#AnalyticsForCreatives

[laurafaritos]

HDMS041: WTF Is Click-Through Rate??? A Comedian’s Guide to Paid Media Math

You ever look at your reel analytics and feel like you’re reading the Matrix?

Like… what do you mean 17,000 impressions but only 3% reached the CTA? And why does “click-through rate” sound like something a bro-y podcast host would say while selling crypto?

Welcome to the world of paid media metrics—where everything sounds made up but is actually real, terrifying, and kind of useful if you don’t ignore it like I did for the first half of my creative career.

In this module, we finally start breaking down the numbers behind digital ads. Not in a “finance bros take Manhattan” way, but in a here’s how you know if your campaign actually did anything kind of way. It’s about figuring out:

What to track

Why it matters

And how to not cry when the numbers don’t look how you expected

As someone who has spent many years pretending math isn’t real (shoutout to the arts), I’m here to decode this for you—comedian-style. Whether you’re launching a tour, a newsletter, a podcast, or just trying to get more eyes on your face, this is the marketing math that actually matters.

Let’s do it. No spreadsheets required (yet).

I. Why We Measure

So here’s the thing: running a paid media campaign without tracking your metrics is like telling jokes to a silent crowd and refusing to acknowledge the silence. “No no, I thought it was funny. That’s enough.” (It’s not.)

The whole point of measuring stuff—clicks, conversions, cost per whatever—is to make sure you’re not throwing money into the void. Paid media isn’t just about showing up. It’s about knowing what happens after you show up.

Different stages of your marketing funnel = different goals = different metrics:

Top of funnel (awareness)? You’re looking at impressions and reach. Did they see you?

Mid-funnel (consideration)? Time to check click-through rate (CTR). Did they care enough to engage?

Bottom of funnel (conversion)? Let’s talk cost per order, revenue, return on ad spend. Did they buy? Did you eat?

And the wild part? Just because someone sees your ad (hi, impression), doesn’t mean they click. Just because they click, doesn’t mean they buy. And just because they buy… well, congrats—you’re officially in business.

The key is choosing the right metric for your goal. Because if you’re judging your brand awareness campaign by purchase numbers, you’ll think it failed. When really, it wasn’t even trying to convert—it was just trying to get you noticed.

So metrics = clarity. And clarity = power. (Also money, obviously.)

II. Branded vs. Generic Keywords (aka: Do They Know You??? Or Are They Just Looking for Laughs???)

Let’s break it down with some marketing lingo that sounds scarier than it is:

Generic keywords = people searching for the category, not you specifically. Like someone Googling “funny Toronto stand-up show.”

Branded keywords = people searching for you. “Laura Ferinot comedy show tickets.” (Hi, obsessed!)

OOFOS tracks both. Why? Because they do different jobs:

Generic keywords get more impressions—more people are casually searching “shoes for foot pain.”

Branded keywords get higher click-through rates—because if someone already searched “OOFOS recovery shoes,” they’re probably ready to buy.

In comedy terms:

A flyer that says “Live Stand-Up Comedy Tonight!” will reach more randoms.

One that says “Laura Ferinot Live at Comedy Bar!” will pull in people who already like your vibe (or saw that reel where you called someone out mid-set and need to know more).

You want both. You want to meet new people and serve the ones who already love you.

So OOFOS uses branded search ads to scoop up the ready-to-buy folks. And they use generic ones to pull new folks into the funnel. The trick is knowing which is doing what—and not expecting your “funny show in Toronto” ad to convert like a personal invite.

Because just like in comedy: context is everything.

III. The Math Breakdown (Explained for Creative Brains Who Hate Math)

Alright, let’s slow this all the way down.

You’ve got $100,000 to spend on ads. The question is: what do you get for it? That’s what all these scary-sounding metrics are trying to answer.

We’re gonna walk through it step by step, with no pressure to “get it” on the first read.

Step 1: How many people saw the ad?

