Ben Bennett, Creative Director at Smart Marketer, dives into what makes ad creative tick. He emphasizes the power of emotional resonance over flashy tactics to drive sales. Discover the three key metrics that matter, including the innovative 'thumb stop ratio' to gauge ad engagement. Bennett also shares how AI tools like ChatGPT can streamline the creative process without replacing human insight. Tune in for actionable tips to enhance your ad performance and connect with your audience on a deeper level.
01:00:39
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Track Unique Link Click-Through Rate
Track unique link click-through rate to know if your ad's hook is strong and engaging.
Use it as an early indicator to save money by quickly spotting ineffective creatives.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Use Conversion Rate and Ad Scent
Use conversion rate paired with ad scent to see if your ad primes customers properly.
Ensure your landing page matches the emotional tone and promise of your ad to boost conversions.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Measure Thumb Stop Ratio
Measure thumb stop ratio (3-second video views divided by impressions) to gauge video ad attention.
Aim for over 30% for great engagement and use it to predict ad success early.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Episode 215 – Smart Marketer Show Winning Ad Creative: What Works Now & How to Measure It Episode Description
What makes an ad actually perform in 2025? In this episode, John Grimshaw and Ben Bennett pull back the curtain on the creative process that drives real sales—from emotional resonance to performance metrics. You’ll learn why good creative starts with empathy, how to identify your strongest hooks, and which numbers really matter.
Plus, we introduce a brand-new metric (yes, we named it), and show you how AI is changing the creative game—without replacing your team.
“If your ad doesn’t have a heart, it will not perform well.” —Ben Bennett
You Will Learn
The 3 key metrics that reveal if your ad creative is working
How to identify and fix poor-performing ads (without guessing)
Why emotional hooks beat flashy tactics every time
How to use AI image tools like ChatGPT to speed up creative
The “thumb stop ratio” metric you should be tracking (and how)
A 30-minute Action of the Month to sharpen your creative instantly
02:05 – Meet Ben Bennett: Creative Director at Smart Marketer 03:15 – Top 3 Metrics That Matter for Ad Creative 07:24 – Metric 1: Unique Link Click-Through Rate 11:54 – Metric 2: Conversion Rate & Ad Scent 15:51 – Metric 3: Thumb Stop Ratio 19:00 – How to Set Up and Benchmark Your Thumb Stop Ratio 21:07 – AI for Ad Creatives: How ChatGPT-4 is Changing the Game 26:32 – Action of the Month: Add Heart to Your Hooks 27:27 – The Heart Behind Your Creative 29:30 – If Your Ad Doesn’t Have a Heart, It Won’t Perform 30:33 – The Hook and the Hand: A Smart Marketer Analogy 34:01 – Making Facebook Ads People Don’t Hate 36:24 – Hooks vs. Heart: What's Missing in Most Ads 40:57 – A Simple Exercise 42:56 – The Nine Motivators That Move People 45:12 – Building Visual Hooks Around Real Situations 45:39 – How to Think About Hooks, and How They Fit Into Existing Ads 48:08 – How to Create Really Good Problem Hooks 56:48 – Here's How to Copy This Win
Call to Action
Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a review, share it with a marketer who needs better ad creative, and don’t forget to subscribe for weekly insights from the Smart Marketer team.
The Smart Marketer Podcast 