--- title: "Guides: ad creative for NZ businesses | Moonlighters" description: "Practical guides on ad creative for New Zealand businesses: costs, Meta and Google ads, creative craft, testing and tracking." source: https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides --- Guides # Ad creative, explained. 34 short, practical guides for New Zealand businesses on paying for, planning, making and measuring ads. Each opens with the answer and shows its sources and limits. ## Start here Costs and budgets ### [How much does a monthly ad creative subscription cost in NZ?](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/creative-subscription-cost-nz) What a monthly ad creative subscription costs in New Zealand, what drives the price, and how to compare quotes by cost per finished file. Moonlighters plans included. Meta and Google Ads ### [Meta ad image sizes and specs for Facebook and Instagram](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/meta-ad-image-sizes) The image sizes and limits for Facebook and Instagram Feed and Story ads, what Meta publishes, safe zones for Stories,… Costs and budgets ### [How many ad concepts should a small business test each month?](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/how-many-ad-concepts-per-month) How many ad concepts to test each month: what counts as a concept, a budget-based rule with a worked NZ example, and how… Costs and budgets ### [How much can you afford to pay to win a customer?](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/how-much-can-you-pay-to-win-a-customer) Work out your break-even cost per customer from average sale, margin and repeat business, so you know what an enquiry or… ## Getting started Local targeting, small budgets, NZ voice and account basics. Getting started ### [Local ad targeting for NZ businesses: reaching the right suburb or region](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/local-ad-targeting-nz) How to target ads to a town, suburb or region in New Zealand on Meta and Google: location options, radius, exclusions,… Getting started ### [How to start advertising with a small budget](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/starting-ads-with-a-small-budget) A simple plan for starting Meta ads with a small monthly budget: one objective, one local audience, two or three… Getting started ### [Writing ads in a New Zealand voice](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/writing-ads-in-a-new-zealand-voice) How to write ad copy that sounds like New Zealand: NZ English spelling, GST-inclusive prices, correct te reo Māori and… Getting started ### [Ad account access and security: who should own what](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/ad-account-access-and-security) How to set up ad accounts safely: who should own them, using partner access instead of sharing passwords, two-factor… ## Choosing your approach Which channel, format and provider fits, and when to plan. Choosing your approach ### [Freelancer, agency or creative subscription: which fits?](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/freelancer-agency-or-creative-subscription) A fair comparison of hiring a freelancer, an agency or a monthly creative subscription for ad creative in NZ, including… Choosing your approach ### [Organic social tiles or Meta ads: which should you start with?](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/organic-social-tiles-or-meta-ads) Should a small business start with organic social tiles or paid Meta ads? How each works, what each is good for, and a… Choosing your approach ### [A seasonal ad calendar for NZ businesses](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/nz-seasonal-ad-calendar) A practical NZ calendar of dates worth planning ad creative around, from Waitangi Day and Anzac Day to Matariki,… Choosing your approach ### [Static or video ads: which should a small business use?](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/static-or-video-ads-small-business) Should a small business use static image ads or video ads? What each is good for, the real costs, how placements change… Choosing your approach ### [Meta campaign objectives explained in plain English](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/meta-campaign-objectives-explained) Meta Ads Manager asks you to pick an objective first. What Awareness, Traffic, Engagement, Leads, App promotion and… Choosing your approach ### [Google Ads or Facebook Ads: where should a small NZ business start?](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/google-ads-or-facebook-ads-for-small-business) How Google Ads and Facebook and Instagram ads differ, what each is good for, and a simple way to decide where a small… ## Meta and Google Ads Placements, copy, research, retargeting and account checks. Meta and Google Ads ### [Google Ads audit checklist for NZ small businesses](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/google-ads-audit-checklist-nz) A practical checklist for auditing your own Google Ads account, with NZ-specific checks for GST, region targeting,… Meta and Google Ads ### [How to research competitor ads in the Meta Ad Library](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/meta-ad-library-competitor-ads) Step by step: use