’s the truth:

Ads can help you scale — but they fluctuate, and there will be periods of darkness when nothing seems to work
Email and socials keep your brand alive and profitable.
And conversion rate optimisation (CRO) helps convert more traffic. Improving your website means nurturing more people to buy with the SAME AMOUNT of traffic. This is something so many of us miss out.

One last tip before we dive in:

Run ads only after you’ve fixed your email flows and optimised your website, otherwise the water is just going to splash everywhere.

Now, let’s get into the masterclass.

You don’t scale by spending more.
You scale by converting better, nurturing smarter, and then spending intentionally.

Yesterday afternoon, it was pouring. And I noticed my father-in-law placing pails of all different sizes out in the rain — quietly, intentionally, collecting the water for reuse.

And that image struck me. Because marketing is just like that.

It’s about creating the right containers — your landing pages, your email flows, your campaigns — and knowing that not every pail needs to be the same size.
Some are built for cold traffic. Some for nurturing. Some for retargeting or community.

But the goal is always the same:
To capture what’s flowing your way.
To hold attention, segment wisely, and reuse every drop with purpose.

Part 1: Email — Your Relationship Builder (and Quiet Revenue Driver)

Email doesn’t get enough credit. While ads bring new eyes, email builds the bond. It’s your most profitable, owned channel.

Here’s how to make it work:

Ensure you have your essential email flows

• Welcome Flow — Warm, helpful, on-brand. Tell them who you are and why it matters. Set up 3-4 emails per flow.

• Abandoned Cart — Remind gently. Incentivize thoughtfully. Set up 2 emails per flow.

• Post-Purchase — Say thank you. Invite them back. Upsell with intention. Set up 2 emails per flow.

• Thank You — For when they make an order! This is crucial to get them to love you more. This includes a review nudge and an anniversary thank you gift.

Set aside 1 day a week or every 2 weeks for segmentation campaigns

Send highly targetted offers to the right person:

• Espresso shot offers - Those who clicked on email or browsed or added to cart but did not purchase in the past 30/60/90 days

• Winback offers - Those who did not spend in the last 180/365 days or more

• Lucky draw offers to convert single purchase customers- Sending a “You have won a lucky draw, redeem your $50 coupon online” tactic can be super effective!

• Depending on business goals, it can also be upselling or cross-selling campaigns

Schedule weekly campaigns to include:

• A story (founder-led or customer sharing)

• A new launch

• A reason to explore or a little known fact about a product

• An edit

• Strong CTAs with a sense of urgency

Know Your Numbers

• Campaign revenue

• Flow revenue

• Email open rates

• Email click through rates

• Unsubscribe rates

• Subscriber growth rate

Part 2: CRO — The Engine That Converts Traffic Into Revenue

CRO = Conversion Rate Optimisation. It’s the art and science of making more people say “yes” once they land on your page.

Scaling without CRO is like pouring water into a leaky bucket. I first heard of it when I saw an online template promoting it, and I bought it to evaluate the effectiveness of my website. Subsequently, it’s everything the agencies I’ve worked with speak about, and it’s what I look out for as a basic hygiene checklist as well.

Audit Your Funnel

Ask yourself:

• Where are they dropping off?

• Is my landing page skimmable, clear and mobile-friendly?

• Is my CTA obvious, attractive, and repeated?

• Is your landing page slow to load? (ps: a fast loading landing page is a gamechanger)

Quick Wins to Test

• Strong benefit-based headline

• Sticky “Add to Cart” button

• Reviews close to the product

• Fewer distractions on landing pages

Test, Don’t Guess

A/B test:

• Hero image vs UGC

• “Free shipping” headline vs “Comfort guaranteed”

• Different CTA button placements

Know Your Numbers

• Website conversion rate (A benchmark is 2%)

• Add to cart rate

• Top bounced page

• Top landing page

• Highest converting landing page

• Lowest converting landing page

Let the data tell the story.

Part 3: Ads — Your Scalable Traffic Channel (When You're Ready)

Running ads too early = wasted money.
But with a solid funnel? Ads can be jet fuel.

The Formula

1. Test offers + creative on low spend

2. Scale what's working using CBO (campaign budget optimisation)

3. Retarget like a pro (more on this below)

Know What Works in Creative

• UGC videos > polished campaigns

• Founder voice > faceless ads

• Carousels with reviews, try-ons, or comparison charts

• Use your best performing social media content to run as ads, and you’ll be surprised how effective they are in conversion

Hook fast. Be relatable. Always link to a landing page that matches your ad tone.

Know Your Numbers

• Cost per acquisition

• New customer cost per acquisition

• MER

• ROAS

• Benchmark figures for a high performing ad which you can decide to scale, what is your threshold to turn the ad off, what is the MER comfort zone you need to stay in to grow and be profitable

The Real Secret? They All Work Together

Here’s a mindset shift:

Ads bring them in.
CRO helps them buy.
Email keeps them coming back.

And that’s not all, you can use ads, email and social to catch people who leak from your funnel:

• Viewed your website but didn’t buy? Retarget them with UGC or a review carousel or a retargetting email

• Added to cart but bounced? Trigger an abandoned cart flow + retarget them with urgency ads

• Engaged on IG but never clicked? Show them a founder letter or limited drop email.

This Scaling Loop Will Give You The Stability You Look For

1. Run targeted ads to a strong landing page or a strong hero offer

2. Optimise your on-site experience with CRO

3. Use email and retargeting to catch leaky conversions

4. Repeat and scale what works

5. Optimise for changes in algorithm and consumer trends

6. Test to find new breakthroughs and overcome ad and consumption fatigue

Lastly: The Most Effective Way is Your Way

There will always be “best practices.”
There will always be someone telling you there's one perfect funnel, one perfect ad format, one perfect way to write an email.

But here’s the truth:

The most effective approach is the one you’ve tested and proven to work for your brand.

We’ve run countless tests — setting up campaigns, tweaking landing pages, obsessing over subject lines — trying to prove there’s a universal “best way.”

But what we’ve found, time and time again, is this:

Brands behave differently. Audiences respond differently. You are different.

So trust your own data. Record them down.
Trust your learnings.
Trust the way your brand speaks and flows and connects.

In times of darkness, go back to your reports. Go back to your ads. Go back to your best performing emails, campaigns and offers. You’d find that there’s so much genius in there that you overlooked or had forgotten about.

Keep testing. Keep refining. Be consistent.
And always know — your way can be the best way.

Let’s start building the funnels and capturing leaks

If you found this masterclass helpful, I’ve created three exclusive resources to help you take action today — no fluff, no guessing, just tested frameworks from our own marketing efforts.

1. CRO Audit Template

A plug-and-play checklist that I had previously purchased (and am resharing here) to:

• Evaluate your homepage, landing pages, and checkout

• Prioritise what to test next (with impact scoring)

Use this before you spend another cent on traffic.

2. Ads Tracking & Reporting Template

A simple, powerful tracker to:

• Monitor ROAS by campaign & creative

• Monitor and test creatives

• Plan ads according to key campaign periods

• Monitor daily and weekly MER and know numbers at the back of your hand

• Make data-led decisions (without feeling overwhelmed)

3. Email Flows Template

• A simple breakdown of:

  • The 6 essential flows I started out with (Welcome, Thank You, Abandon Cart, Abandon Checkout, Site Abandon, Post-Purchase)

  • Content guidelines on each email + Sample email headers

  • Flow triggers, filters and promo guidelines

No fancy software needed — just Google Sheets and clarity.

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