Creative Strategy Central / Cheat Sheets

🎭 Formats & Styles

Format is the vessel, not the message — pick the visual/copy box that fits the medium, funnel stage, and mechanic, then let the angle and hook do the selling.

Core rules before picking a format

  • Four axes in CASH order: Concept (idea) → Angle (argument) → Style/Format (the box) → Hook (first line/3s).
  • Format is the costume; angle is the argument — two testimonials saying the same thing = one angle tested twice.
  • Medium (static/video/carousel/dpa) is set deterministically from the brief, never guessed.
  • Pick format by: medium constraint, awareness stage, product type, mechanic compatibility, brand constraints.
  • If brief already fixes angle+mechanic+awareness → recommend 1–2 formats with rationale; if open → shortlist with tradeoffs.
  • Format and mechanic are bidirectional — start from either and work to the other.
  • Fits no key → tag `other` + free-text; it lands in candidates queue. Never rename keys, only extend.

Match format to funnel stage

  • TOF (unaware/problem-aware): interrupt + educate → pattern_interrupt, meme, trend, ugc_screenshot, ugly_lofi, one_shot, native_news, AI slop.
  • MOF (solution/product-aware): differentiate + build trust → expert_explainer, us_vs_them, how_to, listicle, feature_callout, podcast.
  • BOF (most-aware): close + kill objection → product_hero, review, offer_promo, VSL, social_proof_mashup, statistic.
  • Full-funnel delivery vehicles (content decides stage): yapper, greenscreen, split_screen.
  • Default BOF static = product_hero (clean, hero-lit, large).
  • Cold-traffic video workhorse = problem_solution (pain named in 2-3s → problem → solution → proof).
  • Long-form static (LFS) = native image + long story caption for cold/unaware only.

Format → mechanic pairings (what moves inside the box)

  • Disguise/lower-defense formats → Trojan Horse: meme, trend, skit, podcast, letter, notes_app, post_it, text_message, ChatGPT.
  • Proof-carrying formats → Proof Stack: case_study, statistic, feature_callout, review, press, demo, listicle.
  • Social Witness (someone-else vouches): reaction, street_interview, social_proof_mashup; testimonial/unboxing lean first-person Proof Stack + Social Witness.
  • Visual-asks-text-answers formats → Implied Answer: one_shot, cinematic_broll, billboard, ASMR, time_lapse.
  • Old-way-is-wrong formats → Reframe: us_vs_them, how_to, expert_explainer, split_screen, VSL.
  • Scroll-stop-only formats → Pattern Interrupt: AI slop, unconventional_text_placement, ugly_lofi.

Meta-restricted / policy watch

  • before_after (static or video): restricted in health/skincare — confirm brand constraints first.
  • us_vs_them naming a competitor: can trigger Meta policy flags; must win the comparison obviously and honestly.
  • Health/wellness scientific claims: pair with expert_explainer/scientific_study framing to reduce risk, keep claims compliant.
  • Video honesty modifier: tag source `watched / inferred / native` — don't fake demonstrated results.
  • When a format is disguised as organic (ugc_screenshot, native_text_overlay), keep it plausibly native or it reads as scam.

Named format recipes worth memorizing

  • Yapper: single-take direct-to-camera, one speaker/space/performance, minor jump cuts only in same space.
  • One Shot: single <10s clip + one sentence overlay; visual is hook, text is payoff.
  • Street Interview: vox-pop, question surfaces a common objection/pain — 2026 TOF baseline.
  • Greenscreen: person composited over screenshot/article/page; background IS the evidence.
  • Grid/Collage: multi-cell uniform layout — implies comparison, variety, or 3-reasons-why.
  • Comment Response: reply to real/staged comment — best as retargeting objection-handler.
  • Ad Sales Letter: run the winning long-form lander itself as the ad (LFT5-as-ad).
  • VSL structure = reframe opens it, proof stack sustains it, CTA closes — sequence multiple mechanics.
  • Pattern Interrupt: the absurdity must connect to the product's core promise — random weirdness stops the scroll but doesn't sell.
  • Trend: short shelf life — run only while the sound/format is in active circulation, or it reads stale.
  • Review: must show real review text (ratings alone don't count); pull quotes hitting specific pains, not generic praise.

Copy-format layer (text execution box)

  • Enum: straight-offer, story, advertorial, VSL, listicle, quiz, short_benefit, short_teaser, top5_teaser, medium_teaser, medium_authority, long_drama_story, ad_sales_letter.
  • Cold/unaware → long_drama_story or story; more time on stage = longer copy format.
  • Warm/product-aware → straight-offer, short_benefit, medium_authority.
  • Match copy format to the static/video format — advertorial copy under a native_news or LFS visual, not under a product_hero.

⚡ When Stuck

  • Stuck on which format → name the awareness stage first, then pick from that stage's shortlist.
  • Cold traffic not stopping → switch to a pure interrupt format (pattern_interrupt, AI slop, ugly_lofi) — the job is the stop, not the sell.
  • Format feels salesy → wrap it in a Trojan Horse disguise format (meme, notes_app, podcast, skit).
  • Audience won't believe the claim → move to a proof-carrying format (demo, case_study, review, statistic).
  • Two ads feel same → check the ANGLE, not the format; different costume, same argument = one test.