1. Hooking Your Audience: The Science of the First Frame
Cold Audiences = The Hook-Heavy Phase
They have never heard of your brand. This is their very first introduction. Hooks must be aggressive, USPs must be clear, and visuals should be captivating.
Warm Audiences = The Benefit-Heavy Phase
They have engaged with your brand in a small way, they may have liked a post or watched a video of yours. Show them how your product solves daily friction points and seamlessly fits into their routine to turn interest into intent.
Hot Audiences = The Friction-Reducing Phase
They have more of an investment in your brand, they may have subscribed to your newsletter or they’ve abandoned their cart. This is where you deploy social proof, highlight specific product features, and issue clear, urgent CTAs to eliminate purchase friction.
2. Asset Selection: Choosing Images & Videos that Command Attention
Your audience’s feeds are crowded with content; that’s why generic product shots or stock images are never going to make your scrollers pause on your ad. The highest-performing assets strike a perfect balance. They feel authentic enough to blend into the feed, yet premium enough to build desire. Here is what to consider while selecting assets to build your creatives from:
Human Presence & Real-Life Context
People buy lifestyles, not items. Swap sterile studio backgrounds for authentic settings where real people are actively experiencing the benefits of your product.
Show Your Product in Action
An isolated item has no context—it’s never going to hook anyone. Show your product solving a problem in real-time—whether that’s through rich texture close-ups, split-screen transformations, or direct user demonstrations.
Keep Ad Placements & Multiple Sizes in Mind
When building your images and videos for your campaign, you will (at minimum) need assets in square, vertical, and horizontal specs. Choosing assets that can be cropped in multiple ways is essential; avoid images that only work in a single spec.
Fortunately, there are several AI tools that can extend backgrounds, helping you to avoid awkward crops. Both Photoshop and Canva have become lifesavers for designers. Background extension and generative fill tools have made it much easier to use the same image for both vertical and landscape assets.
3. Crafting Copy: Text Overlays That Drive Action
Now that you’ve established your audience and selected some stunning assets, it’s time to write some killer copy to go on your images and videos. Banner ads design best practices don’t just rely on raw visuals but on punchy copy to anchor the message. We see many brands deliver stunning visuals, but their copy falls flat. Luckily, you can use structured templates to guarantee your copy captures attention.
Images: Follow this tight three-tiered hierarchy:
The Hook Headline
Large, high-contrast, maximum 4-6 words. Addresses the core question or problem in 1 second.
The Value Proposition
Secondary supporting copy that clarifies the solution, offer, or unique benefit.
The Direct Action CTA
Clear, unmissable call to action button or prompt (e.g., "Shop Now", "Claim 20% Off").
Videos: The ABCD Structure
When it comes to copy in your videos, capturing your audience’s attention quickly is critical. Most users swipe away after less than 3 seconds. Following Google’s ABCD structure has been shown to be one of the most effective formats for writing strong video copy and hooking your audience fast.
- Attract: This is your hook. Open with something that will pique your audience’s interest. Your hook must be presented in 3 seconds or less.
- Branding: Introduce your brand right after your hook, then transition into a few key USPs. This will help reinforce what makes your brand stand apart from others.
- Connect: Evoke an emotional response. You’re focusing your message by sparking a feeling. You can use a soft CTA here, before your hard one.
- Direct (Call to Action): This is your CTA. You want to direct your audience to take a specific action. Example: “Shop Now”, “Learn More”, “Visit One of Our Stores”.
Do
- • Be Specific
- • Use natural language
- • Focus on benefits over features
- • Keep it short & simple
- • Always include a CTA
Don't
- • Over-explain
- • Be vague
- • Leave the audience without direction
4. Scaling: Volume & Variants
At <imajery> we see clients spend a lot of time and resources creating one perfect asset. However, Meta, Google PMAX, and Pinterest’s algorithms all thrive on creative iterations and volume. This means no matter how great your one ad is, it will never be as powerful as having many variants. Finding true winners in a creative campaign means testing about 3–10 variations.
These variations don’t have to be 3–10 completely unique assets; they can be as small as a CTA variation. Here are some examples of creative variations:
- Same image asset, different headline texts
- Same text, different images
- Video length: Long-form (30s) vs short-form (10s)
- Inspirational vs informative messaging
- CTAs: Shop Now vs Learn More
