Most spend in the round
Opens on Same footage as Ad 111, different question
First words On screen: Looking for a gift that makes their day? (no voice)
£928spend
33sales
- ROAS
- 1.08x
- Per sale
- £28
- Watched 3s
- 23%
- Held to 15s
- 11%
Kova Commerce · Sew Heart Felt · Concept tests, 14 Oct to 10 Nov 2026
What our hooks taught us
48 video cuts across 7 concepts in two rounds. Inside each concept the copy stayed the same, so the differences come from the video, mostly its first three seconds. Ads are ranked on what Meta chose to spend on them and the sales they made, with ROAS beside.
£3,465round 2 spend, 199 sales
52%of round 2 spend went to Gifting Reviews
1.97xround 2 ROAS, against 3.11x for Evergreen the same days
48video cuts tested across 7 concepts
How to read this. Spend comes first. When Meta keeps putting money into an ad and the sales keep coming, that is the strongest sign it works; a small ad with a high ROAS often can't hold that return at more spend. ROAS sits beside it, compared with Evergreen over the same days (3.11x in round 2). Round 1 ran in a slow week for the whole account (Evergreen 1.43x), so the two rounds are compared against Evergreen, not against each other.
What the hooks taught us
Each lesson puts two ads side by side: the first three seconds, then the money Meta gave each and the sales it made. Strong = backed by real spend. Lean = smaller numbers, worth testing further.
1
Strong · proven at scale
Name who it's for, or what it beats, in the first line
Meta gave the "longer than flowers" cut three times the money of the softer version, and it turned that into 21 sales against 6, at Evergreen's return. The same line opened Ad 91 in round 1, which has since made 163 sales in Evergreen: the one hook here proven at real scale.
Heart & Flowers Sheep · same founder video, different first line
Ad 114 Re-edit V3
Hi, I'm Sonia… If you're looking for a gift for mum that lasts a lot longer than flowers…
£294spend21sales
3.23x ROAS · £14 per sale
Ad 113 Re-edit V2
Hi, I'm Sonia… I love the idea of giving mum something that brings the same feeling as flowers…
£99spend6sales
1.67x ROAS · £17 per sale
2
Strong · backed by spend in both rounds
For the founder story, Sonia introduces herself first
"Hi, I'm Sonia" took more money than both new-opening cuts together (£315 against £202) and made 25 sales against 6. Meta backed the same opening in round 1 too (Ad 89, now 19 sales at 3.27x in Evergreen). Starting on "the most special part is when they open it" loses who is speaking and who the gift is for.
Founder Sonia · same video, opening line moved
Ad 102 Original opening, short
Hi, I'm Sonia, founder and designer at Sew Heart Felt. Maybe it's your cricket mad dad…
£315spend25sales
2.45x ROAS · £13 per sale
Ad 104 New opening, short
But the most special part is when they open it, knowing that it's going to bring them love and joy…
£69spend3sales
1.72x ROAS · £23 per sale
Ad 105 (the new opening, long version) spent £133 for 3 sales.
3
Strong · the biggest spend in the round
Meta spends where people stop and watch. The words decide whether that spend pays
Ads 111 and 112 are the same footage with a different question on screen. Meta put the most money of the whole round into 112, which more people watched past 3 seconds (23% against 20%). But 111 made almost the same number of sales (32 against 33) on £324 less. "Really make someone smile" turned viewers into buyers; "makes their day" mostly got watched.
Gifting reviews · identical footage, different question
Ad 111 Remake 2 · Knitting Nell
On screen: Looking for a gift to really make someone smile? (no voice)
£604spend32sales
2.06x ROAS · £19 per sale
Ad 112 Remake 7 · Knitting Nell
On screen: Looking for a gift that makes their day? (no voice)
£928spend33sales
1.08x ROAS · £28 per sale
In 4 of the 5 round 2 ad sets, the cut with the highest 3-second watch rate got the most money. A strong opening wins the budget; a specific line turns it into sales.
