Creative Brief · Roofing Lead Gen

The brief that produced nine variants from one formula

The winning video had a structural formula — not a lucky execution. This is the brief that isolated each component, specified every regional variant, and gave the editor one master template to produce all nine without starting from scratch.

Vertical Roofing · Lead Gen

Platform Meta (FB + IG)

Formats 1:1 · 9:16

Variants 9 from 1 control

Markets 11 states, 5 regions

Spend at launch $90k / mo

The control

The ad every variant was built from

Before briefing anything new, we deconstructed why the original worked. The goal was not to replace it — it was to isolate which components were driving performance, so every subsequent brief was grounded in what had already converted rather than in a fresh hypothesis.

Control — Ad 0002

"Spokesperson throws a shingle toward the camera. Timelapse installation. 30-year authority close. 50%-off CTA."

Part 01

Hook — Shingle Throw

Spokesperson-led. Physical, tactile, unexpected motion. Stops the scroll before a word is spoken.

Part 02

Proof — Timelapse

Installation sequence. Compressed progress creates implied competence. Visual anchor for the offer.

Part 03

Authority — Middle

30 years in business. 200,000+ installs. Lifetime warranty. Three credibility signals stacked before the ask.

Part 04

CTA — Offer Close

50%-off installation. Direct. Time-bounded implication. Gives the qualifier-ready buyer a reason to act now.

→

Isolation principle

Each variant changes one component from the control and holds everything else. Script variants keep the same footage. Footage variants keep the same script. State callout versions keep the same structure and swap only the geographic reference. This is what makes the data from each test readable. The goal is not to scale all nine — it is to confirm which element was doing the work, so the next brief can depart from this formula with something genuinely distinct rather than another iteration of the same concept.

Variant matrix

Nine variants. One variable each.

Each node in this matrix represents a single hypothesis about what part of the control was doing the most work. Running them in parallel against a shared budget tells us which element — hook, script, footage, or geographic specificity — was the primary performance driver. That answer is the actual output. Not nine ads to scale, but a confirmed insight that makes the next brief smarter and meaningfully different from this one.

Script Var. 01

Winner

Variable — Script only

"Homeowners across the country are upgrading at half the cost."

Footage

Same as control (shingle throw + timelapse)

Angle

Social proof via national volume. Normalizes the decision — others are already doing this.

Format

1:1 and 9:16 — all regions

Script Var. 02

Winner

Variable — Script only

"The last roof you'll need to think about for the next 30 years."

Footage

Same as control

Angle

Long-term investment frame. Shifts the buyer from cost-avoidance to asset thinking.

Format

1:1 and 9:16 — all regions

Script Var. 03

Winner

Variable — Script only

"Over 200,000 roofs installed. Here's why homeowners keep calling back."

Footage

Same as control

Angle

Authority-first open. Tests whether leading with the credibility number outperforms the visual hook as the entry point.

Format

1:1 and 9:16 — all regions

Footage Var. 01

Learning

Variable — Footage only

Fast-paced aerial installation shots. Same script as control.

Script

Identical to control (0002). Only the visual sequence changes.

Hypothesis

Tests whether visual freshness alone extends creative lifespan against a fatiguing audience.

Speed

Sped up ×2–×3 to maintain frame-to-frame engagement

Footage Var. 02

Learning

Variable — Footage only

Full-roof timelapse from above. Finish shots. Same script as control.

Script

Identical to control. Only the visual sequence changes.

Hypothesis

Wider perspective vs. close-up. Tests scope of installation shot as a trust signal.

Speed

Sped up ×2–×3. Finish shots held 1.5s to let the result land.

3-Req. Format

Winner

Variable — Hook format + qualifier

"3 things you need to qualify for 50% off your roof replacement."

Qualifier criteria

US resident · Homeowner · Roof older than 15 years

Purpose

Filters out-of-area leads before the click. Deployed in NE and C. Pennsylvania where tight zip lists made every unqualified lead expensive.

Regions

New England · Central Pennsylvania only

Hook Swap

Testing

Variable — Hook (spokesperson)

Different spokesperson open from client's content library. Shingle throw removed.

Script

Same as control from Part 02 onward. Only the opening 3 seconds changes.

Hypothesis

Is the hook the primary driver of performance, or does the formula hold with a different entry point? Tests hook vs. formula.

Source

Client's existing content archive — no new production required

State Callout Versions

Applied — All regions

Variable — Geographic specificity

"If you're a homeowner in [State], you may qualify for 50% off your roof replacement."

Purpose

Location-specific callout pre-qualifies geographic intent before the click. Applied across all five regions. Emphasis varied by market density — Mid-Atlantic received light callout framing; New England received heavier because every out-of-area lead had real sales cost.

Production format

Master template + 11-state versions structured so an editor can produce all of them efficiently from one pass. State callout appears in both voiceover script and text overlay. Treating each state as a separate production would have made this impossible to sustain at scale.

Mega brief structure

Master template — 11-state coverage

This is the brief structure used to produce all regional variants from a single master. The editor receives one document. Every variant is built from the same fields, with region-specific rows swapped in. Nothing is re-briefed from scratch.

