Creative metrics
Creative diversity
Creative diversity means running ads that are genuinely different from each other in format, message, hook, visual style and audience, not small variations of one ad.
Creative fatigue
Creative fatigue (or ad fatigue) is when an ad that used to work stops getting results, because people have seen it too often or Meta found better ads to spend on.
CTR (click-through rate)
CTR is the share of ad impressions that led to a click. On Meta, link CTR (link clicks divided by impressions) is the version that matters.
Frequency
Frequency is the average number of times each person saw your ad over a period: impressions divided by reach.
Hold rate
Hold rate is the share of video ad impressions that became a ThruPlay (15 seconds watched, or the whole video if shorter): ThruPlays divided by impressions.
Hook rate
Hook rate is the share of video ad impressions where someone watched at least 3 seconds: 3-second video plays divided by impressions.
ThruPlay
A ThruPlay is Meta's count of video views that reached 15 seconds, or the end of the video if it's shorter than 15 seconds.
Winning ad
A winning ad is one that Meta puts a large share of an account's budget behind while it hits the account's cost per purchase or lead goal.
Costs and results
AOV (average order value)
AOV is the average amount a customer spends per order: revenue divided by number of orders.
Attribution window
An attribution window is how long after someone clicks or views an ad a conversion can still be credited to that ad. Meta's default is 7-day click, 1-day view.
Conversion rate
Conversion rate (CVR) is the share of people who took the action you wanted, usually purchases divided by link clicks for an ad.
CPA (cost per acquisition)
CPA is what you pay for each conversion, like a purchase, lead or install: ad spend divided by conversions.
CPC (cost per click)
CPC is what you pay for each click on your ad: ad spend divided by clicks. On Meta, use cost per link click.
CPM
CPM (cost per mille) is what you pay for 1,000 ad impressions: ad spend divided by impressions, times 1,000.
Incrementality
Incrementality is the share of results your ads actually caused, compared with what would have happened without them. It's measured with holdout or lift tests.
MER (marketing efficiency ratio)
MER is total revenue divided by total marketing spend over the same period. It's also called blended ROAS.
ROAS (return on ad spend)
ROAS is revenue from ads divided by ad spend. A good ROAS is any ROAS above your break-even point, which is 1 divided by your margin.
Ad formats
Carousel ad
A carousel ad shows two to ten swipeable cards in a single ad, each with its own image or video, and usually its own headline and link.
Catalog ads
Catalog ads, formerly dynamic product ads (DPA), automatically show products from your product catalog to people based on what they've viewed or are likely to want.
Dark post
A dark post is an ad that doesn't appear on the brand's page or profile feed. It only shows to the people it's targeted at as an ad.
Motion ad
A motion ad is a video ad built from animation and motion graphics (kinetic type, product renders, UI, illustration) instead of filmed footage.
Moving still (GIF ad)
A moving still, or GIF-style ad, is a static ad with a little motion added, like a headline that builds or a product that floats. Meta delivers it as a video.
Partnership ads
Partnership ads are Meta ads that run with a creator's handle in the header while the brand pays for and controls them. They used to be called branded content ads.
Spark Ads
Spark Ads are TikTok's native ad format that promotes an existing organic post, from your own account or a creator's, keeping its likes, comments and profile link.
Static ad
A static ad is a single image ad with no motion: a photo, graphic or designed layout with copy. On Meta, statics usually run at 1:1 or 4:5.
Talking-head ad
A talking-head ad is a video where one person speaks straight to the camera for most of the ad: a creator, founder, customer or expert.
UGC (user-generated content)
UGC is content made by real people instead of the brand. In ads, UGC usually means paid creators filming product videos in a casual, native style.
UGC hybrid
A UGC hybrid is a creator video with motion graphics layered on top: kinetic type, animated callouts, product cutouts or UI. It mixes UGC's trust with motion's polish.
Whitelisting
Whitelisting means running paid ads through a creator's social account, so the ad shows their name instead of the brand's. On Meta this is now done with partnership ads.
Campaign setup
Advantage+ sales campaigns
Advantage+ sales campaigns, formerly Advantage+ shopping campaigns (ASC), are Meta's automated campaigns where Meta handles targeting, placements and budget across your ads.
Broad targeting
Broad targeting means giving Meta few or no audience limits beyond location and age, and letting the ads themselves find the right people.
CBO (campaign budget optimization)
CBO means one budget on the campaign that Meta splits across ad sets. Meta now calls it Advantage+ campaign budget. ABO means a fixed budget on each ad set.
Dynamic creative
Dynamic creative is a Meta option where you upload several images, videos, headlines and texts and Meta mixes them into combinations for each person.
Learning phase
The learning phase is the period after you launch or significantly edit a Meta ad set when delivery is still unstable. Meta's guideline is about 50 optimization events to exit it.
Meta Andromeda
Meta Andromeda is the AI system Meta uses to choose which ads could be shown to a person before the auction. It matches ads to people based largely on the creative.
Retargeting
Retargeting shows ads to people who already know you: site visitors, cart abandoners, past buyers or people who engaged with your content. Prospecting reaches new people.
Creative process
Ad angle
An ad angle is the reason to buy an ad leads with, like price, results, convenience or taste. The same product can run on many angles for different buyers.
Ad concept
An ad concept is the core idea behind an ad: the story or setup that makes the message land. Different concepts can sell the same product to different people.
Creative brief
A creative brief is a short document that tells the people making an ad what it's for: the audience, the one message, the format, the hook and what success looks like.
Creative strategist
A creative strategist decides what ads to make and why, using performance data, customer research and competitor ads, then writes the briefs the team produces from.
Creative testing
Creative testing is the process of launching new ads in a structured way to find which concepts, formats and hooks get spend and hit your cost goals.
Hook
The hook is the first 1 to 3 seconds of an ad, the line, visual or moment meant to stop someone scrolling and get them to keep watching.
Iteration
An iteration is a new version of an existing ad, with a different hook, edit, length, creator or headline, made to extend or improve something that already works.
Performance creative
Performance creative is ad creative made and judged by measurable results, like cost per purchase or lead, rather than by awards or brand metrics alone.
Safe zones
Safe zones are the parts of an ad frame that platform buttons and captions won't cover. On Meta 9:16 ads, keep the top 14%, bottom 35% and 6% on each side clear.
