Ad Creative Formats Ranked — Screenshot Guide

1Ranking at a Glance

Haynes ranks formats by whether they can stay profitable while absorbing meaningful spend—not whether they can produce one cheap click or one short-lived win.

2The Evaluation Standard

• Scale ceiling: Can the ad absorb materially more budget without costs collapsing?
• Lead intent: Does it attract people who understand the offer and are likely to buy?
• Repeatability: Can the team create enough variations to discover winners?
• Durability: Does performance remain positive across time, not just the first $100?
• Hit rate: Durable winners divided by all ads launched. Haynes expects this to be a single-digit percentage.

3S Tier — Static Reels

Screenshot type: Example · Jump to the section

Static reels place a written sales message over changing B-roll. The format looks native, communicates without sound, and is easy to produce in volume. Haynes also shows a more distinctive version with Star Wars-style scrolling text over lifestyle footage.

• Why it ranks S: High-intent traffic, scalable delivery, fast iteration, and many possible hook/angle combinations.
• Build it: Use 6–10 B-roll shots, change the visual every 1–3 seconds, and make each text beat advance one argument.
• Test: Keep the offer stable while varying the hook, first visual, proof point, and CTA.
• St. Pierre use: Turn contractor pain points, objections, and proof into silent-first 9:16 reels.

4S Tier — Talking Head

Screenshot type: Example · Jump to the section

A presenter delivers a direct script to camera, supported by captions and jump cuts. Haynes recommends roughly 30–60 seconds and says the format works across many funnels.

• Why it ranks S: Simple production, easy script substitution, high intent, and nearly unlimited variation.
• Constraint: The speaker needs clarity, conviction, and enough charisma to hold attention.
• Build it: Hook in the first three seconds, name the problem, teach or prove the mechanism, then give one direct CTA.
• St. Pierre use: Record expert-led contractor ads in batches, then multiply each recording with hook and opening-cut variants.

5A Tier — Static Images

Screenshot type: Evidence · Jump to the section

The video uses CPM evidence rather than displaying a standalone static-ad specimen. Haynes says static images are stable and often preserve efficient delivery as spend rises.

• Why it ranks A: Stable CPMs, fast production, and dependable scale.
• Why it misses S: On high-ticket call funnels, image-led traffic can arrive less educated than video-led traffic.
• Build it: Pair one dominant claim with one proof element and a clear visual hierarchy.
• St. Pierre use: Run statics into a strong VSL, advertorial, or follow-up sequence so lead education does not depend on the image alone.

6A Tier — AI-Generated Creative

Screenshot type: Example · Jump to the section

This category includes AI UGC and more ambitious story-led production made with tools such as Higgsfield or Google video models.

• Why it ranks A: It can produce concepts that once required large crews and budgets, while supporting rapid variation.
• Path to S: Strong creative direction, prompting, continuity, and editing. Tool access alone is not the advantage.
• Build it: Start with a proven message, define the visual device, keep the product and spokesperson consistent, then edit the output as rigorously as live footage.
• St. Pierre use: Use AI to expand validated hooks and angles—not to skip concept development.

7A Tier — Carousels

Screenshot type: Example · Jump to the section

Carousels can sequence pain points, features, objections, proof, and CTAs. The video also recommends turning a thread into one screenshot per card.

• Why it ranks A: Versatile, underused, and capable of building an argument one swipe at a time.
• Path to S: Treat each card sequence as a deliberately structured creative test rather than a miscellaneous image collection.
• Build it: Card 1 earns the swipe; cards 2–4 teach or prove; the final card converts.
• St. Pierre use: Create proof carousels, objection carousels, and “mistakes contractors make” sequences.

8B Tier — Content Ads

Screenshot type: Evidence · Jump to the section

This means taking an organic post that performed well and running it as paid media. The video shows organic view-count evidence, not a separate paid-ad specimen.

• Why it ranks B: Organic winners deserve paid tests, but the sponsored label changes viewer perception and often limits spend absorption.
• Build it: Test the original post, then create paid-native variants with a stronger opening, clearer offer bridge, and direct CTA.
• St. Pierre use: Mine winning organic posts for hooks and concepts; do not assume the untouched post is the final paid asset.

9B Tier — Real-Person UGC

Screenshot type: Evidence · Jump to the section

The video’s central warning is that paid actors frequently sound scripted and inauthentic when selling high-ticket products or services.

