In a candid conversation on Omar Eltakrori’s “The Video Dept.” podcast, entrepreneur Kristine Mirelle pulled back the curtain on how she built a wildly successful online business that has generated nearly $10 million in revenue since 2019. Her secret? A laser-like focus on paid advertising, almost completely sidelining traditional organic growth.
This guide is a summary of Kristine Mirelle’s insights and actionable steps. For the full context and deeper lessons, we highly recommend watching the complete podcast episode embedded below.
Kristine Mirelle's Unconventional Path to Multi-Million Dollar Success
Kristine Mirelle’s journey began out of necessity. Facing personal challenges (pregnancy, relationship split, living in a garage with no internet service), she had a pressing question: “How do I quickly make money?” With no pre-existing audience, relying on organic growth was simply not an option. This urgency forced her to pivot to a strategy that many new entrepreneurs shy away from: paid ads.
Her experience directly contradicts the common advice to “build an audience organically first.” Kristine Mirelle argues that while organic reach has its place, it’s too slow for rapid validation and income generation.
The Power of Paid Ads: Rapid Offer Validation
Kristine Mirelle’s core philosophy for business growth revolves around the speed of paid ads. Unlike organic content that might take months or even years to gather enough data, paid ads provide instant feedback.
Quick Validation: “With paid ads for me, I launched an offer online, and I was very quickly able to see that people didn’t want to buy it within days.” This immediate insight allows entrepreneurs to pivot quickly.
Minimal Risk for Testing: Instead of investing months into content that might not convert, Kristine Mirelle advocates for spending small amounts initially. “I’ll know within three days… I’ll spend some money and I can know within a few days.”
Reinvestment for Scale: Her early success story illustrates this perfectly: she spent $60 on ads, made $80 in sales. The next day, she reinvested $80 and made $120. This iterative process of reinvesting profits led to spending $12,000 and generating $40,000 by the end of the first month. This wasn’t through high-ticket sales or complex funnels, but simple straight ad to funnel strategies.
Kristine Mirelle also shared a remarkable fact: some of her most profitable ads have been running for over a year and a half without any new content creation. This demonstrates the immense leverage that successful paid ads can provide.
Crafting High-Converting Paid Ads: Kristine Mirelle's Principles
For those looking to dive into paid advertising, Kristine Mirelle broke down her proven method for creating ads that convert, even for “boring” or sensitive niches:
Solve a Problem Clearly & Immediately:
The biggest mistake many new advertisers make is focusing too much on being “funny” or “entertaining” without explicitly stating the problem they solve.
Actionable Tip: The first sentence of your ad should communicate the problem you solve and the measurable result you provide.
Example: Don’t just say “I’m a great diet coach.” Say, “Are you someone that’s trying to lose weight but you don’t want to be eating kale smoothies all day?”
Address Objections Upfront with “Even If” Statements:
People have immediate objections in their minds. Acknowledge and overcome them proactively.
Actionable Tip: Use “even if” statements to disarm potential customer resistance.
Example: “I’m going to help you lose weight, even if you hate eating kale smoothies, even if you hate working out, even if you don’t want to take Ozempic.”
Once objections are cleared, then you can add humor or personality.
Make Small, Measurable Promises (and Over-Deliver):
Building trust quickly is key. Don’t promise the world tomorrow.
Actionable Tip: Offer a small, achievable win with a clear timeframe.
Example: “I’m going to show you three ways to release your first video by this weekend. You could have your first client by this Saturday.”
This builds confidence and encourages the next step in your sales funnel.
The “Dumb, Lazy, Rich” (DLR) Method:
Kristine Mirelle emphasized that complex strategies aren’t always necessary. Her “Dumb, Lazy, Rich” method for ad creation focuses on simplicity and efficiency. It means not overcomplicating things and leveraging readily available resources.
Actionable Tip: Use what you have (e.g., your smartphone). Focus on direct communication rather than polished production if you’re just starting.
Her own viral ads, including one with a toilet and a cell phone, were shot on an iPhone 6 in her backyard – proving that high production value isn’t always essential for conversion.
Scaling and Mindset for Long-Term Profitability
Kristine Mirelle’s impressive $10 million revenue didn’t come from constant innovation of ad creatives. It came from reinvestment and leveraging winning assets. She still runs ads created 1.5 years ago without new content. This points to the importance of building a robust offer and sticking with what works.
Reinvest Profits: As her initial success showed, consistently reinvesting the money generated by ads allows for exponential growth.
Know Your Customer: Successful ads are about understanding the problem your audience faces. This allows for effective targeting and messaging.
Don’t Overcomplicate: Modern ad platforms, with the help of AI, can do much of the heavy lifting. Focus on clear offers and problem-solving, rather than complex ad-buying techniques initially.
Mindset is Crucial: Kristine Mirelle’s personal story of overcoming homelessness and financial instability highlights the importance of a resilient mindset. She emphasizes focusing on “what I do with what I have” rather than dwelling on limitations. She avoids imposter syndrome by only teaching what she truly knows and has experienced.
Essential Tools for Paid Ads
Kristine Mirelle mentioned several platforms and concepts vital for running paid ads:
Ad Platforms:
Facebook Ads: The primary platform for her success, allowing for detailed audience targeting.
Instagram Ads: Part of the Meta (Facebook) ad ecosystem, leveraging similar targeting capabilities.
YouTube Ads: Another powerful video advertising platform.
Targeting Methods (within Ad Platforms):
Interest Targeting: Showing ads to users based on their expressed interests (e.g., “entrepreneurship,” specific books, hobbies).
Lookalike Audiences: Uploading a list of your existing customers (like Kristine Mirelle’s email list) and telling the ad platform to find new users who “look like” them based on shared behaviors and demographics.
AI-Driven Targeting (Ad Advantage): Modern platforms use AI to optimize ad delivery, sometimes even without specific manual targeting.
Content Creation:
Smartphones (e.g., iPhone 6): Kristine Mirelle proved that high-end equipment isn’t necessary to create effective ad creatives.
Strategy Concepts:
Straight Ad to Funnel: Directing ad traffic to a dedicated sales funnel designed for conversion.
Affiliate Promotions: Collaborating with others who have an audience, where you pay them a commission for sales they drive.
Dumb, Lazy, Rich (DLR) Method: Kristine Mirelle’s philosophy for simplifying operations and maximizing efficiency.
Anti-Testimonial Ads: A creative ad style where you complain about the “problems” of being successful with your solution (e.g., “I have too many leads!”).
Your Next Steps
If you’re an entrepreneur, content creator, or anyone looking to make money online, Kristine Mirelle’s insights demonstrate the immense potential of paid ads. Don’t let the technical aspects overwhelm you. As Omar Eltakrori emphasizes in his call to action, learning the basics can be a complete game-changer.
Remember: This article summarizes key points. For the full depth of insights and detailed explanations, watch the complete “The Video Dept.” podcast episode featuring Omar Eltakrori and Kristine Mirelle.
