M
Michael Ashley
· LinkedIn
Founder at Radi8 // Executive Coach // Host of the Inspiring Founders Podcast
I've worked with hundreds of founders through my accelerator and peer groups. And when I look at why their marketing isn't converting, it almost always comes down to the same thing.
They built the campaign before they validated the message.
Here's what that looks like in practice: they spend two or three weeks building out a content calendar, designing assets, writing emails, setting up scheduling. Then they launch. And then they find out — through low engagement, no clicks, no replies — that the message doesn't resonate.
All of that work, wasted. Not because the campaign was bad. Because the message was untested.
The fix is simpler than most people think.
Before you build a campaign, send 5 DMs or have 3 sales conversations using your core message. Pay attention to the responses. Do people light up? Do they ask follow-up questions? Do they forward it to someone else?
Or do they politely change the subject?
What you learn in those conversations is worth more than any A/B test you'll run later. Real humans responding to a real message in real time will tell you everything you need to know about whether your campaign is worth building.
Build the conversation first. Build the campaign second.
Book a free audit with me — I'll look at your current messaging and tell you exactly where I'd focus first.