Timothy Davis: How Shopify validates new ad platforms fast

Davis believes “paid is for everyone,” but recommends user-intent driven Google Search as the baseline channel, then adding disruptive media like Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and others once you have creative and product fit.

Begin with small-budget experiments using lookalike audiences built from your existing customers (e.g., 1% Meta lookalikes) and test upward; if you see promising early signals, invest in proper campaigns rather than prematurely scaling or abandoning the channel.

You often can’t simply port creatives across platforms (e.g., Meta to TikTok); emotional, memorable, video-first creative tailored to each user context is a major performance driver and frequently under-invested in.

Agencies often run generic playbooks and don’t go deep enough into data, structure, and experimentation; use them to get started, but set clear spend milestones (e.g., ~$50k/month) where you hire in-house specialists and shift ownership.

With overwhelming metrics available (CPC, CTR, impressions, reach, etc.), focus on the ones tied to the campaign goal (e.g., conversions vs. awareness) and use platform diagnostics (quality score, ad strength, auction insights) to locate and fix the true “holes in the ship.”