I began my profession in paid media again in 2011 at a small PPC company known as Periscopix. It was, in some ways, a a lot less complicated time. Efficiency Max didn’t exist. Marketing campaign administration meant making one bid change a day. You had full management.
It was additionally the yr that Prince William and Kate Middleton acquired married, and the yr Charlie Sheen made headlines for all of the improper causes. Less complicated occasions certainly.
Over the previous 15 years, I’ve made (and witnessed) loads of errors in paid media. A few of them have been painful, some have been costly, and all of them taught me classes that I nonetheless carry with me in the present day.
Listed here are the massive ones — and what you possibly can be taught from them so that you don’t repeat my errors.
1. All the time Get It in Writing
Early in my profession, I labored with a serious watch retailer. They have been a dream shopper: open to testing new options, collaborative, and simple to work with.
Sooner or later, I phoned my contact and advised growing budgets as a result of efficiency was robust. She agreed — “let’s add an additional £10K for October.” I made the adjustments, felt nice about my proactive resolution, and went on vacation to Las Vegas.
Once I returned, I used to be sick and couldn’t work for every week. Throughout my break day, the account overspent by £10K. When my boss confronted me, I defined it had been authorized verbally. However my contact denied the dialog had ever occurred.
I had nothing in writing. The shopper distanced themselves, and I acquired the dreaded “I’m not indignant, simply upset” speak from my supervisor.
🎓Lesson: Nevertheless good the connection, all the time verify adjustments in writing. Emails, tickets, Slack messages — something is best than counting on reminiscence or goodwill.
2. All the time Double-Verify (and Then Verify Once more)
This one didn’t occur to me personally, nevertheless it’s a nightmare situation.
A marketing campaign supervisor at a big company was requested to launch an enormous Meta marketing campaign for a magnificence retailer simply earlier than a financial institution vacation weekend. The funds was £150,000 for Might, with a every day cap of simply over £4,000.
Within the Friday rush, they by chance set the marketing campaign funds at £150,000 as a substitute of the lifetime funds unfold over the month. The marketing campaign went dwell on Saturday as deliberate. By Tuesday morning, your complete funds had been spent — in three days.
🎓Lesson: By no means rush a launch. All the time double-check settings (funds sorts, dates, placements), and if attainable, have a colleague cross-check earlier than pushing campaigns dwell.
3. The £25,000 Job Interview Mistake
At Periscopics, we generally requested candidates to organize a technique for a well known retailer. Robust candidates would use Google Adverts Key phrase Planner, mock up advertisements, and present how they’d strategy campaigns.
One candidate went above and past — too far, the truth is. He didn’t simply mock up the campaigns. He by chance launched them. By the point anybody seen, he’d spent round £2,500 (rumors exaggerated it to £25,000).
The corporate did the precise factor: they employed him, supported him, and even raised his wage to assist cowl the associated fee. Nevertheless it was a tough lesson within the significance of checking accounts earlier than and after setup.
🎓Lesson: Whether or not you’re getting ready a take a look at, an interview, or a dwell marketing campaign, triple-check that campaigns aren’t by chance switched on. And all the time log again in after setup.
4. The Father’s Day Catastrophe
This one nonetheless stings.
In 2022, only a yr and a half into operating my consultancy, we landed an enormous shopper within the gifting expertise house. Father’s Day was a peak season, so the stress was excessive. Their PPC crew was very junior, and we have been introduced in last-minute to advise.
Purple flags got here rapidly:
- They insisted on broad match key phrases.
- Each marketing campaign had a £500/day funds, multiplied throughout 10 campaigns.
- They wished to launch on a Friday at 3 p.m.
We strongly suggested warning, documented all the pieces in writing, and warned towards the plan. They went forward anyway.
By Monday, £40,000 had been spent with zero gross sales. The livid CEO known as me instantly. We misplaced the shopper (and £12,500 in unpaid consultancy charges).
🎓Lesson: Belief your instincts. If a shopper refuses to hearken to purpose, it’s not a partnership price protecting. Spot the purple flags and stroll away.
Quickfire Errors to Keep away from
Past the massive horror tales, listed here are just a few smaller — however simply as painful — pitfalls I’ve seen:
- Linking to the improper Meta account. Simple to do should you handle a number of shoppers. All the time test catalog feeds earlier than publishing.
- Hitting “Apply All” in suggestions. I as soon as had a shopper unknowingly change all key phrases to broad match. Chaos adopted.
- Not leaving cowl notes earlier than vacation. I as soon as lined an account on Christmas Eve with zero context. It didn’t go properly.
- Emailing the improper contact. I by chance despatched a pitch deck to somebody’s previous employer, inflicting main fallout.
Key Takeaways
- All the time verify in writing.
- All the time test (and have another person test).
- By no means launch on a Friday.
- Go slower when below stress — not quicker.
- Be taught from errors, however don’t repeat them.
And at last, keep in mind: we’re not mind surgeons. We’re not saving lives. Paid media errors may be tense and costly, however they’re not often career-ending should you be taught and enhance.
Give your self a break. Errors occur. What issues is ensuring they don’t occur twice.
Kat Sale is Co-Founding father of Home of Efficiency, a paid media company primarily based in Clerkenwell, London. This text is predicated on Kat’s speak at Hero Conf UK in April 2025, which you’ll be able to watch in full free of charge.
