Creative strategist assessment

The company I did this for runs paid social campaigns exclusively for windows and doors companies across the UK on Meta. They generate leads, and get paid a fixed percentage of the revenue their campaigns generate – so every creative decision has a direct commercial consequence.

Assessment overview: fictional UK company ClearView Home Improvements

Total time: approx. 2 to 3 hours
Platform covered: Meta only (Facebook and Instagram)
Format: Written responses – submitted as a PDF
Submission: Email
Deadline: 5 working days
Context: PDF with company background, processes & instructions

Part 1: Creative Strategy

1. Diagnosing the gap

The first thing a below-target CPL paired with a low LQL ratio tells me is that the lead quality could be low. I say ‘could be’, because that isn’t necessarily the issue. It could be any number of things:

• The sales flow (e.g. calling vs. WhatsApp or email, and reminder mailers after the 7th call instead of a hard stop)
• Targeting that is incorrect / not specific enough
• Mismatch between ad and landing page
• Wrong goal (it could be that a call ad would work better, where the customer makes the call themselves instead of leaving their details)
• Unclear or bland messaging on the ad
• Lead form flow (not enough pre-qualifying steps, e.g. budget)
• Weak branding (e.g. inactive social profiles, not enough social proof, blurry or stock imagery, etc.)
• Stale ads or too frequent
• Platform-offer misalignment (is Meta even the right place to advertise? Are ads running on any other platforms?)

Besides that, the goal CPL could simply be an incorrect assumption of a possible CPL in this industry. However, this assumption would need to be tested.

In short, I would first test different creatives and more pre-qualification.

1. New creative with stronger buyer motivation, not generic window problems. Per the brief, people mainly buy because they’re sick of how their home looks or want to modernize it. So the strategy should lead with transformation, pride and visible improvement (not repairs). Sell the benefits, not the features.
2. Pre-qualification through creative, targeting, landing page & sales flow. Quality over volume, i.e. homeowners both open to improvement and able to afford it, not bargain hunters. Hook, proof, offer to attract people who care about appearance, trust and value. A good example would be creating the feeling of scarcity through offering limited slots per geographic region.
3. Informational / educational creative is also a must, similar to Wave Group Ltd. Videos about different types of doors, how long an installation takes, etc. More creative that isn’t direct sell.

2. Audience insight

It sounds to me like a lot of potential buyers aren’t even considering replacing their doors and/or windows. For these buyers, there needs to be a longer marketing flow, starting with top-of-funnel content like point 3 above, then retargeting engaged users with social proof content (“why use us for doing this”), followed by direct sell.

The angle should be more home improvement, less maintenance. A good hook would let the homeowner feel “seen” (embarrassment, frustration, fatigue), contrasted with what their house could look like.

Though I said above that we shouldn’t target bargain buyers, price will be a key element when buyers compare 4-5 quotes before converting. So the messaging wouldn’t be so much “luxury” as it would be “ClearView is the smart choice”. Aspirational, yet grounded. Modern, polished and desirable, but still commercially sensible.

The insight about 25+ year-old windows is useful, because it’s a good way to generate demand instead of just capturing it. The creative can work to get homeowners to consider a replacement.

To position ClearView against the other installers, I’d push the USPs and proof signals to set them apart from offers-only messaging:

• Family-run
• Internal team of fitters
• FENSA certified
• 4.8 stars from 400+ Trustpilot reviews
• Case studies / testimonials with strong visual transformations

3. Offers and when to use them

Based on the above, I wouldn’t build the strat around aggressive discounts, but rather use them selectively at certain times or as incentives to win back lost leads.

That said, the offers I would test early are “buy now pay later” and “windows from £49.99/month on finance”. Reason being that both reduce friction without anchoring the brand around discount-led bargain hunting. They make the upgrade more attainable by making it feel like less of an investment upfront, while still driving home the need to eventually pay more.This helps push someone over the line who already wants the transformation but can’t justify the timing.

