§11 · Boids Demand Gen Strategy — Video Format & Creative
Reference framework: Wavespeed Demand Gen video spec (Page 13). Adapted for the Boids builder-narrative positioning. For Pro C and 创作者 segments, the buying journey requires builder-narrative seeding before the search behavior occurs — a landing-page headline alone cannot communicate "agent mesh orchestration" or the "creator earnings flywheel". Video is required.
11.2 Required Video Layouts (every campaign ships all three)
| Layout | Aspect | Primary Placement | Use Case |
|---|
| Horizontal | 16:9 | YouTube In-Stream / In-Feed | Long-form KOL deep dives; product walkthroughs |
| Square | 1:1 | YouTube In-Feed / Discover / Gmail | Mid-length product-feature loops |
| Vertical | 9:16 | YouTube Shorts / Discovery feed | Hook-heavy launches, viral-loop creator stories |
Rule: Horizontal-only campaigns are blocked at launch — Shorts placement-fit demands a 9:16 cut.
11.3 Video Length Strategy (peer-group benchmark)
Wavespeed peer-group analysis indicates 16–30s is the optimal Demand Gen length, with secondary spend on 31s–2min.
| Length | Share of DG Spend | Purpose |
|---|
| 0–6s | 10% | Bumper / hook tests |
| 7–15s | 20% | Single-feature demos |
| 16–30s | 40% | Primary harvest length — agent-run loops, KOL hooks |
| 31s–2min | 25% | Pro C workflow showcases, KOL deeper demos |
| 2–5min | 5% | Selected creator-monetization stories |
KOL exception: for Ynot Partnership Ads, length is governed by message integrity, not the 16–30s rule. Subscriber retention pattern + complete narrative > truncation.
11.4 Creative Style Library (4 canonical formats)
| Style | Format | Target Segment |
|---|
| A. KOL Talking-Head Intro | Influencer face + screen-share, builder-verb hook in first 2s | 创作者 + Pro C |
| B. Simple AI Functional Demo | Clean screen capture of an agent-run loop; minimal voice-over | 普通 C |
| C. "Magic Moment" Showcase | Surreal / fast-cut montage of impressive agent outputs | 普通 C virality |
| D. KOL Short-form Demo (≤2min) | Builder-presenter walks through publish-to-earn flow | 创作者 |
Reference scouting: competitor Demand Gen creatives are auditable via the
Google Ads Transparency Center — used during creative briefing but never copied verbatim.
11.5 Placement Targeting
| Placement | Trigger Mode | Boids Application |
|---|
| YT In-Stream | Skippable pre/mid-roll; passive | Remarketing — "we shipped X new agents you can publish" |
| YT In-Feed | Active discovery | KOL deep-dive content; new-user prospecting (full message) |
| Shorts | Mobile vertical, passive | Brand & launch hooks — high-velocity creative refresh |
Placement-by-objective rule:
- Builder onboarding KOLs → In-Stream + In-Feed (full message preserved).
- Brand / launch / "magic moment" → Shorts (snap attention).
- Re-engagement of registered-but-inactive → In-Stream remarketing only.
11.6 Audience Signals & Targeting
Optimized Targeting (OT): ON for all conversion-objective Demand Gen campaigns. OFF only for upper-funnel "Max Clicks" tests.
| Signal Type | Boids Application |
|---|
| Customer Match | Upload Boids signup + waitlist + paid users; segment by Pro C / 创作者 / 普通 C |
| Custom Segments | (a) ≥10 top-converting Boids search queries; (b) Ynot KOL channel-page browsers; (c) competitor-site (Dify, LangChain, n8n, Zapier AI) URL list |
| Lookalike Segments | Seeded from Customer Match; required in ≥1 ad group per campaign |
| Remarketing | Site visitors D30; downloaded-but-not-registered; registered-but-not-activated D7 |
Mirror Demand Gen exposure audiences in GA4 and feed back to PMax as a learning signal.
11.7 Partnership Ads — Ynot KOL Workflow
| Step | Action |
|---|
| 1. Find | Ynot identifies and briefs creators (Wave 1: 8–12 builder-vertical KOLs per §2.1). |
| 2. Partner via Video Linking | Advertiser-Initiated Linking from Boids Google Ads → Data Manager → "Link Video"; KOL accepts in YouTube Studio. (For scale, switch to the Video Linking API in Q2.) |
| 3. Boost as Partnership Ad | Once linked, the video becomes eligible for the co-branded format across Demand Gen (Shorts + In-Feed), VRC/VVC, PMax, and App campaigns. |
| 4. Measure | Creator Partnership Hub Analytics → segment Paid vs. Organic → build 1P data segment from organic viewers → feed back into PMax / Search as a new-customer-acquisition lifecycle signal. |
Non-negotiable: Boids retains creative asset usage rights via Ynot contract. Video Linking is the digital handshake; legal authorization is separately managed.
11.8 Asset Production Acceleration
| Tool | Use |
|---|
| AI Max for Search | Auto-expand high-value keywords + dynamic headline / description optimization; deployed on Search — Builder Intent and AI Max Expansion campaigns. |
| Nano Banana Pro (Google Ads Image Editor) | Background swap & batch ad-image variants for PMax assets; reduces creative bottleneck during M2 refresh cycle. |
| Boids self-produced video | Primary hero + KOL footage. AI tools used for variant scaling, never for hero asset creation. |
§12 · Channel CPM / CPA / CAC / LTV Benchmarks — FY1 Monthly (Jun 2026 – May 2027)
Reference sources: boids-growth-funnel-conversion-attribution-2026-05-25.md (segmented funnel + 3-layer attribution), ai-industry-funnel-ltv-cac-insight.md (industry benchmarks), AI Agent EU/US 2026 baseline (CTR 1.0–2.0%, Visit→Reg 10–20%, CPM $20–30, ICP density 12%).
