Crack the code for Meta ads that convert

When it comes to Meta ads, ad creative does 80% of the work. It doesn’t matter if you have the best ad set structure and set-up — if you have crappy ad creative that either doesn’t resonate with your target audience or doesn’t have an interesting enough hook to stop people in their mindless scrolling, then you’re not going to see conversions.

It came be really overwhelming to develop an ad creative library from scratch. Where do you start? At AdTribe, we have a swipe file with literally hundreds of different ad creative examples that we’ve seen work for our clients. But, not every type of ad is going to work for every business. What works for an apparel business is not going to work for a CBD business, and what works for a mature business is not going to work for an early stage start-up.

But, here are are 4 types of ads that we’ve found work really well regardless of product and stage of company. So if you’re trying to figure out where to start, I suggest beginning with these:

1. The Founder Story

We’ve seen a Founder focused ad work really well across all different types of business. It works because:

• puts a face to a brand

• establishes a personal connection

• provides the ‘why’ behind the product that potential customer can relate to

2. Product Testimonial

Social proof and third party credentialing are critical in helping convince a potential customer to make a purchase, so testimonial style videos are great in helping your target audience understand what is unique and differentiated about your product. It works because:

• it’s a third party person talking about your product so it doesn’t feel like the brand is pushing their product down a person’s throat

• describes the product features and benefits in a quick and concise ad

• a direct-to-camera style video format keeps the audience engaged

3. Product Demonstration

Particularly for a new product or a more complicated product, product demos help a viewer get a quick rundown of the product and its features. In a digital environment like e-commerce where potential customers can’t touch, feel or experience a product in person, product demos act as a useful alternative. These ads works because:

• educates the audience on the important value props of a product

• seeing the product in action/in use helps the audience understand how it could fit into their own lives.

4. Us. vs. Them

This type of ad works well either as a static image or as a video. The us vs. them narrative is a very simple and classic storytelling structure that is easy to understand. It works because:

• it quickly identifies how your product is more superior or differentiated from your competitive set

• gets to the point very quickly

• sets up your competitor as the ‘villain’ in the story and puts your product in a positive light

We’ve got plenty more ad creative ideas that we use with our clients, but this where I recommend most brands start when testing and eventually scaling Meta ads. If you’re interested checking out examples of the above 4 types of ad creatives, or want to see the full swipe file, send an email to [email protected].

What we’re discussing around the AdTribe Watercooler

• Need some fresh inspiration for post-purchase messages? Here are a bunch of great examples that Shopify compiled.

• Instagram adds the ability for users to mention a specific photo or video in carousel posts when leaving comments.

• Confused about Meta’s ‘Learning Phase’? Here’s a good overview of everything you need to know.