Case Study: Building a Publisher-Ready Platform Without Selling Your Soul
Client: Tom Wadsworth
Business: Click Champ Campaigns
Timeline: September 2024 – December 2025
Services: Marketing strategy, website + SEO, email marketing, visibility support, paid ads, coaching
The Goal
When Tom and I began working together in September 2024, the goal was clear — and deeply values-driven:
Secure a traditional publishing deal for a book on Christian assemblies.
Tom wasn’t looking to become an “internet personality.”
He wasn’t interested in gimmicks, hype, or diluting his message to grow faster.
He wanted his work to stand on its substance — and still reach people.
What he needed wasn’t louder marketing.
He needed structure, clarity, and systems that could carry the weight of his message.
The Strategy: Platform Before Promotion
From the start, we took a long-view approach.
Instead of chasing quick wins, we focused on building a credible, discoverable platform that publishers, podcast hosts, conference organizers, and readers could trust.
Our strategy centered on five pillars:
A clear, authoritative website
Search visibility through SEO
Audience growth via YouTube
Owned relationships through email
Marketing systems that freed Tom to stay in his calling
This wasn’t about doing everything.
It was about doing the right things — in the right order.
The Work (and Why It Mattered)
1. Website: From Informational to Authoritative
We rebuilt Tom’s website to serve as more than an online brochure. It became:
A central hub for his ideas
A credibility signal for publishers and podcast hosts
A conversion engine for inquiries, subscribers, and readers
2025 Website Results:
~32,000 visits (+117% YoY)
~21,000 unique visitors (+104% YoY)
~54,000 pageviews (+111% YoY)
808 form submissions (+40% YoY)
3,300 button clicks (+371% YoY)
The site shifted from informational to authoritative and actionable.
2. SEO: The Quiet Growth Engine
SEO was never about chasing traffic for its own sake.
We focused on:
Answering real theological questions people were already searching for
Structuring long-form content for clarity and depth
Ensuring technical health and internal consistency
SEO Outcomes:
Overall SEO health score: 90/100
Average Google position: 8.6
13.16K impressions (late-2025 snapshot)
Average CTR: 4.62%
Majority of key pages scoring 88–100% SEO health
SEO ensured Tom’s work didn’t disappear after publishing — it compounded over time.
3. YouTube: The Demand & Authority Engine
YouTube became the gravitational center of Tom’s platform.
2025 YouTube Performance:
545,576 total views
137,600 hours of watch time
+5,800 subscribers added in 2025
~19,000 total subscribers
Top-performing themes included:
Early church worship
Church structure & ecclesiology
Elders, assemblies, and methodology
This content didn’t just attract viewers — it established Tom as a recognized voice in his space.
4. Email: Trust Over Volume
We built Tom’s email list from zero.
Email Results:
~1,300 total subscribers
+594 new subscribers in 2025 alone
~47% of tracked website revenue attributed to email
The list wasn’t massive — but it was high trust, high intent, and deeply aligned.
Exactly the kind of audience publishers pay attention to.
5. Product Validation: The Dixon History Book
Late in 2025, Tom published a separate local history book, Distinctive Dixon.
I supported the launch with:
Landing page strategy
Facebook ad campaigns
Messaging focused on story and locality
Results:
500 copies sold in 10 days
Strong performance from short, story-driven ad campaigns
Continued organic and paid sales momentum
Local book signing event with strong community turnout
This wasn’t just revenue — it was proof of demand.
The Result
In November 2025, Tom secured a traditional publishing deal — the primary goal we set when we began working together.
That outcome was supported by:
Platform growth
Search visibility
Audience trust
Demonstrated demand
A cohesive, professional digital presence
This wasn’t a viral moment.
It was the result of steady, strategic work done with integrity.
The Invisible Win: What This Work Freed Tom Up to Do
One of the most important outcomes of this project doesn’t show up neatly in dashboards.
By handling the technical execution and strategic infrastructure, I freed Tom up to focus on the work only he could do.
Instead of managing platforms or guessing next steps, Tom was able to:
Create consistently without tech friction
Write deeply and develop long-form theological work
Submit his work to publishers with confidence
Say yes to podcasts and speaking opportunities
Build real relationships in his space
Follow momentum when it appeared
Stay rooted in conviction — not marketing pressure
This kind of freedom doesn’t come from doing less.
It comes from having systems that support the mission instead of competing with it.
Why This Matters for Faith-Driven Leaders
Faith-driven creators often resist marketing — not because they lack vision, but because they don’t want to:
Compromise their values
Turn their message into a gimmick
Spend their energy performing instead of serving
My role wasn’t to reshape Tom’s message.
It was to:
Translate it into systems
Protect it with structure
Amplify it without distortion
I handled the technical work and trained Tom in the why behind it — so he wasn’t dependent, but empowered.
The Click Champ Campaigns Philosophy
This project reflects the heart of my work:
I help faith-driven people grow businesses without selling their soul.
Marketing, messaging, and coaching — done with integrity, clarity, and care.
Good marketing shouldn’t demand more of you than your calling already does.
It should carry the weight so you can stay focused on what matters most.
Final Takeaway
2025 wasn’t about doing everything.
It was about doing the right things — in the right order.
And it worked.