“30% off all installs” is one I’d be more careful with, perhaps in low season or when the client needs lower-value installations to make up for lost revenue. Basically, I don’t want to dilute the brand, which would hurt downstream performance.

Basic rule: the offer should reduce hesitation, not define the brand. The creative news to drive desire and trust, while a possible offer should help the right person to act now.

4. Cold audience creative on Meta

Limiting ad frequency to 1 seriously hurts performance, in my experience, especially with higher value sales. Conversion windows for this kind of service are usually much longer than e.g. CPG / ecommerce sales, so there needs to be a thought-through marketing funnel that retargets potential prospects with messaging for each segment of the funnel, driving them closer to conversion.

Here I also want to add that I would speak to the client about creating a referral incentive, where existing buyers get a small discount or cash back if they successfully refer another sale. Word-of-mouth remains the best sales tactic (arguably). As a “value-added service” I usually provide organic suggestions that will help our campaigns be more successful.

That said, if the ABO testing campaign needs to keep functioning as-is (every person having zero prior awareness of the brand), the creative will need to do far more work than it would with warm retargeting. With cold audiences, it’s all about scroll-stopping hooks. On Meta, unlike on Google or LLMs, people aren’t actively researching the brand or service, they’re doom scrolling. A good hook thus needs to be more than informative, it needs to be pattern-breaking and instantly relevant to the person seeing it (highlighting the need for audience segmentation). The user needs to identify with the subject immediately.

In short, for a cold audience we’ll need a fast visual payoff paired with a simple idea and message that lands without sound or explanation. The hook needs to call out recognisable frustration, show a dramatic visual difference, create curiosity and make the user reassess their own home. E.g. “Your house is ugly! See how changing just the windows made this house look 20 years younger.”

Part 2: Creative Output

Section A: Shoot brief for Aidan, the videographer

Subject: ClearView shoot brief for next install

Hi Aidan,

This shoot is built around one core angle: “Your house can look newer, cleaner and more expensive just by changing the windows / door.”

I’m not looking for a technical installation video, but rather something that hooks a cold Meta Ads audience of homeowners who care about how their home looks.

What I need captured:

1. Strong before/after visuals
   • Front exterior before install, 2 to 3 clean angles

• Same exact angles after install
• Medium and wide shots
• Straight-on framing where possible so the transformation is obvious
• Any door/window details that make the contrast really clear

• “House facelift” style shots
  • Slow reveal of the finished front of house
  • Walk-up shots from pavement/driveway
  • Pans across new frames/door/bifold finish
  • Shots where the house looks visibly more modern and higher value
• Detail shots
  • Handles, hinges, close-ups of frames
  • Open/close moments
  • Interior light coming through new windows
  • Clean seal/finish details
  • Any premium-looking aluminium/uPVC detail
• Human moments
  • Homeowner looking at finished install from outside
  • NB: genuine reaction if possible
  • Installer/team member pointing out the difference
  • Homeowner opening new door/window naturally
• Talking-to-camera

Please capture short, natural pieces to camera (paraphrasing is OK):

• Homeowner: “We didn’t realise how dated the old windows made the house look until we saw the new ones in.”
• Homeowner: “It’s made the whole front of the house feel newer.”
• Team member: “Most people think they need a full renovation, but windows and doors alone can completely change the look.”
• Team member: “ClearView installs with our own fitters, and the finish is what makes the difference.”

Tone and style

• Natural, clean, local, trustworthy
• Not overproduced
• Shot for paid social, so keep it immediate and legible
• Prioritise clear visuals over cinematic filler
• We need first-3-second stopping power
• NB: both landscape and vertical shots

Avoid

• Long install process footage with no visual payoff
• Mess, rubble, clutter, awkward handheld movement
• Anything too scripted or salesy
• Generic shots with no obvious “after” result
• Audio that is too noisy to use for direct speech

Main priority is to come back with enough strong before/after and finished-home footage for multiple hooks around “your home deserves better” / “look what this changed.” Thanks!

