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Solo ads are a form of online, email-based marketing. Thanks to the widespread use of emails, solo ads have considerable scope in getting your business the visibility and traffic it needs. When you buy a solo ad, you basically use a third-party’s email subscriber list to send a message containing a link to your website. This personalized message will generate targeted, organic traffic – every business’s ultimate aim. 

The True Potential of a Solo Ad

Before we dive into the difference between a good and bad solo ad, it is important to understand the true potential of a solo ad. Solo ad marketing can benefit both buyers and sellers if you approach it correctly. Solo ad buyers can generate high revenue and grow your business through these email-based ads, and solo ad vendors can create a steady income through this medium. You can also sell your own solo ads once you have a list.

✔️ Large Target Market

When you just recently started your business, how do you create brand awareness? Even if you have a great website, what’s the use if viewers don’t get to see it? You can achieve all this when you buy a solo ad vendor’s email subscriber list. Solo ad vendors have 1000+ subscribers. When they send an email with your website’s link to this subscriber list, you can rest assured that you get targeted traffic.

✔️ Low Cost-Per-Click

In today’s digital era, there is no dearth of online advertising options (PPC for example). But just a few of them are viable. Most businesses are looking for cost-cutting measures to promote their business. As a general rule, B2B companies should spend 2% to 5% of their revenue on advertising. This would be higher for B2C companies, around 5% to 10%. If you break this down, you’ll find that solo ads work out cheaper than pay-per-click (PPC) methods like Google ads ad Facebook ads.

• Google ads cost $1 to $2 per click on average
• Facebook ads cost $0.50 to $2.00 per click on average
• Solo ads cost $0.35 to $0.97 per click on average

While you might not see much of a difference, bear in mind that solo ads get higher returns and guaranteed traffic. If you paid $50 for 100 clicks, you’ll get exactly that. Google ads have a high conversion rate but at an equally higher cost. Facebook ads may not be as effective, and you may end up paying more than what you had planned.

✔️ Warm Traffic

People using social media apps like Facebook did not sign up to receive ads. There has been a steady increase in internet users who blocked online ads on connected devices. This number is expected to increase in the coming years.

Given these staggering rates, it wouldn’t be wrong to doubt the effectiveness of online ads. That’s not the case with solo ads, though. Solo ad receivers signed up to receive updates from the solo ad vendor, making them more likely to show interest in the emails. This is warm traffic, so it has a higher chance of clicks and even conversions.

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Difference between a Good and Bad Solo Ad

There are many benefits of solo ads in 2022, but they are conditional. You will only mint these impressive results if you buy a good solo ad. Unfortunately, there are both good and bad solo ad vendors, which could be the difference in how well it works for you. If you buy a lousy solo ad, you might not get organic traffic, and your money will go to waste. If you sell a bad solo ad, your buyers won’t get the desired results, and your venture will ultimately fail.

To help you differentiate, we will highlight the top differences between a good and bad solo ad to help you make an informed decision. For even more, check out our deeper dive into the best practices for solo ads.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

A good solo ad will boast a high CTR, which is the propensity of the subscriber list to click on the ad. Effectively, a bad solo ad will have a low CTR. A solo ad could have a CTR anywhere between 0.35% and 0.50%. A greater CTR will depend on how well-thought-out the solo ad is.

If a solo ad vendor targets the wrong audience, they will naturally produce a low CTR. For example, if you operate in the beauty industry, but choose a solo ad vendor that targets the ‘health’ niche, you can’t expect many of these subscribers to click on the email link. Moreover, a good solo ad should speak to the audience it is targeting. If the solo ad does not resonate with the subscribers, you can’t expect much success.

Solution:

When choosing a solo ad vendor, you should select one who works in your niche. There are many solo ad vendors with different niches, like make money online, cryptocurrency, women’s clothing, health, finance, etc., so be as specific as possible. Ensure you not only ask for their average CTR but the average CTR for your niche.

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Cost

All good things come at a price. While solo ads are an affordable online advertising medium, a ridiculously low price reeks of a scam. Many con artists have fake email subscriber lists filled with bots. You may fall prey to the seemingly high subscriber lists of 1000+, but they won’t ever convert.

These unscrupulous solo ad vendors lure customers in with low prices with huge subscriber lists, which end up costing you a lot in the long run. Blinded by the low price, you may not even interrogate other, more important things like the conversion rate, CTR, and the number of subscribers. A good solo ad will have a reasonable price, $0.50 or higher because the owner spent their time and money building an organic subscriber list. This slightly higher cost will save you from poor results and generate higher revenue for your business.

Solution:

When looking for solo ad vendors, reconsider if something appears too good to be true. Solo ad vendors are there to make money, so they will charge you according to the number of subscribers they have and the results they deliver.

If a solo ad vendor claiming to have a high CTR and number of subscribers offers a solo ad for as low as $0.30 per click, you should vet it further. Moreover, if a solo ad vendor working in a niche different from yours still offers to send a promotional message for you, they clearly don’t have much consideration for their followers’ time and interests. This is a red flag.

 Alternatively, you can buy solo ads from reliable platforms like Udimi. Here, you can look at a solo ad’s ratings and reviews.

Related reading: How To Get Results With MLM Solo Ads

Ad Text

Lastly, a crucial difference between a good and bad solo ad is the ad text. A study shows that email marketers have only 3 seconds to appeal to their target audience. With such a short timeframe, you must ensure your ad reads well. That’s what good solo ads do. They make an impact, ensuring the viewer is forced to learn more about the business, product, or service.

A bad solo ad, on the other hand, will fail to enrapture the audience. Solo ads aren’t just about a solo ad vendor and the email subscriber list. It also needs to have a solid, impactful ad text. There are many factors that dictate the success of your ad text, mentioned as follows:

Feature	Good Solo Ad	Bad Solo Ad
Subject Line	Engaging	Boring
Ad Body Length	4-6 lines	Long
Call to Action (CTA)	Yes	No
Language	Easy to read, targeted	Difficult to read, not suited to the audience

Solution:

Most solo ad vendors offer to write an ad text for you, but you should choose to collaborate with them to create the perfect ad text. This is because you know your business, and the vendor knows their subscribers. You should know how to write a solo ad. Use subject lines that highlight a problem and a solution within a few words. The most popular solo ad template is ‘How to Get X without Doing Y.’

For example, if you have a digital marketing firm, your solo ad subject line may read, ‘How to Generate 1000 Leads in 7 Days Without Spending a Fortune.’ These specific numbers will make an impact and make the ad more convincing for the reader. They will be forced to continue reading.

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The ad body text should be no longer than 4-6 lines, or the reader might lose interest. You can add text like, ‘If you’re tired of doing xyz, this is the most important page you’ll see’ so the reader feels like you’re going to solve their problem. You need to understand the customer’s psyche to engage them.

The solo ad vendor can help you use language that resonates with their subscriber list. For example, what language should you use to target top-tier countries like the USA, UK, Canada, etc.? Moreover, use words and phrases that your target audience can understand. Using Gen-Z phrases and references for baby boomers will fail to get the desired results. Overall, the ad text should be easy to read without complex verbiage.

Lastly, include a clear call to action with your business’s link. Without this, the whole email will be useless! If you struggle with writing, you should consider using AI to help.

Create a Winning Solo Ad

Good solo ads are concise, easy to read, and targeted to the subscriber list. You can make high profits with an engaging solo ad that will keep the reader’s attention, portraying the business in the best light. This will force the reader to click the link to your business, getting you the leads you paid for. Check out our article on Mastering the Art of Solo Ads if you want to take your solo ads to the next level.