skills/ad-creative/references/static-ad-templates.md
Structural templates for static (image) ad creative. Each is a layout framework with slots for brand-specific copy — the structure is proven; the inputs make it yours.
Use these when generating static ad concepts at volume (Meta, Instagram, LinkedIn, display). Cycle through all templates rather than clustering on 2-3 favorites: template diversity is angle diversity, and the winner is usually not the one you'd have picked by hand.
Each template carries a tier (S–F) and a funnel role, distilled from Dara Denney's ranking of 51 Meta creative formats. The organizing question behind the tiers isn't "does it work" but "is this a unicorn scaler that punctures net-new cold audiences, or a supporting-cast member that converts people already in mid/low-funnel?"
Read tiers as priority-of-reach, not quality. When cold-scaling is the goal, weight the batch toward S/A. When feeding mid-funnel and retargeting, the B-tier supporting cast is exactly right.
The tiers here cover statics only. For the full S–F map across all Meta creative formats — including the video/UGC/partnership formats that dominate the top of the ranking (partnership ads, VSLs, yapper ads, authority ads) — see references/meta-creative-formats.md, the format map. This library is the static slice of that larger picture.
Each template is tagged Tier (S–F priority-of-reach) and Role (cold-scaler vs. supporting cast). See the framing note above.
Bold one-line claim. Single product hero shot. Minimal background. The headline does all the work.
Side-by-side comparison. Competitor or "old way" on the left (grayed out), your product on the right (full color). 4-6 comparison rows.
One dominant number takes up 60% of the visual. Supporting context below.
A five-star testimonial styled as a screenshotted product review. Reviewer name, star rating, date.
inputs/reviews/ verbatim — with permission where the platform requires itThree customer quotes arranged vertically, photo + name + one-line quote each.
Split image with arrow between. Transformation framing — product results, workflow, or visual proof.
Pain point on top (text or image), product as the answer below.
inputs/reviews/ — verbatim beats paraphraseHandwritten-style or plain-text note from the founder. Conversational, personal tone.
Product hero in the center, 4-6 callout boxes around the edges highlighting key components.
"As seen in" with publication logos and a pull quote.
Product in use in a real environment. Minimal copy. Aspirational, not salesy.
"5 reasons [audience] are switching to [brand]." Icons next to each point.
A common objection as the question, answered directly.
inputs/comments/ — the objections people post publicly under your adsName a specific competitor (or the category default) and explain the difference. Bold but factual.
Founder photo with the why-we-built-this narrative. Longer copy than other formats.
A tidy grid of your product line, a bundle, or a collection — one clean frame, multiple SKUs. Optional "shop the set" line.
Product hero with 3–5 short labels pointing at specific parts — the "what makes this different" annotated directly on the image.
A curated collage — product, texture, setting, palette — assembled like a Pinterest board. Identity over information.
A single frame that teaches something true — a mechanism, a comparison, a "how it works" — styled to read as content, not an ad.
Leads with a contrarian statement that names a limiting belief the persona holds, then flips it. Confrontational hook, resolved below.
A single tweet or Reddit post styled as a native screenshot — real social proof as the creative, strongest when used as the first frame.
inputs/comments/Deliberately low-polish — handwritten note, sticky note, or plain-text-on-a-photo. The anti-designed look reads native and urgent.
Each generated concept follows this structure:
## Concept [N]: [Template Name]
**Headline**: [the headline copy]
**Body**: [supporting copy, if the template uses it]
**Visual**: [layout description specific enough to design or generate from]
**Image prompt**: [prompt for the image tool, if generating — see generative-tools.md]
**Grounded in**: [which review / winning ad / comment this traces to, quoted or named]
Record each concept's tier alongside its template so the reviewer sees the funnel role at a glance. For a batch, add an INDEX.md listing every concept with its template type, tier, and grounding source, so the reviewer can scan 50 concepts in two minutes.
For a standard 50-concept batch: spread variations across the template set, but let tier and funnel goal shape the weighting rather than distributing evenly. For a cold-reach batch, over-index on the S/A tiers (Founder Message, Origin Story, Grid Static); for a warm/retargeting batch, lean on the B-tier supporting cast (Callout, FAQ Card, Before/After, Competitor Callout). Skip the D–F decayed formats (Press Mention, Testimonial statics, Numbered List) unless you have a specific reason. If performance data shows certain templates consistently winning for this brand, shift to 60% proven templates / 40% full-cycle coverage — but never drop coverage to zero. Fatigue is why you're generating daily; the template that's tired next month is the one you're scaling today.