Why Your Ads Keep Failing (and How to Fix It)

So I was recently reading this article on creative fatigue.

One of the biggest problems I see with apps scaling is that their creatives stop performing well.

And then what?

Well, it’s time to bring on more.

But not just more creatives.

You need more ideas, formats, creators, hooks etc.

Because what worked a month ago... may not work today.

If it does, great.

Keep doing it.

But even then, you need a plan to sustain it.

Because just like anything else, you can’t get complacent.

Let me give you an example:

Let’s say you’ve been going to the gym every day.

You’re lifting heavy, eating clean, feeling strong, and you’re now officially jacked.

You might think, “Bet, I have arrived.”

But the moment you stop showing up, the muscle starts going away.

A few weeks go by, and now you’re back to your unjacked (I know, not a word) self.

So point is - stop making new creative and your ad account will eventually take a hit.

So what do you do? Well, you test more.

Here’s what’s worked for us in testing:

• Variations of what’s worked (hooks, bodies, cta’s)

• New angles you haven’t tried yet (we once went as far as having a creator wear a bird costume and it got $100K+ in spend)

• Different content styles: raw UGC, high-edit, memes, testimonials, green screen breakdowns... the list goes on.

Without a system to test at scale, you’re basically just guessing.

And if you’re serious about growth, I’m assuming you don’t wanna be just guessing.

Cool AI tools I’m Looking Into for Content Creation

• Midjourney/Pika: For fresh visual concepts.

• Runway: For AI-powered video edits.

• ChatGPT: For hook generation + creative variations.

• Veo 3: For video generation (not the most usable rn imo).

The Real Unlock is Creatives Who Get It

The biggest problem with AI-generated content (and the tools above) is that you can’t use it for everything.

They help solve some problems.

But people don’t want to buy from AI.

It’s generic and lacks the heart of someone who actually believes in your app.

That’s why we’re so focused on building an awesome creator team that’s invested.

Some things me and Sai have been working on:

• Yes, incorporating AI for learnings/testings etc.

But more than that…

• We incentivize creators to care about the product’s success with bonuses (creator of the months, cpi bonuses, massage gift-cards etc.)

• We walk our creators through what the product does if they need

• We have them actually download the product and use it to find their own angles (and sometimes they come up with the most amazing ideas that we marvel at)

• We give our creators more creative freedom (open challenges)

To illustrate this further, I wanna tell you a quick story.

I was recently at MAU Vegas and had the chance to listen to some amazing talks.

One of them was from Zach Yadegari from Cal AI.

And there was one thing he said that really stuck with me:

One reason Cal AI became successful was that they trusted the influencers they work with.

They give them freedom to bring their own vision to the content.

Because they realized that when you let creators lead, you don’t just get content.

You get real connection.

At Trendify, we’re all creators.

That’s what even led Sai and me to build this business in the first place.

Because we’ve always believed in the power of content to bring ideas to life with real creativity and heart that AI just can’t replicate right now.

We want our creators focused on what they do best - being creative + creating content.

That’s their zone of genius.

And we let our fantastic client-side team handle the testing, reporting, and optimization and that’s where more AI comes in.

That’s what makes the system work.

Everyone operating in their lane, playing to their strengths and tech to make the whole system work well.

Our goal is simple: to help brands turn what they believe in into stories people care about.

So here’s the hard truth: creatives will die.

What worked last week won’t work today.

The question isn’t if you need new creative.

The question is: do you have a system that can keep it alive?

Not just generating creative, but embedding it into the heart of everything you do.

Because that’s the only way to build a brand that lasts.

If you enjoyed this read then you’ll love our podcast: 

Scaling your Mobile App through Content

It’s your ultimate playbook for scaling your app smarter and faster.

Cheers.

- Srikar & Sai Karra