Sam Todosiciuc
Founder and CEO of ElasticFunnels and founder of TrackPlay. He writes about payments, MID routing, split testing and funnels for paid traffic.

Nine years as a CTO, then a founder
He built the funnel and payments stack of a direct-response company before building one for everyone else.
Sam spent nine years as CTO of a Romanian direct-response company. He architected most of its internal stack: the funnel system, a custom checkout with multi-MID routing, attribution, and the CRM and call center integration.
The company ran separate tools for what one platform should have done, and revenue leaked between them. In 2023 he left to build ElasticFunnels, where pages, checkout, CRM, attribution and call center share one customer record.
He also founded TrackPlay, the VSL player that counts sales. He writes the ElasticFunnels blog and the Academy tutorials, and the story behind the company is on the about page.
Roles
Founder and CEO, ElasticFunnels
Since 2023. A funnel builder for paid traffic: pages, same-URL split tests, custom checkout with MID routing, CRM, call center and attribution on one data layer.
Founder, TrackPlay
The VSL player that counts sales, built for marketers who run video sales letters on paid traffic.
CTO, a Romanian direct-response company
Nine years. Architected the funnel system, the custom checkout with multi-MID routing, attribution, and the CRM and call center integration.
What he writes about
The same problems he solved as a CTO and builds into ElasticFunnels.
Payments and MID routing
Merchant accounts, weighted routing rules and per-MID caps.
Paid traffic funnels
Presells, VSL pages, checkouts and upsells for offers sold through paid ads.
Split testing
Same-URL tests that keep ads out of learning, sized up front and judged on sales.
High-risk ecommerce
Selling CBD and nutra on high-risk merchant accounts: caps, rules and chargeback alerts.
Articles by Sam
AI marketing10 min read
AI video editing tools for ads
Which AI video editor fits which job on an ad, what TikTok's AI label rule asks of you, and how to find the version that actually brings orders.
06 Nov 2026 · Read
Affiliate marketing9 min read
What is cookie stuffing?
Cookie stuffing is affiliate fraud: a cookie set with no click takes the commission. How it works, what it costs a vendor and the numbers that give it away.
04 Nov 2026 · Read
Ad platforms9 min read
CPC marketing: what a click costs
CPC marketing for paid-traffic sellers: the cost per click formula, CPC vs CPM vs CPA, and how to work out a max CPC from your own checkout.
02 Nov 2026 · Read
AI marketing10 min read
AI in email marketing
AI in email marketing for paid-traffic sellers: what AI does well, the data each AI feature needs, and how to test AI copy on orders instead of opens.
30 Oct 2026 · Read
Copywriting10 min read
What does a copywriter do?
What a copywriter does for a paid-traffic funnel: the pieces they write, how direct response copy is judged in sales, where AI fits and how to hire one.
28 Oct 2026 · Read
Growth9 min read
Customer acquisition vs retention
Customer acquisition vs retention for paid-traffic sellers: where the 5x stat comes from, how reorders raise the CPA you can pay, and which side to fix first.
26 Oct 2026 · Read
Growth12 min read
Customer retention strategies
Customer retention strategies for paid-traffic sellers: measure repeat buyers by cohort, time the reorder, recover failed payments, save cancels, win back.
23 Oct 2026 · Read
Growth9 min read
Instagram growth for DTC brands
Instagram growth for brands that already run ads: the three signals Instagram ranks on, trial reels, turning winners into ads and counting growth in sales.
21 Oct 2026 · Read
Growth11 min read
SMS marketing best practices
SMS marketing best practices for paid-traffic sellers: consent you can prove, the confirmation text, STOP, 10DLC, sending hours, cost per segment and sales.
21 Oct 2026 · Read
Payments8 min read
Stripe vs Authorize.net vs NMI
Stripe vs Authorize.net vs NMI for funnel sellers: what each one is, what it costs, which one takes high-risk offers, and which one fits your funnel.
20 Oct 2026 · Read
Merchants8 min read
ClickBank review for vendors
A ClickBank review for vendors: the 7.5% + $1 fee, the activation charge, weekly payouts, product approval, refunds, affiliates, and what buyers see.
20 Oct 2026 · Read
Merchants7 min read
Digistore24 vs ClickBank for vendors
Digistore24 vs ClickBank for vendors: fees on a 100 dollar sale, payout schedules, refund windows, approval, affiliates, selling to Europe, and running both.
19 Oct 2026 · Read
Merchants6 min read
BuyGoods review for vendors
A BuyGoods review for vendors: the curated health and wellness marketplace, who gets in, the 60-day guarantee, what it does not publish, and what buyers can do.