Best,
Haiko

Section B: Creative batch

Concept 1: “Your house is ugly!” (edgy, I know, but stick with me here)

Format: Meta Reels

Lead capture: Meta instant lead form (strong for low-friction lead capture when the hook is broad, emotional or visually obvious)

Hook: huge, ostentatious letters fill the screen in bright colours: “YOUR HOUSE IS UGLY!” over visuals of a dated exterior, followed quickly by “But it doesn’t have to be.” over a finished transformation (taking less screen real estate to show more of the finished product).

Creative direction: 

Fast-paced 20-25 second reel. Open with a cheeky statement of the problem in plain English, then show before and after shots quickly. Layer in captions like “same house, completely different feel” and “installed by ClearView’s own team”. End with social proof and a simple CTA.

Primary text: If your windows or front door are making your home look tired, you’re not the only one. ClearView helps homeowners across Leeds, West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire upgrade the look of their homes with professionally installed windows and doors. Family-run, FENSA certified and rated 4.8 stars on Trustpilot.

Headline: Make your home look new again

CTA: Get quote

Offer used: Buy now pay later (reduces timing friction without making it feel discount-led)

What this concept is testing: the most direct articulation of the core emotional pain, but less cheekily: visual dissatisfaction with the home.

—

Concept 2: “Sick of how your house looks?” (less edgy)

Format: Meta Reels

Lead capture: Meta instant lead form (strong for low-friction lead capture when the hook is broad, emotional or visually obvious)

Hook: first line on screen and in voiceover: “Sick of how the front of your house looks?” over visuals of a dated exterior then immediate cut to the finished transformation.

Creative direction: 

Fast-paced 20–25 second reel. Open with the problem in plain, less cheeky English, then show before/after shots quickly. Layer in captions like “same house, completely different feel” and “installed by ClearView’s own team.” End with social proof and a simple CTA.

Primary text: If your windows or front door are making your home look tired, you’re not the only one. ClearView helps homeowners across Leeds, West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire upgrade the look of their homes with professionally installed windows and doors. Family-run, FENSA certified and rated 4.8 stars on Trustpilot.

Headline: Make your home look new again

CTA: Get quote

Offer used: Buy now pay later (reduces timing friction without making it feel discount-led)

What this concept is testing: the most direct articulation of the core emotional pain, but less cheekily: visual dissatisfaction with the home.

—

Concept 3: “This makes the house look 20 years newer”

Format: Meta Reels

Lead capture: Meta instant lead form (strong for low-friction lead capture when the hook is broad, emotional or visually obvious)

Hook: first line on screen and in voiceover: “This one change made the whole house look 20 years newer” over dramatic side-by-side before/after. The idea is to point out that you don’t need a full renovation to make it look better, framing the decision to only upgrade windows/doors as a cost reduction (but not discounted, importantly).

Creative direction: 

Start with the strongest transformation image immediately. Use a punchy structure: before, after, close-up details, homeowner reaction, Trustpilot overlay, CTA. Captions throughout for silent viewing.

Primary text: You don’t always need a major renovation to transform your home. Sometimes the biggest difference is new windows and doors done properly. ClearView installs across Leeds and Yorkshire with their own fitting team and 400 Trustpilot reviews behind them.

Headline: See what new windows can change

CTA: Get quote

Offer used: none (see explanation at Hook).

What this concept is testing: whether a big visual promise outperforms a problem-led hook.

—

Concept 4: “Your home deserves better”

Format: Single image

Lead capture: Landing page (for a still image, I want the landing page to work harder by qualifying the click and supporting intent with fuller proof).

Hook: first visual: high-quality image of a transformed home exterior with bold text overlay:

“Your home deserves better than tired old windows.”

