
Manson Chen
Jul 29, 2024
Hey everyone, Manson here. I’ve got some insights I wish I knew earlier, and I’m about to drop some serious knowledge on you. If you’re struggling to lower your CPA, listen up. This creative testing roadmap is designed to help you cut your CPA by 30% in just 30 days. Let’s dive in.
Who Needs a Creative Testing Roadmap?
You’re constantly testing creatives on Meta, but your CAC isn’t budging. Sound familiar? The problem isn’t your media buying skills. It’s your creative strategy. If you’re only tweaking colors or headlines and seeing no results, you’re in the right place.
Why Your Creative Strategy Isn’t Working
Traditional optimizations won’t cut it anymore. Creative is the new targeting. If you’re not doing creative exploration or only making minor adjustments, you’re missing out. Your strategy might be costing you tens of thousands per month in opportunity costs. It’s time to stop the “spray and pray” approach and start following a structured testing process.
The 4-Week Creative Testing Roadmap
Let’s break down this roadmap to get you back on track for profitable growth.
Week 1: Message Testing – The Foundation
In the first week, you’ll focus on message testing. This is crucial because it lays the foundation for all your creative efforts. Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
1. Identify Pain Points: Your product solves problems. What are the most painful ones? Choose four to start.
2. Simple Formats Work Best: A black-and-white fake tweet style ad is simple and effective. It’s easy to create and can outperform more complex designs.
3. Run Until 20 Conversions: This isn’t just a random number. It’s enough data to give you a clear picture of what’s working.
Message testing is about finding what resonates most with your audience. It’s the first step in understanding what turns prospects into customers.
Week 2: Concept Testing – Exploring Visuals
In week two, you’ll dive into concept testing. This is where you explore different visual styles to see what clicks.
1. High-Level Visual Distinctions: Think about different backgrounds, formats, and styles. What makes your ad stand out?
2. Four Different Concepts: Test two image concepts and two video concepts. This gives you a balanced approach.
3. Learn from the Best: Check out top advertisers for inspiration. See what works and adapt it to your style.
Concept testing helps you identify the visual styles that attract and engage your audience. It’s about finding what makes people stop and take notice.
Week 3: Script Testing – Crafting the Message
Week three is all about refining your message through script testing. This is where you get into the nitty-gritty of what you’re saying.
1. Different Script Frameworks: Use proven structures like Problem-Solution, Differentiator, and Pain-Agitation-Solution.
2. Apply to Winning Video: Take your best video ad from week two and test different scripts.
3. Measure and Learn: Look at conversion rates and engagement metrics to see what works best.
Script testing helps you refine your message to ensure it’s as compelling as possible. It’s about finding the words that convert viewers into customers.
Week 4: Visual Hook Testing – Grabbing Attention
The final week focuses on visual hooks. These are the elements that grab attention in the first 3 seconds of your ad.
1. Create Engaging Hooks: Think of something unique and eye-catching. Burning a marshmallow in reverse? Perfect.
2. Measure Hook Rate: Use a custom metric in Facebook Ads Manager to measure hook rate. Aim for at least 25%.
3. Test and Iterate: Keep testing different hooks to see what grabs the most attention.
Visual hook testing is about ensuring your ads get noticed. It’s the final step in creating compelling ads that convert.
The Creative Testing Setup – Making It Work
Here’s how to set up your campaigns for success:
• Separate Testing Campaigns: Always keep creative testing separate from evergreen campaigns. This ensures you can test without affecting your main performance.
• Ad Set Tests: In each ad set, test four different ad variations. Change only one element at a time. This helps you understand what specific change made the difference.
• Broad Audience: Start with a broad audience and optimize for your bottom-funnel KPI. This gives you the best chance of finding what works.
• Copy Winning Ads: Move successful ads to your evergreen campaign and continue testing to avoid performance drops.
Creative Testing Pro Tips – Advanced Strategies
1. Set Spending Triggers: Automatically pause ads that spend without conversions. This saves money and lets you test more creatives.
2. Test High Volume: High-volume testing helps you find winners faster without burning cash.
3. Iterate and Scale: Use winning elements in new ads. This increases your win rates and drives continuous profitable growth.
Conclusion – Mastering Modular Creative
By the end of this roadmap, you’ll have a menu of high-performing ad elements. This modular approach lets you recycle winning parts into new ads, driving continuous profitable growth. You’ll know what works and why, making it easier to create winning ads in the future.
I hope this roadmap changes the game for you. Get after it!
Best,
Manson