4
Lean · smaller numbers
Knitting Nell: show her straight away; the price card is optional
Meta split the Nell budget about evenly between the two openings (£189 against £205). The cuts that open with Nell coming out of the house box turned that into 22 sales against 17. These are the two Nell cuts Meta spent most on. The numbers are smaller than in the lessons above, so read this as a lean, not a rule.
Knitting Nell · the two cuts Meta spent most on
Ad 107 Mum-details opening, price at end
If your mum is someone who notices all the little details in handmade things…
£120spend13sales
2.89x ROAS · £9 per sale
Ad 108 Box + question opening, no price
On screen: Looking for a gift to really make someone smile?
£138spend11sales
3.03x ROAS · £13 per sale
Price card at the end: on = 19 sales from £187, off = 20 sales from £207. No difference.
Where the money went
Every ad set had a £20 a day minimum, so every concept got some spend. What Meta did above that minimum is the signal.
Round 2 spend by concept
Gifting is the only concept Meta funded far beyond its minimum.
£20 a day minimum per ad set (about £280 over the round). Spend above it is money Meta chose to give.
Return against Evergreen, both rounds
ROAS as a share of Evergreen's over the same days. 100% = as good as Evergreen.
Round 1 · Evergreen ran at 1.43xRound 2 · Evergreen ran at 3.11x
Meta spends where people stop and watch
Each dot is a round 2 ad. In 4 of the 5 ad sets, the cut more people watched past 3 seconds got the most money. More watching did not always mean a better return: Ad 112 had the highest watch rate and the most spend, at 1.08x.
Round 2 ads with £30+ spend. Dot size = spend.
Concept by concept, every cut
Every cut, newest round first, most spend first. Strips show the video at 0, 1.5 and 3 seconds, then the end card.
Gifting Reviews
Round 2 £1,807 · 82 sales · 1.50x
Round 1 £179 · 11 sales · 1.57x
The concept Meta scaled hardest: £1,807 and 82 sales, the most of any concept and more than six times its £280 minimum. The return is half of Evergreen's, mostly because Ad 112 took £928 at 1.08x; Ad 111, the same footage with a different question, made 32 sales at 2.06x. Round 1's Ad 100 (character first, real review on screen) looked strong on £66 but has barely spent since moving to Evergreen, so the review idea is worth retesting, not a proven answer.
Round 2 · new cuts · 28 Oct to 10 Nov · most spend first
32 sales on £324 less than Ad 112
Opens on A flat printed box with a question, then the house box opening
First words On screen: Looking for a gift to really make someone smile? (no voice)
£604spend
32sales
- ROAS
- 2.06x
- Per sale
- £19
- Watched 3s
- 20%
- Held to 15s
- 11%
Opens on A flat printed box with a question on screen, opened on a balcony
First words On screen: Looking for a gift to really make someone smile? (no voice)
£275spend
17sales
- ROAS
- 1.69x
- Per sale
- £16
- Watched 3s
- 12%
- Held to 15s
- 13%
Round 1 · first cuts · 14 to 22 Oct · most spend first
Promoted to Evergreen
Opens on Winter Wool sheep up close; real review on screen from 6 seconds
First words On screen review: I absolutely love the quality of the woolly sheep, I am addicted to them… (no voice)
£66spend
8sales
- ROAS
- 3.23x
- Per sale
- £8
- Watched 3s
- 20%
- Held to 15s
- 15%
Opens on A group of characters on a checked tablecloth with a review on screen
First words On screen: So cute and well made. I absolutely love these little creations… (no voice)
£64spend
1sales
- ROAS
- 0.34x
- Per sale
- £64
- Watched 3s
- 13%
- Held to 15s
- 16%
Opens on A felt fox in a scarf on a balcony table
First words On screen: Tiny Animal Collection (no voice)
£42spend
1sales
- ROAS
- 0.53x
- Per sale
- £42
- Watched 3s
- 18%
- Held to 15s
- 13%
3 more cuts Meta gave little delivery (under £10)
Opens on A flat printed box; character appears at 7 seconds
First words On screen review: I bought this for my Mum's birthday and she loved it (no voice)
Meta gave this cut little delivery (£4), so there is nothing to read.
