18 tips to immediately increase your ad creative performance
I’ve always believed that the creative your brand puts out, your ads, emails, landing pages, social posts, can be the difference between growth and stagnation. Whether you’re trying to gain traction or hold your own against competitors, it’s not just the product that matters. It’s how you present it.
Think about Pepsi. The product itself is nearly identical to Coca-Cola, same type of drink, similar ingredients. But the reason someone chooses one over the other usually comes down to branding and creative. It’s the personality, the positioning, the vibe, not the formula. That’s the power of creative. It turns a commodity into a preference.
That’s the big-picture view. But if you zoom into the world of performance marketing, it becomes even more clear. Better creative means lower CPAs, higher CTRs, and more efficient spend.
And beyond the numbers? Great creative builds trust. It creates loyalty. It gets people talking and sharing. If your creative is good, people will want to share it with friends. But if your creative misses the mark (even unintentionally), your brand can instantly feel untrustworthy, and you lose the most valuable asset you’ve got. Trust.
Now, this doesn’t mean you need big-budget production. It just means you need to show up with proof and clarity. People want to see what you’re claiming is real, show the product in use, show real results, show that what you’re saying actually happens.
I tend to think of creative as the bridge between your customer and your brand. Great creative makes them want to cross it. Or think of it like a magnet, the right kind pulls in your ideal customer and filters out the rest. Bad creative? It’s like having filthy windows on your shopfront. You might have incredible products inside, but if the outside looks off, people won’t even step through the door.
At the end of the day, creative is the face of your brand. Customers don’t see your supply chain, logistics, or the fires you're putting out behind the scenes. They see your ads. Your emails. Your website. So getting your creative right isn’t just important, it might be the most important thing.
With that in mind, here are 18 tips you can use straight away to boost your ad creative and make it actually perform.
Use the TRACE framework
Technology, Reporting, Audience, Creative, Experience. Think of it like a slot machine. You’re trying to line up the right combination to win. Except here, you’re testing different variables across each area. New audience segments, fresh creatives, varied landing page experiences, to see what sticks. Your creative should be flexible enough to test across multiple audiences or offers. That’s where the insights live.Let data make the call
Creative is subjective, performance isn’t. What you like is irrelevant. What performs is what matters. Whether it’s a certain creative angle, audience, or visual style, if it’s working, double down. If it’s not, cut it. Let the data lead.Test every week, no exceptions
Test new creatives every single week. Whether it’s static images, videos, GIFs, UGC, whitelisted ads, or full-on advertorials, put out fresh material weekly. Why? Because in most ad accounts, only about 10% of what you produce has real scale potential. The more shots on goal, the better your chances of finding a winner.Creative is the targeting now
Gone are the days of hyper-granular audience targeting. Meta and Google have shifted to AI-powered campaign setups (like ASC, Pmax, Smart Campaigns) that do the audience matching for you. That means your creative is doing the heavy lifting. Show an older man in your ad? The algorithm will find more people like him. Show a Gen Z influencer? Same thing. Your creative signals to the algorithm who to show the ad to, so it better be spot on.Run creative for different audiences
Because of that, you need to produce creative that speaks to different demographics. Men, women, younger, older, feature a variety of models and tones. One product, multiple entry points. Don’t just rely on one-size-fits-all visuals. The wider the net you cast (strategically), the more audiences you can engage.Run creative from different angles
And don’t stop at who you’re talking to, look at how you’re talking to them. Every product or brand has at least 5–10 different angles you can lean into. Think convenience, price, lifestyle, gifting, design, health benefits, test them all. The angle that resonates might surprise you.Match your landing page to the creative
When someone clicks your ad, don’t break the experience, keep it seamless. Your landing page should feel like a direct continuation of the ad they just saw. For example, if your ad features a model wearing a navy linen jumpsuit with the line, “Your go-to summer staple just landed,” then the landing page should show that exact jumpsuit and repeat the same headline or messaging. Consistency builds trust and reduces bounce. You can even automate this with UTM parameters in Meta to dynamically update landing page headlines to match your ad copy, tools like Unbounce make this easy to implement.Use tools like motion to go deeper on performance
If you’re spending serious money on ads (say, £20K+/month), basic metrics like CTR and CPA won’t cut it. You need deeper insight into why your creative is working, or not. Look for tools that can break down performance by hook strength, second-by-second viewer drop-off, scroll-stopping moments, and how different angles or formats perform. This kind of analysis gives your creative, media, and growth teams a shared understanding of what’s actually driving results, so you can make smarter decisions and scale with confidence.Give your creative team what they need to win
A strong creative brief is a game-changer. The more clarity you provide upfront, the better (and faster) your ads will perform. A great brief should include clear hooks or angles, examples of high-performing ads (bonus points for links from the Ads Library), brand guidelines, key messaging points, audience insights, proven copy from your own account, promo details, and exact specs or aspect ratios. Remember, your creative team doesn’t need to be media buying experts, that’s your job. But the more context and direction you give them, the more likely they are to produce scroll-stopping, performance-driven creative that actually converts.Lean into Lo-Fi creative
Don’t underestimate the power of low-production content. Some of the best-performing ads are the ones that feel raw, scrappy, and unpolished, because they feel real. They come across as authentic, relatable, and native to the platform. Think about the kind of videos that thrive on TikTok Shop, they’re often shot on an iPhone, feature real people, and mimic organic content. Unless you’re a luxury brand where polish is part of the positioning, you should absolutely be testing more lo-fi creative. iPhone videos, UGC reviews, iMessage or WhatsApp screenshots, Tweet screenshots, all of it works. And the best part? You don’t need a big team or studio setup to get started. Just shoot, post, test, and learn.Make promos impossible to miss
If you’re running a promo, like “15% off” or “Free Shipping”, make sure it’s front and center. Highlight the offer clearly in your ad copy and visually in the creative using overlays, stickers, or bold text. Then carry that same messaging through to your landing page or collection page so there’s no disconnect. The clearer and more consistent the promo, the more likely people are to click and convert.
