The 4 Non-Negotiables of a High-Performance Paid Campaign
If you use a spreadsheet, you probably are familiar with how we have KPIs, media plan, and some expected ROI… Lots of numbers to munch, that ultimately gets you excited. But reality sets in when the campaign is launched and weeks down the line, the numbers are not looking so great.
The anticipation, and excitement seems to drop. As a CMO, you are looking for ways to optimize, and develop a way to ensure the campaign you spent so much on yields the expected results.
Everyone wants the conversion results… but few brands respect the process. Performance ads need to be systematically done to ensure you don’t just put out meta ads, because a few Youtubers asked you to do so. With strategy, you can ensure your campaign performs well.
Let’s look at the non-negotiable of a high performing paid campaign
- Creative-Performance Balance
Many People have an issue with bad creatives, or not so good video contents, and realistically, In 2025, creative is 80% of performance. Data from Meta , TikTok and other platforms proves it. Being able to analyze your creatives , and having numerous directions to ensure your ad campaign doesn’t experience ad fatigue, is quite important.
Here are what works:
- UGC-style videos
- Multiple hooks per asset
- TikTok bit Sized Content.
At Intense Group, we don’t create 1 or 2 ads. We deploy creative banks: 8–15 variations across format, hook, and callout.
- Budget-to-Objective Alignment
“A £10k test won’t get you a £500k pipeline.” As a major issue, people obsess over ROAS in week 1. Creating a balance between budget and achievables within the timeline is important.
Too many campaigns fail because brands don’t align budget size with their actual goals.
Here’s the formula we use:
- Want awareness? Allocate 70% to top-of-funnel video and engagement.
- Want leads? Budget for middle-funnel warming (retargeting, education).
- Want conversions? Push budget toward hot audiences, time-sensitive offers, and remarketing.
Don’t obsess over ROAS in week 1. Obsess over data velocity: how quickly are you gathering enough data to optimise?
- Channel & Format Strategy
When making plans to launch your Campaign ads, you need to be familiar with the rules of different channels. Running the same creative on TikTok, Meta, YouTube, and X is a rookie mistake.
Each channel has a different user intent and algorithm preference:
- TikTok: Edu-entertain, 15s–30s max. Trends, Sell
- Meta: Story-driven, scroll-stopping. Sell
- YouTube: Long-form storytelling. Educate, entertain, then sell.
At Intense Group, we reverse-engineer creative and placement strategies for each platform.
- Real-Time Optimisation & Creative Cycling
A lot of people launch and leave the campaign, and that is not a strategy. Just like how you babysit, that is how Paid campaigns work, most especially in the first 7-14 days. Here are a few things to monitor :
- Hook drop-off rates
- Click-through rates by creative
- Audience overlap and fatigue
- Conversion lag across touchpoints
But most importantly, refresh your creative before it burns out.
If your current campaigns aren’t converting like they used to , it’s probably not your product. It’s the system behind your ads. At Intense Group, we build paid campaigns that don’t just look good, but hit KPIs. We combine ad creative, budget planning, and real-time iteration into a results-driven machine that gets smarter by the week
