Judging an Ad Before It Runs
For the stretch between finishing an ad and paying to run it, when you still have time to catch what's wrong. This category is for business owners who look at their own creative and can't tell if it's actually good or just familiar, because they've seen it fifty times. It's a practical guide to evaluating an ad before launch: what to check, in what order, and how to see your own work the way a stranger would.
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Judging an Ad Before It Runs
Can an organic post predict whether a paid ad will work.
A free post can rule out an idea that nobody engages with, even for free, but strong organic engagement doesn't mean a paid ad will work the same way once strangers see it.
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Judging an Ad Before It Runs
Writing ad copy for strangers versus ad copy for comparison shoppers.
An ad aimed at someone who has never heard of your business needs to earn a second of attention and say who you are; an ad aimed at someone comparing options needs to answer the specific reason they haven't picked you...
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Judging an Ad Before It Runs
Problem-first or product-first: how to pick your ad's opening.
Whether an ad should open by naming your customer's problem or by introducing your product depends on how much the viewer already knows they have a problem, not on which formula the marketer prefers.
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Judging an Ad Before It Runs
The first 60 seconds of reviewing your own ad.
Before you spend a dollar on an ad, the first 60 seconds of review should check two things: can someone recognize your brand without reading it, and is every claim in it true and provable. Everything else can wait.