Expand Creative Possibilities
The Intelligence Library
98 deep-dives on Meta ads, TikTok ads, hooks, creative fatigue, UGC, and ad performance.
The Shelves
Every article we’ve published, filed onto the shelf a marketer would actually search. Pick one to jump to it.
META — 36 articles
Meta-specific intelligence. Andromeda, Advantage+, hook rate, creative diversity, ROAS, fatigue, scaling — the algorithm, the structures that work in 2026, and the patterns that break.
Clicks without sales usually means a broken handoff, not a broken hook. Here is the diagnostic order marketers should run in July 2026.
TIKTOK — 2 articles
TikTok intelligence. Shop video formulas, Smart+ behavior, creator brief structures, and the cadence patterns that win on TikTok in 2026.
Mar 2026
Beat-by-beat storyboards from decoded formulas. Not vague mood boards. Not "be authentic." Structural intelligence for creator briefs.
ReadMar 2026
63% of top TikTok ads deliver the message in the first 3 seconds. Script structure beats production quality every time.
ReadHOOKS — 10 articles
Hook architecture and creative strategy at the structural level. Hook rate, hook types, scroll-stopping openings, and the strategy frameworks that produce them.
Jul 2026
Process Teaser opens 15.9% of every scaling Beauty ad we decoded. Cross-vertical benchmark, real ad breakdowns, tactical playbook.
ReadJul 2026
141 decoded electrolyte ads. Hyro dominates. Curiosity Spike + Problem/Solution + Talking Head, the formula that wins.
ReadJul 2026
Curiosity Spike leads at 12.3%. But Supplements is the most fragmented hook landscape in advertising, the top 3 openings are separated by 6 uses. Real ad bre…
ReadJul 2026
Contradiction Hook opens 14.9% of every scaling Home & Living ad we decoded. Cross-vertical benchmark, real ad breakdowns, tactical playbook.
ReadJul 2026
77 decoded vitamin ads. No dominant brand. Identity-targeting hooks are the story. Talking head at 73%. Here is the playbook.
ReadJun 2026
Meta hook rate below 25% triggers algorithm deprioritization and inflates CPMs. The 2026 benchmarks: 25-30% healthy, 30-40% strong, 40%+ unicorn. How Androme…
ReadMar 2026
Every video ad hook type decoded with examples. Diagnostic Question, Challenge Statement, Object Intro, Curiosity Spike, Pattern Observation, and more. Which…
ReadFeb 2026
Six practical steps to build a repeatable ad creative strategy for D2C brands. From brand fundamentals to structural performance tracking.
ReadFeb 2026
Stop creating ads. Start building a creative system. The 4-layer approach Shopify stores use to produce high-converting Meta ad creative at scale.
ReadFeb 2026
Ad creative strategy is the system behind what you make, not just what you make. Here is the definition and how D2C brands build one.
ReadAD PERFORMANCE — 9 articles
ROAS, CPA, hit rates, and the 2026 numerical benchmarks that separate scaling ads from stalling ads — across Shopify, ecommerce, and D2C.
Mar 2026
Hit rates, testing volume, winning formats, hook performance, and asset types from 578,750 ads and $1.29B in Meta spend. Five findings every creative strateg…
ReadMar 2026
Text-forward assets outperform high-production content more often than most teams expect. 13 asset types benchmarked with hit rates and spend use ratios.
ReadMar 2026
Top brands test 54 creatives a week. Most brands test 3. The gap between 2.8 and 54.6 is not budget. It is system. Creative volume benchmarks from 578,750 ads.
ReadMar 2026
Hit rate benchmarks across 578,750 ads. The sophistication gap is not creative talent. It is spend concentration. Enterprise brands put 64% behind winners. M…
ReadMar 2026
The spread between the best and worst hook types is roughly 5 percentage points. On a base of 6%, that nearly doubles your odds. 19 hooks benchmarked with ps…
ReadMar 2026
Unboxing hits at 9.8%. Offer-First Banner is the scale format. Celebrity attracts 2.1x spend. Format performance varies dramatically by vertical. 578,750 ads…
ReadFeb 2026
Scaling is not spending more. It’s protecting structure under stress. The D2C founder’s guide to scaling Meta ads without burning winners.
