The $10M Ice Cream Idea I Missed (And the Reddit Research Hack That's Saving My Ads)

🔍 FUNNEL VISION:

Don’t get lost in the noise.

And the noise is louder than ever.

Focus on the basics.

Do them relentlessly.

Limit social media.

Block out the Charltons.

Focus on doing 3-5 things max each day.

And do them with full focus.

This applies to everyone.

🥡 THIS WEEK'S FUNNEL FEED

What we're testing: We're creating multiple ad variations based on specific pain points extracted from Reddit discussions in meal delivery subreddits, using the exact language and complaints customers have about our competitors to craft our messaging and positioning.

What's happening so far: The ads using authentic Reddit language are showing higher engagement rates than our previous "corporate-speak" creative. We're testing different pain point angles - from delivery consistency issues to portion size complaints - and seeing which customer frustrations resonate most with our target audience.

Why this approach works: Three key principles driving Reddit-informed ad performance:

1. Authentic language matching: Using the exact words customers use to describe problems creates instant relatability and recognition

2. Pre-validated pain points: Reddit complaints represent real, emotionally-charged frustrations that customers are actively discussing and seeking solutions for

3. Competitive differentiation: Directly addressing competitor weaknesses positions us as the solution to problems customers already know exist

How to try it:

FOR $10M+ BRANDS:

• Set up monthly Reddit research across 5-10 relevant subreddits in your industry

• Create competitor weakness databases organized by customer pain point categories

• A/B test ads that use direct quotes from customer complaints vs. your current messaging

• Build dedicated landing pages that continue the "unlike other brands" narrative from your ads

STARTING OUT? TRY THIS:

• Spend 30 minutes browsing competitor review threads on Reddit, Facebook, or review sites

• Write down the exact phrases customers use when they're frustrated

• Create one ad that starts with "Tired of [exact complaint]? We built our service specifically to solve that."

• Test this authentic language against your current ad copy to see the engagement difference

🍱 THIS WEEK'S CONTENT BUFFET

These are some pieces of content that I felt inspired to write about.

If you’re playing the CAC game…

You’ve already lost.

Meta is the house.

And the house always wins.

Maybe not in the short term.

But always in the long run.

CAC will only go up as more advetisers come onto the scene.

The game you should be playing is the following:

• Get people to spend more money with you

• Get them to buy over and over again

• Create an experience so good they can’t help but tell their friends

This one hurts my soul a bit.

About a year ago, this idea crossed my mind.

I saw the trend of people using the Ninja Creami, myself included and thought…

“Why has no one done this?”

We went as far as making the actual ice cream.

It was probably one of the best Ice Creams I’ve ever tasted, and it had 40+ grams of protein.

The ingredients were clean and simple, too.

This one will always hurt my soul.

But it is a reminder that my judgment and vision are in tune.

🍟 SWIPE OF THE WEEK

Why it's smart:

Most brands suck at working with creators/infulencers.

We’ve dealt with this issue at nutre.

Just because a video is going to be run as an Ad, doesn’t mean it needs to look like one.

The Pointer Brothers do a great job of making this Ad seem like a normal piece of content.

They aren’t hard selling.

They are just blending this collab into their existing style.

Steal this idea: 

When hiring creators to make content for you, make it crystal clear that they don't need to create a video that does not match their existing content.

Explain to them that what does great on social organically usually does great on ads as well.

🧪 AI SECRET SAUCE

Tool/Prompt I'm Using: AI-powered Reddit analysis to extract customer complaints and pain points from the Ready Meals subreddit, then transform those insights into competitive advantage messaging for ads and email campaigns.

Step 1: Data Collection & Analysis:

• Join relevant subreddits (r/MealPrepSunday, r/ReadyMeals, r/HealthyFood)

• Copy 20-30 recent posts and comment threads about competitor experiences

• Use ChatGPT/Claude with this prompt: "Analyze these Reddit discussions about meal delivery services. Extract the top 10 most common complaints, specific language customers use to describe problems, and emotional triggers that make people switch brands."

Step 2: Insight Extraction Prompts:

1. "What specific words do customers use when they're frustrated with [competitor]?"

2. "Identify the gap between what customers expected vs. what they received"

3. "Extract direct quotes that show the emotional impact of these problems"

4. "What solutions are customers wishing for that no brand is providing?"

5. "Find patterns in why customers cancel or switch meal delivery services"

Step 3: Marketing Application:

• Turn complaint patterns into benefit-focused ad headlines

• Use customers' exact emotional language in email subject lines

• Create "Unlike other brands..." messaging that directly addresses common pain points

• Build FAQ sections that proactively handle competitor weaknesses

• Develop positioning that fills the gaps customers are complaining about

How to use this approach:

• Set up monthly Reddit research sessions to stay current with customer sentiment

• Create competitor weakness databases organized by pain point category

• Test messaging that directly contradicts competitor complaints

• Use Reddit language in ads for authentic, relatable copy that resonates

Pro tip: Add this instruction for deeper competitive intelligence: "Identify not just what customers complain about, but the sequence of events that led to their frustration. Map the customer journey moments where competitors fail, then create content that positions our solution at those exact friction points."

🧂 UNDERRATED TACTIC

Turn your email unsubscribe reasons into ad copy for competitor targeting.

When people unsubscribe, they often tell you exactly why: "Too expensive," "Doesn't fit my diet," "Takes too long to prepare." Those reasons = perfect messaging for ads targeting your competitor's audiences.

Their objections to you become your positioning against them.

🧃 FOUNDER FUEL

🍽️ WHAT'S COOKING

Nutre is having it’s first major event called Sweat Social.

It’s pretty much a workout party with tons of sponsors.

600+ people have signed up for it.

Check it out here.

✌️ That’s All For This Week

Hope you guys got value out of this email.

If you have any specific questions or want me to cover any topics, just respond to this email and I'll do my best to get to them.

See you next week!