Evaluate acquisition channels using unit economics, customer quality, and scalability. Use when deciding whether to scale, test, or kill a growth channel.
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SKILL.md
acquisition-channel-advisor
Evaluate acquisition channels using unit economics, customer quality, and scalability. Use when deciding whether to scale, test, or kill a growth channel.
argument-hint
[channel to evaluate]
intent
Guide product managers through evaluating whether to scale, test, or kill an acquisition channel based on unit economics (CAC, LTV, payback), customer quality (retention, NRR), and scalability (magic number, volume potential). Use this to make data-driven go-to-market decisions and optimize channel mix for sustainable growth.
type
interactive
best_for
Deciding whether a paid or outbound channel deserves more budget, Comparing channel quality, payback, and scalability side by side, Making scale, test, or kill decisions with finance-backed reasoning
scenarios
Should we keep investing in paid LinkedIn ads for enterprise leads?, Compare content marketing, outbound email, and partner referrals as acquisition channels, Help me decide whether to scale or kill our webinar acquisition channel
theme
finance-metrics
estimated_time
15-25 min
Purpose
Guide product managers through evaluating whether to scale, test, or kill an acquisition channel based on unit economics (CAC, LTV, payback), customer quality (retention, NRR), and scalability (magic number, volume potential). Use this to make data-driven go-to-market decisions and optimize channel mix for sustainable growth.
This is not a channel strategy framework—it's a financial lens for channel evaluation that helps you avoid scaling unprofitable channels or killing channels with fixable problems. Use when deciding how to allocate marketing budget across channels.
Input
Works best with: The acquisition channel you're evaluating (e.g., paid search, outbound SDR, partner referrals).
Also useful: Any metrics you already have — CAC, LTV, payback period, retention/NRR by channel — plus company stage and the decision on the table (scale, test, or kill).
Anything supplied with the invocation itself — text after the skill name, a pasted context dump, or an appended ARGUMENTS: line — counts as answers already given. Use it and skip whatever it covers; don't re-ask.
Arriving empty-handed? That works too. The advisor opens by asking which channel you're evaluating and what data you have.
Example invocation:Evaluate our paid LinkedIn channel: CAC $2,400, LTV $9,000, 14-month payback, flat retention vs. organic.
Key Concepts
The Channel Evaluation Framework
A systematic approach to evaluate acquisition channels:
[Market positioning: e.g., "Need to be present in this channel for credibility"]
How to manage:
Cap spend — Don't scale until economics improve
Current: $___/month
Cap at: $___/month (hold steady)
Track leading indicators — Don't just look at short-term CAC/LTV
Pipeline influence
Brand awareness lift
Referral rate from this channel
Re-evaluate quarterly
If economics improve (LTV:CAC >3:1): scale
If economics stay poor: reconsider strategy
Timeline:
Give it [6-12 months] to show results
If no improvement: kill or reduce drastically
Risk: You're subsidizing growth. Make sure it's worth it."
Step 5: Compare Across Channels (Optional)
If user has multiple channels, agent can generate:
Channel
CAC
LTV
LTV:CAC
Payback
Magic Number
Quality
Recommendation
Google Ads
$500
$2,000
4:1
8mo
0.9
High
Scale
Content
$200
$1,500
7.5:1
4mo
1.2
High
Scale
Outbound
$10K
$50K
5:1
18mo
0.6
Medium
Optimize
Events
$15K
$30K
2:1
24mo
0.3
Low
Kill
Budget allocation recommendation:
Scale: Content (highest efficiency)
Scale: Google Ads (strong economics)
Optimize: Outbound (improve magic number)
Kill: Events (reallocate budget)
Examples
See examples/ folder for sample conversation flows. Mini examples below:
Example 1: Scale (Content Marketing)
Channel: Organic content (blog, SEO)
CAC: $200
LTV: $3,000
LTV:CAC: 15:1
Payback: 3 months
Magic Number: 1.8
Customer quality: High (lower churn, higher NRR)
Recommendation: Scale aggressively. Exceptional unit economics, fast payback, high-quality customers. Increase content spend 2-3x.
Example 2: Optimize (Paid Search)
Channel: Google Ads
CAC: $800
LTV: $2,000
LTV:CAC: 2.5:1
Payback: 14 months
Magic Number: 0.6
Customer quality: Lower (higher churn in first 90 days)
Recommendation: Test & optimize before scaling. CAC is high, onboarding is weak for this segment. Improve landing page, target higher-intent keywords, better onboarding for paid customers.
Example 3: Kill (Trade Shows)
Channel: Industry events
CAC: $20,000
LTV: $30,000
LTV:CAC: 1.5:1
Payback: 30 months
Magic Number: 0.2
Customer quality: Low (off-ICP, many tire-kickers)
Recommendation: Kill. CAC too high, payback too long, poor customer quality. Reallocate budget to content and paid search.
Common Pitfalls
Pitfall 1: Scaling Broken Channels
Symptom: "Let's 10x our Google Ads spend!" (LTV:CAC is 1.5:1)
Consequence: You accelerate cash burn without improving unit economics. Lose money faster.
Fix: Only scale channels with LTV:CAC >3:1 and payback <12 months. Fix broken channels before scaling.
Pitfall 2: Ignoring Customer Quality
Symptom: "CAC is only $100!" (but customers churn in 30 days)
Consequence: Low CAC means nothing if LTV is also low. You're acquiring churners, not customers.
Fix: Track cohort retention and NRR by channel. Low CAC + high churn = bad channel.
Pitfall 3: Celebrating Vanity Metrics
Symptom: "We got 10,000 signups from this campaign!" (5% convert to paid)
Consequence: Signups don't pay bills. CAC is calculated on paid customers, not signups.
Fix: Track CAC on paid customers only. Ignore vanity metrics like signups, impressions, clicks.
Pitfall 4: Averaging Across Channels
Symptom: "Blended CAC is $500" (but hiding that one channel is $10K CAC)
Consequence: Bad channels hide in blended metrics. You don't know which channels to kill.
Fix: Track CAC, LTV, payback by channel. Compare channels individually.
