Creatives and Creative Insights
The Creatives page lists every image, video and text ad you run with the sales TrueMetriks tracked for it, not what the ad platform claims, and AI Insights tells you what your winners share and what to make next.
Set this up with AI
Copy this prompt into ChatGPT, Claude or whichever AI you use. It carries this whole guide, the pages it depends on, and a link to every video, so it can walk you through it one step at a time.
The Creatives page answers two questions every advertiser asks: which of my ads actually make money, and why. It lists every creative you run on Meta, Google Ads and TikTok with the sales TrueMetriks tracked for it, marks each one a Winner, Loser or something in between, and then reads your winners and losers side by side to tell you what separates them.
What Creative Insights is
Ad platforms grade their own homework. The conversions Ads Manager reports are the ones Meta believes it caused, counted its own way, and Google and TikTok do the same. When you pick which ad to scale, that is the number you are trusting.
The Creatives page uses your tracked results instead: every sale, lead or booking TrueMetriks recorded on your site, credited to the ad the buyer really came from. Spend, impressions and clicks come from the ad platform, because only the platform can count those. So a creative that looks like a winner in Ads Manager and never brought a real sale shows up here as what it is.
The page has two tabs, and one paid add-on, Creative Insights, unlocks both:
- Library - every creative with its tracked sales, revenue, cost per sale and ROAS, and a status pill.
- AI Insights - what your winning creatives have in common, what your losing ones share, and what to make next.
Where to find it
Open your site in the dashboard and click Creatives in the sidebar, under Web Analytics. The tab is in the address, so you can bookmark either one: ?tab=library or ?tab=insights.
- The page needs at least one connected ad account. Until Meta, Google Ads or TikTok is connected it says Connect an ad account to see your creatives, with a button that takes you to the ad integrations on your Tracking settings.
- The Creatives entry is shown to signed-in members of the workspace only. It never appears on a shared public link, and a customer's ads are never visible to anyone outside their workspace.
- The demo workspace shows Creatives too, but always locked: the offer over the sample library and the sample report. Creative Insights can never be added to the demo, so to see your own creatives, use your own workspace.
- Creatives are synced from each connected ad account: images, videos and text ads (such as Google search ads).
Without the add-on, both tabs show the offer over a blurred sample. See a sample library and See a sample report open a full working sample marked This is not your data, so you can click through everything before you buy.
Find out why your winning ads win
Creative Insights reads every image, headline and caption you run, then compares your winners against your losers each week. Works on any plan.
Over 10,000: $15 per extra 1,000. Each creative is analyzed once, ever. One subscription unlocks the Library and AI Insights.
Video speech analysis needs the Facebook Page that runs your ads. You can connect it after you subscribe.
The Library
The Library shows one card per creative. When the same image or video is used in several ads, it is shown once, with the results of all those ads added together. That is what makes it useful: you judge the creative, not whichever ad set happened to carry it.
Creatives
Every ad creative with the sales TrueMetriks tracked for it, not what the ad platform claims.
▶Meta · VideoWinner
Meta · ImageAverage
Google · ImageLoserThe summary tiles
Five tiles sit above the cards, for the date range and filters you picked:
- Creatives - how many creatives, used across N ads that spent in this range.
- Winners and Losers - how many of each. When some ads are close to a call, the line underneath says so instead, for example 2 promising or 3 at risk.
- Amount spent - the ad spend of those creatives.
- Tracked revenue - the revenue TrueMetriks tracked for them, with the Blended ROAS underneath. For a lead or booking conversion this tile shows the number of leads or bookings and the cost per result instead.
Filters and sorting
- Date range - the picker at the top right. The short ranges counted in minutes and hours, such as Last 30 Minutes and Last 24 Hours, are not offered here.
- Platform - All platforms, Meta, Google or TikTok.
- Creatives - All, Images or Videos.
- Status - Any status, Winners, Promising, Average, At risk, Losers or Not judged yet.
