In an overly saturated market, how do you get your ad creative to stand out? To stop the never-ending scroll and see actual engagement?

There’s a few strategies that can do just that, and it might not be what you think. The ad creative that we see winning and gaining valuable engagement are those that lean into platform-lead optimizations, human-forward content, and authentic storytelling.

What Ad Creative Actually Works?

The ad creative that works today is ever-changing. What has worked in the past might be exactly the opposite of what your potential customers look for today. The top creative in 2026 looks like the following:

Platform Optimization

Top platforms like Meta and Google are constantly updating their ad algorithms. One key way to keep your ads from atrophying is to follow the algorithm updates and lean in to the optimizations each platform recommends. At the moment on Meta, the more content and more copy you can provide them, the better. There’s a full laundry list of AI-driven optimizations you can enable on your ads, you may not want to fully dive in to all of them; but test out different least-invasive ones. The ad accounts that allow them to test and perfect their optimizations and algorithm are the ones they tend to favor; work to stay in their favor.

Human-Forward Content

The rise of AI has led to a rejection of artificial and human-less content, especially among young consumers. If the consumer can tell your ad images, your copy, your video, etc were developed using AI and not humans, you’ve potentially lost a customer permanently.

Standing out from the crowd now means taking time to develop, write and really think through the content that you produce. Being intentional with messaging, value offered to the customer, and who you are as a brand. This leads directly into the last aspect of top performing ad creative today.

Authentic Storytelling

Every brand has a story; a “why”. Your “why” could be what helps you stand out. Think about it:

Which kind of video would make you stop scrolling?

  1. A product-forward, sales video ad.
  2. A video with the company owner in center frame, in their warehouse, holding and talking about why they started this company in the first place.

Likely the second option: it might not even feel like an ad.

With the constant flood of low quality, robot-created content filling customer feeds, videos that offer real value, actual people, and come from a genuine, authentic place are what wins. It builds trust, it shows that you’re a real, trustworthy place for people to spend their money.

How Do I Get My Ads to Start Converting?

Need your ads to follow the above guidelines and see actionable engagement, but not sure where to start? That’s where Bell and Porter comes in. With a team full of certified experts in the digital marketing field as well as a robust network of videographers, photographers, designers, and more, your company and your goals are in good hands.

If you're ready to transform your ad creative strategy, reach out today for a free consultation with our team.