the Meta Ad Library to see what ads a competitor is running on Facebook and Instagram, what to look… Meta and Google Ads ### [How to write Facebook ad copy: primary text, headline and description](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/facebook-ad-copy-primary-text-headline) How to write Facebook and Instagram ad copy that fits: what primary text, headline and description each do, Meta's… Meta and Google Ads ### [Meta ad placements explained: Feed, Stories, Reels and more](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/meta-ad-placements-explained) Where your Facebook and Instagram ads can appear, what Advantage+ placements means, what each placement needs from your… Meta and Google Ads ### [How to write Google responsive search ad headlines and descriptions](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/google-responsive-search-ads-copy) How responsive search ads work, the headline and description limits, how many to write, what to pin, and a simple method… Meta and Google Ads ### [Retargeting for small business: what it is and how to do it well](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/retargeting-for-small-business) What retargeting is, how it works on Meta and Google, which audiences to build, how to avoid annoying people, and the… ## Creative craft Briefing, brand, feedback, proof and ideas. Creative craft ### [How AI-assisted ad creative works, and where its limits are](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/ai-assisted-ad-creative) How AI-assisted design is used in ad creative, what it is good at, where it goes wrong, and the checks a business should… Creative craft ### [Ad creative brief template: what to give your designer](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/creative-brief-template-for-ads) A simple ad creative brief template for small businesses: the eight questions to answer so a designer or studio can make… Creative craft ### [How to give useful feedback on ad designs](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/how-to-give-feedback-on-ad-designs) How to give feedback on ad designs that gets a better result in one round: check against the brief, be specific about… Creative craft ### [Ad concept ideas for NZ businesses, by business type](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/ad-concept-ideas-by-nz-business-type) Practical ad concept ideas for NZ tradies, cafes, retailers, beauty and wellness, professional services and tourism,… Creative craft ### [Ad concept examples for NZ businesses: 45 Facebook ads](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/ad-concept-examples) Forty-five example Facebook ad concepts for 21 NZ businesses, from plumbers and e-bike tours to bold retail brands,… Creative craft ### [Video ad examples: a motion-graphics product demo and a UGC clip](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/video-ad-examples) Two example video ads: a 10-second motion-graphics product demo and an 8-second UGC-style selfie clip, with how each was made… Creative craft ### [A one-page brand kit for your ads](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/brand-kit-for-small-business-ads) What to put in a one-page brand kit so every ad looks and sounds like your business: logo, colours, fonts, tone, photo… Creative craft ### [How to use customer reviews in your ads, properly](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/using-customer-reviews-in-ads) How to use customer reviews and testimonials in ads: get permission, quote accurately, show the source, design the quote… ## Measure and improve Metrics, testing, tracking and landing pages. Measure and improve ### [Advertising metrics glossary: CPM, CTR, CPC, ROAS and more](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/ad-metrics-glossary) Plain-English definitions and formulas for the advertising terms you meet in Meta Ads and Google Ads: impressions,… Measure and improve ### [Ad creative fatigue: how to spot it and what to do](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/ad-creative-fatigue) How to tell when an ad has worn out: the signs in frequency, click-through rate and cost per result, other causes to… Measure and improve ### [How to run a simple ad creative test](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/simple-ad-creative-test) A plain-English method for testing ad creative without statistics: what to test, how to set it up fairly, how long to… Measure and improve ### [A landing page checklist for ad clicks](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/landing-page-checklist-for-ad-clicks) Ten checks for the page your ad sends people to: message match, mobile speed, one clear action, short forms, genuine… Measure and improve ### [How to track ad results with UTM tags](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/ad-utm-tracking-for-small-business) A plain-English guide to UTM tags: what the five parameters mean, how to name campaigns and ads consistently, how to add… Measure and improve ### [How to track phone and message enquiries from your ads](https://moonlighters.co.nz/guides/tracking-phone-and-message-enquiries-from-ads) Many NZ small businesses get enquiries by phone, message or in person. Practical ways to work out which ads brought…