How To Scale Your Ads Using... Science?! (Testing Ads)

Claude Hopkins, one of the fathers of modern advertising, said over 100 years ago:

In other words, you need to test different things to get different results.

The crazy part? Most businesses still don’t test their ads properly. They just guess, throw money at Facebook or Google, and hope something works.

But when you test, you figure out what works so you can do more of it… and what doesn’t so you can avoid it like the plague.

This saves time, money, and stress.

The key?

Test one thing at a time.

If you test everything at once, you’ll never know which change made the difference.

That’s like changing your diet, workout, and sleep at the same time, and then wondering why you lost weight.

Was it the gym? Was it eating less pizza? Was it sleeping more than 4 hours? No idea.

So here’s the right order to test your ads, step by step.

Step 1: Test Your Audience

This is where most people go wrong. They start by testing their headline or image, but if you’re showing your ad to the wrong people, none of that matters.

Think of your audience as the crowd at your concert. If you’re playing heavy metal to a room full of Taylor Swift fans, no fancy words on earth will save you.

So test different groups of people first. For local businesses, this could mean:

• Different neighborhoods in your city

• Homeowners vs renters

• People interested in “roof repair” vs "new roof installation"

When you find the group that actually buys from you, everything else becomes 10X Easier.

Step 2: Test Your Offer

Now that you know who you’re talking to, test what you’re offering them.

Do they want a free estimate? A same-day service? A 20% off deal?

This step tells you what your customers truly value, because sometimes it’s not what you think.

Step 3: Test Your Headline or Image

Your headline and image are the first thing people see. If these don’t grab attention, nobody will ever read your ad, even if your offer is amazing.

Think of it like fishing: the bait gets them to bite, but it’s not the whole meal.

Try:

• Direct headlines vs curiosity headlines (“Fast Roof Repairs In Croydon” vs “This Roof Leak Trick Saved Homeowners £2,000”)

• A smiling team photo vs a clean product shot

• A bold color background vs something plain

Once you know what makes people stop scrolling, you can use it everywhere.

Step 4: Test Your Body Copy

This is the actual text of your ad. It's what gets people from “hmm, interesting” to “okay, I’ll click.”

Some people like short, punchy ads. Others want more detail. But the only way to know is to test it.

Example: Try two versions of the same ad:

• One that’s just 2-3 sentences long

• One that explains your process in a little more depth

See which one gets people to take action.

The Formula For Testing Ads In One Line:

Audience → Offer → Headline/Image → Body Copy.

Test in that order. One at a time. Repeat.

It’s boring. It’s not flashy. But it works, and it saves you from wasting thousands on ads that don’t get clients.

Do this right, and you’ll turn your ads into a reliable machine for getting clients.