Opens on A gift-holding mouse in hand; review appears at 6 seconds
First words On screen review: Beautiful gifting mouse… will put a smile on anyone's face (no voice)
Meta gave this cut little delivery (£1), so there is nothing to read.
Opens on Ballet mouse in hand on a balcony; review at 4 seconds
First words On screen review: Beautiful dancing mouse for my granddaughter (no voice)
Meta gave this cut little delivery (£1), so there is nothing to read.
Founder Sonia
Round 2 £573 · 36 sales · 2.26x
Round 1 £195 · 12 sales · 2.26x
Second-most money after Gifting (£573, double its minimum) and 36 sales. Meta put 55% of it into Ad 102, the original "Hi, I'm Sonia" opening, which made 25 of the 36 sales. Against Evergreen the concept slipped (158% in round 1, 73% in round 2): Sonia sells steadily but isn't yet beating the account's best ads.
Round 2 · new cuts · 28 Oct to 10 Nov · most spend first
Most spend and sales in set
Opens on Sonia at her desk, characters and sketches beside her
First words Hi, I'm Sonia, founder and designer at Sew Heart Felt. Maybe it's your cricket mad dad…
£315spend
25sales
- ROAS
- 2.45x
- Per sale
- £13
- Watched 3s
- 17%
- Held to 15s
- 27%
Opens on A mouse walking a tiny dog, then Sonia, then the box
First words But the most special part is when they open it…
£133spend
3sales
- ROAS
- 1.22x
- Per sale
- £44
- Watched 3s
- 9%
- Held to 15s
- 29%
Opens on A mouse walking a tiny dog, then Sonia, then the box
First words But the most special part is when they open it, knowing that it's going to bring them love and joy…
£69spend
3sales
- ROAS
- 1.72x
- Per sale
- £23
- Watched 3s
- 5%
- Held to 15s
- 19%
Opens on Sonia at her desk, same as Ad 102 with a tighter middle
First words Hi, I'm Sonia, founder and designer at Sew Heart Felt…
£56spend
5sales
- ROAS
- 4.35x
- Per sale
- £11
- Watched 3s
- 9%
- Held to 15s
- 23%
Round 1 · first cuts · 14 to 22 Oct · most spend first
Promoted to Evergreen
Opens on Sonia smiling at her desk with drawings and characters
First words Hi, I'm Sonia, founder and designer at Sew Heart Felt. Maybe it's your cricket mad dad…
£131spend
9sales
- ROAS
- 2.30x
- Per sale
- £15
- Watched 3s
- 35%
- Held to 15s
- 22%
Opens on Sonia at her desk with characters
First words Here are three of my favourite little animals, which I've designed around people's personalities.
£52spend
2sales
- ROAS
- 1.62x
- Per sale
- £26
- Watched 3s
- 30%
- Held to 15s
- 26%
Opens on Sonia at her desk with characters
First words Are you looking for something truly personal?…
£10spend
1sales
- ROAS
- 5.34x
- Per sale
- £10
- Watched 3s
- 23%
- Held to 15s
- 22%
3 more cuts Meta gave little delivery (under £10)
Opens on Sonia at her desk with paper and pencils
First words Here are three of my favourite little animals and every one of them starts right here with a simple sketch…
Meta gave this cut little delivery (£1), so there is nothing to read.
Opens on Sonia at her desk holding a character
First words Finding a gift which is genuinely personal isn't always easy…
Meta gave this cut little delivery (£0), so there is nothing to read.
Opens on Sonia at her desk with pencils and characters
First words When I'm designing a character I'm always thinking about the person it might remind you of.
Meta gave this cut little delivery (£0), so there is nothing to read.
Knitting Nell
Round 2 £394 · 39 sales · 3.21x
Round 1 £148 · 7 sales · 1.19x
39 sales from £394: more sales than Sonia on less money, and level with Evergreen (103%). But spend stayed close to the £280 minimum, so Meta hasn't yet shown it will put real money behind Nell. It needs more budget to prove it scales.