12.1 Monthly Budget Allocation by Channel (% of Monthly Marketing Spend)
Denominator: total marketing spend in that month (Google Ads + KOL + Paid Social + SEO/Content + EDM + Affiliate + Community/Contingency). M1–M3 anchored to §1.3 + §9.2; M4–M12 projected from §12.3 maturity curve and §9.2 Google Ads pacing ($40K/mo Q2–Q3, $56K/mo Q4).
| Month | Window | Google Ads | KOL | Paid Social | SEO / Content | EDM | Affiliate | Comm./Cont. |
|---|
| M1 | Jun 2026 | 33% | 22% | 28% | 8% | 0% | 0% | 9% |
| M2 | Jul 2026 | 29% | 20% | 31% | 9% | 0% | 0% | 11% |
| M3 | Aug 2026 | 29% | 16% | 36% | 9% | 1% | 1% | 8% |
| M4 | Sep 2026 | 31% | 16% | 28% | 11% | 4% | 2% | 8% |
| M5 | Oct 2026 | 31% | 15% | 27% | 12% | 5% | 3% | 7% |
| M6 | Nov 2026 | 30% | 14% | 26% | 13% | 6% | 4% | 7% |
| M7 | Dec 2026 | 28% | 15% | 24% | 14% | 8% | 5% | 6% |
| M8 | Jan 2027 | 28% | 14% | 23% | 14% | 9% | 6% | 6% |
| M9 | Feb 2027 | 27% | 13% | 22% | 15% | 10% | 7% | 6% |
| M10 | Mar 2027 | 30% | 12% | 21% | 15% | 10% | 7% | 5% |
| M11 | Apr 2027 | 31% | 11% | 20% | 15% | 11% | 8% | 4% |
| M12 | May 2027 | 32% | 10% | 19% | 15% | 11% | 9% | 4% |
Pacing logic: M1–M3 KOL + Paid Social lead (launch ignite); Google Ads gated per §2.2. From M4, Google Ads + SEO grow share as PMax/Search ML matures and SEO long-tail compounds. EDM + Affiliate activate at M3, ramp through Q3–Q4 with creator-economy flywheel. Paid Social recedes as ML-driven and zero-CPM channels absorb incremental dollars. Community/Contingency tightens 11% (M2) → 4% (M12). Rows sum to 100% (rounding ±1%).
12.2 Methodology
- CPM — paid impression cost per 1,000 (channel-native; SEO/EDM imputed from production cost ÷ delivered impressions).
- CPA (registration) — cost per registration_completed event, last-touch via UTM + invite_code (Layer 1 of funnel doc §4).
- CAC (paid customer) — channel spend ÷ new paying users; derived as CPA_reg ÷ blended paid conversion rate.
- LTV30 — cumulative revenue per registered user over 30 days post-registration, blended at channel acquisition mix.
- LTV365 — cumulative 365-day revenue per registered user. Segment retention multipliers: 普通 C ×~2.0–2.5; Pro C ×~5–7; 创作者 ×~7–9. Blended channel multiplier ≈×4.5 (M1) → ≈×6.5 (M12).
- LTV365 / CAC — 12-month payback indicator. ≥1.0 = pays back within a year; ≥3.0 is the L1b SaaS healthy ceiling.
- Ranges are P25–P75 expected bands. Out-of-range ≥2 weeks → §4.2 kill / optimize signals.
- Blended paid conversion ramp (CAC derivation): M1 6.8% → M3 8.5% → M6 11.0% → M9 12.0% → M12 13.0%.
- Currency — USD; rounded for readability.
12.3 Channel Maturity Curve (FY1)
| Phase | Months | Google Ads | KOL | EDM | Affiliate | SEO |
|---|
| Launch & Validate | M1–M3 | Active (gated) | Primary | Seed only | — | Active (long-tail) |
| Post-PMF Scale | M4–M6 | Scale | Sustain | Active | Pilot | Scale |
| Holiday Compound | M7–M9 | Hold | Sustain | Scale | Active | Compound |
| Brand + Auto-growth | M10–M12 | Peak | Mature | Mature | Scale | Compound |
12.4 Google Ads — Monthly Benchmark
| Month | Window | CPM | CPC | CPA (reg) | CAC (paid) | LTV30 (paid) | LTV30 / CAC | LTV365 (paid) | LTV365 / CAC |
|---|
| M1 | Jun 2026 | $22–$30 | $0.40–$0.75 | $5.50–$8.00 | $70–$115 | $28–$33 | 0.24–0.47 | $100–$130 | 0.87–1.86 |
| M2 | Jul 2026 | $22–$30 | $0.40–$0.75 | $5.00–$7.00 | $60–$95 | $30–$36 | 0.32–0.60 | $108–$145 | 1.14–2.42 |
| M3 | Aug 2026 | $24–$32 | $0.45–$0.90 | $4.50–$6.50 | $50–$80 | $38–$45 | 0.48–0.90 | $135–$180 | 1.69–3.60 |
| M4 | Sep 2026 | $25–$33 | $0.50–$1.10 | $4.00–$6.00 | $42–$67 | $40–$48 | 0.60–1.14 | $145–$195 | 2.16–4.64 |
| M5 | Oct 2026 | $26–$34 | $0.55–$1.15 | $3.80–$5.50 | $40–$60 | $42–$50 | 0.70–1.25 | $150–$200 | 2.50–5.00 |
| M6 | Nov 2026 | $28–$36 | $0.60–$1.20 | $3.60–$5.20 | $38–$55 | $44–$52 | 0.80–1.37 | $158–$210 | 2.87–5.53 |
| M7 | Dec 2026 | $30–$38 | $0.65–$1.25 | $3.80–$5.50 | $36–$52 | $46–$54 | 0.88–1.50 | $165–$215 | 3.17–5.97 |
| M8 | Jan 2027 | $26–$34 | $0.55–$1.15 | $3.50–$5.00 | $35–$50 | $48–$56 | 0.96–1.60 | $170–$225 | 3.40–6.43 |
| M9 | Feb 2027 | $26–$34 | $0.55–$1.10 | $3.30–$4.80 | $34–$48 | $50–$58 | 1.04–1.71 | $175–$235 | 3.65–6.91 |
| M10 | Mar 2027 | $28–$36 | $0.55–$1.05 | $3.20–$4.60 | $33–$46 | $52–$60 | 1.13–1.82 | $180–$240 | 3.91–7.27 |
| M11 | Apr 2027 | $30–$38 | $0.60–$1.10 | $3.00–$4.40 | $32–$45 | $53–$62 | 1.18–1.94 | $185–$250 | 4.11–7.81 |
| M12 | May 2027 | $30–$40 | $0.60–$1.15 | $3.00–$4.20 | $32–$44 | $55–$65 | 1.25–2.03 | $195–$260 | 4.43–8.13 |
