Performance Marketing Specialist
Know what every ad dollar brings back: measurable growth on Google, Meta and TikTok.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Duration
- ~36 hours
- Live
- 47/101
- Free
- 4
No credit card required. No marketing experience needed.
Program map
47
47 of 101 workouts live today
One bar per module, in program order.
- Has free workouts
- Pro
- Coming soon
From the fundamentals to your own work.
Shared foundations, a focused specialty, and projects that bring your practice together.
1The Marketing Funnel1 freeThe journey that turns a stranger into a customer, and a customer into a loyal fan, plus the metrics that measure each stage.6 workouts, 35 min
- 1What is a marketing funnel?5 min5 minFree
- 2Awareness: meeting someone who has never heard of you6 min6 minPro
- 3Consideration: the "why you?" question6 min6 minPro
- 4Conversion: from click to sale6 min6 minPro
- 5Loyalty: the hidden bottom of the funnel5 min5 minPro
- 6A metric for every stage: CPM, CTR, CVR, CPA, ROAS7 min7 minPro
2Target Audience and Value PropositionNo ad works until you know who you are selling to: personas, segmentation and a clear value proposition.5 workouts, 29 min
3Marketing Metrics and KPIsKnowing which numbers really matter: choosing KPIs, unit economics, profitability and setting realistic targets.6 workouts, 37 min
- 1Metric or KPI? Numbers tied to a goal6 min6 minPro
- 2CAC, LTV and payback period7 min7 minPro
- 3ROAS is not enough: profit margin and break-even ROAS7 min7 minPro
- 4The North Star metric and the metric tree6 min6 minPro
- 5Vanity metrics: the likes and followers trap5 min5 minPro
- 6Setting realistic targets: past data, seasonality and budget6 min6 minPro
4The Digital Channel MapSearch, social media, marketplaces, email and messaging: what each channel is good for and where your customers actually spend their time.6 workouts, 34 min
- 1Paid, owned and earned media5 min5 minPro
- 2Search: capturing intent (Google, YouTube, AI assistants)6 min6 minPro
- 3Social media: creating demand6 min6 minPro
- 4Marketplaces: where many shoppers start (Amazon, Etsy, eBay)6 min6 minPro
- 5Email, SMS and WhatsApp: reaching your own audience5 min5 minPro
- 6Choosing channels on a tight budget6 min6 minPro
5Ad Copywriting BasicsCopy that grabs attention in the first line, sells a benefit and gets people to act: hook, body, CTA and formulas that work.6 workouts, 34 min
- 1The hook: stopping people in the first line6 min6 minPro
- 2Sell benefits, not features5 min5 minPro
- 3AIDA and PAS: two formulas that work6 min6 minPro
- 4Writing a call to action (CTA)5 min5 minPro
- 5Same message, different platform: Google, Meta, TikTok, marketplaces6 min6 minPro
- 6Ad policies and truth-in-advertising rules6 min6 minPro
6Landing Pages and OffersComing soonThe page the ad sends people to: message match, page structure, offer design, no-code tools and the numbers that tell you if it works.6 workouts, 34 min
- 1Message match: the ad and the page must say the same thing5 min5 minComing soon
- 2Anatomy of a landing page that converts6 min6 minComing soon
- 3Designing the offer: lead magnet, trial, consultation, discount6 min6 minComing soon
- 4Building one with no-code tools: Webflow, Framer, WordPress, Carrd6 min6 minComing soon
- 5Forms, friction and the thank-you page5 min5 minComing soon
- 6Landing page metrics: conversion rate, cost per lead, speed6 min6 minComing soon
Portfolio project: Build a landing page for a local service. A live no-code page or a complete mockup, the matching ad, and a form-to-CRM handoff plan.
7Google Ads BasicsStart here3 freeCapturing intent on the Search Network: account structure, keyword match types, responsive search ads and Quality Score.6 workouts, 37 min
- 1Account, campaign, ad group: getting the structure right6 min6 minFree
- 2Keyword match types and negative keywords7 min7 minFree
- 3Responsive search ads (RSAs) and assets6 min6 minFree
- 4Quality Score: why does your competitor pay less per click?6 min6 minPro
- 5Reading the search terms report6 min6 minPro
- 6The first 14 days: what to change and what to leave alone6 min6 minPro
8Advanced Google Ads: Performance Max and Demand GenComing soonGoogle Ads in the age of automation: Smart Bidding, Shopping with Merchant Center, and running Performance Max and Demand Gen campaigns.6 workouts, 37 min
- 1Smart Bidding: target CPA, target ROAS and conversion value7 min7 minComing soon
- 2Merchant Center and product feed optimization6 min6 minComing soon
- 3Performance Max: asset groups, audience signals, channel report7 min7 minComing soon
- 4Demand Gen: creating demand on YouTube, Discover and Gmail6 min6 minComing soon
- 5Separating brand and non-brand traffic5 min5 minComing soon
- 6Auditing automation: recommendations, rules and scripts6 min6 minComing soon
Portfolio project: Move an online store to Performance Max. A feed improvement list, product groups by profit margin, a Performance Max campaign structure and a 4-week migration timeline.
