A testing sprint to find the message that sells
How I designed a staged testing programme to refine product-market fit for a new SME energy proposition, and how round one doubled click-through before any budget went on a branded launch.
Where things started
The client was getting ready to take a new energy proposition to small and medium-sized businesses. The proposition was strong and different, but nobody knew which customer pain point would land best with the ideal customer.
Rather than guess and build a branded campaign around the wrong message, they needed real market evidence, quickly and cheaply.
Testing before spending
Designed a clean head-to-head test
Unbranded ads, one creative format and one audience throughout. The only variable was the headline message, so any difference in performance came down to the message.
Wrote four hooks around four pain points
I wrote four distinct hooks, each built around a different pain point for small business owners, so the test would show which problem they cared about most.
Chose the fastest route to evidence
I picked the channel that could deliver a clear, reliable read at speed and on a lean budget, rather than the one the brand would eventually launch on.
Turned the results into a roadmap
Branded validation of the winning message, an email test with existing customers and audience splits by industry, to answer what this test couldn't.
What it delivered
Even the weakest message comfortably beat the benchmarks, a strong sign the proposition itself had real appetite, not just one angle on it.
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