4 Ways to Help DTC Brands Control CAC While Scaling Ad Spend

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Scaling paid acquisition is not just about spending more. The real challenge is to scale without letting Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) spiral out of control.

At Kleek, we work with DTC brands scaling from $5M to $20M in revenue.
We’ve seen the same patterns over and over: scaling exposes weaknesses that drive CAC up if the growth system isn’t built properly.

Here’s how we approach CAC management at every stage of paid scaling:

Bottleneck 1: Strong CTR but weak conversions

Symptom:
Traffic is coming in, but conversions are not following.

Problem:
Funnel friction is killing paid performance before scaling can even fully activate.

Our solution:

  • Audit product page UX (speed, copy, visuals)

  • Simplify checkout and reduce friction

  • Optimize offer structure (bundles, pricing, AOV plays)

  • Build early retargeting sequences on Meta & Google to recover lost intent

Bottleneck 2: CTR fatigue and rising CPMs

Symptom:
Ads start losing engagement. CPMs climb, CTR drops.

Our solution:

  • Aggressive creative testing cycles to refresh messaging

  • Consistent rotation of ad formats, angles and hooks

  • Segment audiences more granularly to preserve engagement levels

  • Structure TOF/MOF/BOF sequencing properly to maintain efficiency

Bottleneck 3: CAC rising sharply, even with new creatives

Symptom:
Creative refresh isn’t enough to stabilize CAC anymore.

Our solution:

  • Adjust offer architecture (subscription models, deeper bundles, pricing tests)

  • Strengthen post-purchase flows (email & SMS retention sequences)

  • Clean seed audiences and refresh lookalike sources

  • Selective channel expansion: only after funnel stability (YouTube, TikTok, influencers)

Bottleneck 4: Intent channels saturate

Symptom:
Google Ads and search-based channels max out available search volume.

Our solution:

  • Maximize intent channel structures (granular campaign segmentation)

  • Carefully expand secondary intent platforms (Bing, Reddit, Quora, affiliates)

  • Support search with retargeting sequences to capitalize on existing intent traffic

Conclusion

Scaling paid acquisition is never just about media buying.
It’s about building a full revenue system that allows you to scale without sacrificing profitability.

At Kleek, we partner with DTC brands to engineer growth systems designed to protect CAC while scaling and unlock real long-term growth.