Hey {{ First Name | Founder }},
Happy New Year! Are you starting the year thinking ‘what new marketing channel should I add to grow in 2026’?
Think carefully - One of the most common growth myths I hear is this:
“If we just add another channel, revenue will increase.”
TikTok. Influencers. Affiliates. YouTube. Pinterest.
Pick your poison.
But in reality?
Adding a channel very often does not add revenue.
It just moves it around, adds complexity, and quietly erodes profit.
Which is why before adding (or removing) any channel, I now run everything through a simple incrementality lens.
Here’s how to think about it.
Step 1: Be Clear on the Actual Decision
Before you do anything, be explicit about what you’re testing:
“Will this channel add net new revenue and profit?”
or“If we turn this channel off, does the business materially suffer?”
If you can’t clearly state the decision, you’re not running an experiment — you’re just adding noise.
Step 2: Count the Real Cost (Not Just Ad Spend)
This is where most brands fool themselves.
A channel doesn’t just cost media spend. It also includes:
Agency or freelancer fees
Internal time (strategy, reporting, briefing, design)
Channel-specific tools or platforms
Incremental creative production
Once you fully load the cost base, a “cheap” channel often isn’t cheap at all.
Step 3: Define What Incremental Success Looks Like
Ask yourself: what new behaviour should this channel create?
For example:
Reach a genuinely new audience
Increase total revenue, not just steal conversions
Improve blended efficiency (MER, contribution margin)
Support another channel meaningfully
Then do the maths before launching.
If a channel costs $5k per month all-in, and your blended target is 3×, you need at least $15k in truly incremental revenue just to justify it. More than that is a win. Less than that is a distraction.
And importantly — be honest about how likely that outcome actually is.
Step 4: Check the Opportunity Cost
This is the question almost no one asks:
What else could this budget and effort be doing?
More creative volume on a proven channel
CRO improvements
Retention or lifecycle marketing
Higher-intent media
A channel doesn’t just need to “work”.
It needs to beat the next best alternative.
Step 5: Test It Properly (Or Don’t Test at All)
If you’re going to test a channel, do it seriously:
Ring-fence budget
Run it for long enough (usually 6–8 weeks minimum)
Hold other major levers steady
And judge it on business-level metrics, not vanity ones:
Total revenue trend
New customers
Contribution margin after fees
Blended MER or nCAC
Platform ROAS is secondary. Directional at best.
Step 6: Make the Call Ruthlessly
After the test, the decision should be clear.
Keep or scale the channel if:
Total revenue or profit increased
Blended efficiency held or improved
The complexity is worth it
Kill or pause it if:
Revenue was mostly cannibalised
Marginal profit is neutral or negative
It pulled focus from higher-leverage work
The formula I care about is simple:
Incremental Profit =
Incremental Revenue
– Incremental COGs
– Incremental Media Spend
– Incremental Ops & Agency Cost
If that number isn’t clearly positive, the channel isn’t justified.
Final Thought
Growth isn’t about how many channels you’re on.
It’s about how much incremental profit each one creates.
Most brands don’t need more channels.
They need clearer thinking, better tests, and the discipline to say no.
X
Jessie
PS. If you’re wondering how I help brands grow in practice, there are three ways to work with me:
eComm Rockets – for founders who want to take back the power and learn to run ads themselves, and scale to $100k months in the process.
Agency – hands-on execution for brands already at 7-8 figures ready to scale profitably, with strategy, creative, and media buying working together.
Consulting – strategic support for founders and in-house teams who want clarity, direction, and a sharper growth plan.
If you’re not sure which path makes sense, the next step is simple: book a call and we’ll figure it out together. https://calendly.com/jessiehealy/coffee_with_jessie
