How I Make AI Static Ads (in minutes) transcript

In the past 10 years working in marketing and paid social, I've personally worked on tens of thousands of static ads for brands like Laura Geller, Wandering Bear Coffee, and Nets.com. And several of these ads have actually gone on to make hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue, and in some cases, like this, millions. And then there's ads like this one that's only been running for a few days in an ad account and is already the top performer.

And I know what you're thinking. Maybe at first glance there's nothing too special about these ad creatives, but true expert performance marketers can look at both of these ads and tell you exactly why they're working. So, in today's video, I'm going to walk you through static ads like a proper masterclass. We're going to start by breaking down common myths and go into the core principles and formats that are behind all winning statics.

[music] All while going through real examples so that you can actually see this in action. And then I'm going to show you how to actually take that thinking and turn it into real ad creative that you can run in your ad account using AI. So, if you're a brand or an agency and you want to make some banger static ads, then this is the video for you. First, let's get some static ad myths out of the way because I always hear these things when focusing on image ads.

Number one, [music] statics are for retargeting or bottom of funnel audiences only. Total myth. The cool thing about statics, however, is they can often help support other top performing creatives regardless of what the format is. But I have seen in many, many instances, if you're really able to zone in on the levels of marketing awareness and you have a good idea of who your persona is and exactly how they talk on social, you can make messaging to use on a static ad that is going to reach those cold audiences so you can make actual scalable creative.

Now, another thing that I always hear is, "Oh, video is the only thing that works for my brand, which is a total scale issue. Now, I often find that the reason why brands get into this trap is because they think about statics from the perspective of format only and they're really not zeroing in on the levels of awareness and how to actually develop the type of messaging that is going to wave a flag and actually get your cold persona interested.

And another thing that I often hear is that oh, the best use case of images are just to rapidly test messaging so you can then scale that into video. And while I do love a format swap with angles and certain messaging points that is working really well, if you're just using images to quickly pump out a bunch of statics so that you can get a read on what's working, then you're really missing the magic that a great static ad can do to not only your ad account but your overall business.

I've seen the right static completely transform brands. So now, let's go into the patterns behind the static ads that convert, right? We are going to look at this through three different layers. Layer number one, before you even sit down and start ideating for what type of image creative you want to make, you really have to understand your strategy. And these are the four things that you had really need to button up before you even write a line of copy or decide what format you're going to make.

The first thing is you really need to pick the specific goal of the static. Is this an offer ad? Is it for more education? Is it to target someone who's problem aware? Pick one. Don't try to do two jobs in one ad. That's often where I find a lot of people mess up with statics is they try to make it do too many things and speak to too many people. And number two, you have to pick your persona and not something broad like small business owners.

You need need understand what type of small business owner, at what stage, and with what objection. Persona is going to drive the type of vocabulary you're going to use, the type of proof that you need to provide in your statics, and the type of objections that they are actively looking for you to answer. Now, of course, you can choose to make more of a retargeting ad that speaks to multiple personas and supports multiple types of creatives that you're making, but if you are looking to generate top-of-funnel killer statics, then this is definitely a conscious choice that you need to make.

And number three, yes, you should pick that format. And we're going to go over the core formats that you should always be testing in just a bit. But your format's going to decide what type of copy is going to survive, what the image is really going to have to carry, and what type of copywriting frameworks are even viable. And then the fourth thing you're going to do is you're going to have to match it with a specific level of awareness.

This is ultimately going to be the bridge that connects the persona and goal to the framework. Layer number two is the design. Number one, they're going to need to have a visual hierarchy. So, the headline generally is the thing that should always come first. That's going to do your targeting. And then you're going to have the product or a key visual, and then you'll have your supporting elements. And the way that I like to think about it is like the focal point or where the eye goes first should be on the messaging.

But sometimes, yes, the image is going to be the thing that stops the scroll ultimately. And they're going to immediately decide, "Oh my goodness, like what's going on here?" go up to the copy. But nine times out of 10, your focal point is going to be either that initial text headline or the visual, and most of the time, I am going for that text. Now, another thing that I like to do is run a 1-second comprehension test.

Ultimately, clarity is always going to out-beat creativity. If a stranger cannot tell what you are selling in 1 minute or what type of message you're trying to communicate, that's a signal that you need to kill it. Actually, I just saw one of my creative strategist send over this image ad to me and I was like, "What is going on here? There's way too much going on and we don't have a focal point. We don't have the right design hierarchy.

It needs to go. We need to scrap it." Something like this is following that principle a lot better. Now, layer number three is going to be the most important. This is where you're really honing in on your copy and crafting that messaging for your personas. And number one is an excellent starting point, but you have to be specific. If you're saying something generic, it's always going to lose. So, name your specific demographic, call them out, [music] give exact numbers, and lead with real outcomes.