Creative direction: 

A premium-looking still with minimal clutter. Text overlay, 4.8-star Trustpilot badge and small supporting line, e.g. “Family-run | FENSA certified | Own installers.”

Primary text: If your home is starting to look dated from the outside, upgrading your windows or doors can make a bigger difference than most homeowners expect. ClearView has helped hundreds of homeowners across Yorkshire modernise their homes with trusted installation and a 4.8-star Trustpilot rating.

Headline: Upgrade the look of your home

CTA: Learn more

Offer used: Windows from £49.99/month on finance (adds value accessibility to a still image that may otherwise skew too premium)

What this concept is testing: whether a polished, value-baked static visual can attract more qualified clicks than video.

Part 3: ABO Testing Analysis

5. Make the calls

1. Call: Promote to CBO

Reason: comfortably under target with enough spend to treat it as a real winner.

1. Call: Kill

Reason: well over target and has had enough spend to show the angle/execution is not competitive.

1. Call: Promote to CBO

Reason: strongest result in the batch and the static format clearly deserves scaling.

1. Call: Promote to CBO

Reason: clear win, validating the home-aesthetics angle for cold traffic.

1. Call: Iterate

Reason: not too far below target, and I believe the carousel could improve further with better ordering, cover frame or copy. Too many moving parts to dismiss outright.

1. Call: Kill

Reason: too far off target, suggesting the lifestyle execution is too soft versus clearer transformation ads.

1. Call: Kill

Reason: weakest performance (even taking lower spend into account), proves the curiosity hook isn’t landing strongly enough to justify another round.

6. Next week’s batches

Next week batch 1 | Angle: house facelift / visible transformation

According to the data, showing the transformation works in both video and static formats. The winners are all closest to obvious before/after payoff and direct aesthetic relevance. I would go deeper into that by testing sharper transformation-led hooks, stronger price/value overlays and more explicit proof elements like reviews and own-fitters messaging.

Next week batch 2 | Angle: “Are your windows aging your home?”

The brief tells us age-based realisation is a strong secondary trigger, which is shown in this week’s results. So the next smart expansion is not a totally new strategy, but an adjacent angle that creates demand by making homeowners reassess their current windows. It still comes back to aesthetics, but introduces a new psychological trigger.

7. Briefing Aidan for next week

(Note: with briefs, where necessary, I would also include reference material / moodboards. Also, my brief assumes Aidan knows the typical deadline and formats, etc.)

Hi Aidan,

Next shoot is for a new batch around this angle: “your old windows are aging the look of your home more than you realise.”

I need:

• clear shots of old/dated windows from outside before install
• same angles after install
• front-of-house shots where the difference is obvious
• close-ups showing old vs new frame/finish detail
• homeowner reaction to finished look
• short pieces to camera:
  • “We didn’t realise how dated the old windows looked.”
  • “The whole house looks fresher now.”
  • “If your windows are older, they can age the whole front of the house.”

Please prioritise clean, straight-on framing and quick visual payoff for Meta. Avoid generic install footage or anything messy/cluttered. Thanks!

Best,
Haiko

Part 4: Speed and Process

8. My week at [the company]

Two notes: I would be using a project management / work OS tool like Monday.com to organise everything. Also, I would question how often batches go out and are revised, as it can take quite some time to see real performance. I wouldn’t want to kill an ad prematurely, thereby losing traction (and optimisation time).

My week would be structured rigidly as far as possible, because output of this frequency shouldn’t be managed reactively.

Monday

New batches go live. I check in with Mark to ensure he has everything he needs before launch: final asset naming, concept labels, hooks, copy variants, format notes, intentions etc. Importantly, I note what each concept is testing for future reference.

Tuesday

I check in with Mark on early delivery signals to catch obvious issues: poor spend distribution, broken formats, comments quality, CTR weakness or a mismatch between concept intention and actual performance. If there is anything operationally off, it gets fixed early.

