Turning Good Ads Into Winners

Happy Wednesday!

Improving your ads isn’t just about random changes. It’s about using data to guide smart decisions that turn good ads into great ones.

In this newsletter, I will show you how to spot what’s working, what’s not, and how to make smart optimizations to your hook, storytelling, and call to action.

Let’s dive in and walk through the steps!

What you will learn today:

• How to identify the weakest link in your ad performance

• Improving your hooks and keeping viewers engaged

• Tips for refining your CTA to increase your CTR

• What to do when your ad data is unclear or conflicting

And much more.

3 Free Creative Concepts For Your Brand

If you spend at least $10,000 a month on ads for your eCommerce brand, mobile app, or SaaS, we’ll write 3 custom creative concepts for free—no strings attached.

Just fill out this form, and we’ll show you why 100+ brands love our creative process.

Idea of the Week

Top Content of the Week

• My favorite UGC concept for benefit-driven brands (not what you think). See here.

• Cost caps meme to light up your day. Laugh here.

• Taking a new DTC brand to profitable CPA. Make sure to read the comments. Read here.

Once you’ve analyzed your ad performance, you’ll often find that some ads are doing well while others need improvement.

The key to making your ads better isn’t just making random changes. It’s about making targeted optimizations based on what the data is telling you.

Here’s how you can improve your ads effectively:

Find the Weakest Link

Identify which part of the ad is underperforming by analyzing key metrics. Ask yourself:

• Is the hook failing to capture attention? (low Hook Rate)

• Are people dropping off midway through the video? (low Hold Rate or VW 50%)

• Or is the click-through rate (CTR) high, but conversions aren’t happening once people land on your site?

Each issue points to a different area of the ad that needs attention.

Tweak the Hook First

The first few seconds of your ad are critical. If your Hook Rate (the percentage of people who watch at least 3 seconds) is low, that’s your first clue that you need to test new hooks.

Our rule of thumb when it comes to Hook Rate:

🔴 < 20% - Needs immediate improvement

🟡 20-30% - Keep testing to improve

🟢 > 30% - Strong hook

We’re consistently seeing over 40% on some ads, which is amazing. Anything above 30% generally doesn’t need immediate attention.

Now, how to improve your hooks?

Try different opening lines, visuals, or approaches that immediately address your audience’s pain points or show off your product’s main benefit.

A strong hook can make all the difference in keeping viewers engaged long enough to see the rest of your message.

Middle of the Ad

If your Hook Rate is solid but the Hold Rate (the percentage of people who watch at least 15 seconds) is dropping, it’s time to look at the middle of your ad.

This is where storytelling comes in:

• Show how your product solves a problem in a relatable way. Keep the story concise and focused on how your product fits into your audience's lives.

• Demonstrate key benefits that connect with your viewers' needs and desires.

• Vary the pacing and visuals to prevent viewer drop-off—switch between talking heads, product demos, and text overlays.

Are you giving viewers enough value to keep watching? Remember, the middle of the ad is where you build trust and create desire for your product.

Refine the CTA

Finally, don’t forget your CTA. If your ad is getting views but not clicks, your CTA might not be strong or clear enough. Make sure it’s direct, actionable, and aligned with the offer.

Consider testing different CTAs to see what resonates best with your audience, even something more creative that fits your brand voice:

• Avoid vague phrases like: Learn more

• Focus on taking action like: Try for 7 days risk-free

• The CTA should match the offer. If it’s a discount, mention it directly in the CTA

Test One Change at a Time

When optimizing, don’t overhaul the entire ad all at once.

Make one change at a time—whether it’s the hook, the middle, or the CTA—so you can clearly see what’s working and what isn’t.

If you change everything at once, it’ll be hard to pinpoint which tweak led to better performance.

Pro Tip: Keep track of each change you make by versioning your ads (e.g., Version A, Version B) and record the impact of each modification.

When Your Data Isn’t Clear

Sometimes, even after diving into the data, the picture isn’t as clear as you’d like.

Maybe the metrics are conflicting, or you don’t have enough data to confidently make decisions.

Here’s what to do when your data isn’t giving you straightforward answers:

Combine Data from Similar Ads

If one ad doesn’t have enough data to make an informed decision, try grouping it with similar ads.

For example, if you’ve run several variations of a UGC testimonial ad, combine their metrics to get a bigger sample size.

This can help smooth out any inconsistencies and give you a more accurate view of overall performance.

Look for Patterns Across Metrics

When data is unclear, look for patterns across multiple metrics.

For example, if the Hold Rate is strong but the Click-Through Rate (CTR) is low, the problem might be with your CTA rather than the creative itself.

Patterns like these can help you figure out what’s really happening and give you clues on where to focus your efforts.

Focus on Significant Metrics

If you’re getting conflicting signals—such as high click-through rates but low conversions—prioritize the metrics that matter most for your campaign’s goal.

If your primary objective is conversions, ROAS and CPA should take precedence over CTR.

Focusing on the key metrics that align with your goals will help you make better decisions, even when other data points are less clear.

Extend Your Testing Period

Sometimes the issue isn’t the data itself but the amount of data you’ve gathered. If your results are inconclusive, extend your testing period to collect more data.

This can help normalize outliers and give you a clearer picture of how your ads are truly performing.

Pro Tip: When running tests, remember to isolate one variable at a time. Testing two versions of an ad with different hooks, for example, will give you a clearer answer than changing multiple elements in a single test.

Winning Ad Breakdown: 4.15 ROAS & 50% Hook Rate

In just 6 months, our optimized ad creative generated over $400,000 in revenue with 4.25 ROAS on $95,000 ad spend.

We reduced CPA by 42% and doubled ROAS from 2.24 to 4.25.

Check out the full breakdown and watch my Loom video here.

How We Can Help You

Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways we can help you…

1. Looking for a creative partner to handle everything? We’ll produce winning ads every month and help you scale. Apply to work with us here. Our clients include brands like HexClad, BestSelf, and Morning Brew.

2. Want to build a team that can create hundreds of winning ads? We’ll train your internal team and implement our proven creative systems. Apply here.

3. Don’t want to hire anyone but still want a steady stream of winning ads? Join our program and learn the creative production process we’ve developed over 3 years and tens of thousands of ads.