Earn attention.
Give it a direction.
Your ad needs a relevant opening, a clear message and a useful next step. KOAT develops static creatives, video ads and purposeful variations around your offer and customer.
How do you test hooks and visuals?
Start with a specific question and a measurable hypothesis. To isolate a hook, change the opening while keeping the visual, offer and remaining message consistent. To isolate a visual, keep the message consistent and change the image or opening footage. Use a suitable controlled experiment where available, plan the evaluation in advance and judge results against the campaign’s business goal.
What should your ad communicate?
A reason to pay attention
Show a recognisable need, situation or desired outcome. Help the intended customer understand why the message applies to them.
An offer they can understand
Explain what you provide and the value it offers. Include material conditions and use evidence that your business can substantiate.
A sensible next step
Match the call to action to the offer and customer journey, whether that means viewing a product, checking suitability or requesting a conversation.
Test a question you can act on.
“Which ad performs better?” is a useful starting point. A more specific question helps you decide what to produce next: does a customer problem, a product demonstration or a clear outcome make the offer more relevant?
| Test | Change | Keep consistent | What you can learn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written hook | The opening line or headline. | Visual, offer, body copy, CTA and destination. | Which tested opening performs better in this context. |
| Opening visual | The image or opening footage. | Spoken or written hook, offer and remaining message. | Which visual treatment better supports the message. |
| Proof presentation | How the same approved evidence is presented. | Core promise, offer, CTA and destination. | Which presentation helps people understand the evidence. |
| Whole creative concept | The angle, hook and visual treatment together. | Offer, destination and comparable campaign conditions. | Which complete concept performs better—not which element caused it. |
Example hypothesis
“For this service and audience, an opening about the customer’s problem will generate qualified enquiries at a lower cost than an opening describing the service.”
Both versions lead to the same offer and enquiry journey. Qualification criteria are agreed before launch, so the comparison reflects the enquiries the business actually wants.
Make the opening specific.
A hook is the opening that gives someone a reason to continue. A message angle is the broader perspective used to explain the offer. Keep both grounded in actual customer needs.
A surprising opening may attract attention but create the wrong expectation. The rest of the ad and the destination should deliver on the promise made at the start.
Angles worth exploring
- A problem the customer recognises.
- A relevant outcome they want to achieve.
- A demonstration of how the product or service works.
- A common question or objection.
- A verified example or customer experience.
- A clear explanation of who the offer suits.
Use genuine evidence and accurate claims. Avoid invented testimonials, unsupported results or artificial urgency.
Creatives built around your campaign.
Concepts and creative briefs
Define the customer, offer, message angle, supporting evidence and action each concept should communicate.
Images with a clear message
Develop layouts and copy that suit the agreed placements, with readable text and a purposeful visual hierarchy.
Scripts and edited variations
Plan the opening, message sequence, demonstration or proof and CTA. Production requirements depend on available footage and the agreed scope.
Versions with a learning purpose
Create alternatives for a defined hook, visual or concept test, with clear labels identifying what changed.
Placement adaptations
Adapt composition, text placement and exports for the selected feeds, Stories, Reels or other agreed placements.
A practical testing plan
Define the comparison, success measure and review approach. Campaign execution and ongoing management can be scoped alongside production.
Separate delivery from experimentation.
Running several ads in a campaign can help the platform allocate delivery. It does not necessarily create a controlled comparison: variants may receive different exposure or reach different groups.
Where a suitable experiment is available, use it to answer the planned question. Google Ads, for example, provides video experiments for eligible campaign setups. Check the available method for the platform and campaign you are using.
Comparisons across different weeks also need caution. Competition, demand, promotions and audience conditions may have changed alongside the creative.
Agree on the test conditions
- The question and creative element being tested.
- The main business outcome and supporting metrics.
- The audience, offer and destination.
- The budget and planned evaluation period.
- The tracking and qualification definitions.
- Any automated changes that could alter the comparison.
Record the assets and settings used, so the result can be interpreted against what people actually saw.
Attention is a signal. Outcomes guide the decision.