And one of the best ways to do that is to lead with a number that really communicates that time and that effort or that cost. So, >> [music] >> 5 minutes, under $5, or 2 inches in just one use. Another thing that I like to do is to directly call out the audience by name. Self-selection is absolutely [music] a copy mechanic and it is going to really help the targeting of your ad overall. And number four is to lean into the taboo.

Say what your competitors are too polite to say. Often times, things like this go a long way in not only stopping the scroll, but also identifying with your personas on a much deeper level. And number five is you need to learn how to tap into a primal desire and not just communicate product benefits. Status, sex, belonging, safety, and approval. The product is just the mechanism. It's the way that they get those things, but the actual desire is the headline.

And another trick that I like to do is to open a curiosity loop. So, you should show the setup, but hide the payoff through the click. And if you find that one of these become top performers, absolutely make sure that you are setting up for their curiosity to be satisfied on the landing page. [music] And then another strategy that I like to do is to lean into negative marketing. So, this is just simply saying things in a negative [music] aspect.

And you can also think of it as a way to name what your audience is afraid of. Now, one of the best things you can do is actually not going to be you generating [music] or writing copy at all, but it is actually borrowing from what your customers are saying and really specifically looking out for those golden nugget testimonials. So, [music] you can actually run a CSV of all of your reviews to your LLM of choice and say, "Hey, find me these golden nugget testimonials that would work really well in advertising." This again and again has gotten me winners.

And then finally, show that transformation. Don't just describe the after state, actually show it. This is why before and after ads work so well. And I know what you may be thinking, "Before and after ads are illegal." I can't believe people are still saying this in 2026. They are absolutely not, but you are going to have a lot more restriction around cosmetic procedures or weight loss types of products. So, when I take a step back and look at all of the winning ad creative that I've had a part in and really all the messaging that candidly not only works across static ads, but also video.

A lot of times they are falling into these categories and into these principles. So, at bare minimum, you need to be doing one of the above to get a top performing static ad. Now that you know the tenets of what makes a really good static, it's time to bring that to life. Now, I will say that this is often where I do like to start when having conversations teammates about what types of static ads creative to make because number one, making sure that you have different visuals is really, really good for creative diversity.

So, if you already have a piece of messaging that's working really well, bringing that over to other different visual formats is a really easy way to make sure that you're getting more volume and getting better performance. However, knowing the core formats is also vital for understanding what types of components of the ad that you're going to actually need to compile. So, the first thing that you're going to need to do is understand your format production level.

And it tends to fall into one of three buckets. It's going to be your graphic style creative versus your high-fi production and then your low-fi creator content. It's interesting. I actually find that a lot of brands, especially when they're thinking statics, forget about low-fi creator content. And hint hint, a number of these low-fi creator types of statics is something that I really see moving the needle right now in my client's ad accounts.

So, then when we take that production level and then branch that out into the formats, here are the ones that you're going to want to make sure that you're always testing. Number one, educational infographics. Now, this alone is something that I've seen create really great top of funnel ad creatives recently. And the thing that is so great about this ad creative is it actually does masquerade as something that does do well organically.

And really doesn't feel like an ad because it's providing a lot more of that upfront education. And the way that you should really approach this is, "Hey, how can I create a piece of content that anyone of my personas is actually going to benefit from?" Really think from the value that you can provide in more education, in entertainment, or even using it as a way to narrow down choices. And the next one is what I like to call the headliner ad.

Now, the focus of this is on that sexy messaging. [music] So, if you're really thinking about, "Hey, I want to do like a taboo style ad," this is the format that you're going to want to connect with that, hands down. The messaging is the focal point here. Now, these headline ads have had a few transformation over the years, but this is something that has worked for decades. Ogilvy used to use this type of ad when creating for the print era.

And this is really the way that you should think about it. What is that big headline that you can put front and center? Another type of format that worked really well during the Ogilvy print era are call-outs. I believe I used to call this a features call-outs. Now I'm just calling it more or less a benefits call-out. But this is something that even when you saw at the top of this video, hey, this is something that's still working in today's era.

And I always really like to test a few things with that headline at the top. Number one, this is a great one to tap into the core desire versus just, you know, saying something generic. And it's also another one where you could slide in a golden nugget testimonial. And then of course there are the comparison formats. So this would be the infamous us versus them style. Still cranking. Not going to say much more than that.

And then there are the transformation formats. So these are the ones that are really showing the transformation that occurs through your product or service. This is the one that I often find is the biggest gap in ad accounts and also has the biggest opportunity for unlocking that problem and solution aware audience. At that point, they're just looking for proof. They're just looking for an answer. And then another one that I don't often hear many brands talk about is the grid static.