Wednesday

I start preparing for next week while current tests are still running. This is when I draft likely new angles based on what we already know from past account history plus early read on the current week. If we need a shoot, I write the brief for Aidan so long. If we need statics or carousels, I brief the design team early as well.

Thursday

This is the main review day. Enough data should be coming in by now to make proper creative decisions with Mark (see my note above regarding my scepticism about this). We review batch performance concept by concept: CPL, spend sufficiency, likely winners, what gets iterated, what gets killed, and what is ready for CBO. I then convert that into clear next-step decisions.

Friday

I finalise the next two batches. That includes hooks, concept structure, copy, format choice, lead capture recommendation and exact asset briefs. Aidan gets his shoot brief if a shoot is needed. The design team gets clear production-ready briefs if statics are needed. Mark gets a clean launch sheet.

Ongoing comms (can be async and/or meetings)

• Mark: performance feedback loop, launch readiness, decision-making on winners/losers
• Aidan: early, precise shoot briefs with angle, shot list, dialogue and what to avoid
• Design team: clear asset-specific briefs so they can execute without coming back with basic questions

Main rule: proactivity. Review one batch while the next is being developed, overlapping workflows.

9. When a creative fails

I’m never wrong.

Just kidding! This happens every now and then, to my dismay. A good example is when I was running Meta and Google campaigns for Happy Culture (South African kombucha brand), and I started running what I thought were cool illustration-based ads. I quickly learned that the market didn’t respond well (within a week or so), so I reverted with briefs to the client for more lifestyle-based content while I ran previous best performers, and that had a great effect. This is but one example from marketing, I have examples like this from creative projects as well (animation, websites, design, illustration, etc.), having executed on them myself.

10. My strongest example

While I do have experience running ads in the UK (for Kollo Health and Melvill & Moon, and soon for more freelance clients), my strongest example is the work I did last year as Marketing Lead at Fiskal, targeting the US. 

My role was to build a marketing foundation from the ground up, combination of operations, strategy and execution. It involved a bit of everything, and all the KPIs were well reached. The thing that made me the happiest was the fact that more and more prospects reported consuming our content before converting, a clear sign that the brand was maturing and established in its niche.

The first thing I did when I joined, after finalizing the new brand guide with an external designer, was to create a central database on the company Knowledgebase for branding assets, with instructions for proper usage. My next move was to build a functioning, repeatable, scalable marketing system for content creation using Monday.com, which I called the Content Repo: an immense database tracking every piece of content, its stage in the creation process (with role assignments), its distribution, and its flywheel variations. It had automations, cross-board links and script-based customizations.

On this solid foundation, I built my strategies for both halves of the year, which included the website (Hostinger Builder with custom HTML & CSS), SEO blogs and pages, case studies & testimonials, building out a Cin7 Academy, lead magnets, a website chatbot, podcasts, partner events, tutorial videos in a Course (also on an LMS), webinars (with a bespoke zero-cost automated signup system), newsletters (with an open rate of 50% and CTR of 4%), a drip campaign, a press release via Newswire, Spotify & YouTube (I edited most videos myself), paid media experiments, sales collateral, and content across social media platforms (including a custom linkin.bio alternative). On LinkedIn, Fiskal’s engagement rate was 5% higher than the competition (coming out on top with engagement count), with Fiskal ranking 3rd among their 10 top competitors in terms of growth for 2025 (23%). This translated to more than double the organic traffic YoY, and from not being recommended by LLMs to being the top recommendation. Along with a proper measurement framework, all these items were broken down by funnel segment, audience/persona, intent, angle and revenue lever.

I had a lot more ideas that didn’t pan out, such as more paid media experiments (we did some minimal LinkedIn Ads for the webinars).

How the thinking translates to [the company]: creative isn’t just there to get attention, it needs to drive commercially useful actions. The best way to do that, in my opinion, is to establish the brand before going to paid media, but I know that isn’t always possible for clients. However, the operational and strategic element remains the same: constant experimentation, in a highly ordered fashion.