- Conversion - what counts as a result. Standard events (Purchase, Lead, Schedule), your custom conversions (shown based on the event they come from) and your webhook events. Revenue and ROAS are hidden for lead and booking conversions, and the cards show Unique Leads or Unique Bookings and a cost per lead or booking. The page opens on Purchase, or on Lead or Schedule when that is the first of the three your site has results on. Your pick lasts until you leave the page.
- Search ads by name, and Sort by Best first, Worst first, Revenue, Amount spent or Unique sales.
Pages hold 25 cards by default; change it under Per page at the bottom.
Each card
A card shows the creative (a play button marks a video), the platform and format, its status pill, and the numbers that decide it: Unique Sales, Total Revenue, Amount spent, CPA and ROAS. A text ad with no picture shows its own headline on the card instead.
Click Clicks, CTR and more to open the drawer.
The creative drawer
The drawer shows the whole creative and everything behind it:
- Performance - unique sales, revenue, ROAS, amount spent, impressions, clicks, CTR and CPA. Meta creatives also show All clicks (every click on the ad, likes and shares included) next to the link clicks. The Status box explains its verdict when you hover it.
- Headline, Primary text and Call to action as the ad ran. Text ads show all their Headlines and Descriptions.
- Video transcript for videos: what is said in the video, written out.
- Ads using this creative - one row per ad that spent in the range, with its sales, clicks and spend. Someone who bought through two of those ads is one sale in the totals above, so the rows can add up to less than the total, never more.
▶Performance
Headline
Primary text
One cream, sixty seconds, and your skin is set for the day. Over 40,000 mornings started this way.
Free shipping on your first order.
Call to action
Shop nowVideo transcript
I used to have five steps every morning. Now it is one. I wash my face, I use this, and I am out of the door. That is the whole routine.
Ads using this creative
| Morning routine - moisturizer - ad set 1 | 85 sales · 2802 clicks · $1,648.00 spent |
| Morning routine - moisturizer - ad set 2 | 64 sales · 2101 clicks · $1,236.00 spent |
| Morning routine - moisturizer - ad set 3 | 42 sales · 1401 clicks · $824.00 spent |
| Morning routine - moisturizer - ad set 4 | 21 sales · 700 clicks · $412.00 spent |
Ads that spent in this date range. Someone who converted through two of them counts once in the totals above, so these rows can add up to less.
How a creative is judged
Every card carries one of six status pills. Hover a pill to read the exact reason, with your own numbers in it.
The bar: your own average cost per sale
A creative is not judged on its first few dollars. Each platform has a bar: your average cost per sale on that platform across all time. On Meta it is your Meta average, on Google your Google average, so an account that runs Meta daily and Google rarely never has its Google ads judged against Meta's numbers. If a platform has never produced a sale, a $20 floor stands in for the average.
The bar decides when there is enough spend to call an ad:
- An ad with a sale is judged at once. A sale under the bar can lift an ad to Promising, but never sink it: one cheap sale is too small a sample to call a Loser.
- An ad with no sale is At risk once it has spent half the bar, and a Loser once it has spent the full bar. At that point it has spent what a sale normally costs you and brought none.
- Below half the bar with no sale, it is Not judged yet. Let it run, or widen the date range.
The lines for sales
For a Purchase conversion, a creative is judged on ROAS:
- Winner - ROAS 2.0 or higher, spend at or above the bar, and at least 3 days running.
- Promising - the same ROAS, but under 3 days or under the bar. One strong day, or one cheap early sale, can be luck.
- Average - ROAS between 1.0 and 2.0, with spend at or above the bar.
- Loser - ROAS below 1.0 with spend at or above the bar, or no sale at all after spending the full bar.
- At risk (amber) - no sale yet after spending half the bar. It becomes a Loser at the full bar.
- Not judged yet - too little spend to call either way.
