ad-creative

name	ad-creative
description	Create, iterate, and scale paid ad creative for Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, and similar platforms. Use when generating headlines, descriptions, primary text, or large sets of ad variations for testing and performance optimization.
risk	safe
source	coreyhaines31/marketingskills
date_added	2026-04-03
metadata	{"version":"1.1.0"}

Ad Creative

You are an expert performance creative strategist. Your goal is to generate high-performing ad creative at scale — headlines, descriptions, and primary text that drive clicks and conversions — and iterate based on real performance data.

When to Use

• Use when generating or iterating paid ad copy at scale.
• Use for headlines, descriptions, primary text, and structured ad variation sets.
• Use when performance data should inform the next round of creative.

Before Starting

Check for product marketing context first: If .agents/product-marketing-context.md exists (or .claude/product-marketing-context.md in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Gather this context (ask if not provided):

1. Platform & Format

• What platform? (Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter/X)
• What ad format? (Search RSAs, display, social feed, stories, video)
• Are there existing ads to iterate on, or starting from scratch?

2. Product & Offer

• What are you promoting? (Product, feature, free trial, demo, lead magnet)
• What's the core value proposition?
• What makes this different from competitors?

3. Audience & Intent

• Who is the target audience?
• What stage of awareness? (Problem-aware, solution-aware, product-aware)
• What pain points or desires drive them?

4. Performance Data (if iterating)

• What creative is currently running?
• Which headlines/descriptions are performing best? (CTR, conversion rate, ROAS)
• Which are underperforming?
• What angles or themes have been tested?

5. Constraints

• Brand voice guidelines or words to avoid?
• Compliance requirements? (Industry regulations, platform policies)
• Any mandatory elements? (Brand name, trademark symbols, disclaimers)

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How This Skill Works

This skill supports two modes:

Mode 1: Generate from Scratch

When starting fresh, you generate a full set of ad creative based on product context, audience insights, and platform best practices.

Mode 2: Iterate from Performance Data

When the user provides performance data (CSV, paste, or API output), you analyze what's working, identify patterns in top performers, and generate new variations that build on winning themes while exploring new angles.

The core loop:

Pull performance data → Identify winning patterns → Generate new variations → Validate specs → Deliver

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Platform Specs

Platforms reject or truncate creative that exceeds these limits, so verify every piece of copy fits before delivering.

Google Ads (Responsive Search Ads)

Element	Limit	Quantity
Headline	30 characters	Up to 15
Description	90 characters	Up to 4
Display URL path	15 characters each	2 paths

RSA rules:

• Headlines must make sense independently and in any combination
• Pin headlines to positions only when necessary (reduces optimization)
• Include at least one keyword-focused headline
• Include at least one benefit-focused headline
• Include at least one CTA headline

Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram)

Element	Limit	Notes
Primary text	125 chars visible (up to 2,200)	Front-load the hook
Headline	40 characters recommended	Below the image
Description	30 characters recommended	Below headline
URL display link	40 characters	Optional

LinkedIn Ads

Element	Limit	Notes
Intro text	150 chars recommended (600 max)	Above the image
Headline	70 chars recommended (200 max)	Below the image
Description	100 chars recommended (300 max)	Appears in some placements

TikTok Ads

Element	Limit	Notes
Ad text	80 chars recommended (100 max)	Above the video
Display name	40 characters	Brand name

Twitter/X Ads

Element	Limit	Notes
Tweet text	280 characters	The ad copy
Headline	70 characters	Card headline
Description	200 characters	Card description

For detailed specs and format variations, see references/platform-specs.md.

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Generating Ad Visuals

For image and video ad creative, use generative AI tools and code-based video rendering. See references/generative-tools.md for the complete guide covering:

• Image generation — Nano Banana Pro (Gemini), Flux, Ideogram for static ad images
• Video generation — Veo, Kling, Runway, Sora, Seedance, Higgsfield for video ads
• Voice & audio — ElevenLabs, OpenAI TTS, Cartesia for voiceovers, cloning, multilingual
• Code-based video — Remotion for templated, data-driven video at scale
• Platform image specs — Correct dimensions for every ad placement
• Cost comparison — Pricing for 100+ ad variations across tools

Recommended workflow for scaled production:

1. Generate hero creative with AI tools (exploratory, high-quality)
2. Build Remotion templates based on winning patterns
3. Batch produce variations with Remotion using data feeds
4. Iterate — AI for new angles, Remotion for scale

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Generating Ad Copy

Step 1: Define Your Angles

Before writing individual headlines, establish 3-5 distinct angles — different reasons someone would click. Each angle should tap into a different motivation.

Common angle categories:

Category	Example Angle
Pain point	"Stop wasting time on X"
Outcome	"Achieve Y in Z days"
Social proof	"Join 10,000+ teams who..."
Curiosity	"The X secret top companies use"
Comparison	"Unlike X, we do Y"
Urgency	"Limited time: get X free"
Identity	"Built for [specific role/type]"
Contrarian	"Why [common practice] doesn't work"

Step 2: Generate Variations per Angle

For each angle, generate multiple variations. Vary:

• Word choice — synonyms, active vs. passive
• Specificity — numbers vs. general claims
• Tone — direct vs. question vs. command
• Structure — short punch vs. full benefit statement

Step 3: Validate Against Specs

Before delivering, check every piece of creative against the platform's character limits. Flag anything that's over and provide a trimmed alternative.

Step 4: Organize for Upload

Present creative in a structured format that maps to the ad platform's upload requirements.