Drivers: PMax/Search ML maturity + KOL re-edit asset library + Demand Gen scale compress CPA over time. Q4 CPM premium offset by tROAS bidding and creative library depth. KOL spillover (≈30–40% of KOL impressions arrive as branded/direct search) materially lowers Google Ads effective CPA in M2+. CPC extension (2026-06-03): CPC derived from CPM ÷ (blended CTR × 1000) where blended CTR shifts with surface mix — M1–M2 Search + brand-defense heavy (~4–6%) → lowest CPC; M3–M6 PMax + Demand Gen scale dilutes blended CTR (~3–4.5%) → CPC widens; M7 + M12 Q3 / Q4 brand-search peaks lift CPM but brand-CTR uplift offsets, holding CPC band stable; M10–M12 ML maturity + brand-search dominance (~3.5–5% blended CTR) compresses CPC upper bound. Implied visit→reg conv-rate ramps from ~5–14% (M1, mixed-intent landing pages) to ~20–27% (M12, mature ML + brand search + landing-page CRO at scale). CPC kill-switch: any campaign type running CPC >2× upper-bound for 2 consecutive weeks → audit Quality Score + landing-page experience before reinvestment; if Search brand-keyword CPC drifts >$2.00, escalate to brand-defense bidding strategy review. Paid-user LTV recalibration v2 (2026-06-03, competitive-equilibrium audit): Tightened LTV365 (paid) multiplier from 6–9× monthly ARPA to 3–4× monthly ARPA (paid-acquired raw, pre-lifecycle nurture) — the prior 6–9× anchored on Cursor / Replit / Lovable's engaged-cohort 70–80% retention, which is a post-nurture outcome (EDM + community + creator flywheel) and is not directly attributable to Google Ads as the acquisition channel. Raw paid-acquired retention sits closer to 50–65% at D365 before lifecycle uplift. Anchor inputs unchanged: blended paid-user ARPA $33 (M1, $11.6K MRR ÷ 352 paid users per §1.1) → $45 (M3) → $50–$70 (M12); LTV30 (paid) ≈ 0.85–1.0× monthly ARPA reflecting 7–21d paid-conversion lag + first-month subscription burn. CAC trajectory plateau M6+ (was compressing to $23–$34 by M12): ceiling and floor both held in $32–$55 band M6–M12 — paid auction channels self-cap CAC compression via competitive bid-up; sustained compression below the M6 floor is a transient state (competitors haven't noticed the favorable economics yet), not a steady state. Cursor / Lovable / Dify / n8n bid Pro C / 创作者 builder-intent and brand-defense keywords until equilibrium is restored. Industry benchmark (mature paid auction, Bessemer SaaS Cloud Index 2025 + impact.com 2024 paid-channel attribution audit): top-quartile LTV365 / CAC 3–5×; top-decile 5–7×; best-in-class 7–10× (transient). New M12 LTV365 / CAC ceiling 8.13 (was 26.30); floor 4.43 (was 12.21) — sits at top-decile-to-best-in-class for the segment-precision Pro C / 创作者 targeting. Healthy-band gates (Google Ads paid-user, raw): LTV30 / CAC ≥ 1.0 cleared at M4 ceiling (1.14) and M9 floor (1.04); LTV365 / CAC ≥ 3.0 (L1b SaaS healthy) cleared at M3 ceiling (3.60) and M7 floor (3.17); LTV365 / CAC ≥ 5.0 (top-decile) cleared at M5 ceiling (5.00) and M11 floor (4.11). Competitive-equilibrium guardrail: if monthly LTV365 / CAC ceiling sustains > 8.0 for 2 consecutive months → flag for proactive bid-floor / competitor share-of-voice / SOV audit; the high ratio is a leading indicator of competitor entry, not a stable outcome. Pre-empt with brand-defense bid uplift before competitors converge. Attribution discipline: LTV expansion via EDM nurture (§12.6), community / creator flywheel (§12.9.1), and KOL trust-premium spillover is captured in §12.6 / §12.10 blended view — do not credit private-domain LTV uplift to Google Ads as the acquisition channel. The §12.10 all-channel LTV365 / CAC ceiling at M12 (3.34–6.86) is the integrated unit-economics view; §12.4 is the channel-raw view used for paid-channel kill-switches and bid-floor decisions. Convention note (unchanged): §12.4 LTV columns are per-paid-user; §12.5–§12.10 retain the §12.2 default per-registered-user convention pending separate audits.
12.5 KOL / Influencer (Ynot) — Monthly Benchmark
12.5.1 KOL Platform Mix (FY1 Anchor Allocation)
Boids’ builder-narrative positioning routes KOL spend across four mainstream platforms in proportion to audience-segment fit. The YouTube-dominant mix reflects the long-form product walkthrough requirement for 创作者 + Pro C (highest-intent segments), with Twitter/X carrying the indie-hacker thread culture, TikTok carrying Wave-3 viral magic-moment showcases for 普通 C, and LinkedIn carrying premium B2B thought leadership.
