Bro, Let’s Talk Real — Should You Optimize a Combo or Just Ditch It?
It’s the eternal question in affiliate — should you keep tweaking a weak combo or toss it and test something new? Let me break it down from experience, no fluff.
Let’s start with the worst-case: the combo that’s clearly in the red.
If your ROI is at -20% and keeps sinking — don’t even think twice. Dump it.
You can waste hours trying to squeeze out a measly 10% profit, but once you scale — boom, it’s back to break-even or worse. That’s a dead combo. Don’t waste your time. Life’s short.
Now the opposite: a combo that’s crushing it.
If it’s profitable and scaling — hands off. Don’t optimize. Don’t touch. Don’t overthink.
Even if something feels “off,” let it run. Sometimes, the imperfections are exactly what’s working.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
And then there’s the sweet spot: the “average” combo.
This is the juicy middle. It’s not losing, but it’s not scaling big either — maybe converting okay, giving 15–20% ROI.
This is where optimization pays off.
Why? Because this combo has potential.
Start with creatives:
Switch headlines, tweak the angle, try different visuals, emotions, color schemes, or backgrounds.
Even small changes can humanize the ad and boost engagement.
Rework the CTA — sometimes one word can bump your CR by 2–3%.
If the traffic is dirt cheap but gets zero conversions — you’ve got clickbait.
Kill it. Higher-quality traffic may cost more, but it converts better.
It needs to be clear in the first second — no fluff. What’s the offer? Why is it valuable? Why take action now?
Speed matters. No one’s waiting around.
Form? Make it stupid simple.
SSL? Non-negotiable. Especially for Tier-1 — a red warning kills trust instantly.
Now let’s talk audience:
Sometimes tight targeting is the issue. Let Facebook go broad — it often finds gold on its own.
Lookalike audiences based on converters = warm leads without guesswork.
And don’t sleep on retargeting — it can rescue combos when cold traffic fails.
Bottom line:
If a combo is at breakeven or a small profit — don’t toss it.
That’s a signal to dig in, test harder, analyze better.
The winning edge is often hiding in a boring creative or underperforming audience — you just need to refine it.