Most teams don’t have a creative problem.
They have a creative review problem.
Ads don’t fail because the idea was bad.
They fail because no one knew what to look for, when to kill it, or how to iterate.
So today, I’m giving you the exact creative review process we use to test ads and content — and yes, there’s a template you can steal.
Why most creative reviews are useless
Here’s what creative reviews usually sound like:
“I don’t like it.”
“Can we make it pop more?”
“Let’s test it anyway.”
None of that helps performance.
A good creative review should answer three questions only:
Should we scale this?
Should we iterate this?
Or should we kill it?
Everything else is noise.
Our 4-Step Creative Review Process
1. Start with the job of the creative
Before metrics, ask:
What is this ad/content trying to do?
Stop the scroll?
Educate?
Convert?
Retarget?
If you judge a top-of-funnel hook by ROAS, you’ll kill good ideas too early.
2. Review the first 3 seconds (nothing else yet)
This is non-negotiable.
Ask:
Would this stop you from scrolling?
Is the hook clear without sound?
Is the pain/desire obvious in 1–2 seconds?
If it fails here, nothing else matters.
3. Look at signal metrics (not vanity ones)
Ignore CTR alone. We look for:
Thumb-stop rate / 3-second views
Hold rate (does attention drop off fast?)
Comment quality (confused vs engaged)
Saves & shares (for organic)
These tell you creative truth faster than ROAS ever will.
4. Decide: Scale, Iterate, or Kill
Every piece must land in one bucket:
Scale
Strong hook + stable retention
Clear message
Early positive signal
Iterate
Hook works, body doesn’t
Message lands, format doesn’t
Comments show confusion or objections
Kill
Weak hook
No attention
No signal after iteration
No maybes. No “one more week.”
The Creative Review Template (Steal This)
Use this weekly with your team 👇
Creative Name:
Goal (TOF / MOF / BOF):
Hook Type: (Pain / POV / Pattern Break (this is fun) / Curiosity)
First 3s Verdict: Pass / Fail
Key Metrics Observed:
Comments Insight:
Decision: Scale / Iterate / Kill
Iteration Idea (if any):
That’s it.
Simple. Brutally honest. Repeatable.
Great marketing teams don’t win by having more ideas.
They win by reviewing ideas better.
Steal this process. Make it yours. And stop guessing what “good creative” looks like.