| Platform | Share of KOL Spend | Primary Segment | CPM (boosted) | CPC (boosted) | CPA (reg) | Engagement Rate | One-line Rationale |
|---|
| YouTube | 40% | 创作者 + Pro C | $25–$50 | $1.50–$4.00 | $8–$27 | 4%–8% | Long-form product walkthroughs + builder deep-dives convert highest-intent viewers; aligns with §11 Demand Gen 16–30s + 31s–2min spend share. |
| Twitter / X | 30% | Pro C + 创作者 | $10–$25 | $0.80–$2.50 | $4–$21 | 1.5%–3.5% | Indie-hacker community + AI-builder thread culture; lowest friction for L2a builder-verb shareability + viral re-tweet loop. |
| TikTok | 18% | 普通 C | $8–$20 | $0.60–$1.80 | $6–$30 | 5%–9% | Wave-3 viral magic-moment showcases; vertical 9:16 cuts share asset library with §11 Demand Gen Shorts placement. |
| LinkedIn | 12% | Pro C + 创作者 | $40–$80 | $5.00–$15.00 | $31–$125 | 2%–4% | Premium B2B thought leadership for “orchestrate a mesh of agents” narrative; capped at 12% — high CPM premium only justified for Pro C + 创作者 reach, not 普通 C. |
Blended weighted CPM: ≈ $19–$41 (lower bound 0.40×$25 + 0.30×$10 + 0.18×$8 + 0.12×$40 = $19.24; upper bound 0.40×$50 + 0.30×$25 + 0.18×$20 + 0.12×$80 = $40.70). Blended weighted CPC: ≈ $1.55–$4.47 (lower bound 0.40×$1.50 + 0.30×$0.80 + 0.18×$0.60 + 0.12×$5.00 = $1.548; upper bound 0.40×$4.00 + 0.30×$2.50 + 0.18×$1.80 + 0.12×$15.00 = $4.474). Blended weighted CPA (reg): ≈ $9–$38 (lower bound 0.40×$8 + 0.30×$4 + 0.18×$6 + 0.12×$31 = $9.20; upper bound 0.40×$27 + 0.30×$21 + 0.18×$30 + 0.12×$125 = $37.50). CPC is derived from CPM ÷ (link-CTR × 1000) on boosted KOL placements: YouTube ~1–3% link CTR on end-card / pinned-comment CTAs; Twitter/X ~1–2% on builder-thread links; TikTok ~0.8–1.3% (bio-link drop-off — high engagement, low click intent); LinkedIn ~0.4–0.8% (B2B CPC premium offsets premium CPM). CPA (reg) is derived from CPC ÷ visit-to-reg conv-rate per platform: YouTube ~15–20% (long-form viewers self-select for product walkthroughs); Twitter/X ~12–18% (builder community pre-qualified); TikTok ~6–10% (entertainment intent, lower builder-fit despite high engagement); LinkedIn ~12–16% (B2B intent high but link-card friction + premium click cost = highest CPA among the four). Wave-1 (M1) skews YouTube + LinkedIn-heavy → above-blended CPM, CPC, and CPA; mix re-weights into Twitter/X + TikTok through M2–M3 as creative library matures, compressing all three metrics toward the blended target. Platform allocation can re-weight ±5pp month-over-month based on creative-winner distribution; deviation >10pp triggers Wave-replan with Ynot. Engagement-rate floor: any platform falling below the lower-bound for 2 consecutive waves → reduce platform share by 25% next month. CPC kill-switch: any platform’s blended CPC running >2× upper-bound for 2 consecutive waves → pause boost, audit creative + link-card friction before re-activation. CPA kill-switch: any platform’s CPA running >2× upper-bound for 2 consecutive waves → freeze boost + escalate to creative + landing-page audit (likely visit→reg conv-rate collapse, not click cost).
12.5.2 Monthly Benchmark — Blended (All Platforms)
| Month | Window | CPM (boosted) | CPC (boosted) | CPA (reg) | CAC (paid) | LTV30 | LTV365 | LTV365 / CAC |
|---|
| M1 | Jun 2026 | $28–$50 | $2.50–$5.50 | $12–$29 | $175–$425 | $4.00–$7.00 | $22–$50 | 0.05–0.29 |
| M2 | Jul 2026 | $25–$45 | $2.20–$4.80 | $10–$24 | $135–$320 | $5.00–$8.50 | $28–$60 | 0.09–0.44 |
| M3 | Aug 2026 | $22–$42 | $1.90–$4.40 | $8–$21 | $95–$245 | $6.00–$10.00 | $35–$72 | 0.14–0.76 |
| M4 | Sep 2026 | $20–$40 | $1.70–$4.20 | $7–$19 | $75–$205 | $7.00–$11.00 | $42–$80 | 0.20–1.07 |
| M5 | Oct 2026 | $19–$38 | $1.55–$3.80 | $6–$17 | $60–$170 | $7.50–$11.50 | $46–$86 | 0.27–1.43 |
| M6 | Nov 2026 | $20–$40 | $1.65–$4.00 | $6–$17 | $55–$155 | $8.00–$12.00 | $50–$92 | 0.32–1.67 |
| M7 | Dec 2026 | $22–$42 | $1.85–$4.30 | $7–$18 | $62–$160 | $8.20–$12.50 | $54–$97 | 0.34–1.56 |
| M8 | Jan 2027 | $19–$38 | $1.50–$3.70 | $5–$15 | $43–$128 | $8.50–$12.80 | $58–$100 | 0.45–2.33 |
| M9 | Feb 2027 | $18–$36 | $1.45–$3.60 | $5–$14 | $42–$117 | $8.80–$13.00 | $61–$104 | 0.52–2.48 |
| M10 | Mar 2027 | $19–$38 | $1.50–$3.75 | $5–$14 | $41–$114 | $9.00–$13.50 | $65–$108 | 0.57–2.63 |
| M11 | Apr 2027 | $19–$38 | $1.50–$3.75 | $5–$14 | $39–$110 | $9.20–$13.80 | $68–$110 | 0.62–2.82 |
| M12 | May 2027 | $20–$40 | $1.65–$4.00 | $6–$14 | $46–$108 | $9.50–$14.00 | $72–$115 | 0.67–2.50 |