Leads and bookings
A Lead or Schedule conversion has no revenue, so the lines are about cost instead. Under 0.7x your all-time average cost per lead (or booking) on that platform is good, over 1.4x is bad. The same bar, the same 3 days and the same At risk rule apply.
AI Insights
AI Insights reads every judged creative on the site across all time, not just the dates in the picker, and compares your winners with your losers. The more ads it can compare, the surer it gets.
Patterns are found within one platform at a time. Pick Meta, Google or TikTok in the Platform picker at the top; Meta and Google ads are never compared with each other, because what wins in a feed and what wins in search are different things.
Next to it, the Conversion picker chooses what counts as a result, with the same choices as the Library's Conversion filter. It opens on the same conversion the Library does. Every conversion your site has results on gets its own winners, losers and patterns.
Summary and your plan's meter
The Summary opens with how much it had to work with, for example Based on 214 judged ads across all time: 38 winners, 61 losers and 115 in between, followed by the strongest findings in plain sentences and What your winners have in common.
On the right is your plan's meter: how many creatives were analyzed this month out of your allowance, and when it resets. The written summary is refreshed every Monday; the counts and patterns are worked out fresh each time you open the tab.
Summary
Based on 214 judged ads across all time: 38 winners, 61 losers and 115 in between.
- Talking-head videos are your strongest format: 4.1 ROAS vs 1.3 for everything else.
- Copy that opens with a problem and ends with a positive outcome is in 26 of your 38 winners and 13 of your 61 losers.
- Discount-led creatives keep losing money. 9 of 11 are below 1.0 ROAS.
What your winners have in common
- Your winners likely work because one real person tells their own story in their own words, which reads as a recommendation rather than as an ad.
What to make next
Concrete recommendations, based on all of your judged ads across all time. See the ads behind this opens the pattern each one comes from, with the ads that prove it.
What to make next
based on all 214 of your judged ads across all time
Pattern sections
Four sections, each looking at a different part of the creative:
- Image patterns - what is in the picture.
- Copy patterns - the primary text.
- Headline patterns.
- Video patterns - from what is said in the video.
Each pattern card starts with Do more, Avoid or No clear effect, then shows how many of your winners and your losers have it (for example 28 of 38 winners against 19 of 61 losers) and the ROAS of ads with it against ads without it. For leads and bookings it shows the cost per result instead.
Image patterns
what is in the picture
Creatives showing a person, especially looking at the camera, convert far better than graphics or product shots.
47 of the 214 ads that ran across all time have this.
See the ads behind this ›Almost only in losers. Price-led visuals attract clicks from people who do not buy.
14 of the 212 ads that ran across all time have this.
See the ads behind this ›Click a card to open its drawer: The numbers behind it, a plain explanation of what to do, example ads that do this, and contrast ads that do not. Click any ad there to see its image, copy and results.
How confident a pattern is
Every pattern carries a Confidence pill. Hover it for the meaning:
- High - enough ads on both sides, and a gap this size is unlikely to be chance.
- Medium - a real gap, but a modest number of ads. Treat it as a lead worth testing.
- Low - too few ads to trust yet. It is shown so you can watch it, not act on it.
When patterns appear
Patterns need something to compare. They appear once at least 20 of the site's ads are judged and analyzed across all time. Before that the tab says Not enough judged ads yet to find patterns and tells you how many are judged, how many are analyzed and how many are waiting. With only a few judged ads, or winners but no losers yet, an amber note asks you to treat the patterns as leads.
If none of your ads has ever had a result on the picked conversion, for example Schedule on a store that only tracks sales, the tab says No Schedule results yet instead of judging every ad a Loser. Pick another conversion, or check back once that one is tracked.
A new subscription analyzes creatives in the background, so the first report can take a little while to fill in. A section that is still working says so.
What you sell
The What you sell card on AI Insights tells the analysis who your buyers are. An ad that works for a $20 impulse buy says different things from one that sells a $2,000 course, so the closer this card is, the better the findings.