This is another OG type of ad that worked really well during the print era, but especially for apparel brands or brands that have multiple SKUs, this is one that I always make sure that we have on deck especially during sales periods. But if you look at that top performer for Laura Geller, you can see a similar pattern here. And then finally, a bit of a hot take, but text-only ads or ads that are primarily text-driven.

Now this is another one where we are borrowing from what is working as an organic [music] format. And even though sometimes clients are a little nervous when I show them this one, I've seen founders letters or things like this in this do really, really well. Now I want to talk to you about how you can get these creatives made not only quickly and effectively, but also strategically. And for this, we're going to be using a combination of Claude for generating the overall brand brain that you're going to be developing, and then using Super Scale for the actual production of the asset.

Now, Super Scale has actually partnered with me on this video, and I got to say, I have tested a ton of AI ad makers over the last few years, and most of them left me wanting a lot more. But, I have pressure tested this through several brands now, and honestly, I'm pretty impressed with what they are able to develop. This is truly a different platform, and I'm really excited to partner with them on it, and to show you guys this new process that I have.

So, Super Scale is a fully autonomous AI agent that can research, strategize, and develop ad creative for you. And for the purposes of this video, we're going to focus mostly on static generation, but they do have video generation capabilities as well. Now, you can get set up with just your URL, and it is going to pull your brand, your products, your branding, so your fonts and your colors, all from that URL. It is quite incredible.

And then, it's going to do research on not only your brand, but your competitors as well. So, automatically, it already has this really great database on how to make statics that are going to actually perform for you. But, the way that I like to use it in addition to this is right here. First, what you're going to do is go to Claude, and you're going to export your brand brain, and any other context documents that you have.

If you don't have that yet, here's a really great prompt that I use for all of my brands to build this. You're going to add this document to the context and skills section, which is going to increase Super Scale's overall knowledge of the brand. Once you're ready to start making ads, you're going to go back to the main section and add this prompt. And essentially, what you're going to be doing here is running another creative strategy audit, but I think it's a really, really important to give this additional context to SuperScale because I found that it's able to generate even better statics.

So, let's go ahead and run this. And there it starts working. Now, this is going to take a little while, right? It's going to be essentially going through all of the research and can take anywhere from 2 to sometimes 5 minutes. So, I'll come back to you once we're done for next steps. And there you can see it's actually starting to run sub agents. So, it's looking at active ads and it's also going to be scanning competitor ad libraries.

There it goes. So cool to see this in action. Wow, and you can see Native Deodorant, Everyman Jack, Harry's even. So, it's really doing its diligence in terms of analyzing your competitors. That's why with these AI platforms, I always really like it to do a round of research first before we jump right into production because I find that it often gives these platforms more context and a better end result, but it also teaches me something new.

Interesting. And I also see that for the competitor ads, it's giving them a score. Average winning ad score of 62, 80. Interesting. Okay, and now it is compiling the final synthesis. Finally. But yeah, I mean, I think that's actually a really good sign. It took like a full 4 minutes to do research. So, I'm really excited to see what it comes back with. And then what the point of this research is is it's really doing a creative gap analysis, especially when it relates to statics.

Are there certain marketing levels of awareness that we're not properly targeting or there's certain personas that we're not targeting? Are there certain formats that we're not using? So, we don't actually have a good creative diversity. This report is going to tell us that and SuperScale is going to essentially jump in to provide that creative diversity in the form of statics, but they do videos as well. Okay, here's the report.

First it goes into an executive summary to really zoom in on the Dr. Squatch specific ads, but then what it does is after analyzing everything from the competitors and your own library, then it's going to identify, "Hey, this is what you really have in rotation currently. This is your catalog." But then it's going to give us specific recommendations based on this gap. Okay, it says archetypes not present in the library, a comparison or us versus that ad, an infographic or ingredient breakdowns.

I think this also has to relate to the market or sophistication level that Dr. Squatch is currently at. You know, they're playing a much different game than a newer brand, I'd say. But for what it's worth, there are a few of these that I'm like, "Hmm, I do think it's worth getting into rotation." And then there's the market sophistication scale, and this is where the market is now, improved mechanism and identification.

I like this competitor analysis, it's really simple. Interesting that Every Man Jack's top performers are all comparison and problem-solution oriented formats, which is what Dr. Squatch is missing. But again, I feel like they're playing a different game. And here is the gap analysis. Interesting. All right, so they're obviously doing the problem-aware comparison, and then number two, problem agitation pit stain statistics.

