How to Maximize Ad Performance With Creators

If I was a consumer brand looking to grow my ad spend with Meta to $10+ million a year profitably, here's exactly what I would do: 1. First, go all-in on GenAI creative and Creators - There's a reason Zuckerberg mentioned AI-powered creative tools repeatedly in Meta's recent earnings calls. Meta's algorithms now heavily favor content that keeps users engaged, and their internal data shows GenAI creative + Creator partnerships deliver significantly higher ROAS than traditional approaches. 2. Build your GenAI creative engine: - Implement Meta's Advantage+ creative testing to automatically optimize variations - Use Meta's AI-powered image expansion tool to repurpose existing assets - Apply a dynamic optimization framework (test 5-7 new concepts weekly) - Check out Pencil ✏️ for creative at scale with Meta-optimized templates 3. Develop your Creator strategy (where Meta is incentivizing spend): - Identify 20-30 creators in your vertical with 50K-500K followers - Allocate 15-20% of your budget to Branded Content ads - Utilize Meta's Creator Marketplace for matchmaking - Set up an always-on testing framework with 3-5 new creators monthly 4. Maximize Meta's AI-powered targeting: - Transition 70% of campaigns to Advantage+ Shopping or App campaigns - Implement broad targeting with detailed exclusions rather than narrow targeting - Upload first-party data monthly for custom Advantage+ audiences - Use the Meta Audience Overlap Tool to identify new segments 5. Scale strategically with Meta's financial incentives: - Join Meta's Scaled Solutions program (requires $5M+ quarterly spend) - Apply for Meta's Creative Acceleration Program for subsidized asset creation - Request your Meta rep connect you with their "Media Partnerships" team for co-marketing funds - Leverage Meta's Commerce Partner Program for additional rebates 6. Optimize your measurement approach: - Implement Meta's Conversion API alongside pixel for 20-30% more attributed conversions - Set up incrementality testing using Meta's Lift Test framework - Create custom dashboards in Meta's Business Suite comparing performance - Try Haus for advanced attribution beyond Meta's native tool The reality is that Meta is making massive investments because they see internal data showing these newer approaches dramatically outperforming traditional ones. Their algorithmic changes now favor these formats, and they're directly incentivizing brands who lean into their strategic priorities. Questions? Fire away in the comments.

Our client spent 13 months building something Meta can't take away. Now they're generating 50M impressions at $4.02 CPM while competitors pay $20+. While your competitors cut TOF budget to chase short-term ROAS, we built a creator community that delivers brand awareness at 1/5th the CPM of Meta ads. Too many brands have sacrificed top-of-funnel investment to maintain ROAS targets, creating a growth ceiling as they continuously retarget the same audience pool. This approach is unsustainable as CACs rise and attribution becomes more challenging. Here's why our Creator Community strategy is the game-changer you need: 1. Generate millions of authentic impressions at a fraction of paid media costs 2. Create multiple touchpoints before a purchase decision 3. Improve performance of existing paid channels through increased brand awareness 4. Build mental availability that drives long-term revenue growth Our solution? A systematic approach to building a 1,000-person distribution network that generates consistent TOF awareness without draining your budget. How it works: 1. Identify and recruit creators aligned with your brand 2. Implement performance-based compensation to ensure ROI 3. Provide creators with creative briefs, campaigns, and challenges 4. Monitor and optimize creator performance from 1:1 coaching 5. Whitelist top performing influencer posts by EMV and Revenue By focusing on performance-based compensation, we ensure every dollar spent drives both immediate revenue and long-term awareness. Don't let short-term ROAS obsession limit your growth potential. Invest in a creator community that generates a new TOF strategy that builds a sustainable competitive advantage.

A few months ago I was on call with the CMO of a $25M+ brand. They had just wrapped up a 100 person influencer campaign. Guess how many were ROI positive? Seven. Just seven. This wasn't a failure of the other 93 creators. This was a clear indication something was fundamentally broken in how they did influencer marketing. We went through a simple 5-step checklist to that could be applied immediately. If you're a brand in a similar situation, here's how to go from "influencer marketing doesn't work" to "we need more creators!" 1. Introduce New Data Most brands model off of CPMs, never looking at actual performance. Use social commerce platforms to include actual conversion performance. Display it all against rates to sort by projections we actually care about: CPA, CPC, etc... 2. Measure Alignment Use this data to now measure actual alignment with your brand. Things like AOV, content relevance, messaging... The surface level connection is not enough. 3. Focus on Audience A creator's demographic matters less than their audience demographics. Look at the age, gender, geography of their audience. Plenty of creators that fit your demographic but have an entirely different audience demographic and vice versa. 4. Generate Creative Outlines from Creators Bring creators into the planning stages, letting them shape your creative outline. The right messaging and style is more likely to come from them than you. Then turn this into a content brief that provides direction but is not a script. Let creators do what they do best. 5. Treat Content as the Asset The reach you get from a creator is valuable, but the content they've created is far more valuable when used correctly. Setup whitelisting, repurposing to your own socials - get the most utilization out of every single video. -- Creator marketing works. But it's not 2017 anymore - sending product and seeing what happens is not a strategy. Dig in. Build the right strategy. Find the right creators. Let them do their thing. Maximize their content.