• Why it ranks B: It can work when the creator genuinely understands the problem and delivers naturally.
• Constraint: Cost and authenticity; weak performers visibly read the script.
• Build it: Use talking points, reactions, and real product experience instead of word-perfect memorization.
• St. Pierre use: Prefer customers, operators, or credible niche creators over generic UGC actors.

10B Tier — Green-Screen Organic

Screenshot type: Example · Jump to the section

A floating presenter explains or reacts to a screenshot, article, listing, dashboard, or video behind them.

• Why it ranks B: Strong native feel and a built-in visual explanation device.
• Constraint: Teams often fail to produce enough variations for winners to emerge at scale.
• Build it: Put one surprising source on screen, point to the exact evidence, explain why it matters, and close with the implication.
• St. Pierre use: React to contractor estimates, reviews, regulations, job photos, dashboards, and common sales mistakes.

11B Tier — Testimonials

Screenshot type: Example · Jump to the section

Testimonials are powerful proof, but they are normally more bottom-of-funnel than broad prospecting creative.

• Why it ranks B: Strong persuasion for warm audiences, but a limited top-of-funnel spend ceiling.
• Execution range: A concise proof carousel can approach S tier; a long, unedited testimonial can fall toward D.
• Build it: Lead with the specific outcome, remove setup and repetition, add captions, and keep one proof point per asset.
• St. Pierre use: Cut customer stories into short “problem → intervention → measurable result” modules and reuse them inside carousels.

12C Tier — VSL as an Ad

Screenshot type: Example · Jump to the section

Running the full video sales letter directly as an ad can work, but length determines the ceiling.

• Why it ranks C: Most VSLs are 10–20 minutes and are difficult to produce or test in meaningful volume.
• Upgrade path: A focused two-to-five-minute VSL can rise toward A tier.
• Build it: Remove slow setup, repeat claims, and transitions; stack useful revelations close together.
• St. Pierre use: Treat the short VSL as a separate edit built for paid distribution, not a raw export from the funnel page.

13C Tier — Podcast Ads

Screenshot type: Example · Jump to the section

Unedited podcasts are too long and diffuse for most paid placements. The useful unit is the tightly edited insight clip.

• Why it ranks C: Low creative throughput and too much filler in the raw source.
• Upgrade path: Extract consecutive “aha” moments, remove conversational dead space, and add a paid-native opening.
• Build it: Hook, insight, implication, CTA. One clip should stand on its own without requiring the full episode.
• St. Pierre use: Pull short contrarian or diagnostic clips from sales calls, interviews, and operator conversations.

14C Tier — Meme Ads

Screenshot type: Example · Jump to the section

Meme ads can earn exceptional click-through rates when the joke is timely and native to a specific niche.

• Why it ranks C: Many clicks come from curiosity rather than buying intent.
• Build it: Use a recognizable niche tension, make the joke instantly legible, and connect it to an offer-relevant consequence.
• St. Pierre use: Deploy as a supporting angle or engagement test; judge downstream qualified leads, not CTR alone.

15C Tier — Retargeting

Screenshot type: Evidence · Jump to the section

The video illustrates the warm-audience context rather than showing a standalone retargeting ad. Retargeting addresses people who watched, engaged, clicked, or reached the page.

• Why it ranks C: Often excellent ROAS, but the audience is too small to absorb top-of-funnel scale.
• Build it: Match the message to the prior action—objection handling for page visitors, proof for video viewers, urgency for high-intent abandoners.
• St. Pierre use: Maintain format-specific retargeting modules, but never confuse their efficiency with acquisition scale.

16St. Pierre Production System

1. 1Anchor the weekly creative plan in static reels and talking heads.
2. 2Add static images and carousels as stable, fast tests around the same hooks and proof.
3. 3Use AI generation to expand validated ideas and create otherwise impractical visual concepts.
4. 4Mine organic posts, UGC, green-screen commentary, and testimonials for supporting variants.
5. 5Edit VSLs and podcasts into short, insight-dense units before buying traffic.
6. 6Use memes for niche resonance and retargeting for objection handling—not as the core scaling engine.
7. 7Track every launch by format, hook, angle, funnel, spend, qualified-lead rate, and durable-winner status.

17Launch Checklist

• The first three seconds communicate one clear idea.
• The asset works without sound or includes readable captions.
• The offer bridge is explicit; viewers know why the content leads to the CTA.
• Success is measured past CTR: qualified leads, booked calls, sales, and scalable spend.
• The format can support enough variations to overcome a single-digit hit rate.
• Do not run completely unedited footage.
• Do not declare a winner from a small-spend positive result.
• Do not treat low CPM or high CTR as proof of high intent.