Honestly, I've been doing this for nearly a decade - scaling VSLs through Facebook and YouTube - and I've seen the exact same pattern. You're not failing because of your budget or your targeting. The problem is you're treating the platform like a slot machine when it's really a video distribution engine.
Forget CBO, ABO, lookalikes, all that noise. They're optimisation levers, not growth drivers. The only thing that matters is what happens when someone scrolls past your ad. They're in a doom‑scroll rabbit hole, they see your video, they decide within seconds whether to stop and watch. That decision is 95 % based on the video itself. So stop obsessing over the bidding and start obsessing over the creative.
Here's the actionable part: you need to build a library of world‑class VSLs. I'm talking 30-40 different angles, each one with a strong hook, a clear problem statement, and a compelling offer. Reverse‑engineer winners from your niche - study their structure, their pacing, their authority positioning. I've been curating a swipe file for years that's helped me and others do exactly this:
[link to swipe file]
Next, surround yourself with people who are already profitable. I floundered for four years until I joined a small mastermind - five guys all doing $1k+/day. We met weekly, shared what was working, and called out each other's blind spots. Three months later I had my first winning campaign. Your network is your net worth - cliché but true.
Ignore the noise in this thread. Most of the advice here won't move the needle. Start with the swipe file, commit to making and testing 40 VSLs, and iterate on the ones that get a second of engagement. The profit is in the volume and the speed of iteration, not in the bid strategy.