If I were the CMO of a brand hiring creators right now, half the budget would be gone tomorrow...and here’s why: Most brands rent attention. I’d invest in relationships that build equity. Here’s how I’d fix it: • Hire creators who can explain, not just post: If they can’t pitch your product in 30 seconds, they’re not selling—it’s noise. • Use creators as educators: They should teach, simplify, and convert—not just entertain. • Stop bragging about reach: If the funnel didn’t move, the campaign failed. Build a post-click plan: No lead capture? No retargeting? No nurture? No results. • Repurpose what performs: A viral post should fuel ads, emails, landing pages—not die on the timeline. • Boost with paid media: Turn creator content into high-performing ad creative. Extend its shelf life. Amplify what works. • Make creators part of the brand: Use their face, voice, and style across campaigns. Think landing pages, promo videos, and testimonials. • Go beyond the post: Webinars, social takeovers, event coverage, newsletter features—build momentum, not one-offs. • Split the budget smart: 50% into trusted creators who connect. 50% into amplification that keeps them converting. Most creator campaigns are short-term plays. The smart ones turn creators into strategic partners across the funnel.

Creative is the new targeting, but how do you execute on that? Every decision you make with regard to ad creative matters for who you reach: - Creator selection - style, age, interests, etc. - Music selection - genre, pace, etc. - Copy - subtle framing/phrasing, value props - Context - use cases, setting - Testimonials - from who, and what they say - And more... To focus efforts, we ALWAYS recommend starting with consumer research. Here is an example from a recent client project for a wellness brand: - Our 30-45 demo is 34% MORE likely to trust friends & family for advice, and 10% more likely to trust social media - Our 50+ demo is 32% more likely to ask a doctor for advice and 49% more likely to ask a pharmacist for advice So what does this mean for our creative strategy? To truly reach these people and drive conversion, we need to build trust through different avenues. We should (generally) not be showing a pharmacist to our 30-45 demographic and we should not be showing a non-credentialed/non-medical professional creator to our 50+ demo. The data proves this. - In ads mentioning a doctor's recommendation and leveraging an older creator, we see our younger demo underperform by 60%, with our older demo outperforming by 10%. - In ads featuring testimonials & social proof, our younger demo outperforms by nearly 50%. As is always the case ... remember to think audience-first! New Engen #DigitalMarketing #CreativeTesting *Ad screenshots are AI reproduced in general direction of actual assets to mask brand.

Throwing money at influencers won’t fix your funnel. It just burns it faster. Most brands still treat creator marketing like a one-off billboard. Big splash. Short buzz. Then… nothing. The truth is: It’s not about likes. It’s not about reach. And it’s definitely not about “going viral.” 👉The winning brands? They treat creators like research partners. Not just content producers. Here’s how to actually win with creator marketing: ✅ 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 → Watch how they describe your product. →This is real-world messaging R&D. ✅ 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀. → Read the comments. Look for words that keep popping up. → That’s your gold. ✅ 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 → 3–10% is your signal. Save it. Reuse it. → Turn it into an ad. ✅ 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱 → Same creator. Same vibe. → Now with budget behind it. ✅ 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 → Great creator content fuels Meta, TikTok, YouTube, landing pages, emails. ✅ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 → This isn’t a launch. It’s a system that compounds over time. Influencer marketing done right doesn’t just look good. It sells. But only if you treat creators like partners, not placements. 🔔 Follow me Brian Freeman 👋 for more creators insights

One of the most underutilized ad formats on Meta right right now is Partnership ads because it requires working with a creator or influencer to unlock it's potential. But creator-led UGC is proven to outperform brand-led creative so the extra effort can lead to significant sales improvements. And if you're not paying attention to Partnership ads yet, Meta just made them a whole lot more powerful that they will become harder to ignore. Advertisers can now combine Partnership ads with Advantage+ catalog ads—bringing creator content into dynamic product ads at scale. This means you can pair creator content with real-time product feeds and AI-powered personalization. The result: ads that look native, feel trusted, and convert better at scale. For brands running influencer or affiliate programs, this opens the door to scaling what used to be a manual, one-off effort. If you're selling products across multiple SKUs, this could be the missing link between performance and content.