Creative Brief · Roofing · Multi-Region Master

Mega Brief Format

Campaign context

Objective

Lead generation — qualified homeowners

Platform

Meta — Facebook Feed + Instagram Reels

Target CPL

≤ $109 (active management baseline)

Budget context

$90k / mo scaling to $240k. Creative pipeline must sustain spend growth without frequency becoming the ceiling.

Sales cycle context

Lead to closed install: 4–8 weeks. CoM% optimization uses trailing 60–90 day windows, not monthly snapshots.

Formats required

1:1 (feed) · 9:16 (Reels/Stories). All variants produced in both.

Target buyer

Who this ad is for

Homeowner, 35–65. Home older than 15 years. Roof showing age or has had a recent repair. Has not yet gotten a quote — is in the awareness-to-consideration window. Not someone comparing contractors; someone deciding whether to act at all.

Emotional state

Mild urgency without panic. Knows the roof is aging. Has been putting off the conversation because the cost feels undefined and the process feels complicated. The offer reduces both barriers: 50% off makes the cost feel manageable; the authority close makes the process feel safe.

Awareness level

Problem-aware. Knows they have an aging roof. Not yet solution-aware — has not actively started searching for contractors. Hook should name the situation, not explain the product.

Qualifying criteria

US resident · Homeowner · Roof 15+ years old. In tight-zip regions (NE, C. Penn.), qualify in the hook itself. In broad regions (Mid-Atlantic, S. Penn.), qualify at the form level.

Hook options — editor picks one per variant

Hook type in use

Direct call-out + offer. Stops the right buyer by naming their situation before naming the product. Lower hook rate than curiosity-led openers, but the people who stop are pre-qualified by the hook itself.

H–01

"[Spokesperson throws shingle] — Get 50% off your roof replacement this season."

H–02

"If you're a homeowner in [State], you may qualify for 50% off your roof replacement."

H–03

"3 things you need to qualify for 50% off your roof — check all three."

H–04

"Over 200,000 roofs installed. Here's why homeowners across [State] keep calling back."

Script structure

Seconds 0–3 (hook)

Use assigned hook from above. Physical motion or direct address. No preamble.

Seconds 3–12 (proof)

Timelapse installation sequence. Let the visual carry the credibility before the voiceover does. Speed: ×2 on installation, hold finish shots 1.5s.

Seconds 12–22 (authority)

30 years in business. 200,000+ installs. Lifetime warranty. Stack all three. Do not expand — the brevity is deliberate.

Seconds 22–28 (CTA)

50%-off installation. State-specific reference where applicable. Form URL or "click below." One ask, nothing else.

Regional callout specification

How to use this table

Each row is a separate deliverable. The script is identical except for the bolded callout text. Voiceover talent records the master script once, then re-records the callout line for each state. Text overlay is updated to match in post.

Region	States	Callout text (voiceover + overlay)	Hook format
Mid-Atlantic	MD, VA, DC metro	"Homeowners in Maryland and Virginia…"	Standard
New England	MA, CT, RI, NH, ME	"If you're a homeowner in [State]…" Repeated per state	3-Req. Qualifier
Central Pennsylvania	PA interior markets	"Homeowners in Central Pennsylvania…"	3-Req. Qualifier
Northern Virginia	VA — Northern corridor	"If you own a home in Northern Virginia…"	Standard
South Pennsylvania	PA southern markets	"Homeowners in Southern Pennsylvania…"	Standard

Direction for production

Keep the spokesperson-led open for H–01 variants. Match energy to a homeowner making a practical decision — confident, not hype. Hold finish shots long enough for the quality to register. In 9:16 format, ensure text overlay clears the bottom 20% (CTA safe zone).

Do not

Do not add music that competes with voiceover. Do not use stock footage outside the client's library — the timelapse must be real installation footage. Do not modify the authority sequence (30 years / 200k installs / lifetime warranty) — the specificity is intentional.

Production notes

How to keep this sustainable at scale

File naming convention

ROO-[Variant ID]-[Region]-[Format]
Example: ROO-SV01-NE-9x16 = Script Variant 01, New England, vertical.
Consistent naming is what makes the library readable when you have 30+ assets active.

Recording efficiency

Voiceover talent records the master script in full, then re-records only the state callout line for each regional version. One session covers all 11 states. Reduces per-variant production cost significantly.

9:16 considerations

Text overlay in safe zone (top 15%, bottom 20% clear). Shingle throw hook needs a close crop in vertical — the motion still reads without the full-frame context. Speed-up ×2–×3 applies equally in both formats.

Launch sequence

Script variants (SV01–03) and footage variants (FV01–02) launch simultaneously across all-region adsets. 3-requirements format and hook swap launch in dedicated adsets only — they need separate performance tracking to isolate the variable cleanly.

When to brief a new round

When the current winners begin showing frequency above 4.0 in the primary demographic segment. Do not wait for CPL to move — the creative system should refresh ahead of fatigue, not in response to it.

What to brief next

Winner signals from this round determine the next variable to test. If SV01 outperforms the control on CPL + set rate, the next brief isolates a new script variation on the SV01 formula — not a new concept from scratch.