Results from an Indie Hacker's Newsletter Ad
by Brandon HarrisonI'll start right off the top with the final conversion: 0% booked calls or subscribers.
With that out of the way, let's dig into the real stats and indicators we got from the recently run Indie Hacker's newsletter ad.
All of this info is coming from Google Analytics and HotJar. I used a UTM link in the newsletter so I could accurately track the acquisition.
Here's the ad copy for reference
Unreliable freelancers and expensive agencies? There’s another option for indie hackers. 383 Studio is Design-as-a -Service. You get on-demand design services with unlimited revisions, for a single fixed cost. #ad
This ran just after the three main bullet points at the top of the newsletter.
383 Studio had 123 new users visit the site yesterday.
From Google Analytics
- 90 (73%) of those users came from the Indie Hackers Newsletter
- 57 of those 90 were marked as "engaged sessions" (spending longer 10 seconds, or 2+ page events)
- 60% of those new users were on mobile, 36% on desktop, and the remaining on tablet
- Desktop users engagement rate was 75% while mobile was at 46%
From HotJar
- 70% of website visitors scrolled through the entire page (holy crap)
- The primary clicks on the page are the first CTA to see plans, and the FAQ questions
My insights
The first thing is the mobile viewers. I already know the mobile experience is something I need to look at closer. The layout I'm using does not scale down great, so I need to revisit the entire mobile layout.
People are interested in learning more about how this process works - I'm hypothesizing that with the FAQs being the clicked on quite a bit that users have questions. I think a short video and screencap of how the process will work can really help sell the agency better.
I need a way to retarget visitors - I know part of the struggle with the Indie Hackers community is that not all of the products and founders can afford a $3,000 subscription for design services. But that doesn't mean I can't offer them value. A landing page framework, or weekly consult is another product offering I'm considering to help out those that can't invest the large capital yet. And I think a retargeting campaign or email capture with an offer will help with that.
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383 Studio is a Digital Product Design-as-a-Service agency that specializes in all things UX, UI & Product Strategy. Completely async, 48 hour delivery times, unlimited revisions. We currently have 3 client spots open.
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Yeah, something like "Use these 100 design products for free, no need to hire a designer" would have a much better conversion rate among indie hackers ))).
If I were you, I would rather try growth-related newsletters, or something similar. E.g. my guess is that your typical client is at 20K+ MRR which means they are probably hiring their first employees, so sponsoring a podcast or a blog that discusses hiring would also probably work.
Even easier, ask your existing clients which newsletters they read, and sponsor them.
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This is great feedback. One of the other newsletters I reached out to seems like a much better fit for companies already in the 20k MRR. StrictlyVC.
I do want to provide some value for the Indie Hacker community though - and think I have a solid idea for a simple scalable digital product: Landing Pages by Storytellers, a framework for telling a story with your landing page.
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Thanks for sharing!
I agree with some other comments, the ad copy could have been simplified/made a bit more attractive, but still that wouldn't fix the on-page conversion issue.
How much did the ad cost?
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Indie Hacker's is pretty transparent on the pricing so I don't feel weird saying: $1,000 when I ran one.
It's up to $1,250 now per the booking screen
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Interesting insights, thanks for sharing!
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Are there any metrics on how many people actually saw the ad?
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Not directly.
Indie Hackers says they have a 32% open rate and 75,200 subscribers here.
With some quick math using the linked numbers, you would expect ~385 people clicking through.
As of this morning, I'm seeing 103 first user acquisitions in GA4, so about 1/3rd of the average.
That suggests the Ad Copy could have been better for sure.
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