<div class="gn-article"><div class="gn-hero gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-hero__image"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68a7373dfca9edde29eea793_67efb5e25bb3a3db69ccdb6a_PPC%20Editorial%20(1).png" alt=""></div> <div class="gn-hero__head"> <span class="gn-kicker"><span class="dot"></span>Growth</span> <h1 class="gn-title">Hidden Gems in Paid Advertising</h1> <div class="gn-meta"> <strong>The GO Network</strong> <span class="pip"></span> <span>8 April 2025</span> <span class="pip"></span> <span>3 min read</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gn-body"> <p class="gn-lede gn-reveal">Paid advertising is a way for businesses to reach their target audience, drive traffic to their website, and, in turn, more conversions, as well as boost search engine optimisation efforts.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">In this month's editorial, we asked our network of agency leaders to uncover the hidden gems in paid advertising, <strong>the channels</strong>, <strong>formats</strong>, <strong>and tactics brands might be overlooking but shouldn't be</strong>, including ways external support can help deliver an effective paid strategy.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><em>Take a look at our calendar of </em><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/events" target="_blank"><strong><em>free virtual strategy workshops</em></strong></a><em>, designed to tackle the key challenges facing in-house marketing leaders.</em></p> <h2 class="gn-reveal">Hidden Gems in Paid Advertising</h2> <aside class="gn-quote gn-reveal"><q>Everyone else is still fighting for space on the big-name channels, which absolutely have a place in your strategy, but these challenger platforms are delivering serious results, often without the crowd.</q><cite>Carl Hewitt · CEO &amp; Co-Founder, Hewitt Matthews</cite></aside> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Carl Hewitt, CEO &amp; Co-Founder, Hewitt Matthews" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68a737359c3517a75503f1a2_67f3e77e9f0c39f6de25edb8_Carl%2520-%2520Hewitt%2520Matthews%2520-%2520Banner.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy"></div> <figcaption><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-hewitt/" target="_blank"><strong>Carl Hewitt</strong></a>, CEO &amp; Co-Founder, <a href="https://hewittmatthews.co.uk/" target="_blank"><strong>Hewitt Matthews</strong></a></figcaption> </figure> <p class="gn-reveal">There's a big opportunity hiding in what we're calling, '<strong>Challenger Platforms</strong>'. These are channels like Reddit, Spotify, Quora &amp; Twitch who have all been investing hugely in upping their ads game, but they're still not getting the credit they deserve.</p> <div class="gn-stats gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">56<em>%</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">Year-on-year increase in Reddit ad revenue.</span></div> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">2–3<em>x</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">Better performance on Microsoft Ads vs. the same Google Ads campaigns.</span></div> </div> <p class="gn-reveal">In my opinion, right now the most exciting ad opportunities aren't on the platforms you'd expect or hidden in super tactical tips and tricks, they're in the platforms that no one is looking at closely enough.</p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Gareth Pitt, Senior PPC Social Specialist, Liberty Marketing" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68a737359c3517a75503f19e_67f3e79a2a689399ac4301f9_Gareth%2520-%2520Liberty%2520Marketing%2520-%2520Banner.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy"></div> <figcaption><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garethapitt/" target="_blank"><strong>Gareth Pitt</strong></a>, Senior PPC Social Specialist, <a href="https://www.libertymarketing.co.uk/" target="_blank"><strong>Liberty Marketing</strong></a></figcaption> </figure> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"From a Paid Social background, <strong>I would be inclined to use TikTok</strong>. <strong>There is still the stigma that this channel is for a younger demographic or that the product they have is too expensive and won't perform well on the channel</strong>."<cite>Gareth Pitt · Senior PPC Social Specialist, Liberty Marketing</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">My question to this is how do you know if you haven't tested it. If you have no data to back this argument up, then you could essentially be missing out on getting your brand in front of a massive audience.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Also, when you consider that social search is on the rise and users are turning to the social channels to search for products that help solve a problem they are experiencing or for reviews of a product they are researching, if they can't find you on there, you could be limiting your new customer acquisition.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">View our Round-Up: <a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/news/round-up-organic-vs-paid-social-media-the-case-for-a-hybrid-approach" target="_blank"><strong><em>Organic vs. Paid Social Media - The Case for a Hybrid Approach</em></strong></a></p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Will Fleming, Head of Paid Media, ICOM" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68a737359c3517a75503f199_67f3e7b87f4a392dff8bb75e_Will%2520-%2520ICOM%2520-%2520Banner.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="lazy"></div> <figcaption><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-fleming-728043b1/" target="_blank"><strong>Will Fleming</strong></a>, Head of Paid Media, <a href="https://www.i-com.net/" target="_blank"><strong>ICOM</strong></a></figcaption> </figure> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"We are seeing fantastic success moving our clients away from the dependency most businesses have with Google Ads, <strong>whilst Microsoft Ads offer a smaller audience size</strong>, <strong>we currently see that performance can be 2 or 3x better than the exact same campaigns within Google Ads</strong>. Often due to significantly less competition seen on the platform."<cite>Will Fleming · Head of Paid Media, ICOM</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">Alongside this, we are seeing a huge surge in businesses open to paid social spending, with the right tracking and campaign set-ups, we are seeing very impressive results, particularly across Meta &amp; TikTok for both Lead Generation and E-commerce clients.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Social requires well-thought-out creative strategy, and this is where we see agencies can have the biggest impact for clients who haven't got the internal resources or time to create consistent, high-quality and, best-practice social creatives that are necessary to maximise performance.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><em>Wanting to kick-start your paid advertising strategy? Make sure you're getting the most out of your investment. </em><strong><em>The GO Network </em></strong><em>offer cost-free advice on best-practise, provide independent agency recommendations, pitch management, and more, </em><a href="https://www.thegonetwork.com/get-in-touch"><strong><em>get in touch</em></strong></a><em> to get started.</em></p> </div></div> <aside class="gn-related gn-reveal" data-auto="related-reading"> <div class="gn-related__label">Related reading</div> <ul class="gn-related__list"> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/the-art-of-creative-copywriting" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">The Art of Creative Copywriting</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Agency leaders share how to define audiences, pick the right formats, and write copy that earns attention, builds trust, and drives real act</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/against-the-grain-sustainability-at-scale" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Against the Grain – Sustainability at Scale</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Cross-industry leaders share how to embed sustainability into agency operations, from ROI and strategy to framing initiatives and driving la</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/mutual-success-getting-the-best-from-your-agency-relationships" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Mutual Success: Getting the best from your Agency Relationships</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Senior marketing leaders share frameworks for agency selection, performance benchmarking, and building partnerships that deliver at every st</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/is-tiktok-right-for-your-brand-image" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Is TikTok right for your brand image?</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Agency leaders weigh TikTok&#39;s reach, risks, and content demands to help you decide if the platform fits your clients&#39; social strategy.</span> </a> </li> </ul> </aside>