What the best DTC ad accounts have in common

Want to know what’s working well for Meta ads?

Look at what the best DTC marketers are doing.

I recently explored 200 of the top DTC brands’ ad libraries to build out collections of great ads. You can find those collections in Creative Research, our new free marketing tool for research and ideation.

It took months to get through 5,000+ ads. But it was worth it to understand how the best DTC marketing teams use Meta ads.

I’m sharing what I learned to help you refine your creative strategy.

Here are five patterns that jumped out during my research:

• Great ads are rare 💎
• Ads don’t live long in Meta ⌛️
• Collaborations are underrated 🤝
• Don’t worry, most ads are boring 🥱
• Authenticity makes low-budget ads win 🥇

Let’s explore these patterns, why they matter, and what to do about them.

Great ads are rare 💎

The first thing you realize when browsing hundreds of ad libraries is that great ads are rare. It’s not that most ads are bad, just that few stand out.

The top DTC brands understand that high-performing creative is hard to make and takes a bit of luck.

The solution?

Ship fast and often. Most high-growth DTC brands have 50+ ads live, and the big names generally have 100+ ads running at a time.

Example: Gymshark has built their brand into a household name for fitness buffs. They ship a LOT of ads (around 2,300 active ads as of writing this).

That extreme output has helped them become a 9-figure DTC brand, and they show no signs of slowing down.

Ads have short shelf-lives ⏳

Paid social ads don’t run for long. They’re sprinters, not marathon runners.

Very few brands I studied were running ads published before June of 2024. What gives? Likely, creative fatigue. 

Creative fatigue happens when an audience sees the same ad too often, leading to poor performance. This means they’ve gotten sick of your ad, or you’ve run out of people in that audience who this ad is likely to convert.

Facebook's algorithm will flag ads it thinks are experiencing (or about to experience) creative fatigue.

When this happens, they suggest:

✅ Make another ad

✅ Expand your audience

✅ Use Advantage+

However, Facebook admits that leaving the ad running even after they’ve flagged it may still deliver the best results.

So don’t kill an asset simply because of the creative fatigue label. Just keep an eye on performance and pause once it drops below acceptable.

Don’t be afraid of “boring” ads 🥱

As mentioned above, great ads are rare. That leaves a lot of “boring” ads.

Every industry has a staple format. If you sell moisturizer, odds are you have a shot of the product splashing water.

There are also formats that everyone uses — like us vs. them and simple product shots. They won’t smash targets but you can count on them to generate steady results.

Example: Liquid Death has built its brand on wild, over-the-top advertising. But even they still run some “boring” ads on Meta. 

Their ad library includes a lot of basics. Like simple product shots paired with one line of copy. Why?

They understand that not every ad needs to break the rules.

(P.S. The copy is still playful in a way that’s very on-brand for Liquid Death. “Boring” for them can still be fun 👀 please don’t hurt me.)

Authenticity makes up for budget 💪

Top DTC brands love UGC content. It adds a human connection to your product and can be made with minimal budget.

UGC isn’t the only way to stretch your budget and make authentic content, though. Anything that pulls back the curtain and connects people to your brand works (as long as it’s genuine). 

Does your founder have a compelling story for starting the brand? Can you film orders being packed?

Example: This video features a designer from the women’s team at Vuori sharing details on one of her favorite items. She explains what the goal was, why they chose certain fabrics, and what the response has been.

Vuori runs a number of these ads with their designers. They’re interesting and genuine. It’s easier to relate to an employee than a brand, and you feel more connected to the company afterwards.

Not everyone wants to (or should be) in front of a camera, but keep in mind that your best brand ambassador might be found internally.

Collaborate to borrow brand awareness 🤝

Collaborations are a great way to build your brand while simultaneously running direct response/performance ads.

Many top DTC brands understand that collaborations let you borrow brand awareness. You can collab with a niche icon to expand into a new audience or work with household names to build mainstream recognition.

Example: Ruggable's collaborations page yields 617 results. This enthusiasm for collaboration can be seen in their ad library as well.

The Toy Story logo in the corner connects the beloved franchise to Ruggable.

Subconsciously, your positive feelings for Toy Story get transferred to the brand. 

It’s like having a mutual friend introduce you to your customer. 

Tying it all together 🧵

So, what did I learn from scrolling through 5,000+ ads from top DTC brands ? 

1. Make lots of ads. High-performing creatives take a lot of work and a dash of luck. Strive for quantity and let your customers dictate quality. 

Psst… need help with this part? Here are 10 great hooks to borrow from 👇

2. Perfection is the enemy. Ads have short shelf lives and authenticity beats budget. Let yourself be scrappy and focus on the quality of your message over bells and whistles.

3. Partnership pays. Collaboration with other brands will let you both share in each other’s success. Reach out to those whose products make sense next to your own and work on something together.