9Meta Ads BasicsComing soonAdvertising on Instagram and Facebook: build your first campaign with the right objective, audiences, placements and budget.6 workouts, 36 min
- 1Choosing an objective: awareness, traffic or sales?6 min6 minComing soon
- 2Campaign, ad set, ad: how Meta is structured5 min5 minComing soon
- 3Audiences: broad targeting, custom and lookalike audiences7 min7 minComing soon
- 4Placements and formats: Reels, Stories, Feed6 min6 minComing soon
- 5The learning phase and budget: why patience pays6 min6 minComing soon
- 6Reading Ads Manager reports6 min6 minComing soon
Portfolio project: Your first $1,000-a-month Meta campaign. A campaign setup plan, a creative brief and an optimization checklist for the first 30 days.
10Ad Creative ProductionComing soonFrom brief to finished ad: angles and hooks, static and video formats, UGC briefs, and a testing system that tells you which creative actually works.6 workouts, 37 min
- 1Angles before ads: finding the message worth testing6 min6 minComing soon
- 2Writing a creative brief a designer or creator can use6 min6 minComing soon
- 3Static formats that work: us-vs-them, testimonial, feature callout6 min6 minComing soon
- 4Video ads: the first three seconds, then the structure6 min6 minComing soon
- 5UGC briefs and working with creators6 min6 minComing soon
- 6Creative testing, reading results and iterating7 min7 minComing soon
Portfolio project: Build a creative test batch. Three creative briefs (static + video), six ad copy variants, and a test plan with the decision rule.
11Advanced Meta Ads: Advantage+ and Conversions APIComing soonWorking with the algorithm: Advantage+ campaigns, the Conversions API, a creative testing system and scaling.6 workouts, 37 min
- 1Advantage+ sales campaigns: when should you let go of control?7 min7 minComing soon
- 2The pixel is not enough: Conversions API and Event Match Quality7 min7 minComing soon
- 3A creative testing system: hooks, formats and angles6 min6 minComing soon
- 4Spotting and refreshing creative fatigue5 min5 minComing soon
- 5Scaling: vertical and horizontal growth6 min6 minComing soon
- 6Catalog and dynamic product ads6 min6 minComing soon
Portfolio project: Rescue a stalled Meta account. An account audit report, a simplified campaign structure and a 4-week creative testing calendar.
12Retargeting and Full-Funnel Ad StructureComing soonShowing the right ad to people who already know you: audiences by funnel stage, frequency, creative per stage and how to measure it honestly.6 workouts, 36 min
- 1Why most visitors need a second touch5 min5 minComing soon
- 2Building retargeting audiences: site, video, engagement, customer lists6 min6 minComing soon
- 3A different message for each stage: cold, warm, hot6 min6 minComing soon
- 4Frequency caps, exclusions and ad fatigue6 min6 minComing soon
- 5Structuring a full-funnel account on Meta and Google7 min7 minComing soon
- 6Measuring retargeting honestly: incrementality over ROAS6 min6 minComing soon
Portfolio project: Design a full-funnel campaign. A campaign structure sheet (audiences, budgets, creative angle per stage), exclusion and frequency rules, and a measurement plan.
13TikTok AdsComing soonSelling on the fastest channel to reach younger audiences: TikTok Ads Manager, Spark Ads, the platform's own creative language and measurement.6 workouts, 36 min
- 1Advertising on TikTok: who, why and when?5 min5 minComing soon
- 2Setting up a campaign in TikTok Ads Manager6 min6 minComing soon
- 3Spark Ads: turning a creator's video into an ad6 min6 minComing soon
- 4Ads that don't look like ads: TikTok's creative language7 min7 minComing soon
- 5Measuring with the TikTok Pixel and Events API6 min6 minComing soon
- 6Reading results and optimizing6 min6 minComing soon
Portfolio project: A TikTok launch campaign. A campaign plan, 5 video scripts (hook + flow + CTA) and a measurement setup checklist.
