Start broad, test three buyers, and let purchases decide
A brand-new ad account with no history should not copy the structure of a big account. This is the method we run across our brands, adapted for Plantd's first 90 days.
1. The money line comes first
Every kill and scale rule below is a multiple of one number: the cost per purchase Plantd can afford on the first order.
Break-even cost per purchase = first-order revenue − product cost − shipping and duties − payment fees − refund reserve. Target = break-even minus the profit you want from order one. Never use gross order value.
Illustration with assumed costs A two-jar order at $57.98. Assume product cost $5.00 a jar, cross-border shipping and handling $12, payment fees 3% ($1.74), refunds 3% ($1.74). Break-even cost per purchase ≈ $32.50, a break-even return on ad spend of about 1.8. Replace every assumption with Plantd's real numbers before launch.
2. Structure for a new account
One Sales campaign, campaign budget, Highest volume, optimising for Purchase, one broad ad set: US, ages 18–65+, no interests, Advantage+ audience on. Under about $200–300 a day this is what most practitioners run, and Meta's own guidance is to combine ad sets.
Facebook and Instagram only. Exclude Audience Network, the right column and Marketplace at account level. Turn every Advantage+ creative enhancement off, so Meta never reformats the art.
4–6 ads over 3 genuinely different concepts: the reactive-skin buyer (Nude), the 40+ face (Night Cream), the ritual buyer (Calm). Different buying reasons, not colour swaps.
No separate retargeting campaign yet. Add one at roughly 1,000+ site visitors in 30 days and $100–170 a day of spend, starting at 10–15% of budget.
Highest volume, no bid or cost caps while the account is learning.
3. Budget and test lanes
A learning ad set needs about 7× the target cost per purchase per day to finish learning. With a $30 target that is about $210 a day. Below that, accept a slower read rather than splitting the budget.
A new account spends 100% on discovery. Once a winner exists, tests get 20% of daily spend or less.
Suggested start: $100–150 a day for four weeksProposed, about $3,000–4,500 a month, declared up front as a test-loss allowance.
4. Kill points and winners
Spend on one ad
Purchases
Decision
Under 1× target
any
No verdict
1–2× target
0
Check the funnel steps; usually continue
2–3× target
0
Probation; pause if clicks and page are weak too
3× target (about $90 at a $30 target)
0
Loser: pause and record why
Any
1–2
Directional only
7 days
10+ at or below target
Proven: scale in place
If an ad is truly on target, zero purchases still happens 37% of the time at 1× spend, 14% at 2× and 5% at 3×. An ad Meta barely spent on is unread, not a loser.
5. Scaling and patience
Hands off for 3 days after any launch or edit. Judge on completed days, on 7-day windows.
Scale in place: +5–10% on thin data, +15–20% on a stable signal, at least 3 full days apart, judged on the cost of the extra purchases.
New accounts often spend almost nothing for 24 hours. No edits for 24–48 hours; keep optimising for Purchase.
Expect: days 1–3 directional; days 4–14 first concept read; weeks 3–6 repeatability; weeks 6–12 controlled scale.
Before the first dollar: launch checklist
Must
Prove Purchase fires with one real order through the real checkout: correct amount and currency, browser and server events sharing an event ID, exactly one purchase counted. The pixel (365126692462869) and a Conversions API app are installed but have never carried ad traffic.
Must
Remove drug-type claims from every page an ad can reach. Meta reviews the landing page.
Must
Create the Facebook page as "Plantd Skincare" (none exists) and connect Instagram, so ads don't sit next to the plantd.life fundraiser in the Ad Library.
Do
Dynamic UTMs on every ad so Shopify orders join to ads. Shopify orders, not Meta's attributed purchases, decide.
Do
Add a post-purchase survey (age band, who it's for, what made you try it) and read purchases by age and gender after 50–100 orders.
Do
Read back the spending limit, payment authorisation, domain verification, placement exclusions and the creative-enhancement flags on every ad before activation.
Pain-matched landing pages
View Proposed
Headline (= the ad hook)
Default product and tier
Ads that link here
?view=itchy-sensitive
"Your lotion says gentle. Your shins still sting?"
Nude 8 oz; 2 oz trial
P02, P06
?view=dry-hands
"Your shift isn't over. Your knuckles already feel split."
Spa or Nude, 2 oz + 8 oz
P08, P10
?view=crepey-legs
"Crepey skin after turning 40?"
Calm or Nude 8 oz; 2- and 3-jar tiers
P05, P09
?view=tight-face
"You slept all night. Why does your face look exhausted?" / "Your cleanser takes off makeup. And leaves your face tight?"
Night Cream; Balm; PM duo
P03, P07
gift / discovery
"Your shins have tried every tub. Still scratching through dinner?"
Discovery Set; trio upgrade
P01, P04
The first three views are built in the product page mockup (section 07); headlines shown are the mockup's. In production each ad's own hook becomes the headline of the view it links to. The contract for every ad: creative hook = headline of its view; primary-text pain = audience line; offer in the ad = offer in the top bar = default tier in the buy box; the first three reviews carry the same pain tag.
