The Gottman Institute · Paid ads and organic social

Cost per lead down more than half, to $1.35.

The Gottman Institute is one of the most respected names in relationship research and education, known around the world for its work helping couples build stronger, healthier relationships. We've been their advertising and social media partner for four years.

At a glance

Client: The Gottman Institute
Industry: Relationship research and education
Work: Paid ads and organic social
Together: Four years

$1.35 record-low cost per lead on couples campaigns, down more than 50% year over year
3,000+ new couples leads every month; 4,400+ at the January 2025 peak
$1.70 low on parent campaigns, down more than 30% year over year
1.2 million+ followers across social channels
4%+ average engagement rate; up to 9% on TikTok

$1.35record-low cost per lead, down more than 50% in a yearThe Gottman Institute. Paid ads and organic social.

The situation

Gottman reaches two audiences, couples and parents, in many countries at once. They needed both halves of social to do real work: organic channels that build a community around the institute's research, and advertising that brings in new leads every month at a cost low enough to make it a growth channel rather than a line item.

Organic social

We run a monthly content calendar built with several of Gottman's departments, so what goes out stays true to the institute's mission and still gives people a reason to engage.

Comments get an immediate, automated reply through third-party tools that points people to the relevant blog post, resource, or product. Social and content calls to action feed Gottman's email list, and we help grow the institute's partnerships and collaborations.

Organic social is part of a long-standing relationship with Gottman. We don't take it on for new clients; for everyone else, we run paid campaigns only.

Advertising

We test creative continuously, refine targeting, and split audiences finely. The couples and parent campaigns run separately, so each one improves on its own numbers rather than an average of both.

What happened

Couples campaigns cut their cost per lead by more than 50% year over year, to a record low of $1.35, while producing 3,000 or more new leads every month. January 2025 set the high-water mark at more than 4,400. Parent campaigns improved cost per lead by more than 30% year over year, to a low of $1.70, while producing between 500 and 1,500 or more qualified leads a month.

Lower cost and higher volume usually trade against each other. Here they moved together, which is what turned advertising into one of Gottman's main growth engines.

On the organic side, the channels have grown past 1.2 million followers, with an average engagement rate above 4% across platforms and as high as 9% on TikTok. They have grown in depth as well as size: communities where people talk about the work, not just audiences that scroll past it.

“Their expertise has helped us achieve consistent and meaningful growth across our channels.”

“For the past four years, Riley, Kait, and Kaitlyn at Ernst Media have been incredible partners in managing our social media. Their expertise has helped us achieve consistent and meaningful growth across our channels. They are easy to work with, highly professional, and always receptive to direction. We truly value their dedication, creativity, and the results they’ve delivered for us.” — Edward Sargent Jr., Chief Education Officer, The Gottman Institute