How to brief Meta ad creative that earns enquiries

Write a one-page creative brief first

Before anyone opens a design tool or films a clip, write down what the ad has to do. Name the person you want to reach, the problem they are trying to solve and the single message you want them to remember. A brief that tries to say five things usually says nothing. Pick the one idea that would make a suitable customer stop scrolling and pay attention.

Add the practical parts a designer or editor needs: the offer, the proof you can stand behind, the call to action and where the click should go. Note any words or claims you must avoid, and the brand basics such as your logo and colours. A page like this keeps the work focused and much easier to review, because you are checking it against an agreed plan rather than a vague feeling.

Lead with one message and support it with proof

The strongest service ads make one promise and back it up. Lead with the outcome the customer wants, in plain language, rather than a list of features. If you install something, say what changes for the customer once it is done. If you provide a service, describe the result they can expect, not your internal process. Keep the first line simple enough to understand at a glance.

Proof is what separates a believable ad from a boastful one. Useful proof for a service business includes a photo of real work, a specific and permitted customer comment, a relevant qualification or a guarantee you actually honour. Only use a customer story when you have permission and the details are accurate. Invented reviews and stock photos presented as your own work damage trust and can breach the law, as a later section explains.

Choose formats that suit a mobile feed

Most people will see your ad on a phone, often while scrolling quickly with the sound off. Vertical and square images and short videos use more of the screen than a wide landscape shape, and captions or on-screen text let the message land without audio. Design so the ad still makes sense in silence, then treat sound as a bonus rather than a requirement.

Meta publishes design specifications and technical requirements for each ad format, including image, video, carousel and collection ads, with dimensions, file sizes and character limits that vary by placement. Check the current guide before you produce anything, so a good idea is not let down by the wrong size or a cut-off headline. A carousel can suit several services or steps, while one clear image or a short video often works well for a single focused offer.

Test a few distinct ideas, not many tiny tweaks

You rarely know in advance which angle will resonate, so plan to test. The useful thing to vary early is the idea: a different message, a different proof point or a different way of framing the offer. Testing ten near-identical images tells you little, while testing three genuinely different concepts can show which direction is worth pursuing. Give each idea a fair chance to gather enough responses before you judge it.

Keep the test readable. Change one meaningful thing at a time where you can, note what each version is trying to prove, and avoid launching so many variations on a small budget that no single one gathers useful information. When one concept clearly does better, use what you learned to build the next round. Creative wears out as people see it repeatedly, so refreshing a winning idea is normal work, not a sign of failure.

Keep readingFund a test you can actually read

Keep every claim honest and provable

Advertising in Australia must not be misleading, and that applies to social media in the same way as any other channel. Under guidance from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, a business must be able to prove any claim it advertises, and claims should be true, accurate and based on reasonable grounds. It makes no difference whether you intended to mislead, so treat every headline and figure as something you may have to substantiate.

In practice, avoid vague superlatives you cannot support, do not imply results that only some customers achieve, and make any conditions clear rather than hidden. If you quote a number, be ready to show where it comes from. Honest creative is not only safer, it usually earns better conversations with the considered customer a service business wants, because it sets expectations you can actually meet.

Keep readingWhat to do if Meta rejects your ad

Judge creative on enquiries, not likes

Likes, comments and views feel encouraging, but they do not pay for the work. The measure that matters is whether the ad produces suitable enquiries and, in time, customers you can serve. Make sure an enquiry can be traced back to the campaign, and check the quality of what comes through, not only the quantity. A cheaper cost per enquiry is good news only if those enquiries are the right ones.

Give results enough time to reflect your real sales cycle before drawing conclusions, and read creative performance alongside its destination and follow-up rather than in isolation. A strong ad can still underperform if the landing experience or the response process lets it down. When you review, keep the creative that earns quality enquiries, retire the rest, and feed what you learned into your next brief.

Keep readingMatch the creative to its enquiry destination