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Customer story · Black Box Social Media, LLC

Reduced CPM Costs from $200 to $50 Using Micro Budget Strategies

James Santiago · Recorded 4/30/2026

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Share One · April 30, 2026
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James Santiago of Black Box Social Media, LLC reports that Kurt’s dollar-a-day methodology transformed his freelance business by providing control over rising advertising costs. Santiago successfully drove CPMs down from over $200 to the $50 level, enabling greater reach and client retention through AI-leveraged processes and micro-budget scaling techniques.

At a glance

Primary Use Case
Controlling high CPM costs and scaling ads with micro budgets
Reported Result
Reduced CPMs from $200+ down to $50 or lower
Key Methodology
Dollar-a-day strategy and AI-leveraged processes
I can drive those CPMs down at will, down to the fifty dollar level and even lower.
He's in the weeds, in the trenches. He literally shows his ad accounts and shows you what's working and what's not working.
The AI that he's implementing, his processes makes it all work together, which is something I was looking for so I can get my time back.

The interview

What is the dynamic like working with Nick and Kurt?

Working with Nick and Kurt, I come to realize what genuinely good people they are because they just tell it like it is. There's a lot of gurus that try to sell me their products and stuff, and they say they're gonna train me. These people literally train me, and then we learn from each other. They truly care about who they're working with, and that's hard to find these days.

What was the primary challenge you faced before finding their methodology?

One of the biggest issues that I've always had is high CPM costs, and when I first found Kurt in twenty nineteen-ish, he had a dollar a day strategy that changed everything for my business. I was able to control CPMs at will, so that was one of the issues I had that drew me to Kurt at first.

How has the program helped you with client retention and scaling?

Retaining clients is a big thing for me, and his methodologies with the micro budgets helped me with that. At that point, a lot of people were having trouble with scaling ads, and Kurt's methodology with the micro budgets helped that. It saved my little freelance business, which was already growing.

What sets Kurt apart from other mentors in the industry?

A lot of my mentors have come and gone, and I didn't have the support that was... Kurt has always been there. He's in the weeds, in the trenches. He literally shows his ad accounts and shows you what's working and what's not working, and that helps me a lot. He's still in the game ten, twenty years later and still producing results.

How are they utilizing new technology like AI?

His team has a process which leverages AI that I haven't found in many other gurus. A lot of people put a lot of noise out there, but the AI that he's implementing, his processes makes it all work together, which is something I was looking for so I can get my time back. I created a job for myself, and I'm actually pulling back a little bit now with the help of Kurt and his processes.

Can you describe the specific impact on CPM metrics?

I run into situations where clients' CPMs is somewhere in the two hundred dollar plus range. If it's costing you two hundred dollars to get one thousand impressions, you're literally not in the auction. I can drive those CPMs down at will, down to the fifty dollar level and even lower, which gets us more reach into the database.

What is the community like within the program?

He brought in the best of the best that he's worked with throughout the years. Finding people that are in the game and in the trenches allows me to expand even more with my learning skills. We're actually all called Ad Assassins because everybody has their own little niche at what they're good at, and we just combine forces.

Frequently asked

How can I lower high CPM costs on Facebook ads?

James Santiago found that Kurt's 'dollar a day' strategy allows him to drive CPMs down from the $200 range to $50 or lower at will. This methodology increases reach within the database, allowing Facebook's auction to work more effectively for the advertiser.

Is the Your Ad Coach methodology effective across different industries?

Yes, James Santiago emphasizes that the key to this system is that it works across any niche. He has successfully applied these micro-budget strategies across multiple client accounts in various industries to maintain results and retain clients.

How does Black Box Social Media help media buyers save time?

Santiago notes that the team implements AI-driven processes that allow him to 'get his time back.' By moving away from manually managing every aspect to leveraging their specific workflows, he was able to transition from just having a job to scaling his business.

Full transcript

Working with Nick and Kurt, I come to realize what genuinely good people they are because they just tell it like it is. There's a lot of gurus that try to sell me their products and stuff, and they say they're gonna train me. These people literally train me, and then we learn from each other. It's a different dynamic working with them. They truly care about who they're working with, and that's hard to find these days. My name is James Santiago. I'm out of Los Angeles, California, and I'm a freelance paid media buyer. One of the biggest issues that I've always had is high CPM costs, and when I first found Kurt in twenty nineteen-ish, I believe it was, he had a dollar a day strategy that changed everything for my business. I mean, I was able to control CPMs at will, so that was one of the issues I had that drew me to Kurt at first. And after that, as media buying went on, I couldn't find any mentors of mine that were still in the game and producing good results. And Kurt was still in the game ten, twenty years later and still producing results, so I tried his methodology again and again, it saved my little freelance, which was already growing. So retaining clients is a big thing for me, and his methodologies with the micro budgets helped me with that. At that point, a lot of people were having trouble with scaling ads, and Kurt's methodology with the micro budgets helped that. A lot of my mentors have come and gone, and I didn't have the support that was... Kurt has always been there. He's in the weeds, in the trenches. He literally shows his ad accounts and shows you what's working and what's not working, and that helps me a lot. He's in a lot of different networks with people trying to figure out ads, and his team has a process which leverages AI that I haven't found in many other gurus. A lot of people put a lot of noise out there, but the AI that he's implementing, his processes makes it all work together, which is something I was looking for so I can get my time back. That was my biggest things. I created a job for myself, and I'm actually pulling back a little bit now with the help of Kurt and his processes. I run into situations where clients' CPMs, cost per thousand impressions, is somewhere in the two hundred dollar plus range, and that's across multiple accounts. So if it's costing you two hundred dollars to get one thousand impressions, you're literally not in the auction. I can drive those CPMs down at will, down to the fifty dollar level and even lower, which gets us more reach into the database and Facebook can work with us. So yeah, his dollar a day strategies really works good for that, and it's worked across multiple niches, and that's the key. Sometimes things only work with one, but this works across any niche. Man, it's exciting being in there because he brought in the best of the best that he's worked with throughout the years. Finding people that are in the game and in the trenches allows me to expand even more with my learning skills. So yeah, it's a lot of smart people on his team. We're actually all called Ad Assassins because everybody has their own little niche at what they're good at, and we just combine forces. It's like superheroes. There's really no convincing needed. As soon as you see the data he pulls back, the data speaks for itself because we're there to buy data, show you what's working, what's not working, and where to pivot. And a lot of people just don't show that, and that's what I love about Kurt, his methodology and, and working with Nick.

About Black Box Social Media, LLC

Black Box Social Media, LLC logo

Black Box Social Media, LLC

Official site: yourad.coach

Black Box Social Media, LLC, operating through Your Ad Coach, is a digital marketing agency and educational platform specializing in Meta advertising. They serve everyone from individual entrepreneurs to large corporations by providing expert strategy and technical knowledge to scale campaigns. Their mission is to transform confusing advertising landscapes into high-ROI machines through precision targeting and proven micro-budget methodologies.

Industry
Digital Marketing Agency

Topics

  • paid media
  • facebook ads
  • cpm reduction
  • freelance
  • ad scaling
  • marketing agency

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How this story was recorded

How was James Santiago's testimonial for Black Box Social Media, LLC filmed?

It was filmed remotely through Share One: Black Box Social Media, LLC shared a recording link, James Santiago clicked it, answered the interview questions on camera, and the video, transcript, and highlights were generated automatically. You can set up the same flow in a few minutes at share.one.

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