Lesson 27 of 30 · 10 min
Diagnosing a plan that is not working
Work the chain in order instead of changing everything at once.
Start with delivery, not performance
Before judging results, check the plan is actually running: is it spending on pace, is the audience large enough to deliver, are creatives approved and serving? A large share of apparent performance problems are delivery problems wearing a disguise.
Then read the chain in order
You met this chain in Module 1 as a way to read a funnel; under pressure it becomes a triage checklist. Impressions but no clicks points at audience or creative; clicks but no conversions at the landing experience, the offer or tracking; conversions but no revenue at pricing or product fit. Repair the earliest broken link before touching anything downstream.
Separate a bad plan from a bad week
Small numbers move a lot on their own. Before declaring a channel broken, ask whether the sample is big enough for the difference to mean anything, and whether the same pattern held last week and the week before.
Check what changed outside the plan
Competitor activity, seasonality, a site release, a price change or a stockout will all move media metrics without anything in the media having changed. Ask what else moved before rebuilding the campaign.
Takeaway
Rule out delivery and outside causes first, then repair the earliest broken step in the chain.
Check yourself
No score, no signup — pick an answer to see why it's right.
Question 1
Results dropped sharply this week. What should you check first?
Question 2
A small channel's CPA doubled over three days. What is the most likely explanation?