Solved: Ad Copy vs Creatives Performance Metrics

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out!

Happy to give you some initial thoughts on your question. It's a common one, and it's easy to get lost in a sea of metrics, especially when you're trying to test lots of things at once with a decent budget.

The short answer is that trying to perfectly seperate the performance of copy versus creative is a bit of a wild goose chase. They're so intertwined that one almost always influences the other. A better approach is to step back and look at the bigger picture: your message, your offer, and the real business metrics that matter. I'll walk you through how I'd tackle this.

We'll need to look at the Flawed Premise: Why You Can't Really Isolate Copy from Creative

Right, let's get this out of the way first. The idea that you can look at metrics like CTR (all) vs. CTR (link click) and definitively say "ah, the creative is great but the copy is failing" is a bit of a myth. It's what a lot of so-called gurus will tell you, but in practice, it's rarely that simple.

Think about it. A really striking, visually interesting creative might get tons of engagement – likes, shares, comments. This will push your CTR (all) up. But if the headline and ad copy don't connect that visual to a compelling reason to click through to your landing page, your CTR (link click) will be rubbish. So, was the creative good or bad? It did its job of stopping the scroll, but it didn't work with the copy to achieve the actual goal: a qualified click.

Conversely, you could have the most persuasive ad copy in the world, but if it's paired with a boring, generic stock photo, no one will even stop to read it. The copy never even gets a chance to work. The two are completely dependant on each other.

Chasing these vanity metrics can lead you down the wrong path. I remember one campaign we audited for a client selling high-ticket industrial products. They had ads with incredible CTR (all) metrics—beautiful shots of their machinery. People were loving and sharing the images. But their cost per lead was through the roof. The problem? The copy was all about "industry-leading innovation" and "future-proof solutions." It was too vague. They were attracting aspirational browsers, not serious buyers who were ready to spend a significant amount on new equipment. The creative was attracting attention, but the copy wasn't qualifying that attention.

Your time and budget are much better spent focusing on the things that actually move the needle, which almost always come before you even write a single word of copy or design an image.

I'd say you need to define your audience by their nightmare, not their age

This is probably the single most important bit of advice I can give you. You've defined your audience as "45-64+". Tbh, that tells me almost nothing useful. It's a demographic, not a customer. It's like saying you're targeting "people with brown hair." It's far too broad and leads to generic messaging that resonates with no one.

You need to stop thinking about *who* they are and start thinking about *what problem keeps them awake at night*. Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) isn't a person; it's a problem state. A specific, urgent, and expensive nightmare.

Let's brainstorm for your 45-64+ group. What are their potential nightmares?

• -> The Business Owner (55): She's terrified that her business, her life's work, isn't valuable enough to sell for a comfortable retirement. She's worried about succession, about becoming irrelevant, about her legacy. Her nightmare is working until she drops because she didn't plan her exit properly.
• -> The Senior Manager (48): He's just been overlooked for a promotion in favour of someone 15 years younger. He's scared his skills are outdated, that he's peaked, and that he's facing a slow slide into redundancy with a mortgage and university fees to pay. His nightmare is irrelevance and financial instability.
• -> The Recent Divorcee (52): She's suddenly managing her own finances for the first time in 30 years. She's overwhelmed, anxious, and scared of making a costly mistake with her settlement money. Her nightmare is financial ruin and losing her independence.

See the difference? We're not selling "financial advice" or "business consulting." We're selling a solution to a specific, emotionally charged nightmare. When you understand this, your ad copy writes itself.

You stop writing vague benefits and start speaking directly to their pain. This is how you create ads that don't just get clicks, but get the *right* clicks from people who are desperate for the solution you provide.

You probably should build a message they can't ignore (and an offer they can't refuse)

Once you know the nightmare, you can craft the message. The goal here isn't to be clever; it's to be clear and empathetic. You want your ideal customer to see your ad and think, "Finally, someone gets it."

A framework I use constantly is Problem-Agitate-Solve (PAS).

• Problem: State the nightmare clearly. Use their own language. "Worried your business isn't ready for a profitable exit?"
• Agitate: Poke the bruise. Remind them of the consequences of inaction. "Every month you delay is another month of stress, another competitor gaining ground, and another pound off your final valuation. Are you prepared to let your life's work be sold for pennies on the pound?"
• Solve: Introduce your service as the clear, logical solution. "Our 3-step valuation and exit planning service gives you a clear roadmap to maximising your sale price in just 90 days. Get the number you deserve."

