Simple creative strategy tips to make better ads

Overwhelmed at the thought of creating ads? How about iterating? How about paying money to serve these things hoping that *if all goes well* some of them return dollars back to your pocket?

The whole thing is exhausting - so if you’re lost, the below can help guide you towards creating some ads that actually DELIVER RESULTS.

1. Borrow from what works

We’ll start with something simple - and what’s easier than copying what’s already proven? Here’s how:

• Use Facebook Ad Library and Foreplay to find video ads that have been running for a good while - this implies they’re successful in some meaningful way.

• Download these videos from Foreplay and transcribe them using a tool like Descript.

• Provide the transcript to Chat GPT, along with a brief about your product, and ask it to customize the script.

• Convert the script into a brief and send it to 3-5 creators you discover on Backstage. Your success rate might be somewhat low, but it's a simple strategy that anyone on your team can learn, and you might find some winners.
  

2. Double down on static ads

Creating videos demands a lot of time, money, and effort, and high-quality videos require even more. To succeed on platforms like Meta, you need to test various offers, visuals, and messages. Static ads are a straightforward way to do this. You can apply the lessons from static ads to future video projects. Additionally, static ads are quicker to iterate; you can produce them in a day, while videos often take much longer. Instead of getting caught up in the video vs. static debate, consider doing both!

3. Take a step back

Every month or two, your team should step back and assess the overall performance of your creative content. It's easy to get bogged down in details and overlook the bigger picture. I suggest using the Motion report tool for this. Motion offers top reporting reports and comparative analysis reports, which are very useful. Start by pulling the top spending ads from the last 30 days in a Top Performing report. Then, examine several comparative analysis reports:

• Video vs. Static

• Whitelisting or Partnership vs. Brand

• Studio vs. User-Generated Content (UGC)

• Comparing different products

Motion simplifies creative analysis and offers additional features like tagging creatives to keep track of what works and video retention charts. You can also get a 14-day free trial of Motion to see how it can help.

4. Leverage Influencer Partnerships

As mentioned earlier, creating in-house videos is challenging, expensive, and time-consuming. One effective way to have more videos for your ads is to send products to influencers. Depending on your business size, consider sending products to a select group of influencers or creators with no strings attached each month. Some of them may post about your products, and a few might create videos explaining why they love them. You can then request permission to use this content in your ads. Some will do it for free, and for others, you may need to negotiate a modest fee. This strategy can be hit or miss, but when it works, it can be highly effective. I know a few brands that primarily rely on this approach, and it has proven successful.

Hope this helps! Schedule some time if you want to chat further.