The 10 ads
Each ad names one pain in the customer's words and sells one real Plantd jar, with Plantd's real numbers (134 reviews, none under four stars; the live 15% first-order offer; live prices). Seven of ten lead directly with a pain. All ad art is AI-generated pitch material matched to the real jars; offers marked Proposed do not exist on the site today.
P01Discovery Set of six 2 oz hand & body creams
Your shins have tried every tub. Still scratching through dinner?
Pain: a bathroom shelf of half-used creams that never worked on dry shins and hands
Offer: 15% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER Live offerProof: 134 reviews. Not one under 4 stars.
Primary text and headline
Open the cupboard under your sink. The tub that stung. The butter that stayed greasy for hours. The drugstore lotion your shins drank in ten minutes and forgot.
You don't need another full-size gamble. The Plantd Discovery Set is six 2 oz glass jars of the same rich hand & body cream: Calm, Spa, Vacay, Love, Ritual and Nude (no fragrance, no essential oils). It's thick enough for a Canadian winter and it sinks in before your socks are on, so you find the one your skin keeps.
$74.99 for all six. Sign up on the site for 15% off your first order.
134 reviews and not one under 4 stars. "I love these minis because you get to try all" (Carleen P.)
Headline: Six creams. Find the one that works. · Button: Shop Now
P02Nude unscented hand & body cream, 8 oz
Your lotion says gentle. Your shins still sting?
Pain: lotions that say gentle and still sting dry shins after a shower
Offer: 3 JARS SHIP FREE Live offerProof: "Safe for sensitive skin" Lisa H.
Primary text and headline
You towel off, reach for the lotion that says "gentle" on the front, and thirty seconds later your shins are burning.
"Unscented" can still hide fragrance and essential oils. Plantd Nude has neither. It's 13 ingredients, every one on the label: oat and agave extracts, cocoa butter, avocado oil and glycerin in a rich cream that sinks in before you're dressed. Made for dry, easily irritated, eczema-prone skin. (Contains oat.)
8 oz glass jar, $28.99. Three jars ship free.
"I have very sensitive skin and often times finding a good moisturizing cream is hard" (Lisa H., verified buyer)
Headline: The lotion with nothing to sting · Button: Shop Now
P03Renewal Night Cream, 60 mL
You slept all night. Why does your face look exhausted?
Pain: waking up with a face that looks more tired than you feel
Offer: BUY 3 FACE ITEMS, SAVE 15% Live offerProof: "My face looks cared for again!" Dorian P.
Primary text and headline
Eight hours. Maybe even nine. And the face in the bathroom mirror still looks like it pulled an all-nighter: tight, dull, creased from the pillow.
Dry skin looks older and more tired than it is. Plantd Renewal Night Cream goes on last thing at night: hyaluronic acid with snow mushroom, cordyceps and chaga under jojoba, shea and evening primrose oil, so your face wakes up soft instead of tight. No retinol, nothing to sting.
$54.99. Buy any 3 Plantd face products and save 15%.
"My face looks and feels so much better! ... My face looks cared for again!" (Dorian P.)
Headline: Wake up looking like you slept · Button: Shop Now
P048 oz Best Sellers trio: Vacay, Love, Nude
Your shins want butter. Your sheets don't.
Pain: body creams that leave grease on sheets and jeans
Offer: Bought separately $86.97 · Trio $78.99 · SAVE $7.98 Live offerProof: 4.9 out of 5 · 134 reviews
Primary text and headline
You moisturize your legs, pull on pyjamas, and by morning there's a shiny print on the sheets and the cream is still sitting on top of your skin.
Rich shouldn't mean greasy. Plantd hand & body cream is thick, whipped with cocoa butter, avocado oil and glycerin, and it sinks in before you're under the covers. Our three best sellers in 8 oz glass jars: Vacay (coconut vanilla), Love (magnolia neroli) and Nude (no fragrance).
The trio is $78.99 instead of $86.97 bought separately.
Rated 4.9 out of 5 from 134 reviews. "It's SO thick, yet doesn't leave me feeling greasy." (Kelsie S.)
Headline: Thick cream. Clean sheets. · Button: Shop Now
P05Calm lavender hand & body cream, 8 oz
Your dry arms look older than the rest of you?
Pain: dry, crepey-looking arms you hide under sleeves
Offer: Subscribe and save 10% ProposedProof: "a huge improvement in my dry skin" Michele L.
The before/after arms in this ad are AI-generated, not a real customer. Replace with real customer photos before launch.
Primary text and headline
You reach for the jacket on a warm day because of your arms. The skin from wrist to elbow has gone dry and papery, and under the kitchen light it looks ten years older than your face.
Crepey-looking skin looks worst when it is dry. Plantd Calm is a thick lavender hand & body cream with cocoa butter, avocado oil and glycerin that sinks in fast, so arms look smoother and feel soft, not slick.
8 oz glass jar, $28.99.
"After a few uses I already notice a huge improvement in my dry skin." (Michele L., verified buyer)
Headline: Softer-looking arms, no sleeves needed · Button: Shop Now
P06Nude unscented hand & body cream, 8 oz
Your shins aren't dusty. That's your dry skin flaking.
Pain: flaky, ashy, scratched shins every winter
Offer: Nude 8 oz · $28.99 Live offerProof: "thick enough to keep my body moisturized during dry Colorado winter" Amber A.
Primary text and headline
Look at your shins tonight. The white flakes on your black leggings, the grey patch over the knee, the scratch lines you don't remember making.
That isn't dust and it isn't just getting older. It's winter-dry skin. Plantd Nude is a rich cream with no fragrance and no essential oils, 13 ingredients in all (oat, cocoa butter, avocado oil, glycerin), for dry, itchy-feeling, eczema-prone skin. Smooth it on right after the shower and it sinks in before your pyjamas go on.
8 oz glass jar, $28.99.
"It's thick enough to keep my body moisturized during dry Colorado winter, and gentle enough to put on my face" (Amber A., verified buyer)
Headline: Winter shins, softened · Button: Shop Now
P07Lipid Rich Cleansing Balm, 60 mL
Your cleanser takes off makeup. And leaves your face tight?
Pain: a face that feels tight and stripped after every wash
Offer: Yes, it's $54.99. Live offerProof: "The best cleanser I've ever used!!!" Laura L.
Primary text and headline
You wash your face, pat it dry, and before you've put the towel down it's tight. You smile and feel it pull.
Squeaky clean is your face losing what it needs. Plantd Lipid Rich Cleansing Balm is sunflower and jojoba oil that melts makeup and mineral SPF, turns to milk with a splash of water, and rinses off. No cloth, no pads, no toner, no tight face after.
Yes, it's $54.99. Buy any 3 Plantd face products and save 15%.
"Usually I have to use toner, cotton, pads or a towel to remove - but not with this product." (Leyla O.)
Headline: The cleanse that doesn't pull · Button: Shop Now
P08Spa eucalyptus hand & body cream, 2 oz
If your knuckles crack by lunchtime, read this.
Pain: knuckles that crack and split from hand-washing in winter
Offer: 2 oz pocket jar $14.99 Live offerProof: "freezing cold, these moisturizers have been my savior" Vrushali M.
Primary text and headline
Wash, sanitize, glove, wash again. By the middle of your shift the skin over your knuckles is white, tight and splitting, and the soap stings every single time.
Plantd Spa is a rich eucalyptus hand & body cream in a 2 oz glass jar that fits in a scrub pocket. Cocoa butter, avocado oil and glycerin soak in fast, so you can rub it in between washes and still pick up a pen without leaving grease on it.
2 oz jar, $14.99. Free shipping over $85.
"Coming from southern Ontario where it could get freezing cold, these moisturizers have been my savior." (Vrushali M., verified buyer)
Headline: For hands that wash all day · Button: Shop Now
P09Ritual sandalwood hand & body cream, 8 oz
Your cream is expensive. Are your elbows still rough?
Pain: rough elbows, knees, heels and knuckles despite expensive creams
Offer: BUY 2, GET 1 FREE ProposedProof: "Very good for dry skin but no greasy residue." karen f.
Primary text and headline
You've paid for the good cream. You've paid for the better one after that. And your elbows still catch on your sleeves, your heels still snag your socks, and your knees still look grey in shorts.
Plantd Ritual is one thick sandalwood hand & body cream for every rough spot: cocoa butter, avocado oil and glycerin that sink in fast with no greasy film. Elbows, knees, heels, knuckles, one jar.
8 oz glass jar, $28.99. Launch offer: buy 2, get a third free.
"Very good for dry skin but no greasy residue. I use it every day." (karen f., verified buyer)
Headline: Every rough spot. One jar. · Button: Shop Now
P10three 2 oz hand & body creams (Calm, Nude, Spa)
Your hands need richness. Your phone doesn't need fingerprints.
Pain: hands that dry out at the desk, in the car and in bed, and lotion that greases the phone
Offer: 3 MINIS $39 ProposedProof: "Perfect for travel or the car." Angelique L.
Primary text and headline
The lotion is at home on the bathroom shelf. Your hands are at your desk, in the car, in bed with your phone, and they're tight and rough in all three places.
Three 2 oz glass jars, one for each place your hands dry out: Calm (lavender), Spa (eucalyptus) and Nude (no fragrance). Rich enough for cracked-feeling knuckles, and it sinks in fast so your keyboard and phone stay clean.
Launch kit: 3 minis for $39 (normally $44.97).
"Perfect for travel or the car. I bought these as a gift, but ended up keeping them for myself" (Angelique L., verified buyer)
Headline: A cream for every place your hands dry out · Button: Shop Now