This structure works because it mirrors the prospect's own internal monologue. It grabs them by the pain point and leads them directly to the solution.

But a great message is useless without a great offer. For lead gen, the biggest mistake people make is asking for too much, too soon. A generic "Contact Us" or "Get a Quote" form is a huge commitment. It's high-friction. The prospect knows they're about to be put into a sales process, and they're not ready for that yet.

You need a low-friction, high-value offer. Something that solves a small piece of their problem for free, demonstrates your expertise, and earns you the right to have a bigger conversation. Some examples:

• -> For the business owner: A "Free Business Exit Readiness Scorecard." A 5-minute quiz that gives them an instant report on how prepared they are to sell.
• -> For the senior manager: A "Career Stagnation Checklist." A downloadable PDF that helps them identify the exact skills they need to become promotion-ready again.
• -> For the recent divorcee: A "Post-Settlement Financial Safety Calculator." An online tool that helps them budget their lump sum to ensure it lasts.

These offers do the heavy lifting of qualifying your leads. Anyone who downloads the checklist or uses the calculator is actively admitting they have the problem you solve. They are a much warmer lead than someone who just clicked on a pretty picture. Now your Cost Per Lead (CPL) becomes a meaningful metric, because it's a Cost Per *Qualified* Lead.

You'll need a smarter way to test: The Component Method

So, back to your original problem. You're testing lots of creatives and copy all at once, and it's chaos. Here's a much more structured and efficient way to do it. Instead of thinking in terms of "copy" and "creative," think in terms of "components."

The hierarchy of importance in an ad is:

1. The Angle: This is the core message, the "nightmare" you're addressing. (e.g., "Maximise Your Business Sale Price" vs. "Create a Smooth Succession Plan"). This is the most important thing to get right.
2. The Hook: This is the first line of copy and the headline. Its only job is to get them to stop and pay attention to the Angle. (e.g., "Is your business worth less than you think?" vs. "The #1 mistake owners make when selling.")
3. The Creative: The image or video that supports the Angle and Hook. Its job is to visually represent the problem or the desired outcome.

Your testing should follow this hierarchy. Don't test everything at once. Test the most impactful element first.

Phase 1: Test Your Angles.
Create one campaign. Inside, create 2-3 ad sets. Each ad set targets the same broad audience (e.g., your 45-64+ group).
Dedicate each ad set to ONE angle. Use 2-3 ads inside each ad set with the same creative but slightly different hooks related to that angle.
Run this for a few days. The goal isn't to find the perfect ad. The goal is to find the winning *message*. Which angle is getting you the lowest Cost Per Lead? Which one is resonating most?

Phase 2: Iterate on the Winning Angle.
Once you have a clear winner (e.g., the "Maximise Sale Price" angle is performing twice as well as the others), you pause the losing ad sets.
Now, inside the winning ad set, you start testing the next component: the creative. Test a video against a static image against a carousel ad. Test a picture of a worried-looking business owner vs. a chart showing growth. All the copy stays the same, focused on your winning angle.

This methodical approach stops you from wasting money testing dozens of variations that are built on a weak message. You find the right foundation first, then you build on it. It's slower at the start, but much faster and cheaper in the long run.

My main recommendations for you are detailed below:

This all might seem like a lot, and a bit of a departure from your original question. But my experience has shown me that the advertisers who get the best results aren't the ones who can analyse a dozen metrics to death. They're the ones who deeply understand their customer's pain and build their entire strategy around solving it.

Obsessing over whether it's the copy or creative is like arguing about which oar is doing more work when the boat is pointed in the wrong direction. You need to fix the navigation first.

Implementing a strategy like this takes time, discipline, and expertise. You're not just running ads; you're building a system for repeatable, profitable customer acquisition. It involves deep customer research, compelling copywriting, methodical testing, and a solid understanding of business finance.

If you feel this is a bit overwhelming or would simply like a second pair of expert eyes on your campaigns to accelerate the process, that's what we do. We often start with a free, no-obligation 20-minute strategy session where we can have a proper look at your ad account and provide some specific, actionable advice.

Hope this helps!

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh