Before we start, this is a dense newsletter this week on why cold traffic doesn't convert anymore, even when brands are spending hundreds of thousands on ads, emails, and SMS.

And here's the uncomfortable truth:

Most brands don't have a traffic problem. They have a funnel problem.

Our founder Paddy, spent last week at DTC Growth Summit talking about something we see breaking brands every single week = Cold traffic. At the end will be some free SOPs and the Slide deck from the talk.

Brand’s spend tens to hundreds of thousands on paid ads, alongside creatives and never invest in post click or optimising their funnel. And it has as much of an effect on conversions as the rest.

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The Trust Deficit Formula

Here's what cold traffic actually looks like:

They've never heard of you. They don't trust you yet. They've been burned by online purchases before. They're comparing you to Amazon. And they expect you to prove value instantly. You just hit them with an ad so something needs to convince them to purchase rather than buying a different product.

Yet most brands treat them exactly the same as warm traffic. Same pages. Same copy. Same offers. Same assumptions. And then they wonder why conversion stalls.

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How Cold Traffic Actually Arrives

The Real Problem

I speak to brands every week, that underspend on optimising post click.

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Let's get specific. Cold traffic:

They don't know they have a problem. They don't know the solution. They definitely don't know you.

Cold traffic → product page = too soon.

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When cold traffic lands on your page, they're asking four questions instantly:

If your hero section doesn't answer all four immediately, they're gone. Most product pages only answer one, what is this. That's not enough for cold traffic. Not even close.

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Cold traffic doesn't arrive trusting you. Trust has to be built in layers — and in order.

Level 1: Visual Trust (0-3 seconds) Professional design. Clear product images. Payment badges visible. This isn't about aesthetics. It's about not looking like a scam.

Level 2: Social Trust (3-10 seconds) Review stars. Customer count. "Trusted by X people." This is herd behaviour. "Others like me chose this."

Level 3: Authority Trust (10-30 seconds) Media mentions. Certifications. Expert endorsements. This is borrowed credibility. "Someone credible vouches for this."

Level 4: Proof Trust (30+ seconds) Detailed testimonials. Before/afters. Specific results with timelines. This is deep belief. "I can see this worked for someone like me."

Most product pages skip straight to Level 4, or skip proof entirely.

Cold traffic needs to move through each level, in order. Skip one and belief doesn't form.

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Cold traffic doesn't show up in one uniform state. They arrive through different doors — and each door requires a different experience.

The Pain Path → Ad hits their frustration directly → They're problem-aware but not solution-aware → They need education before the offer → Best page: Advertorial or long-form landing page

The Curiosity Path → Ad sparks interest or pattern-interrupts → They're unaware they even have a problem → They need the problem revealed first → Best page: Advertorial or quiz funnel

The Competitor Path → They're already shopping → They've seen your competitors → They need differentiation, not education → Best page: Comparison landing page or offer LP

The Social Path → Saw a friend or influencer post → Warm to the idea but cold to you → They need proof you're the right choice → Best page: Trust-focused landing page with heavy social proof

Sending all of them to the same page is like giving everyone the same prescription regardless of symptoms.

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Not all cold traffic is equally cold. There's a spectrum:

A listicle designed for problem-aware traffic won't convert someone who's solution-aware.

A product page designed for product-aware traffic won't convert someone who's unaware.

The funnel's job isn't just to sell. It's to move someone from wherever they are to wherever they need to be to buy.

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This is the part most brands miss entirely.

Advertorials work for cold traffic because:

Landing pages work for cool traffic because:

Offer LPs work for warm traffic because:

PDPs work for hot traffic because:

The brand with the best funnel can pay the most for traffic. That's how you scale.

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After 500+ landing pages across 150+ brands, these are the patterns that kill conversion:

Zero avatar and customer research. Copy comes from the founder's head, not the customer's mouth.

Copy that describes the product, not the transformation. "Contains 20% Vitamin C" vs "Visibly brighter skin in 14 days."

Discounting massively on first order without knowing if it's profitable. 50% off attracts discount hunters who churn at month two.

No LTV strategy — all short-term gains. Winning the sale but losing the customer.

Speaking to everyone and converting no one. Generic copy for generic audiences = generic results.

Same page for every traffic source. Meta traffic and Google traffic have completely different mindsets. Treat them differently.

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Where It All Starts: Research

Everything starts with research. Say-Click-See. Always.

Mine these sources:

Extract:

If your copy doesn't sound like something they would say, belief never forms.

Great copy mirrors the internal dialogue already happening in their head. That's why research matters more than clever writing.

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This is the blueprint you can take and utilise within cold traffic funnels.

Your hero section predicts your bounce rate. Get that wrong and nothing else matters.

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The ad sets an expectation. Tone. Angle. Emotion. Promise.

The lander has one job: continue the story.

When the ad tells one story and the lander tells another, trust breaks instantly. If someone clicks an ad about gut health and lands on a page about energy, you've lost them — even if it's the same product.

This is the most common leak I see. And the easiest to fix.

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Cold traffic wants to see:

Star ratings don't do that. Specific proof does.

Use:

"I was skeptical. I tried everything. This actually worked." "Within two weeks, I noticed [specific outcome]."

People eat this up. It handles objections before they're even raised.

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Most brands think "offer" means "percentage off."

That's lazy. And it trains customers to wait for sales.

Offer = Perception.

An offer is:

The goal is to increase perceived value WITHOUT eroding margin.

Stack value:

Don't just slash prices. Discounts attract the wrong customers and create churn later.

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This is retention disguised as conversion.

Why timelines work:

Example:

When customers know results take 8 weeks, they don't cancel at week 4.

Top reasons subscribers cancel:

The fix? Tell them WHEN to expect results before they buy.

Expectation management = retention. This is the most overlooked lever in subscription economics.

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The numbers speak:

The goal isn't just conversion. It's converting the RIGHT customers who stick.

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Different months, different mindsets:

Your customer's psychology matters more than your planned promotions.

View full SOP here

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The PM Digital Approach

We've rebuilt how we work with brands around this.

We don't just test pages. We optimise the funnel for profitability and LTV. We build the right experiences for the right intent of your audience. Results focused on revenue per visitor, not just conversion rate and average order value, because that tells us if the whole system is working.

And we put your customer at the centre of every decision. Because when you understand what they're thinking, what they're feeling, and what they need to believe, the conversions follow. You get a proper partner, selective of their clients, who cares about the growth of your business.

Want Help Applying This to Your Brand?

If you're sitting on Q5 traffic and not seeing the conversions you expected, there's a good chance your funnel isn't matching your customer's mindset.

Book a free 30-minute CRO call with us. I'll walk through your site live, explain some of our process, and show you where the gaps are and what to do about them.