This is called impressions. Basically: how many eyeballs passed by the ad.

You pay $2 for every 1,000 impressions. So if you have $100,000 to spend, here’s what happens:

You can buy 50,000 bundles of 1,000 views (because 100,000 divided by 2 = 50,000)

50,000 x 1,000 = 50 million impressions

So: your ad was shown 50 million times.

Step 2: How many people clicked the ad?

This is called click-through rate (CTR). For this campaign, let’s say that 0.5% of people clicked.

That means:

For every 100 people who saw the ad, only half a person clicked. (So yeah, it’s a small number.)

Out of those 50 million impressions, that equals 250,000 clicks.

So: 250,000 people clicked the ad.

Step 3: How many of those people bought something?

This is called conversion rate. Let’s say 2% of the people who clicked actually bought.

That means:

For every 100 people who clicked, 2 made a purchase

So: 250,000 x 2% = 5,000 orders

So: 5,000 people bought a pair of OOFOS shoes.

Step 4: How much did each sale cost you in ad money?

This is called cost per order (CPO). It’s just: how much you spent divided by how many people bought.

So: $100,000 divided by 5,000 = $20 per sale

That means: it cost you $20 in ads to make each sale.

Step 5: How much money did you make total?

Each pair of shoes sells for $100. You sold 5,000 pairs.

5,000 x $100 = $500,000 in revenue

So: you made $500,000 from a $100,000 ad spend.

That’s 5x what you spent. In marketing land, that’s very good.

The Bottom Line:

You don’t have to memorize formulas. You don’t need to love math. You just need to understand the flow:

How many people saw the thing?

How many clicked on it?

How many actually bought it?

Was it worth the money you spent?

That’s it. That’s all this is.

And now you know what those scary acronyms are really measuring.

IV. My Takeaway (For Creatives, Comedians, and Neurodivergent Brains)

Let’s be real: I didn’t get into comedy to do math.

But this module helped me realize that metrics aren’t the enemy. They’re just mirrors—reflecting what’s working, what’s not, and where the audience is saying “yes, more please!!!!!!!!!”

If you’re a comedian or creative trying to grow your audience, sell tickets, launch a project, or get people to click that dang link in bio… these numbers actually matter.

What hit me most was this: You don’t need to be a data nerd. You just need to know the path from “seen” to “sold.”

That path looks like:

Did people see your thing???? (Impressions)

Did they care enough to click????? (CTR)

Did they follow through and commit???? (Conversion rate)

Was it worth the money/energy you spent???? (CPO + Revenue)

You don’t need to measure everything all at once. You don’t even need to understand it all today. You just need a system that helps you notice patterns.

And if your brain is like mine—aka AuDHD, possibly with a sprinkle of dyscalculia—here’s what I’ve learned:

Don’t try to do this in your head. Ever. Externalize the numbers. Write them down, speak them out loud, put them in a chart—whatever works for you.

Pick one or two metrics to track at a time. Not seven.

Let the math show you something, not shame you. A low click-through rate isn’t a moral failure—it’s a clue.

If you struggle to visualize things, try drawing them out. Use color, arrows, post-its—make it tactile.

And most importantly: you don’t have to do it alone. Ask for help. Use tools. Build supports. Even this post is a support.

The whole point of measuring is not to impress anyone. It’s to understand your impact—and then adjust.

TL;DR On Media Math for Comedians

So yeah—click-through rates, conversion percentages, cost per order… it all sounds intimidating until you realize it’s just a way of asking: Did the thing I made actually connect with people?

And if it didn’t, cool. Now you know. And you can try something else.

Metrics aren’t here to scare you. They’re here to support your creativity—so you can keep doing the wild, wonderful, chaotic stuff you love, but smarter.

Keep tracking. Keep testing. Keep learning. Even if the numbers feel blurry sometimes, you’re still moving forward.

Tchauuu tchauuuuu!!! :**