> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://adadvisor.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# AdAdvisor Creative Skill: Test and Refresh Meta Ad Creative
> Pick a testing framework (3-2-2, 5-3-1, 3-3-3). Track refresh cadence by spend tier. Preserve social proof on viral Meta (Facebook) posts. Detect creative fatigue before it shows up as CPA inflation.
The **AdAdvisor creative skill** handles testing frameworks, refresh cadence, hook strategy, and the MCP workflow for sourcing assets without losing social proof. Creative drives 70% to 89% of Meta (Facebook) ad performance per AppsFlyer 2025 and Nielsen. Targeting won. Bidding won. Creative is what's left to compete on, and it's also the silent killer when neglected.
## When should I use the creative skill?
Triggers on phrases like:
* "Test ads"
* "Creative"
* "Refresh creatives"
* "Fatigue"
* "What to make next"
* "New creative"
* "Test new hooks"
* "Ads are stale"
* "Swap creative"
* "Upload images"
* "Find images"
* "UGC"
## Which creative testing framework should I use?
The skill picks the right framework based on where you are in the discovery curve:
| Framework | Structure | When to use |
| ------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **3-3-3** (Pilothouse) | 3 concepts × 3 formats × 3 hooks = 27 combinations | Brand-new product or angle. Maps the territory. |
| **3-2-2** (Tichenor) | 3 creatives × 2 primary texts × 2 headlines = 12 variants | Established angle. Validates which variant wins. |
| **5-3-1** (Ben & Vic / Motion) | 5 hook variations × 3 body variations × 1 CTA | Post-winner refinement. Milks the angle. |
| **Hook → Body → CTA hierarchy** | Test hooks first (5 to 8 hooks, identical body and CTA). Winner gets iterated bodies, then iterated CTAs. | Methodical buyer with budget. Finds the load-bearing element. |
Tichenor's own September 2025 caveat: "I was wrong about 3:2:2. Meta's Andromeda update changed it. Top advertisers are ramping up creative production, testing multiple concepts per segment." The skill treats 3-2-2 as a floor, not a ceiling.
## How often should I refresh Meta ad creative?
Volume of net-new concepts matters more than total ad count. Brands that produce four new concepts a week beat brands with 50 stale ads.
| Daily spend | Refresh cadence | New concepts per cycle |
| ----------------------- | ------------------ | ---------------------- |
| $100 to $200 a day | Every 2 to 3 weeks | 1 to 2 |
| $200 to $1,000 a day | Every 7 to 14 days | 2 to 3 |
| $1,000 to $10,000 a day | Every 7 to 10 days | 4 to 6 |
| \$10,000+ a day | Weekly | 4 to 6 net-new |
## How do I read Meta creative performance?
The funnel inherited from [diagnose](/skills/adadvisor-diagnose):
| Metric | Healthy | What it tells you |
| ------------------------------- | ------------ | -------------------------------------------- |
| Hook Rate (3-sec / impressions) | 25% to 35% | Did people stop scrolling? |
| Hold Rate (15-sec / 3-sec) | 40% to 50% | Did they stay through the body? |
| CTR (link clicks / impressions) | 1.0% to 1.8% | Did the body and CTA convince them to click? |
The skill maps which signal moved to which fix:
* **Hook problem.** Fix the first 1 to 3 seconds. Replace the hook, keep the body.
* **Hold problem.** Fix the transition from hook to body. The hook overpromised or the body was boring.
* **Click problem.** Fix the CTA, value prop, or visual confidence.
## How does the AdAdvisor MCP creative workflow work?
Two paths, depending on whether the asset already exists.
### Path A: reuse or find existing
```
adadvisor:search_ad_images(queries=['...']) → image hashes via the asset picker widget
adadvisor:preview_existing_creatives(image_hash=...) → if has engagement, reuse via existing_post
adadvisor:create_creative(...) → image_link, video, or existing_post format
```
The `preview_existing_creatives` step is critical. Promoting a post with 432 reactions / 87 comments via `existing_post` format preserves that social proof. Uploading the same image as a fresh ad loses it.
