aliases: [] canonical_name: Phased creative testing protocol (Hook → Angle → Format → Scale) dashboard_url: https://dashboard.kismetpets.com/context/concepts/mechanism/phased-creative-testing-protocol/ id: 168 kind: mechanism last_synthesized_at: ‘2026-05-07T18:14:27.285393+00:00’ slug: phased-creative-testing-protocol updated_at: ‘2026-05-07T18:14:27.285612+00:00’
Phased creative testing protocol (Hook → Angle → Format → Scale)
Mechanism — phased-creative-testing-protocol
Kismet’s canonical 4-phase Meta creative testing protocol for cold acquisition. Each phase isolates one variable, lets the prior winner advance, and uses fixed kill rules so spend never drifts.
Phase 1 — Hook (2 weeks): 3 hooks against the leading angle on the best-converting segment (mens-50-60-cold-segment when relevant). Budget 40-50/ad/day, CBO. Kill rule: CTR < 0.8% after 50 spend. Success: CTR > 1.5%, CPC < $2.00.
Phase 2 — Angle (2 weeks): Lock the winning hook, swap angle (e.g., clinical proof vs. price comparison vs. category-creator). Same budget shape. Success: purchases + ROAS > 1×.
Phase 3 — Format (2 weeks): Lock hook + angle, test static vs. carousel vs. UGC video. $50/ad/day. Success metric flips to CPA + ROAS.
Phase 4 — Scale: 60-70% of budget behind the surviving creative; launch MOF retargeting (e.g., reviews carousel) against all TOF traffic in parallel. A separate MOF track at $20-30/day starts as soon as Phase 2 produces site visitors.
Pairs cleanly with differentiator-x-visual-anchor-framework (governs the inputs), whitelisted-spark-ad-format (a Phase 3 format option), and seven-non-negotiable-ad-elements (creative guardrails). Reuse this scaffold for every new acquisition push — don’t reinvent the budget math.