ReadFeb 2026
Good ROAS for Shopify by category, funnel stage, and AOV. The reference data Shopify store owners need for Meta ads.
ReadFeb 2026
Don’t panic. Don’t reset. Diagnose. The four structural causes of ROAS drops and the exact recovery system for D2C brands.
ReadAD FATIGUE — 4 articles
Why ads decay, how Andromeda fingerprints fatigue, and the diversity moves that keep accounts shipping new winners without killing conversion.
Jun 2026
Meta ads fatigue in 5-7 days instead of 14. The 6-step rotation system D2C brands use to extend creative lifespan by rotating hooks, tension, and proof timing.
ReadJun 2026
Meta's Entity ID system groups visually similar ads into one creative entity that competes against itself inside Advantage+. The 5 structural dimensions that…
ReadFeb 2026
The answer is not more content. It is structured variation. Five levers that increase creative diversity while protecting conversion logic.
ReadFeb 2026
Creative fatigue is the number one reason D2C ads stop converting. Here is what it is, how to spot it, and how to fix it.
ReadUGC — 7 articles
UGC script structures, creator brief templates, founder-led video, and the scaling patterns behind ads that look authentic without acting authentic.
Mar 2026
Founder-led storytelling generates 25% more leads. Here is the beat structure behind founder-to-camera video ads that convert.
ReadMar 2026
UGC drives 29% higher conversions but creators produce by feel. Here is the structural intelligence behind UGC that actually converts.
ReadFeb 2026
The five-section UGC brief framework for D2C brands. Stop giving creators vague instructions. Start designing what the ad should do.
ReadFeb 2026
Most UGC briefs are vague. Vague briefs create average ads. Here’s the structural briefing system that turns UGC into scalable performance creative.
ReadFeb 2026
Most UGC running right now does not convert well. Here are the five structures that still work and the four that quietly waste spend.
ReadFeb 2026
Structured UGC script blueprints that drive ROAS for D2C brands on Meta in 2026. Five templates with hook, tension, mechanism, proof, and close.
ReadFeb 2026
UGC ads use real-person content as paid creative. Here is what they are, why they outperform polished ads, and how to structure them for conversions.
ReadDECODING ADS — 3 articles
How to decode a winning ad — competitor breakdowns, reverse-engineering walkthroughs, replication frameworks, and the structural reads behind Heista’s Decoder.
Jun 2026
Decode the formula. Load your brand. Generate variations from proven structures.
ReadFeb 2026
The complete guide to reverse-engineering any winning ad into its psychological formula. 5 layers. 6 steps. From ad to formula to your brand’s version.
ReadFeb 2026
It’s not creativity. It’s structure. The five layers of competitive ad analysis that separate scaling brands from guessing ones.
ReadTREND REPORTS — 1 article
Dated intelligence reports on what is winning right now. Category trends by vertical, weekly cross-vertical intelligence, and the structural patterns that broke through in a specific window.
BRAND DEEP-DIVES — 11 articles
Structural breakdowns of individual brands. Signature hooks, psychology stacks, visual playbooks, and how each brand diverges from the category norm. Decoded from real shipped video ads.
