From Cult Product to Scalable Obsession
Context
Sporelust! entered the market with a highly designed tarot product that resonated strongly with a small but engaged audience. Despite positive feedback, sales volume remained limited, and the business lacked clarity on how to scale demand.
At the time, the broader market opportunity was undefined. The product sat at the intersection of design, spirituality, and culture, but had not yet been positioned for mass adoption.
Without intervention, the brand risked remaining a niche success rather than a scalable business.
At the time, the broader market opportunity was undefined. The product sat at the intersection of design, spirituality, and culture, but had not yet been positioned for mass adoption.
Without intervention, the brand risked remaining a niche success rather than a scalable business.
Situation
The core problem was not product-market fit, but market visibility and audience definition.
Goals:
Identify whether a broader addressable market existed
Establish efficient acquisition channels
Scale revenue without eroding profitability
Success would be defined by:
Sustainable paid acquisition
Proven scalable audiences
Meaningful revenue growth
Goals:
Identify whether a broader addressable market existed
Establish efficient acquisition channels
Scale revenue without eroding profitability
Success would be defined by:
Sustainable paid acquisition
Proven scalable audiences
Meaningful revenue growth
Constraints
Limited initial ad spend
No validated audience segments
No existing paid media system
Product positioned narrowly despite broader appeal
Need to preserve brand integrity while scaling
Role:
Owned end-to-end growth strategy and execution
Acted as fractional CMO
Led paid media, partnerships, and GTM expansion
No validated audience segments
No existing paid media system
Product positioned narrowly despite broader appeal
Need to preserve brand integrity while scaling
Role:
Owned end-to-end growth strategy and execution
Acted as fractional CMO
Led paid media, partnerships, and GTM expansion
Decisions
We rejected the assumption that the audience was limited.
Instead:
Treated the product as under-distributed, not niche
Designed a pilot-first testing model across platforms
Prioritized data over intuition for audience discovery
Key decisions:
Start with constrained spend to validate hypotheses
Test across multiple audience clusters and keywords
Scale only where acquisition efficiency was proven
Instead:
Treated the product as under-distributed, not niche
Designed a pilot-first testing model across platforms
Prioritized data over intuition for audience discovery
Key decisions:
Start with constrained spend to validate hypotheses
Test across multiple audience clusters and keywords
Scale only where acquisition efficiency was proven
Execution
The work evolved from campaign to system.
Phase 1:
Rapid pilot campaigns across Instagram, TikTok, and Google
Identification of high-performing audiences and creatives
Phase 2:
Structured scaling model based on performance thresholds
Continuous creative iteration and testing
Phase 3:
Expansion into:
Kickstarter campaign strategy
Influencer and partner ecosystem
Live events and retail launches
This created a repeatable growth engine, not just a campaign.
Phase 1:
Rapid pilot campaigns across Instagram, TikTok, and Google
Identification of high-performing audiences and creatives
Phase 2:
Structured scaling model based on performance thresholds
Continuous creative iteration and testing
Phase 3:
Expansion into:
Kickstarter campaign strategy
Influencer and partner ecosystem
Live events and retail launches
This created a repeatable growth engine, not just a campaign.
Measurement
Evidence of system performance included:
Pilot campaign validation within one week
Consistent low CPA across multiple audience segments
Repeatable performance across channels
Artifacts:
Multi-platform ad testing frameworks
Audience segmentation models
Creative iteration cycles
Pilot campaign validation within one week
Consistent low CPA across multiple audience segments
Repeatable performance across channels
Artifacts:
Multi-platform ad testing frameworks
Audience segmentation models
Creative iteration cycles
Outcome
9,800% increase in total online revenue
3x ROAS on core campaigns
4,700% increase in weekly profit
Kickstarter funded at 611%
Paid social achieving 6.83x ROAS during campaign
Beyond metrics:
Proved the existence of a significantly larger market
Enabled expansion into retail and physical locations
Established long-term growth infrastructure
3x ROAS on core campaigns
4,700% increase in weekly profit
Kickstarter funded at 611%
Paid social achieving 6.83x ROAS during campaign
Beyond metrics:
Proved the existence of a significantly larger market
Enabled expansion into retail and physical locations
Established long-term growth infrastructure
Key metrics
- 9,800%
- increase in total online revenue
- 6.83x
- ROAS during campaign
Learning
Key takeaways:
Demand often exists before it is visible
Paid media is a discovery tool, not just a scaling tool
Systems outperform campaigns
This work became a model for:
Market validation through paid media
Scalable audience discovery
Growth infrastructure design
Demand often exists before it is visible
Paid media is a discovery tool, not just a scaling tool
Systems outperform campaigns
This work became a model for:
Market validation through paid media
Scalable audience discovery
Growth infrastructure design
Testimonial
So pumped about the overall numbers and the numbers for running ads. Thanks for fitting it in on such a short timeline!