Drivers: KOL is creator / Pro C-heavy → high LTV30 but high CAC. Hit content compresses CPA into the lower band — when this happens, redirect Google Ads (Demand Gen) to amplify the same asset, not as a substitute for KOL. Wave-2 re-edit assets recovered into Demand Gen lower paid CAC indirectly across M3+. Audit calibration (2026-06-03): CPM (boosted) range tightened from $32–$60 (YouTube/LinkedIn-skewed) to $18–$50 (blended across §12.5.1 platform mix) — Wave-1 (M1, YouTube + LinkedIn-heavy) sits at $28–$50; M5 / M9 troughs reflect Twitter+TikTok-mature mix; M6–M7 + M12 upticks reflect Q3 holiday CPM inflation + Q4 brand-event premium. CPC extension (2026-06-03): CPC (boosted) column derived from monthly CPM × blended link-CTR (~0.9–1.2%, weighted across §12.5.1 platform mix), tracking the same M1 Wave-1 skew → $2.50–$5.50 (YouTube + LinkedIn-heavy CPC premium) and M5 / M9 troughs → $1.45–$3.80 (Twitter + TikTok-mature mix lowers click cost). Full-FY1 CPC band $1.45–$5.50 reconciles to §12.5.1 blended target $1.55–$4.47 once platform mix stabilizes from M3 onward. Trust-premium recalibration (2026-06-03): CPA / CAC / LTV365 / CAC columns recalibrated to reflect KOL-specific visit→reg conversion premium — KOL viewers arrive with creator endorsement (trust basis) and self-select for builder content, yielding a blended visit→reg conv-rate of 19–22% (M1) ramping to 27–30% (M12), structurally above Google Ads (§12.4) implied 5–14% (M1) → 14–38% (M12). The trust premium dominates at launch (M1–M3, where Google Ads has zero ML signal) and stabilizes through FY1 as Google Ads ML matures + brand-search compounds (KOL spillover into Google Ads brand-defense queries). New CPA band $5–$29 (FY1) vs old $9–$35; CAC band $39–$425 vs old $72–$450 — KOL CAC still sits above Google Ads CAC in absolute terms (KOL CPC ~3–4× higher) but the gap narrows materially. LTV365 / CAC ceiling clears 1.0 by M4 (was M11 under old calibration); M9 ceiling at 2.48 enters L1b SaaS healthy band approach (≥3.0); M12 ceiling at 2.50 sits within striking distance of healthy ceiling once Pro C / 创作者 cohort retention compounds beyond FY1.
12.6 EDM (Email Marketing) — Monthly Benchmark
| Month | Window | CPM (imputed) | CPA (reg) | CAC (paid) | LTV30 | LTV365 | LTV365/CAC |
|---|
| M1 | Jun 2026 | $1.00–$3.00 | $4.00–$10.00 | $55–$145 | $1.50–$2.50 | $8–$15 | 0.06–0.27 |
| M2 | Jul 2026 | $0.80–$2.50 | $3.50–$8.00 | $40–$95 | $2.50–$4.00 | $13–$24 | 0.14–0.60 |
| M3 | Aug 2026 | $0.70–$2.20 | $3.00–$7.00 | $33–$80 | $3.50–$5.50 | $19–$33 | 0.24–1.00 |
| M4 | Sep 2026 | $0.60–$2.00 | $2.50–$6.00 | $25–$60 | $4.50–$6.80 | $25–$42 | 0.42–1.68 |
| M5 | Oct 2026 | $0.55–$1.80 | $2.20–$5.50 | $20–$52 | $5.00–$7.50 | $28–$46 | 0.54–2.30 |
| M6 | Nov 2026 | $0.50–$1.80 | $2.00–$5.00 | $18–$45 | $5.50–$8.00 | $32–$50 | 0.71–2.78 |
| M7 | Dec 2026 | $0.50–$1.80 | $1.80–$4.50 | $15–$40 | $5.80–$8.50 | $35–$54 | 0.88–3.60 |
| M8 | Jan 2027 | $0.50–$1.70 | $1.60–$4.20 | $13–$35 | $6.20–$9.00 | $38–$58 | 1.09–4.46 |
| M9 | Feb 2027 | $0.50–$1.70 | $1.50–$4.00 | $13–$33 | $6.50–$9.30 | $40–$60 | 1.21–4.62 |
| M10 | Mar 2027 | $0.50–$1.60 | $1.40–$3.80 | $11–$30 | $6.80–$9.50 | $43–$62 | 1.43–5.64 |
| M11 | Apr 2027 | $0.50–$1.60 | $1.30–$3.50 | $10–$28 | $7.00–$9.80 | $45–$65 | 1.61–6.50 |
| M12 | May 2027 | $0.50–$1.50 | $1.20–$3.30 | $10–$26 | $7.20–$10.00 | $47–$67 | 1.81–6.70 |
Drivers: EDM is a list-asset business — M1–M2 list seeding (waitlist + Product Hunt + Discord + Wave-1 KOL co-reg). Full activation from M3. CPA drops as list quality compounds; LTV30 lifts because warm-list registrations are pre-qualified Pro C / 创作者 with higher Use→Create propensity.
12.7 Affiliate Program — Monthly Benchmark
12.7.1 Affiliate Commercial Structure (impact.com / PartnerStack benchmark)
Modelled against impact.com 2024–2025 SaaS Affiliate Benchmark Report + PartnerStack Q1 2026 SaaS Partner Index + Awin / Rakuten Advertising 2025 Creator Economy Report — Boids’ affiliate program operates as a 3-tier commission ladder with cookie-window differentiation + Y2 rev-share for top-tier creators, run on impact.com’s tracking + payout infrastructure. Per-new-paying-user commissions sit within the $50–$150 cap from the prior §12.7 audit (2026-06-03), with hybrid flat + rev-share alternates available to T2 / T3 partners.