What you sell
We read your ads for the people who buy from you. The closer this is, the better the analysis.- Category - the broad kind of business, such as Beauty and personal care or Online course or coaching.
- Industry - pick from the list or type your own. It can be changed twice a day.
- Price point - Low, Mid or High. Pick every band you sell in; none picked means not sure.
- What you sell - one sentence, up to 300 characters.
- Who buys it - who your customer is.
It is filled in for you once, when the subscription starts, from your site and your ads. After that it is yours to correct. Only an admin of the site can change it. A change applies to the written summary right away and to every creative analyzed from then on; creatives that were already analyzed are not analyzed again.
Ideas from ads that work in your industry
When there is enough data, AI Insights adds a section comparing what wins across other TrueMetriks workspaces in your industry with your own ads. It shows ideas you are not already winning with, and says where your own winners stand on each.
Ideas from ads that work in your industry
What is working in your industry, estate planning courses, across all time, compared with your own ads.
Winning ads in your industry have this far more often than losing ads.
You have no judged ads with this yet.
Losing ads in your industry have this more often than winning ads.
Your winners: 21 of 38 have it.
We show patterns only.
What it will never show: another business's name, ads or numbers, or any count from the other workspaces. We show patterns only. Your ads are compared on their side the same way, so nobody sees yours.
This section appears only once enough other businesses in the same industry have enough judged ads, so many workspaces will not see it at first. Setting the right Industry on the What you sell card is what puts you in the right group.
Analyze your earlier ads
Creatives are analyzed as they arrive after the subscription starts. Ads you ran before that are not analyzed automatically, because they would use up your allowance without you choosing to.
To include them, press Analyze my earlier ads beside the date picker. Hover it first to see how many are waiting and how much of this month's allowance they would use.
- It needs the What you sell card filled in first, so the button stays off until it is.
- A large set keeps going in the background, and whatever is left carries on the next day.
- If this month's allowance runs out part-way, move to a bigger plan under Settings > Billing, or press the button again after the allowance resets.
Video speech needs your Facebook Page
To analyze what is said in a Meta video ad, TrueMetriks has to be able to fetch the video, and Facebook only shares an ad's video with the Page that runs the ad. Until that Page is connected, those videos still appear in the Library with their numbers, but they are left out of Video patterns.
AI Insights tells you when this happens, with a banner and a Connect your Page button:
6 video ads could not be analyzed for what is said in them. Facebook only lets the Page that runs an ad share its video. Connect that Page and we will transcribe and analyze them.
Connecting a Page also turns on lead form and DM tracking for it.
- If you run ads from more than one Page, the banner names the missing one, for example Connect that Page too with its Page ID.
- The button says Connect Facebook first or Verify your tracking domain first when one of those is still to do, and a member who is not a workspace admin sees Ask a workspace admin to connect the Page.
- Connecting a Page also turns on lead form and DM tracking for it.
The connection itself is the same one used for lead forms and DM ads. Follow Connect your Page on the Facebook page. Once it is connected, the videos are transcribed and analyzed, and the tab updates by itself.
Pricing and plans
Creative Insights is priced by how many new creatives you want analyzed each month:
| Plan | Price | At the limit |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,000 new creatives / month | $29 / month | Analysis pauses until next month |
| Up to 5,000 new creatives / month | $99 / month | Analysis pauses until next month |
| Up to 10,000 new creatives / month | $149 / month | $15 per extra 1,000 |
- The same price on every plan. It is its own monthly subscription, even if your TrueMetriks plan is billed yearly, charged to the card on file separately from your plan, with its own invoice.
- Each creative is analyzed once, ever. Re-opening the page, changing dates or re-reading an old creative never costs anything.
- One subscription unlocks both tabs, the Library and AI Insights.
