Three layers.

Together, they grow the Insider base, keep the ad algorithm warm, and let us occasionally surge with a big initiative or sweepstakes. Below: what each layer is, how much it costs, what we expect from it, and why it exists.

LAYER 1 · ALWAYS ON

Evergreen free-account acquisition

WHAT
Continuous sign-ups to the free Insider tier
BUDGET
$2.5–3.5K
/ month
~$80–115 / day
WE EXPECT
30–50
sign-ups / day
CAC $2–3 · stretch 75–100/day
WHY
Keeps algo warm, grows the retargeting pool, and tests creative between phase pushes.
HOW IT WORKS

An always-on flight that quietly recruits new free Insiders day after day. It doesn't need a sweepstakes prize or a moment — the value proposition is the Insider content itself. Recruiting intel, behind-the-scenes — all free.

Weekly review, regular responsive creative refresh. Frequency capped at 3/person/week to prevent saturation. Lower daily budget than a phase push, but the math compounds: at 40 sign-ups/day, that's ~1,200 new Insiders per month.

THREE AUDIENCE CELLS
  • 50%Broad Advantage+ — carried over from the winning P2.5 cell at $1.90 CPA.
  • 35%PSU Interest + 8-region geo — The proven volume engine. Lowest CPM of the three cells.
  • 15%Engagement audience — People who've engaged HVU's organic content but haven't signed up. Creative quality canary.
EXCLUDED EVERYWHERE

Existing Insider account-holders, refreshed near real-time. Stops us paying the ad platform for people who are already members.

EIGHT CREATIVE HOOKS IN ROTATION
1 · This Week On
Real Insider headline, weekly swap
2 · Before The Outlets
Recruiting scoops with receipts
3 · The Voices
Mike V. + student creators, talking-head
4 · Join 2,253+
Social proof, count refreshed
5 · We Made It Free
Mike V. explainer
6 · Game-Day Pack
Carousel, refreshed each game
7 · On the Field
Gameplay clip + value-prop voiceover
8 · Free Entry, Every Push
Earn entries to exclusive sweepstakes
LAYER 2 · CONVERT INSIDERS TO INSIDER+

Evergreen paid-subscription acquisition

WHAT
Continuous acquisition to the paid membership
BUDGET
$5–15K
/ month
Scales with creative perf
WE EXPECT
$20–30
CAC target
$9.99/mo or $79.99/yr · 14-day free trial
WHY
Turns the reach we've built into recurring revenue. This is the layer where the program pays for itself.
THE OFFER

A single CTA — $9.99/month, or $79.99/year (33% off, "save $40"). 14-day free trial gates the ask.

WHY 14 DAYS, NOT 7

HVU's content cadence is game/event-driven on a weekly rhythm. Users need at least one full content cycle to build the habit that converts trial-to-paid.

CAC MATH
  • Cost per Trial Start (steered daily)$8–15
  • Effective Paid CAC (at 50% trial→paid)$16–30
  • LTV anchor (blended monthly/annual)$80–90
  • Payback period< 90 days

Assumes ~30% of paid subscribers take the annual option, rest stay monthly with 6–10 month average retention. Will calibrate once we have real churn data.

STATUS — COMING WITH PHASE 3
New site launching
Paid traffic goes to a purpose-built page.
Pixel + CAPI live
Up to 8 prioritized conversion events per domain. Cleaner optimization signal to algos.
Trial billing wired
Stripe/Recurly setup determines whether we optimize for trial-start or first-charge.
LAYER 3 · SURGE

Periodic campaigns

WHAT
Roughly monthly sweepstakes or moment-driven pushes
BUDGET
$3–5K
/ campaign
5–7 day flights
WE EXPECT
1,500–2,500
sign-ups / push
CPA $2–3 (per recent flights)
WHY
Pull people in fast. Create brand moments. Feed the evergreen layers with fresh warm reach.
WHAT'S WORKED SO FAR

Two sweepstakes have run, and the second was 2× more efficient than the first:

  • Spring Game VIP (Apr 15–20) 1,349 sign-ups · $3.71 CPA
  • We Are Philly (Apr 30 – May 5) 2,253 sign-ups · $2.00 CPA

The improvement came from a stronger prize (Saquon Barkley), no billing disruptions this time, and right-sized audience funding from Day 1.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING MOMENTS
  • June — Golfing at the ShoreJUN 22, 2026
  • July — Big Ten media daysTBD
  • August — fall camp / season openerTBD
  • September — first home game weekendTBD

Cadence is roughly monthly; specific moments and prizes confirmed 2–3 weeks ahead of each push.

HOW THEY STACK

All three feed the same Insider base.

PHASE 1 — ACQUIRE PHASE 2 — CONVERT LAYER 1 — EVERGREEN FREE ADS ~40 sign-ups / day, every day LAYER 3 — SURGE CAMPAIGNS Apr May Jun 1,500–2,500 sign-ups per push FREE INSIDERS free tier · content access LAYER 2 — PAID ADS + TRIAL retargets free Insiders · also acquires new trials direct OTHER CHANNELS INSIDER+ paid · $9.99/mo
PHASE 1 — ACQUIRE

Layers 1 + 3 grow the free Insider base. Always-on ads pull in 30–50 new accounts a day; sweepstakes surges deliver 1,500–2,500 sign-ups per push. The free Insider pool is the asset we monetize.

PHASE 2 — CONVERT

Paid ads (Layer 2) are one channel of many for moving free Insiders to paid Insider+ — and for acquiring new trial signups direct. Other channels carry meaningful weight:

  • Email campaigns to the Insider list
  • SMS (once enough phone numbers are collected)
  • Instagram DMs (once enough are collected)
  • On-site upsell prompts inside Insider
  • Mike V. Zoom calls with affinity groups
  • Targeted discounts (students, affinity groups)