Jul 2026
32 decoded Caraway ads. Belief-break hooks, 47% Talking Head B-Roll, 50% Threat Reduction, 80% Redirect CTA. The full formula plus the four buyer segments th…
ReadJul 2026
26 decoded Chamberlain Coffee ads. 65% Product Demo. 31% Curiosity Spike. 46% Closure Delivery. The full celebrity-brand formula and the five gaps the catego…
ReadJul 2026
32 decoded Grüns ads. 69% Talking Head Product. 21% Tribe Call-Out hooks. 52% Competence Restoration. The full gummy vitamin formula plus the GLP-1 Tribe Cal…
ReadJul 2026
24 decoded Hismile ads. 20.8% Process Teaser openings. 75% Loss Aversion psychology. The full teardown of their creative system, plus the four gaps their com…
ReadJul 2026
56 decoded Hyro ads. 39% Talking Head B-Roll. 47% Loss Aversion. 20% Curiosity Spike. The full formula plus the four hooks, formats, and psych triggers they…
ReadJul 2026
41 decoded Koala ads. 39% Talking Head B-Roll. 22% Open Loop Statement. 20% Contradiction Hook. 46% Guarantee/Risk Reversal angle. The full playbook plus the…
ReadJul 2026
29 decoded Poppi ads. 38% Lifestyle. 41% Social Proof Results. Specificity Bias 25 times. The full playbook plus the three creative gaps their competitors ar…
ReadJul 2026
31 decoded Primal Queen ads. 100% Social Validation psychology. Talking Head Product plus creator testimonials. The full formula, plus the four gaps their fo…
ReadJul 2026
56 decoded Spacegoods ads. 47% Problem/Solution. 31% Loss Aversion. The full mushroom coffee ad formula plus the four gaps their competitors are running.
ReadJul 2026
19 decoded Ultra Violette ads. 47% Talking Head Product. 53% Product Launch. Curiosity Spike leads the hook mix. The sunscreen ad formula behind Ultraviolet…
ReadFeb 2026
Ad formulas aren’t script templates. They’re the invisible architecture behind conversion. Here’s what that means for D2C brands in 2026.
ReadAD BLUEPRINTS — 15 articles
The definitions, explainers, and operational frameworks underneath the rest of the library. Read here first if you want the language Heista uses for the work. Includes Concept Deep-Dives on individual hooks, psychology principles, formats, and marketing angles.
Jul 2026
Why generic stock models are dying in 2026 and what consistent, brand-specific AI talent is replacing them with.
ReadJul 2026
Advantage+ wins the first 2 to 3 weeks. Manual and DCO overtake by week 4. The 1,507-ad delivery pattern behind why, plus the July 2026 playbook.
ReadJun 2026
Ad generators, spy tools, AI copywriters, and creative intelligence — what each category does and where they stop.
ReadJun 2026
Every converting ad activates a buyer tension. Learn what they are and how Heista extracts 12 from your website automatically.
ReadJun 2026
PatternMap extracts the complete psychological formula behind any winning ad in 30 seconds. Beat sequence, triggers, persuasion architecture, visual strategy.
ReadMar 2026
The complete reference to behavioral triggers and persuasion principles in high-performing ads. How each works, where it appears, and why it converts.
ReadMar 2026
The missing layer between finding winning ads and creating your own. Creative intelligence decodes the psychological formula behind any ad and generates from…
ReadFeb 2026
Every D2C video ad format — what it is, when to use it, which categories it dominates, and the psychology behind why it works.
ReadFeb 2026
How AI ad creative tools compare to human creative strategists in 2026. The structural intelligence gap most tools miss, and why AI plus human judgment wins.
ReadFeb 2026
How performance creative teams decode winning ads into formulas, benchmark patterns across categories, and generate scripts from proven structures — not blan…
ReadFeb 2026
If targeting is automated, creative controls performance. Here’s how Meta’s system learns from creative signals and what D2C brands should do about it.
ReadFeb 2026
How D2C brands test Meta ad creatives without wasting budget in 2026. The 3-layer framework for structured creative testing.
ReadFeb 2026
Seven repeatable ad structures for Shopify and D2C brands. Stop guessing. Start running structured creative frameworks.
ReadFeb 2026
It is not either/or. Static images drive most ecommerce conversions. Video drives engagement and prospecting. The data on when each wins, the ideal format mi…
ReadFeb 2026
Creative testing is not A/B testing headlines. It is a systematic framework for isolating which structural ad elements drive conversions.
Read