14Conversion Tracking and Server-Side TaggingComing soonAccurate data after cookie restrictions: conversion tags, enhanced conversions, the Conversions API and server-side GTM.6 workouts, 36 min
- 1What counts as a conversion? Micro and macro conversions5 min5 minComing soon
- 2Google enhanced conversions and first-party data6 min6 minComing soon
- 3Server-side tagging: how does sGTM work?7 min7 minComing soon
- 4Deduplicating browser and server events6 min6 minComing soon
- 5Offline conversions: connecting phone and in-store sales to ads6 min6 minComing soon
- 6Why don't platform and CRM numbers match?6 min6 minComing soon
Portfolio project: Write a measurement plan. A measurement plan document: event dictionary, parameters, data flow diagram and testing checklist.
15Budget Management and IncrementalityComing soonSplitting budget across channels the right way, spotting diminishing returns and measuring whether ads really bring in extra sales.6 workouts, 36 min
- 1Monthly budget planning and seasonality6 min6 minComing soon
- 2Diminishing returns: what each extra dollar is worth6 min6 minComing soon
- 3Incrementality: would they have bought without the ad?6 min6 minComing soon
- 4Lift tests and geo experiments7 min7 minComing soon
- 5What is marketing mix modeling (MMM) for?6 min6 minComing soon
- 6Pitching a budget request to leadership5 min5 minComing soon
Portfolio project: Reallocate a channel budget. The current and proposed budget split, an incrementality test design and a one-page summary for leadership.
16AI in MarketingMake AI your teammate for content, ad creative, analysis and research, and understand how AI search is changing marketing.6 workouts, 35 min
- 1Writing good prompts: role, context, examples, format6 min6 minPro
- 2Creating content with AI: speed, brand voice and control6 min6 minPro
- 3AI for ad images and video creative6 min6 minPro
- 4AI for data analysis: from spreadsheet to insight6 min6 minPro
- 5AI search: how ChatGPT, Gemini and AI Overviews are changing traffic6 min6 minPro
- 6Risks: hallucinations, copyright, privacy and brand safety5 min5 minPro
17Portfolio, Resume and InterviewsProve what you have learned to a recruiter: a project portfolio, an ATS-friendly resume, a LinkedIn profile and case interview practice.6 workouts, 35 min
- 1Portfolio: turning your projects into case studies6 min6 minPro
- 2A marketing resume: write results, not duties6 min6 minPro
- 3Setting up your LinkedIn profile for recruiters5 min5 minPro
- 4The case interview: "How would you spend this budget?"7 min7 minPro
- 5Take-home assignments: structure and presentation6 min6 minPro
- 6Job offers: salary research and negotiation5 min5 minPro
47 of 101 workouts in this program are live today, across 17 modules. Workouts take 5 to 7 minutes; projects need a longer, focused session.
What you'll be able to practice
You learn Google Ads, Meta and TikTok ads from the basics up to Performance Max, Demand Gen and Advantage+. Through hands-on cases, you practice collecting accurate data with the Conversions API and server-side tagging, splitting budget across channels and measuring the real impact of ads with incrementality tests.
Roles it prepares you for
Job titles you'll see in listings for this work. Titles differ from company to company, so read the duties in the listing, not just the title.
- Performance Marketing Specialist
- Paid Media Specialist
- PPC Specialist
- Paid Search Specialist
- Paid Social Specialist
- Digital Advertising Specialist
What the work looks like day to day, pay by level and country, and how the role grows: Performance Marketing Specialist
- Set up a Meta campaign on a $1,000 monthly budget and optimize it with Advantage+ and creative testing.
- Move an online store's Google Ads account, along with its Merchant Center feed, to Performance Max.
- Plan a TikTok launch campaign with Spark Ads and platform-native video scripts.
- Write a measurement plan that includes the Conversions API and server-side tagging.
- Reallocate a channel budget based on diminishing returns and design an incrementality test.
Work you can explain.
A portfolio project at the end of every module.
Example portfolio direction
Map a brand's funnel
Using the ad and sales data of a fictional brand, map every stage of its funnel, pick one metric for each stage and find the stage where the most customers drop off.
What you hand in: A one-page funnel map: stages, metrics, the weakest stage and two improvement ideas.
How the project is judged
- Accuracy
- Diagnosis
- Ideas
- Clarity
A clear place to begin.
Built for complete beginners and career switchers. You don't need a client account or your own ad budget: you work with realistic, fictional-brand scenarios.
Start with one decision.
Your first workout is ready when you are.
No credit card required. No marketing experience needed.