19 Oct 2026 · Read
Merchants8 min read
Digistore24 review for vendors
A Digistore24 review for vendors: the reseller model, 7.9% + $1 fees, payout dates and the security deposit, approval, affiliates, and what buyers see.
19 Oct 2026 · Read
Analytics8 min read
JVZoo affiliate marketing guide
How the JVZoo affiliate program works: approval, commission and JVZooPay payouts, tid vs vtid, S2S postbacks, and a checklist for sales missing in your tracker.
19 Oct 2026 · Read
Merchants8 min read
JVZoo vs ClickBank for vendors
JVZoo vs ClickBank for vendors: fees per sale, who pays affiliates, product approval, IPN and tracking, and upsell funnels, from each network's own help pages.
19 Oct 2026 · Read
Merchants11 min read
JVZoo review for vendors
A JVZoo review for vendors: the 5% fee, payout timing, product approval, JVZIPN and tracking, one-click upsell funnels, and what its hosted checkout leaves to you.
19 Oct 2026 · Read
Pages11 min read
Video sales letter template
A video sales letter template you can copy: an 11-part VSL script with timings and word counts, the page layout around the video, and a live page built from it.
19 Oct 2026 · Read
Funnel basics15 min read
Ecommerce sales funnel, end to end
An ecommerce sales funnel followed page by page: product page, cart, checkout with order bumps, two one-click upsells and a thank-you page, with the AOV math.
19 Oct 2026 · Read
Growth11 min read
How to sell online courses
How to sell online courses: a sales page, a checkout with a bump and upsell, who keeps access after a refund, and lessons delivered on your own domain.
19 Oct 2026 · Read
Ad platforms9 min read
CTR meaning in marketing
CTR meaning in marketing: click-through rate, how to calculate it on Meta, Google and email, what makes a good CTR, and how to read it next to sales and EPC.
19 Oct 2026 · Read
Growth14 min read
Email marketing campaigns
Email marketing campaigns for paid-traffic sellers: the seven types, which to build first, how to create one, what Gmail requires and how to measure in sales.
19 Oct 2026 · Read
Funnel basics13 min read
Build a video sales letter funnel
How to build a video sales letter funnel page by page: VSL page, order page, checkout, one-click upsell, downsell, thank-you and members area, with the math.
19 Oct 2026 · Read
Pages10 min read
Building an affiliate landing page
An affiliate landing page sits between your ad and the offer. The five types, network rules, a build from a template, and the click ID that tracks each sale.
15 Oct 2026 · Read
Analytics11 min read
What is a postback URL?
A postback URL reports each sale server to server, with the click ID that earned it. How it works, a full RedTrack worked example and a test checklist.
15 Oct 2026 · Read Events1 min readMeet ElasticFunnels at Affiliate Grand Slam
ElasticFunnels has a booth at Affiliate Grand Slam (AGS) in Rome, 2–5 November 2026 at Fiera Roma. Come say hello, talk funnels and see the platform.
12 Oct 2026 · Read
Growth12 min read
Black Friday marketing strategy
A Black Friday marketing strategy for paid-traffic sellers: is Black Friday dying, how to advertise for it, the email plan, the offer math and the checkout.
12 Oct 2026 · Read
Analytics9 min read
Is Meta CAPI free? Cost and setup
Is Meta CAPI free? Meta charges nothing for the Conversions API. What it costs to run, the three ways to set it up, the steps and the mistakes that cost sales.
12 Oct 2026 · Read
Ad platforms16 min read
What is a native ad? Types and examples
What are native ads? Paid ads that match the page they run on: the three types, examples, costs, FTC disclosure and how to run native ads for direct response.
12 Oct 2026 · Read Events4 min readAWSummit Bucharest 2026 recap
ElasticFunnels sponsored AWSummit Bucharest 2026 and joined the Meet Market. Notes on growth, team building, nutra funnels and full-funnel economics.
12 Oct 2026 · Read
Buyer's guide12 min read
ClickFunnels pricing in 2026
ClickFunnels pricing from its own pricing page: all four plans, what each one limits, the fees on top, and what a paid-traffic funnel costs.