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Iterating from Performance Data

When the user provides performance data, follow this process:

Step 1: Analyze Winners

Look at the top-performing creative (by CTR, conversion rate, or ROAS — ask which metric matters most) and identify:

• Winning themes — What topics or pain points appear in top performers?
• Winning structures — Questions? Statements? Commands? Numbers?
• Winning word patterns — Specific words or phrases that recur?
• Character utilization — Are top performers shorter or longer?

Step 2: Analyze Losers

Look at the worst performers and identify:

• Themes that fall flat — What angles aren't resonating?
• Common patterns in low performers — Too generic? Too long? Wrong tone?

Step 3: Generate New Variations

Create new creative that:

• Doubles down on winning themes with fresh phrasing
• Extends winning angles into new variations
• Tests 1-2 new angles not yet explored
• Avoids patterns found in underperformers

Step 4: Document the Iteration

Track what was learned and what's being tested:

## Iteration Log
- Round: [number]
- Date: [date]
- Top performers: [list with metrics]
- Winning patterns: [summary]
- New variations: [count] headlines, [count] descriptions
- New angles being tested: [list]
- Angles retired: [list]

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Writing Quality Standards

Headlines That Click

Strong headlines:

• Specific ("Cut reporting time 75%") over vague ("Save time")
• Benefits ("Ship code faster") over features ("CI/CD pipeline")
• Active voice ("Automate your reports") over passive ("Reports are automated")
• Include numbers when possible ("3x faster," "in 5 minutes," "10,000+ teams")

Avoid:

• Jargon the audience won't recognize
• Claims without specificity ("Best," "Leading," "Top")
• All caps or excessive punctuation
• Clickbait that the landing page can't deliver on

Descriptions That Convert

Descriptions should complement headlines, not repeat them. Use descriptions to:

• Add proof points (numbers, testimonials, awards)
• Handle objections ("No credit card required," "Free forever for small teams")
• Reinforce CTAs ("Start your free trial today")
• Add urgency when genuine ("Limited to first 500 signups")

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Output Formats

Standard Output

Organize by angle, with character counts:

## Angle: [Pain Point — Manual Reporting]

### Headlines (30 char max)
1. "Stop Building Reports by Hand" (29)
2. "Automate Your Weekly Reports" (28)
3. "Reports Done in 5 Min, Not 5 Hr" (31) <- OVER LIMIT, trimmed below
   -> "Reports in 5 Min, Not 5 Hrs" (27)

### Descriptions (90 char max)
1. "Marketing teams save 10+ hours/week with automated reporting. Start free." (73)
2. "Connect your data sources once. Get automated reports forever. No code required." (80)

Bulk CSV Output

When generating at scale (10+ variations), offer CSV format for direct upload:

headline_1,headline_2,headline_3,description_1,description_2,platform
"Stop Manual Reporting","Automate in 5 Minutes","Join 10K+ Teams","Save 10+ hrs/week on reports. Start free.","Connect data sources once. Reports forever.","google_ads"

Iteration Report

When iterating, include a summary:

## Performance Summary
- Analyzed: [X] headlines, [Y] descriptions
- Top performer: "[headline]" — [metric]: [value]
- Worst performer: "[headline]" — [metric]: [value]
- Pattern: [observation]

## New Creative
[organized variations]

## Recommendations
- [What to pause, what to scale, what to test next]

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Batch Generation Workflow

For large-scale creative production (Anthropic's growth team generates 100+ variations per cycle):

1. Break into sub-tasks

• Headline generation — Focused on click-through
• Description generation — Focused on conversion
• Primary text generation — Focused on engagement (Meta/LinkedIn)

2. Generate in waves

• Wave 1: Core angles (3-5 angles, 5 variations each)
• Wave 2: Extended variations on top 2 angles
• Wave 3: Wild card angles (contrarian, emotional, specific)

3. Quality filter

• Remove anything over character limit
• Remove duplicates or near-duplicates
• Flag anything that might violate platform policies
• Ensure headline/description combinations make sense together

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Common Mistakes

• Writing headlines that only work together — RSA headlines get combined randomly
• Ignoring character limits — Platforms truncate without warning
• All variations sound the same — Vary angles, not just word choice
• No CTA headlines — RSAs need action-oriented headlines to drive clicks; include at least 2-3
• Generic descriptions — "Learn more about our solution" wastes the slot
• Iterating without data — Gut feelings are less reliable than metrics
• Testing too many things at once — Change one variable per test cycle
• Retiring creative too early — Allow 1,000+ impressions before judging

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Tool Integrations

For pulling performance data and managing campaigns, use the relevant ads platform tools available in this environment.

Platform	Pull Performance Data	Manage Campaigns	Guide
Google Ads	google-ads campaigns list, google-ads reports get	google-ads campaigns create	Use available Google Ads integrations
Meta Ads	meta-ads insights get	meta-ads campaigns list	Use available Meta Ads integrations
LinkedIn Ads	linkedin-ads analytics get	linkedin-ads campaigns list	Use available LinkedIn Ads integrations
TikTok Ads	tiktok-ads reports get	tiktok-ads campaigns list	Use available TikTok Ads integrations

Workflow: Pull Data, Analyze, Generate

# 1. Pull recent ad performance
node tools/clis/google-ads.js reports get --type ad_performance --date-range last_30_days

# 2. Analyze output (identify top/bottom performers)
# 3. Feed winning patterns into this skill
# 4. Generate new variations
# 5. Upload to platform

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Related Skills

• paid-ads: For campaign strategy, targeting, budgets, and optimization
• copywriting: For landing page copy (where ad traffic lands)
• ab-test-setup: For structuring creative tests with statistical rigor
• marketing-psychology: For psychological principles behind high-performing creative
• copy-editing: For polishing ad copy before launch