Status News — Quality Funnel: Month 1

March 4 – March 26, 2026 | Qualification Funnel Build & Optimization
Typeform Completion Rate
76%
↑ from 58% at launch
ICP-Verified Subscribers
23
Manager+ in News Media, Tech, Consulting, Film/TV
Core Campaign CVR
17.6%
Landing page converts when the right person arrives
How the Qualification Funnel Works
Step 1
Meta Ad
"I Read It in Status" / "Read by Thousands"
→
Step 2
Carrd LP
Email capture → subscriber created in Beehiiv
→
Step 3
Typeform Survey
Job Level → Industry → Company (optional)
→
Step 4
ICP Verification
Manager+ in target industry = Qualified
→
Signal
#status-typeform
Real-time Slack alerts via n8n automation
Typeform Completion Rate — Week by Week
58%
Week 1
Mar 4–10
~65%
Week 2
Mar 10–16
76%
Week 3
Mar 17–23
80%+
Target
w/ dropdowns
What We Changed & When
March 4 — Launch
Qualification funnel goes live
Typeform survey added post-subscribe: Job Level → Industry → Guild → Location → Company Name. Article ads paused, all budget to quality funnel.
Completion: 58% 36% drop-off on Q2
March ~8 — Iteration 1
Removed start page, added inline CTA
Replaced splash screen with "Complete your subscription and customize your reader experience" above Q1. Moved Job Level and Industry to the front.
Reduced initial abandonment
March ~10 — Iteration 2
Removed Location question
Location was adding friction with no targeting value — we use Meta's geo data instead.
One fewer step = less drop-off
March ~15 — Iteration 3
Removed Guild question, made Company optional
Guild membership correlated with selecting News Media/Tech + metro location — it was redundant. Added Film/TV/Production to Industry dropdown instead. Company name made optional to reduce friction.
Completion → 76%
March 20 — Campaign consolidation
Killed Broad & Targeted campaigns
Broad: $175.67 CPL (2 subs). Targeted: $0 conversions. Core funnel: $38.42 CPL, 17.57% CVR. All budget consolidated into the winner.
100% budget → proven campaign
Next — Iteration 4 (in progress)
Structured drop-downs replace free text
Eliminates junk entries ("Retired", "Test", "N/A", "BLACKIES"). Pre-defined options for Job Level and Industry mean cleaner data and higher ICP match rate.
Target: 80%+ completion, 35%+ ICP rate
Campaign Test & Consolidation
Core Quality Funnel
CPL$38.42
CVR17.57%
CTR1.52%
1P Subs13/week
Broad Targeting
CPL$175.67
CVR3.85%
CTR0.96%
1P Subs2 total
Interest Targeting
CPLN/A
CVR0.00%
CTR0.95%
1P Subs0
Unit Economics: The Math Works
Cost per ICP-Verified
$109
<
1-Year LTV (Paid Sub)
$148
=
Margin per Conversion
+$39

One conversion from the ICP-verified group pays for itself — and retention is 79–89%.

The Next 30 Days: Optimization, Not Experimentation
Structured Drop-Downs
Replace free-text fields with pre-defined options. Eliminates retiree/junk entries that inflate unqualified count.
→ Cleaner data, higher ICP match rate
YouTube Podcast Video Ad (DCT_200)
Oliver's voice + on-camera presence adapted for Meta. Naturally attracts media-aware audiences. Sent for review March 24.
→ New creative angle for media professionals
Meta Exits Learning Phase
Consolidated budget + more conversion signals = Meta deprioritizes retired/consumer audience and optimizes toward professionals.
→ The biggest unlock — requires time + consistent signal
Beehiiv Typeform Sync
Tag Typeform responses directly to Beehiiv subscriber profiles. Enables quality-based segmentation and custom welcome flows.
→ ICP subscribers get a tailored onboarding experience