30 Sep 2026 · Read
AI agents22 min read
Claude Code for funnel data analysis
Claude Code for data analysis on a real funnel: the ef commands it ran, the tables it built, where it was wrong and how orders proved it.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Buyer's guide15 min read
Best Convertri alternatives in 2026
Eight Convertri alternatives for affiliates and direct-response sellers, compared on split tests, checkout, one-click upsells and tracking.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Buyer's guide15 min read
Best Systeme.io alternatives in 2026
Who outgrows Systeme.io and where they go next: eight alternatives compared on price, contact caps, upsells, split tests and email.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Analytics10 min read
What is fbclid? Meta's click ID
The Facebook click ID Meta adds to your links: how it becomes the _fbc cookie, whether to remove it, and how to send it through Conversions API.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Analytics10 min read
What is gclid? Google's click ID
The Google Ads click ID that auto-tagging adds to your URLs: how to find it, keep it for 90 days, and use it for offline conversion imports.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Analytics11 min read
What is ttclid? TikTok's click ID
The TikTok click ID added to your landing URL: how long it lasts, why it gets lost, and how to send it back through the TikTok Events API.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Buyer's guide15 min read
Best Checkout Champ alternatives in 2026
Seven Checkout Champ alternatives for DR and nutra sellers, compared on fees, MID routing, rebills, split tests and the call center.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Buyer's guide16 min read
Best Konnektive alternatives in 2026
The best Konnektive alternatives for Konnektive CRM users: billing CRMs and funnel platforms compared on pages, MID routing, rebills and pricing.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Buyer's guide15 min read
Best Instapage alternatives in 2026
Instapage alternatives for ad teams, compared on A/B testing, visitor caps and checkout: ElasticFunnels, Unbounce, Leadpages, Landingi and more.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Buyer's guide15 min read
Best Funnelish alternatives in 2026
Eight Funnelish alternatives for ecom and DTC sellers on paid traffic, compared on price, split tests, upsells, payment routing and Shopify fit.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Buyer's guide16 min read
Best ThriveCart alternatives in 2026
Eight ThriveCart alternatives compared on checkout, order bumps, one-click upsells, affiliates and pricing, lifetime deals included.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Buyer's guide17 min read
Best sticky.io alternatives in 2026
The best sticky.io alternatives for subscription and high-risk sellers: billing CRMs, MID routing, rebills, pricing and how to switch.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Buyer's guide17 min read
Best Shopify alternatives in 2026
Shopify alternatives compared on fees, checkout and upsells: WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix, Square, Ecwid, and funnels for paid-traffic sellers.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Checkout10 min read
What is an order bump? Examples
A tick-box add-on on the checkout, paid in the same order. Bump vs upsell, pricing, examples by niche and how to measure take rate.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Buyer's guide16 min read
Best Unbounce alternatives in 2026
Eight Unbounce alternatives compared on price and testing: ElasticFunnels, Instapage, Leadpages, Landingi, Swipe Pages, Webflow and more.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Buyer's guide16 min read
Best GoHighLevel alternatives in 2026
Nine GoHighLevel alternatives grouped by the job you bought it for: agency resale, CRM follow-up, courses or paid-traffic funnels.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Buyer's guide17 min read
Best Kajabi alternatives in 2026
Kajabi alternatives for course creators, compared on price, fees and features: Teachable, Thinkific, Podia, LearnWorlds, Systeme.io and more.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Buyer's guide16 min read
Best Leadpages alternatives in 2026
Seven Leadpages alternatives compared on price, A/B testing, checkout and traffic caps: ElasticFunnels, Unbounce, Instapage, Landingi and more.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Buyer's guide17 min read
Best SamCart alternatives in 2026
SamCart alternatives compared on price, order bumps, one-click upsells and subscriptions: ElasticFunnels, ThriveCart, PayKickstart, Kajabi and more.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Buyer's guide16 min read
Best Kartra alternatives in 2026
Kartra alternatives compared on price, contacts, upsells and split tests: ElasticFunnels, Systeme.io, ClickFunnels, Kajabi, HighLevel and more.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
Buyer's guide17 min read
Best ClickFunnels alternatives in 2026
Nine ClickFunnels alternatives compared on price, split tests, checkout and fees, and which one suits how you sell.
29 Sep 2026 · Read
AI agents9 min read
Claude Code for marketing: split tests
A real run: Claude Code builds a second advertorial, splits traffic 50/50 under one URL, publishes it and reads the result with the ef CLI.
25 Sep 2026 · Read
AI agents8 min read
AI A/B testing with your funnel stats
An agent reads the split-test verdict and your funnel stats with ef stats, then proposes the next same-URL test for you to approve.
25 Sep 2026 · Read
AI agents7 min read
Claude Desktop MCP: connect your funnels
Add ef mcp to Claude Desktop so Claude can list, read, create and edit your ElasticFunnels pages, with no key in the config file.
