Manson Chen
Jun 13, 2024
I’ve been testing 50 to 100 ads per week on Meta, spending up to $6 million a month. Many growth marketers I’ve spoken to know they should be testing creatives but aren’t sure how to do it effectively. Here’s a straightforward guide to help you set up a creative testing campaign on Meta, tailored to your needs.
Step 1: Create a Dedicated Creative Testing Campaign
First things first, set up a dedicated creative testing campaign. Make sure it mirrors your evergreen campaign in terms of optimization events. If your evergreen campaign is optimized for purchases, do the same for your testing campaign.
Step 2: Set Your Ad Set Budgets
Your daily budget should aim for at least 50 conversions per week, based on your average cost per acquisition (CPA). For instance, if your average CPA is $10, set your ad set’s daily budget to about $70. This ensures you collect enough data for reliable performance analysis.
Step 3: Structure Your Ad Set Tests
Each ad set should test a specific variable within the ads. For example, one ad set might test different hooks, while another tests different body scripts. This helps isolate what elements are working or not.
Video Ad Testing Variables:
• Concept: Test UGC, animated explainers, AI-generated, GIFs, oddly satisfying, stop-motion, etc.
• Hook: Test variations like text headlines, visual elements, or audio clips.
• Body: Experiment with different scripts, music, voiceovers, or visual styles.
• Call-to-Action (CTA): Although less critical, you can still test different CTAs to see if they impact performance.
Step 4: Measure Video Ad Performance
Assess the performance of your ads based on cost per acquisition (CPA) after achieving at least 30 conversions. Also, consider upper funnel metrics like link click-through rate, hook rate (3-second video views divided by impressions), and hold rate (15-second video views divided by impressions).
Step 5: Iterate Video Ads Based on Performance
Use these guidelines to iterate your ads:
• High Hook Rate, Poor CPA: Keep the hook but test different body scripts or visuals.
• Low Hook Rate, Poor CPA: Test different hooks, headlines, and creatives.
• High Hold Rate, Poor CPA: Reevaluate the hook and test new variations.
Step 6: Transition Successful Test Ads To Evergreen Campaigns
Once an ad performs well in your testing campaign, duplicate it into your evergreen campaign. This approach ensures that only proven ads move to your main campaign, maintaining overall performance stability.
Why Separate Testing and Evergreen Campaigns?
Separating testing and evergreen campaigns is crucial. Sometimes, ads with high upper funnel metrics like hook rates can drain budgets without converting. By segregating these campaigns, you prevent high-engagement but low-conversion ads from negatively impacting your evergreen campaign’s performance.
Conclusion
This structure is a general guideline you can tailor to fit your specific needs, budget constraints, and creative production capabilities. Regularly review and adjust your campaigns based on performance data to continually improve your ad effectiveness.