When assessing ad performance and making scaling decisions, are you more of an optimizer or a maximizer? Do you care more about healthy metrics or maximizing backend profit at the expense of frontend performance?

Matt PaulsonFounder and CEO of MarketBeat

Stop Judging Every Ad Channel the Same Way

12 Oct 2026 · 1 min

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1:14

In this interview excerpt, Matt Paulson discusses how advertisers should approach scaling decisions by considering whether they prioritize healthy frontend metrics (optimizing) or maximizing backend profit (maximizing). He explains that different ad channels exhibit distinct performance curves: co‑registration or co‑ad channels generate cheaper leads with lower immediate monetization, leading to a faster ROAS growth over time, whereas traditional ad networks deliver higher day‑one revenue but at a higher cost per lead, resulting in a slower long‑term ROAS increase. Understanding these channel‑specific dynamics helps marketers decide when to break even quickly versus when to accept slower early returns for greater cumulative profitability.

Questions this video answers

Matt Paulson explains that the answer depends on the channel type. Co‑ad or co‑registration channels have cheaper leads and lower initial monetization, leading to faster ROAS growth over time, so you can afford to prioritize long‑term profit. Ad networks generate higher day‑one revenue but cost more per lead, requiring quicker break‑even, which may push you to focus on healthier frontend metrics.

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Kind of a similar question. When assessing ad performance and making scaling decisions, would you say you're more of an optimizer or a maximizer? And specifically in the sense of, do you care more about having healthy metrics or maximizing backend profit at the expense of frontend performance if necessary?
I think maybe a thing to understand is different channels have different performance curves. With co-ad or co-registration, the person's not on your website when they sign up, so your initial monetization is lower. but the leads are also cheaper. And then since you're getting more leads for a cheaper price, the ROAS over time grows at a faster rate than like an ad network where like they're on your website, maybe you've got them in a funnel, you're making more money on day 1, but you paid more per lead, you got fewer leads, and then the growth curve is kind of slower over time. So, like knowing like where a channel should be at based off the type of channel that it is, like is important. So like if they're cheaper leads and they, they'll have a faster kind of growth rate as you go further back in time, that's good. If you know you're doing an ad network thing, you want to break even probably a little bit quicker, but then knowing like your ROAS will be like the curve won't be as great over time.