In my book, I set out a simple rule for ad budgets. During launch, budget about
By Ben Leonard · October 29, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
In my book, I set out a simple rule for ad budgets. During launch, budget about 30 to 40% of your sales revenue for ads, more in some niches. After launch, bring it down to about 10 to 20%. At $10,000 a month in sales, that's $1,000 to $2,000.
The second number is the one that matters. A brand still spending launch money a year in is too reliant on ads to drive its sales, and its margin pays for it.
Where it lands depends on the platform mix. Meta ads to your own store work differently from TikTok Shop, and both differ from Amazon. My team at Peregrine plans that mix with Amazon brands before we spend anything.
If you'd like yours looked at, our free growth audit is in the first comment.