| Tier | Affiliate Profile | Per-New-Paying-User Commission | Cookie Window | Rev-Share Alternative (Y1) | Typical EPC | Tier Mix M3 → M12 |
|---|
| T1 — Base | High-volume coupon / cashback / loyalty (Honey, Capital One Shopping, Rakuten Extension, Acorn) | $30–$50 | 30 days | None — flat only | $0.30–$0.80 | 70% → 40% |
| T2 — Mid | Content / SEO / niche newsletters (Tom’s Guide, AlternativeTo, Indie Hackers Newsletter, Pro C-leaning blogs) | $75–$100 | 60 days | 20% of L12M revenue, capped at $300 | $0.80–$2.00 | 25% → 35% |
| T3 — Top | Creator-economy signed creators (YouTube ≥100K, Pro C-influencer Substacks, partnership-managed) | $125–$150 | 90 days | 25–30% L12M + Y2 revenue share, no cap | $1.50–$3.50 | 5% → 25% |
Weighted commission per new paying user: M3 mix (70% T1 / 25% T2 / 5% T3) → 0.70×$40 + 0.25×$87.50 + 0.05×$137.50 ≈ $57 (mid); M12 mix (40% T1 / 35% T2 / 25% T3) → 0.40×$40 + 0.35×$87.50 + 0.25×$137.50 ≈ $81 (mid). Weighted commission rises as the program matures because T3 creator-economy affiliates (highest payout, highest LTV) take share — opposite to the M3 → M12 ceiling-compression in the pre-audit model. Platform fee (impact.com tier): ~6% override on commissions paid + $1,500–$3,500/mo flat at Boids’ M3–M12 affiliate volume; absorbed into the §12.7.2 Loaded CAC band. Incrementality discount: 15–25% of T1 (coupon / cashback) attributed conversions are non-incremental last-click intercepts (impact.com 2024 incrementality-test median); Loaded CAC reported below is gross-attributed — net-incremental CAC sits ~10–18% lower at M3 (T1-heavy) tightening to ~5–8% lower at M12 (T1 share recedes). Cookie-window mix: blended attribution window 38 days (M3) → 64 days (M12), reflecting T3 share growth — material for cross-channel attribution reconciliation in §12.9.1. Tier-promotion gates: affiliates in T1 driving ≥30 paid conversions in 60 days auto-promote to T2; T2 affiliates with EPC > $1.50 sustained 90 days + ≥10 paid conversions/mo are eligible for T3 partnership review.
12.7.2 Monthly Benchmark — Loaded (Commission + Platform Fee)
| Month | Window | EPC | CPA (reg) | Loaded CAC (paid) | LTV30 | LTV365 | LTV365 / CAC |
|---|
| M1 | Jun 2026 | n/a (setup) | n/a | $1.5K–$3.5K / mo platform burn (no attributed users) |
| M2 | Jul 2026 | n/a (recruit) | n/a | $1.5K–$3.5K / mo platform burn + recruitment ramp |
| M3 | Aug 2026 | $0.75–$2.10 | $6–$12 | $65–$135 | $6.00–$9.00 | $36–$62 | 0.27–0.95 |
| M4 | Sep 2026 | $0.85–$2.30 | $6–$12 | $62–$130 | $6.50–$10.00 | $40–$70 | 0.31–1.13 |
| M5 | Oct 2026 | $0.95–$2.50 | $6–$12 | $60–$125 | $7.00–$11.00 | $45–$78 | 0.36–1.30 |
| M6 | Nov 2026 | $1.05–$2.70 | $6–$12 | $60–$122 | $7.50–$11.80 | $50–$86 | 0.41–1.43 |
| M7 | Dec 2026 | $1.15–$2.90 | $7–$13 | $58–$120 | $8.00–$12.50 | $54–$93 | 0.45–1.60 |
| M8 | Jan 2027 | $1.20–$3.05 | $7–$13 | $58–$118 | $8.50–$13.00 | $58–$99 | 0.49–1.71 |
| M9 | Feb 2027 | $1.25–$3.20 | $7–$13 | $58–$115 | $9.00–$13.50 | $63–$105 | 0.55–1.81 |
| M10 | Mar 2027 | $1.30–$3.30 | $7–$13 | $60–$112 | $9.30–$14.00 | $67–$110 | 0.60–1.83 |
| M11 | Apr 2027 | $1.35–$3.40 | $8–$13 | $62–$110 | $9.60–$14.50 | $71–$115 | 0.65–1.85 |
| M12 | May 2027 | $1.40–$3.50 | $8–$14 | $65–$108 | $10.00–$15.00 | $75–$120 | 0.69–1.85 |
Drivers (impact.com benchmark audit, 2026-06-03): (1) Tier mix evolution is the dominant cost driver — as T3 creator-economy affiliates take share (5% M3 → 25% M12), weighted commission rises ($57 → $81), but T3-acquired users skew Pro C / 创作者 with builder intent, so LTV30 + LTV365 lift materially faster (LTV365 $36–$62 M3 → $75–$120 M12), pulling LTV365 / CAC into the 0.69–1.85 band. (2) CAC trajectory inverted from pre-audit assumption — pre-audit model showed CAC compressing $150 → $75 driven by ML / payout-tier tightening; impact.com data shows the opposite at top quartile: ceiling compresses moderately ($150 → $108 via operational + incrementality-audit efficiency) but floor rises ($65 → $65, weighted-commission climb cancels operational savings). (3) Loaded CAC ≠ commission CAC — platform fee (impact.com ~6% override + $1.5–$3.5K/mo flat) absorbs into the band; net-incremental CAC (after T1 coupon-affiliate incrementality discount) sits ~10–18% below the table at M3, ~5–8% below at M12. Use net-incremental CAC for §12.10 blended view reconciliation, not gross-attributed Loaded CAC. (4) EPC is the partner-facing magnet metric — impact.com / Awin partner-recruitment dashboards rank programs by EPC; Boids’ M12 ceiling at $3.50 sits in the top-decile of B2C SaaS programs (peer benchmark: Webflow $2.80, ConvertKit $3.20, Notion $1.90, Framer $2.50). T3 partnership pitch must lead with EPC > $3.00 to compete for top creators. (5) M1–M2 are platform-burn months, not n/a — impact.com onboarding + first-cohort recruitment runs $1.5–$3.5K/mo before first attributed paying user. (6) LTV365 / CAC clears 1.0 by M4 ceiling (was M9 in pre-audit) and approaches L1b SaaS healthy band (≥3.0) only with Y2 cohort retention compounding beyond FY1. (7) Cross-channel synergy with §12.5 KOL: T3 affiliates overlap with Wave-2 / Wave-3 Ynot KOLs; conflict-of-interest gate enforced — a KOL cannot earn both Ynot-managed campaign fee + T3 affiliate commission on the same conversion; affiliate attribution defers to KOL UTM if both fire within the same cookie window.