25 Sep 2026 · Read
AI agents7 min read
Codex CLI for marketers: build funnel pages
Give OpenAI's Codex CLI your funnel as files: AGENTS.md, the sandbox network setting, and a first presell page saved as a draft.
25 Sep 2026 · Read
Funnel basics9 min read
What is a sales funnel? Stages and examples
The path from first click to purchase: the four stages, the pages in each, five common funnel shapes and how to measure where buyers leave.
25 Sep 2026 · Read
Analytics10 min read
Marketing attribution models, explained
First touch, last click, linear, time decay, position-based and data-driven: how each shares the credit for a sale, with a worked example.
25 Sep 2026 · Read
Funnel basics10 min read
How to create a sales funnel, step by step
Seven steps from offer to follow-up: the buyer, the traffic, the page, the checkout, the upsell and the email, then finding where buyers leak.
25 Sep 2026 · Read
Buyer's guide11 min read
Best sales funnel software in 2026
Seven sales funnel builders compared on price, split testing, checkout, upsells and CRM, with the kind of seller each one suits.
25 Sep 2026 · Read
Pages9 min read
What is an advertorial? Types and examples
An ad written as an article. Advertorial examples, when to use a presell page, its structure, FTC disclosure and same-URL split tests.
25 Sep 2026 · Read
CRM9 min read
Ecommerce call center: recover lost orders
Win back declined and abandoned orders by phone. What a call center CRM needs: a recovery queue, phone orders and agent commissions.
25 Sep 2026 · Read
Payments10 min read
Selling CBD and nutra on high-risk MIDs
Geo and age rules, claim limits, per-MID caps and chargeback alerts for CBD and nutra on a high-risk merchant account.
25 Sep 2026 · Read
Merchants9 min read
BuyGoods vendor guide to funnels
Keep BuyGoods as your cart and affiliate network. Run pages, split tests and upsells on ElasticFunnels, and see which ad, affiliate and page sold each order.
25 Sep 2026 · Read
Payments9 min read
What is a MID? Merchant IDs explained
The merchant ID your acquirer gives your account. How it differs from a gateway, why sellers run several MIDs and how routing between them works.
25 Sep 2026 · Read
Checkout8 min read
What is an upsell? One-click upsells
An upsell is a bigger or better version of what the buyer just chose. Upsell vs cross-sell, downsell and order bump, and how a one-click upsell charges the card.
25 Sep 2026 · Read
Split testing9 min read
Split testing landing pages under one URL
Run page variants behind the URL your ads already use, so Meta and Google never re-enter learning. Setup, sample size, test length and judging on sales.
25 Sep 2026 · ReadTutorials by Sam
Funnels and pages5 steps · About 6 min · Beginner
Make a multilingual website
Add your languages, link each page to its translations and let ElasticFunnels write the hreflang tags.
Start the tutorial
Email and SMS9 steps · About 12 min · Beginner
How to create an email campaign
Pick an audience, start from a template, A/B test the subject and schedule it, then send the offer by SMS.
Start the tutorial
Funnels and pages7 steps · About 2 min · Beginner
How to build an ecommerce funnel
Start a project from the insole store kit, apply it, change a price and walk the funnel your buyers will see.
Start the tutorial
Analytics and audiences7 steps · About 10 min · Beginner
How to segment customers
Start from a template, build your own rules or describe it to the AI, then filter your dashboard by the audience.
Start the tutorial
AI agents and developers8 steps · About 20 min · Intermediate
Analyze funnel data with Claude Code
Ask Claude Code for sales by funnel, a step table and upsell take per buyer, then act on what orders prove.
Start the tutorial
Checkout, upsells and MID routing6 steps · About 15 min · Intermediate
Post-purchase upsell and downsell
Link the Yes and No buttons, send a No to a downsell with On Decline, and watch the take rate.
Start the tutorial
Checkout, upsells and MID routing6 steps · About 10 min · Beginner
How to add an order bump
Create a bump product, attach it to your checkout with one page event and watch the total update live.
Start the tutorial
Get started9 steps · About 15 min · Beginner
How to make a landing page
Build a landing page from an empty canvas, link its button to your product and publish it.
Start the tutorial
AI agents and developers6 steps · About 10 min · Intermediate
Add an MCP server to Claude Code
Connect Claude Code to your funnel pages with claude mcp add, then list and edit pages from a prompt.
Start the tutorial
Split testing7 steps · About 10 min · Beginner
A/B test a landing page in 7 steps
Test a new version of a page against the current one on the URL your ads already use, then read the result.
Start the tutorialWhere to find him
Sam
Questions about payments, MIDs or funnels? Message me on Telegram (@samueltodosiciuc).