Tap into social trends
One of the quickest ways to create high-performing ads is to piggyback on what’s already working. Keep an eye on trending hooks, skits, memes, sounds, music, or formats, and adapt them for your brand. The beauty is, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. A quick scroll through your feed (yes, even during your bathroom break) can reveal viral styles and TikTok Shop formats that are getting big engagement and driving sales. Spot the pattern, then put your own spin on it.
Design for Mobile First (Always)
Your ads, copy, and CTAs all need to be built with mobile in mind, because that’s where most people are seeing them. Use bold, easy-to-read text, keep your messaging short and punchy, and make your call-to-action super clear. This goes for your landing pages too. Test your site on an old iPhone with slow Wi-Fi, if it doesn’t load fast and look clean there, you’re losing conversions. Mobile-first isn’t optional. It’s the default.
Add urgency with time sensitive offers
Don’t just run a promo, give it a deadline. Phrases like “This Week Only” or “Limited Availability” create urgency and push people to act now, not later. It’s a simple tweak that can seriously boost clicks and conversions. This tactic also works brilliantly in email subject lines and pop-ups, anywhere you’re trying to spark quick action.
Build trust with social proof
The best-performing ads almost always include some form of social proof. Whether it’s a glowing customer review, a direct testimonial, or a simple line like “Over 250,000 bottles sold” or “Join 5,000+ happy customers,” this kind of validation builds instant credibility. If you’ve got a big number of reviews, shout about it, but even if you’re early on, focus on showcasing volume (like units sold) to create that sense of trust and momentum.
Build a creative asset library
Set up a shared Google Drive (or Dropbox) with all your creative assets, past ads, email graphics, organic social posts, retail visuals, and campaign materials. Label everything properly so it’s easy to search and reuse. File organisation might feel like a chore, but it’ll save you hours down the line when you’re trying to track down that one version of the ad where the product was angled just right. Do the work once, and your future self (and your team) will thank you.
Step into the creative strategist role
As ad platforms become increasingly automated, one role has become more valuable than ever, the creative strategist. This person bridges the gap between the performance marketing team and the creative team. Think of them as a creative-minded data translator, someone who can look at what’s working (or not) in the numbers and turn those insights into actionable briefs for the creative team. In many ways, the creative strategist today is what the growth marketer was in 2017, absolutely essential to scaling smart and staying ahead.
Study what’s already winning
You don’t need to start from scratch, the internet is full of free tools that show you what top-performing ads actually look like. Use resources like the Facebook Ads Library, TikTok Creative Center, Google Ads Library, and Adbeat to see what’s working for other brands. TikTok even lets you filter by ads that drive the most sales. Look for patterns in hooks, formats, visuals, and messaging, then use those insights to inspire your own creative. If you want to go deeper, tools like Foreplay and other creative research platforms can help you build swipe files and spot trends faster.
Creative isn’t just an asset. It’s an advantage
If there’s one thing to take away from these 18 tips, it’s that your creative is so much more than a set of visuals, it’s the engine behind your performance. It’s how you earn attention, build trust, and ultimately drive sales. Platforms change. Algorithms evolve. But strong, relevant, well-tested creative is the constant that moves the needle.
So whether you’re working with a big team or flying solo, whether your budget is £500 or £50K, there are always opportunities to improve how you show up. Be curious. Test more. Track what works. And remember, you’re not just making content, you’re building connection.
Your best-performing creative might be one test away. Go find it.