ad-creative

SKILL.md

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.

Before Starting

Check for product marketing context first:
If .agents/product-marketing.md exists (or .claude/product-marketing.md, or the legacy product-marketing-context.md filename, 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)

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

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.

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:

Generate hero creative with AI tools (exploratory, high-quality)

Build Remotion templates based on winning patterns

Batch produce variations with Remotion using data feeds

Iterate — AI for new angles, Remotion for scale

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.

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]

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")

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]

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

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

Tool Integrations

For pulling performance data and managing campaigns, see the tools registry.

Platform
Pull Performance Data
Manage Campaigns
Guide

Google Ads
google-ads campaigns list, google-ads reports get
google-ads campaigns create
google-ads.md

Meta Ads
meta-ads insights get
meta-ads campaigns list
meta-ads.md

LinkedIn Ads
linkedin-ads analytics get
linkedin-ads campaigns list
linkedin-ads.md

TikTok Ads
tiktok-ads reports get
tiktok-ads campaigns list
tiktok-ads.md

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

Related Skills

ads: For campaign strategy, targeting, budgets, and optimization

copywriting: For landing page copy (where ad traffic lands)

ab-testing: For structuring creative tests with statistical rigor

marketing-psychology: For psychological principles behind high-performing creative

copy-editing: For polishing ad copy before launch