Choose a primary measure that reflects the campaign objective. Use attention and click metrics to investigate performance, then connect them with the quality and value of the actions that follow.
| Signal | Useful for | Interpretation limit |
|---|---|---|
| Video viewing and retention | Investigating whether people continue watching. | Viewing definitions vary; watch time alone does not establish purchase intent. |
| Outbound or link clicks | Assessing response to the message and next step. | A click may not become a loaded page, suitable enquiry or purchase. |
| Landing page visits | Checking whether people reach the destination. | Page loading and measurement affect the count; visits do not establish lead quality. |
| Qualified enquiries | Evaluating relevant lead generation. | Requires consistent qualification and time for follow-up. |
| Purchases and contribution | Evaluating e-commerce outcomes and economics. | Account for margins, returns, attribution and campaign costs. |
More clicks can come with worse lead quality.
A broad promise may attract inexpensive clicks while producing unsuitable enquiries. A more specific ad may attract fewer people but better match the offer. Assess both against the same business criteria.
Give each comparison a realistic chance.
The number of variants should fit the available budget and expected outcome volume. Spreading a small budget across many versions can leave every comparison inconclusive.
Plan the review period before launch. Account for conversion delays and ordinary variation, and avoid declaring a winner because of an early lead or sale.
“Inconclusive” is a valid result.
A test may not provide enough evidence to choose confidently. Report that limitation, then decide whether to continue, simplify the comparison or test a more meaningful difference.
A result applies to the tested conditions. It does not make a hook or visual a universal winner for every audience, placement or offer.
Brief. Produce. Test. Refine.
- 01
Define the message
Understand the offer, customer questions, approved evidence and action the campaign should generate.
- 02
Produce the assets
Build the agreed concepts and variations, adapted to the selected formats and placements.
- 03
Run the comparison
Launch through the agreed campaign setup and check delivery, tracking and test conditions.
- 04
Apply the learning
Document the result and its limitations, then use the evidence to guide the next creative decision.
Refresh with a reason.
When results deteriorate, review the creative alongside delivery, audience exposure, competition, tracking and the destination. A decline does not automatically mean the audience is tired of the ad.
The next version should address a finding: an unclear opening, an unanswered objection, weak evidence or a message that no longer fits the offer.
Keep a useful creative record.
Label each version with its concept, hook, visual, format and date. Record the comparison, conditions, outcomes and decision. This helps future production build on observed learning instead of repeating the same questions.
What does ad creative production cost?
Cost depends on the number of concepts, formats and variations, along with scripting, filming, editing and asset requirements. Placement adaptations and revision rounds also affect scope.
We clarify deliverables, source assets, usage requirements and the approval process before starting. Media spend and campaign management are separate items unless included in the agreed proposal.
Bring these to the first conversation
- Your offer and intended customer.
- Your campaign objective and destination.
- Brand assets and available photos or footage.
- Approved claims, examples and customer evidence.
- Previous creatives and performance data, if available.
- Your budget, placements and production timeline.
Ad creatives and testing explained.
What is an ad creative?
It is the message and visual material people see in an ad. Depending on the format, it can include an image, video, headline, body copy, audio and call to action.
How do you test different hooks?
Define the opening you want to compare and keep the remaining creative consistent. Use an appropriate experiment where available and assess the planned outcome after a suitable evaluation period.
Can I change the hook and visual together?
Yes, when comparing complete concepts. The result can tell you which tested concept performed better, but it cannot isolate whether the hook or visual caused the difference.
How many ad variants should I create?
Create enough to answer the planned questions within your budget and expected outcome volume. There is no universal number. Prioritise meaningful comparisons over numerous minor variations.
Are video ads always better than static ads?
No. Format suitability depends on the offer, message, placement and production quality. Test a format when the comparison supports a useful business decision.
Which metric should decide the winner?
Choose it before launch based on the campaign goal. Qualified enquiry cost may suit lead generation; purchases and contribution may suit e-commerce. Attention metrics help explain the result but may not be the main decision measure.
How long should a creative test run?
It depends on delivery, budget, outcome volume and conversion delay. Plan a suitable period and use the experiment’s evidence where available. A fixed number of days does not guarantee a reliable conclusion.
Does more delivery mean an ad is proven to be better?
No. Automated delivery can favour a variant without creating a controlled comparison. Review how the ads were served before interpreting differences as evidence about a creative element.
Can you work with our existing footage?
Existing footage can be reviewed for suitability, quality and usage rights. We then agree on the editing, additional assets and formats required for the proposed concepts.
Can you guarantee a winning creative?
No. Performance depends on the offer, audience, competition and customer journey. We develop purposeful concepts and a review process that helps your business learn from results.
Build the creative.
Know what you want to learn.
Let’s review your offer and available assets, then define the concepts, formats and comparisons your campaign needs.