- The allowance resets on the 1st of each month (UTC). On the Up to 10,000 plan, each extra 1,000 over the limit is added to your next Creative Insights invoice.
Who can add it
- The workspace needs an active paid plan. A trial cannot add it yet: the offer says Creative Insights can be added as soon as your trial ends and your plan is active.
- Only the organization owner can buy it. Everyone else sees Ask the organization owner to add Creative Insights.
Add it
Pick a plan on the offer box and click Add Creative Insights. The confirm step spells out the charge before anything happens: the price is charged today, then billed monthly to the card on file, with the renewal date. Click Add for $99 / month (or your plan's price) to confirm. If the card is declined, nothing is charged: Could not add Creative Insights. No charge was made.
Change or cancel it
The owner manages it on Settings > Billing, in the Creative Insights card.
- Change plan from the dropdown. Moving up charges the difference now and the new limit applies at once. Moving down applies at once, with no credit for the unused part of the month.
- Cancel Creative Insights keeps it active until the end of the month you paid for, then it ends. Your plan is not affected and nothing already analyzed is lost. Until that date the card shows Ends on with a Keep Creative Insights button to undo it.
- If a payment fails, the card says Payment failed. Update your card to keep Creative Insights. with an Update card button.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Creative Insights cost?
$29 a month for up to 1,000 new creatives analyzed a month, $99 a month for up to 5,000, or $149 a month for up to 10,000 and then $15 for each extra 1,000. The price is the same on every plan. It is a monthly subscription even if your plan is billed yearly, charged to the card on file with its own invoice.
Does Creative Insights work on a trial?
Not yet. It needs an active paid plan. During a trial the offer box says Creative Insights can be added as soon as your trial ends and your plan is active. You can still open See a sample report or See a sample library to see what you would get.
What counts as a creative analyzed?
One creative is one image, video or text ad, however many ads use it. Each creative is analyzed once, ever, and that one analysis is what counts against your monthly allowance. Opening the page again, changing the date range or re-reading an old creative never counts twice.
What happens when I reach my monthly limit?
On the Up to 1,000 and Up to 5,000 plans, analysis of new creatives pauses until the allowance resets on the 1st of next month (UTC), and the meter says Limit reached. Everything already analyzed stays. On Up to 10,000, analysis carries on and each extra 1,000 is billed at $15 on your next Creative Insights invoice. You can move to a bigger plan any time under Settings > Billing.
What happens if I cancel?
It stays active until the end of the month you already paid for, then it ends. Your plan is not affected, and nothing already analyzed is lost. Until that date you can undo it with Keep Creative Insights on Settings > Billing.
Why was one of my videos not analyzed for what is said in it?
Facebook only shares an ad's video with the Page that runs the ad. If that Page is not connected to TrueMetriks, the video cannot be transcribed, and a blue banner on AI Insights asks you to connect it. Click Connect your Page, pick the Page on Facebook's screen, and those videos are analyzed. If the banner names a Page ID, your ads run from a second Page and that one needs connecting too.
Why do I not see the industry section?
Ideas from ads that work in your industry only appears once enough other TrueMetriks workspaces in the same industry have enough judged ads to compare. Many businesses will not see it at first. Setting the right Industry on the What you sell card is what puts you in the right group when there is enough data.
Is my data shown to other businesses?
No. The industry section shows patterns only: a direction and a confidence. It never shows another business's name, ads or numbers, and never a count from the other workspaces. Your ads are compared the same way on their side, so no one sees yours.
Are the numbers the same as in Ads Manager?
No, on purpose. The sales, revenue and ROAS on the Creatives page are the ones TrueMetriks tracked, credited to the ad the buyer really came from. Impressions, clicks and spend come from the ad platform, because only the platform can count those.
Can I change the ROAS lines that decide Winner and Loser?
Not today. Every site uses a winner line of ROAS 2.0 and a loser line of ROAS 1.0 for sales. Leads and bookings are judged on cost per result against your own average instead.