I actually really agree with this one. I noticed doing a lot of research on Dr. Squatch that the non-staining formula was one of their biggest angles right now, and I think that there's a way that we can really dive into that. The what's not in it infographic, I really like that idea, actually. See, but I don't like this one, though, the review collage or social proof statistics. I noticed that sometimes Super Scale will do something that's really customer review quote heavy, and I don't really love how those always turn out.

I'll be sure to show a few examples here of exactly what I mean. Okay, what then I want to do is I want us to actually make some of these so that you can see the actual output. Because again, the first step that I do is the research and then it's the actual static ad output. And you can tell it to how many variations you want. I often like to stick to about three in the beginning cuz I find that that's where I'm able to get the best output.

So we're going to put here, make me three static ad variations of this. All right, enter. Okay, it's starting to make them. So you can see the outputs window pulls up, but you can also see it here. And you can see here the variations that it shows to. A disgusting close-up. Oh, no. A before and after split, interesting. And then a bold statement flat lay, blame your deo. Wow, that looks like a coffee stain. Your deo is ruining your shirts, that is disgusting.

I kind of think it would work for Dr. Squatch though. Although I don't like this M dash and that's really visceral. Wow. Wow, I'm having kind of a strong reaction to this and I think it's actually for the better because that looks so disgusting. I'm going to show you another cool thing that you can do with Superscale. So you know how I said I hated this M dash, right? So what you can do here is click edit and I'm hating this gunky armpit.

But you can say remove the M dash. Send edit to chat. Enter. Honestly, I'm pretty impressed with those. Like I'm going to show some Dr. Squatch ads on the screen right now. And as a strategist, I actually would suggest they lean a little bit more into the visceral because right now they're playing it very clean and very safe. And if they really wanted to go down this like anti gunky pit line, I think that would be a good thing for them.

But yeah, and then here is the edit on that first one. Although deodorant, I don't think that's how you're spelling deodorant, right? We will change that. But, it did a really good change. Okay, let me edit this, actually. I think this is because Super Scale is originally German. Deodorant is spelled wrong. Please spell it correctly. Enter. And then I want to go back to this one. Okay. So, for this one, I do have a few feedback rounds.

So, let's get into it. Um change the background to a beige Dr. Squatch color. Change the deodorant to a beige Dr. Squatch color. The white on white makes it hard to see that it is a t-shirt, and please make the t-shirt smaller. Save. Send one edit to chat. Yes. There we go. See, that was really easy to do, and it's not doing like any weird text things. Dr. Squatch, let me know if you would run these. I I think I would.

I want to show you another thing that I often do with Super Scale. So, we'll go ahead and do a new chat, right? Now, if you have an ad like this, for instance, this is a common Dr. Squatch type of ad, like a features callout, and you want to make different variations of it. What you can do, and yeah, you can even do it with your competitors' ads, too, is say, "Hey, make me five more variations of this ad that could fit three different personas.

[music] I want to target mostly problem-aware [music] audience." Ooh, and I think our deo came back. Wow, that was a pretty good edit. Blame your deo, not your shirts. Well done, Super Scale. Right? I mean, but I kind of like that. We got some other stuff going, right? So, let's And this This the problem with Super Scale. Is this a problem? Where, like, I'll get started on one thing with a client and then I'll be like, "Oh, this gives me an idea for another thing." So, then at times I will have literally like five things going on and I'm like going crazy.

But again, this is why I always like to start the platform off with research cuz it is really good at research. And I know that a number of you had feedback about the Claude CoWork video where, "Hey, you're not actually able to analyze ad libraries." With Superscale, you are actually able to analyze ad libraries. So, that is a very, very big perk here. Still skipping sunscreen because it's too greasy. Yeah, we fixed that.

Non-greasy, spray on and go, 98% natural. Again, I'm going to show some more actually launched Dr. Squatch ads. These are pretty similar. Although, I would make this a little smaller. One thing I will flag is sometimes there's a little bit too much going on. So, earlier we were talking about visual hierarchy and how like less is more often with these statics. This and this and this and this a little bit much, but the bones are there.

See? One thing you should you need to be aware of. That's a little basic for me. But yeah, I don't like how that's going up, but I'd say these are uh this one's good, but it's a little too much text, you know? But likely that's really easy to fix and I'm not sure what's going on with this this bottom and top one. You know what? We're going to redo this one. Make me five different variations of this ad for a solution-aware audience.

Anyways, everything I'll put isn't something that's going to be readily usable. I would never, ever say that about an AI platform. But candidly, the reason why I agreed to work with Superscale and have really enjoyed using their platform with my brands is because it is actually easy to make edits and then get that final output that you actually are really excited to launch in the ad account. Okay, so now that I showed you how to make ads in Superscale, what I'm actually going to do is make a few more for my clients and then come back to you in a few days and show you the actual ads that I made and the results of those [music] ads.

So, stay tuned.