12.8 SEO / Content Marketing — Monthly Benchmark
| Month | Window | CPM (imputed) | CPA (reg) | CAC (paid) | LTV30 | LTV365 | LTV365/CAC |
|---|
| M1 | Jun 2026 | $3.00–$8.00 | $6.00–$12.00 | $80–$175 | $2.00–$3.50 | $11–$21 | 0.06–0.26 |
| M2 | Jul 2026 | $2.50–$6.50 | $4.50–$9.50 | $55–$115 | $3.00–$5.00 | $17–$30 | 0.15–0.55 |
| M3 | Aug 2026 | $2.00–$5.50 | $3.50–$7.50 | $40–$90 | $4.00–$6.50 | $22–$39 | 0.24–0.98 |
| M4 | Sep 2026 | $1.80–$5.00 | $2.80–$6.00 | $28–$60 | $5.00–$7.50 | $28–$46 | 0.47–1.64 |
| M5 | Oct 2026 | $1.50–$4.50 | $2.30–$5.20 | $22–$48 | $5.50–$8.20 | $32–$51 | 0.67–2.32 |
| M6 | Nov 2026 | $1.30–$4.00 | $2.00–$4.50 | $18–$42 | $6.00–$8.80 | $36–$56 | 0.86–3.11 |
| M7 | Dec 2026 | $1.20–$3.80 | $1.80–$4.20 | $16–$38 | $6.50–$9.20 | $39–$60 | 1.03–3.75 |
| M8 | Jan 2027 | $1.10–$3.50 | $1.60–$3.80 | $13–$32 | $6.80–$9.60 | $42–$63 | 1.31–4.85 |
| M9 | Feb 2027 | $1.00–$3.20 | $1.50–$3.50 | $13–$30 | $7.00–$9.80 | $44–$65 | 1.47–5.00 |
| M10 | Mar 2027 | $1.00–$3.00 | $1.30–$3.20 | $10–$25 | $7.20–$10.00 | $46–$67 | 1.84–6.70 |
| M11 | Apr 2027 | $0.90–$2.80 | $1.20–$3.00 | $10–$24 | $7.50–$10.30 | $48–$70 | 2.00–7.00 |
| M12 | May 2027 | $0.80–$2.50 | $1.10–$2.80 | $9–$22 | $7.80–$10.50 | $50–$72 | 2.27–8.00 |
Drivers: SEO is the inverted-CAC channel — heavy upfront content investment (4 long-form / week + 2 PGC), payoff compounds from M3 onward. LTV30 leans Pro C (high search intent: build AI agent, agent orchestration). Cost amortized over indexed lifetime; effective CPA continues to fall through M12.
12.9 Revenue Share by Channel (Monthly, GA4 Default Channel Group)
Defines the share of monthly revenue attributed to each traffic source in GA4 last-touch (Default Channel Group). Unlike §12.1 (spend share — input view), this is revenue share — output view. Organic Search + Direct included because they receive material conversion credit even though they don't carry direct CAC.
| Month | Window | Organic Search | Direct | Paid Search | Paid Social | Email | Referral | Display |
|---|
| M1 | Jun 2026 | 3% | 8% | 18% | 50% | 1% | 14% | 6% |
| M2 | Jul 2026 | 5% | 10% | 19% | 47% | 2% | 12% | 5% |
| M3 | Aug 2026 | 8% | 12% | 20% | 41% | 4% | 10% | 5% |
| M4 | Sep 2026 | 12% | 14% | 21% | 35% | 5% | 8% | 5% |
| M5 | Oct 2026 | 16% | 16% | 22% | 30% | 6% | 6% | 4% |
| M6 | Nov 2026 | 20% | 18% | 22% | 25% | 7% | 5% | 3% |
| M7 | Dec 2026 | 24% | 19% | 21% | 21% | 8% | 4% | 3% |
| M8 | Jan 2027 | 27% | 20% | 20% | 18% | 8% | 4% | 3% |
| M9 | Feb 2027 | 29% | 20% | 20% | 16% | 9% | 4% | 2% |
| M10 | Mar 2027 | 31% | 21% | 19% | 14% | 9% | 4% | 2% |
| M11 | Apr 2027 | 33% | 21% | 19% | 12% | 9% | 4% | 2% |
| M12 | May 2027 | 35% | 22% | 18% | 11% | 9% | 3% | 2% |
Launch realism: At M1, Boids has zero domain authority, zero installed base, and minimal brand recognition — Organic Search + Direct combined start at ≈11%, reflecting only KOL-spillover branded queries and dark-social URL access from Wave-1 KOL + Product Hunt launch traffic. Paid Social dominates M1 (≈50%, KOL boost via Demand Gen + 飞书深诺) per §1.3 + §10. Organic Search + Direct combined ramps from ≈11% (M1) to ≈57% (M12) as SEO content compounds (per §12.8), Wave-2/3 KOL + Product Hunt drive branded queries, and the creator-economy flywheel matures bookmark/re-open traffic. Read alongside §12.1: §12.1 is spend share (input), §12.9 is revenue share (output). Rows sum to 100% (rounding ±1%).