### Path B: upload new asset
```
adadvisor:upload_creatives(account_id) → opens upload widget
(widget drives init_upload + S3 PUT + complete_upload internally)
adadvisor:create_creative(...) → with the returned image_hash or video_id
```
Limits: image up to 30 MB, video up to 4 GB. Allowed types: JPEG, PNG, MP4, MOV.
## What aspect ratio and video length should Meta creative use?
| Aspect ratio | Where it lives | Status |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------ | ----------------- |
| 4:5 (portrait, 1080 × 1350) | Feed (FB + IG) | Default for Feed |
| 9:16 (vertical, 1080 × 1920) | Reels, Stories | Mandatory in 2026 |
| 1:1 (square, 1080 × 1080) | Cross-placement fallback | Safety net |
| 16:9 (horizontal) | Audience Network only | Dead in 2026 |
**Video length sweet spot: 5 to 15 seconds.** Meta auto-loops videos up to 30 seconds for 90 seconds of total view time. Short ads get replayed, accumulating impressions without feeling long.
## What anti-patterns does the creative skill prevent?
Brand tone, colors, and key selling points live in your AdAdvisor business context. The skill reads them first and grounds every copy recommendation in them.
Image hashes are session-scoped. The skill always fetches fresh via `search_ad_images` or `complete_upload` in the current conversation.
Dynamic Creative ad sets accept exactly ONE ad. Multi-variant copy lives in that one creative's `messages`, `headlines`, and `descriptions` arrays (max 5 each).
Defers to the diagnose skill's kill rule: 3x target CPA with zero conversions over the right account-size window.
Loses the social proof. The skill uses `format: 'existing_post'` with the post URL or `object_story_id` instead.
Letterboxed with black bars. The skill requires 9:16 for Reels and Stories placements and 4:5 for Feed.
## How do I install the creative skill?
Ships with the full plugin install.
Download [adadvisor-creative.zip](https://github.com/AdAdvisor/skills/releases/latest/download/adadvisor-creative.zip) and upload via Settings, Capabilities, Skills.
## Frequently asked questions
Charley Tichenor's framework. 3 creatives × 2 primary texts × 2 headlines = 12 dynamic variants in one Meta ad set. Use Dynamic Creative to auto-optimize the combination. Best for validating which variation of a proven angle wins. For brand-new angles use 3-3-3 (Pilothouse) instead.
Spend-dependent. $100 to $200 a day, refresh every 2 to 3 weeks (1 to 2 new concepts). $1,000 to $10,000 a day, refresh every 7 to 10 days (4 to 6 new). \$10,000+ a day, refresh weekly with 4 to 6 net-new concepts. Volume of new concepts matters more than total ad count.
Use `format: 'existing_post'` in `adadvisor:create_creative`, passing either the `instagram_post_url`, `facebook_post_url`, or `object_story_id`. The skill calls `preview_existing_creatives` first to check engagement counts. Posts with 100+ reactions get promoted via `existing_post` to preserve likes, comments, and shares. Posts without organic engagement get uploaded fresh.
Hook rate is 3-second views divided by impressions. The percentage of viewers who stopped scrolling long enough to count as having seen the ad. Healthy is 25% to 35% on Meta prospecting. Strong is 30% to 45%. Under 20% means the first 1 to 3 seconds need work.
Generally no. Reels and Stories placements (where most attention is in 2026) require 9:16 vertical. Feed prefers 4:5 portrait. 16:9 only survives on Audience Network and gets letterboxed everywhere else, which suppresses delivery. The creative skill rejects 16:9 for Reels and Stories campaigns.
No. Meta does not yet allow `is_dynamic_creative: true` ad sets to pair with `lead_gen_form_id`. The skill catches this and either turns off Dynamic Creative or routes lead-form creatives through standard single-variant copy.
## Related skills
Pairs with launch when creative is part of a new campaign.
Diagnose surfaces creative fatigue. This skill handles the refresh.
Sarah Levinger's "creative does the targeting" thesis lives at the intersection of these two.