12.9.1 KOL Cross-Channel Attribution Overlay
GA4 Default Channel Group has no native “KOL” — KOL traffic fragments across Referral (UTM-tagged links from creator descriptions / pinned comments / bio links), Direct (creator-spoken “go to boids.so” with no UTM), Organic Search (KOL-driven branded queries hitting SERP), Paid Social (boosted KOL via Google Demand Gen Partnership Ads + 飞书深诺), and Paid Search (Search Brand-Defense bidding catching KOL-driven brand queries). To make KOL’s true revenue contribution visible, the table below estimates the KOL portion within each channel at five anchor months, then aggregates the total KOL cross-channel revenue share.
| Month | Referral (× KOL %) | Direct (× KOL %) | Organic Search (× KOL %) | Paid Social (× KOL %) | Paid Search (× KOL %) | Total KOL Revenue Share |
|---|
| M1 | 14% × 80% = 11.2% | 8% × 50% = 4.0% | 3% × 30% = 0.9% | 50% × 50% = 25.0% | 18% × 10% = 1.8% | ≈43% |
| M3 | 10% × 80% = 8.0% | 12% × 45% = 5.4% | 8% × 35% = 2.8% | 41% × 45% = 18.5% | 20% × 12% = 2.4% | ≈37% |
| M6 | 5% × 75% = 3.8% | 18% × 30% = 5.4% | 20% × 30% = 6.0% | 25% × 35% = 8.8% | 22% × 12% = 2.6% | ≈27% |
| M9 | 4% × 70% = 2.8% | 20% × 22% = 4.4% | 29% × 22% = 6.4% | 16% × 30% = 4.8% | 20% × 10% = 2.0% | ≈20% |
| M12 | 3% × 65% = 2.0% | 22% × 18% = 4.0% | 35% × 18% = 6.3% | 11% × 25% = 2.8% | 18% × 8% = 1.4% | ≈16% |
Reading guide: KOL’s per-channel ownership decays as other channels mature — Referral starts at 80% KOL-owned (rest from Product Hunt + Discord) and decays to 65% (partner integrations, affiliate links, indie-hacker community shares dilute); Direct decays from 50% (creator-spoken brand recall is a launch driver) to 18% (mature SEO-driven bookmark traffic dominates); Organic Search decays from 30% (KOL-only brand queries) to 18% (§12.8 SEO long-tail compounds). Paid Social KOL ownership decays from 50% (boosted KOL = majority of paid-social spend at launch) to 25% as 飞书深诺 non-KOL creative library matures. Total KOL cross-channel revenue ramps DOWN from ≈43% (M1) to ≈16% (M12) — not because KOL revenue declines absolutely, but because other channels grow faster (per §12.3 maturity curve). Cross-check: §12.1 KOL spend share drops 22% (M1) → 10% (M12); KOL revenue share drops 43% → 16%, yielding a stable revenue / spend efficiency multiplier of ≈1.6–1.95× across FY1 (consistent with the trust-premium calibration in §12.5.2 Drivers). KOL is therefore the highest-revenue-multiplier channel through FY1, even as its allocation tightens.
12.10 Blended Cross-Channel View (Weighted by Spend Mix, All-Revenue Adjusted)
Re-calibrated to include revenue from Organic Search + Direct (per §12.9), which are not attributable to paid CAC but are unlocked by the same brand, content, and product investment. Effective all-channel LTV multiplier = 1 ÷ (1 − Organic Search & Direct revenue share): M1 ≈1.12×, M3 ≈1.25×, M6 ≈1.61×, M9 ≈1.96×, M12 ≈2.33×. The multiplier curve is steeper than a mature-SaaS profile because Boids starts with near-zero organic equity at launch and compounds it through FY1. CAC denominator unchanged (paid spend ÷ paid users).
| Month | Blended CPA (reg) | Blended CAC | All-Channel LTV30 | LTV30/CAC | All-Channel LTV365 | LTV365/CAC |
|---|
| M1 | $4.50–$6.50 | $66–$96 | $2.50–$3.80 | 0.03–0.06 | $12–$24 | 0.13–0.36 |
| M3 | $4.20–$6.00 | $49–$71 | $4.30–$6.50 | 0.06–0.13 | $22–$40 | 0.31–0.82 |
| M6 | $3.40–$5.00 | $31–$45 | $8.40–$12.20 | 0.19–0.39 | $49–$77 | 1.09–2.48 |
| M9 | $3.00–$4.40 | $25–$37 | $12.40–$17.20 | 0.33–0.69 | $75–$110 | 2.03–4.40 |
| M12 | $2.80–$4.10 | $22–$32 | $16.70–$23.30 | 0.52–1.06 | $107–$151 | 3.34–6.86 |
Healthy band targets (all-channel basis): LTV30/CAC ≥ 0.50 and LTV365/CAC ≥ 3.0 by M12 — the entire M12 LTV365/CAC band (3.34–6.86) clears the L1b SaaS healthy ceiling ≥ 3.0, with M12 paid channels paying back within ≈12 months on an all-revenue basis. M6 (1.09–2.48) signals progress; M9 (2.03–4.40) enters the ceiling band lower half. Pre-M6 expectation is intentionally low — at launch, paid spend is the only acquisition driver and the Organic + Direct compounding tail is still building. If month-over-month LTV30/CAC fails to step up by ≥0.04, or LTV365/CAC fails to step up by ≥0.25 for two consecutive months post-M3, trigger §4.2 channel-mix rebalance. Note: Paid-only LTV (excluding Organic Search + Direct) remains the kill-switch reference for individual paid-channel cards (§12.4–§12.8) — do not credit organic uplift to a single paid channel.
12.11 Guardrails
- CPA kill-switch: Any channel running >2× table upper band for 2 consecutive weeks → pause spend, escalate per §5 weekly review.
- LTV30 floor: Channel LTV30 below table lower band for 2 consecutive cohorts → suspect fraud or wrong-segment acquisition; audit segment_inferred re-classification per funnel doc §4.4.
- LTV365/CAC floor: Channel LTV365/CAC < 0.5 in any post-M6 month → channel does not pay back within 24 months at current ratio; reduce channel share by 25% next period unless segment-mix narrative explicitly justifies (e.g., 创作者 long-tail flywheel with credit multiplier).
- CAC ceiling: Blended CAC > $80 in any post-M3 month → freeze incremental budget; revert to M3 mix until Use→Create rate recovers ≥ 22% (Pro C, D7).
- Channel maturity gates: EDM activates M3, Affiliate activates M3, both contingent on instrumentation P1 events (per funnel doc §5) live and verified.
- Cross-channel synergy rule: When KOL hit content compresses KOL CPA into the lower band, allocate up to 15% of Google Ads Demand Gen budget that week to amplify the same asset before refresh — do not treat as a channel substitution.