Round 2 · new cuts · 28 Oct to 10 Nov · most spend first
Most spend in set
Opens on A flat printed box with a question on screen
First words On screen: Looking for a gift to really make someone smile?
£138spend
11sales
- ROAS
- 3.03x
- Per sale
- £13
- Watched 3s
- 7%
- Held to 15s
- 18%
Most sales in set
Opens on The house box opening, Nell in hand by 1.5 seconds
First words If your mum is someone who notices all the little details in handmade things…
£120spend
13sales
- ROAS
- 2.89x
- Per sale
- £9
- Watched 3s
- 4%
- Held to 15s
- 23%
Opens on The house box opening, Nell in hand by 1.5 seconds
First words If your mum is someone who notices all the little details in handmade things…
£69spend
9sales
- ROAS
- 4.14x
- Per sale
- £8
- Watched 3s
- 9%
- Held to 15s
- 25%
Opens on A flat printed box ("Tiny animal inside") with a question on screen
First words On screen: Looking for a gift to really make someone smile?
£67spend
6sales
- ROAS
- 3.21x
- Per sale
- £11
- Watched 3s
- 1%
- Held to 15s
- 37%
Round 1 · first cuts · 14 to 22 Oct · most spend first
Opens on A closed house box on a table; Nell appears at 2 seconds
First words I saw this knitting sheep from Sew Heart Felt and immediately thought of my mum…
£76spend
2sales
- ROAS
- 0.61x
- Per sale
- £38
- Watched 3s
- 7%
- Held to 15s
- 18%
Re-cut in round 2
Opens on The house box opened by hands, Nell by 1 second
First words If your mum is someone who notices all the little details in handmade things…
£38spend
2sales
- ROAS
- 1.15x
- Per sale
- £19
- Watched 3s
- 16%
- Held to 15s
- 26%
Opens on Creator holding Nell up to camera
First words The second I saw this little sheep from Sew Heart Felt I immediately thought of my mum…
£34spend
3sales
- ROAS
- 2.55x
- Per sale
- £11
- Watched 3s
- 11%
- Held to 15s
- 24%
Heart & Flowers Sheep
Round 2 £393 · 27 sales · 2.84x
Round 1 £749 · 37 sales · 1.54x
£393 and 27 sales, close to Evergreen's return (91%). Meta gave three quarters of it to Ad 114, "longer than flowers", which made 21 of the 27 sales. The same line in round 1 (Ad 91) is the biggest seller of all the test ads: 163 sales in Evergreen since 22 Oct.
Round 2 · new cuts · 28 Oct to 10 Nov · most spend first
Most spend and sales in set
Opens on Sonia, then the house box opening and the sheep with flowers by 3 seconds
First words Hi, I'm Sonia… If you're looking for a gift for mum that lasts a lot longer than flowers…
£294spend
21sales
- ROAS
- 3.23x
- Per sale
- £14
- Watched 3s
- 14%
- Held to 15s
- 20%
Opens on Sonia at her desk, then her sketches
First words Hi, I'm Sonia… I love the idea of giving mum something that brings the same feeling as flowers…
£99spend
6sales
- ROAS
- 1.67x
- Per sale
- £17
- Watched 3s
- 8%
- Held to 15s
- 33%
Round 1 · first cuts · 14 to 22 Oct · most spend first
Promoted to Evergreen
Opens on Hands opening the house box, the sheep with flowers straight away
First words If you're looking for a gift for mum that lasts a lot longer than flowers…
£716spend
34sales
- ROAS
- 1.46x
- Per sale
- £21
- Watched 3s
- 23%
- Held to 15s
- 18%
Opens on The sheep up close with its heart and flowers
First words What you buy your mum when you want to buy something that she'll really cherish…
£31spend
3sales
- ROAS
- 3.47x
- Per sale
- £10
- Watched 3s
- 23%
- Held to 15s
- 27%
2 more cuts Meta gave little delivery (under £10)
Opens on The sheep on Sonia's desk beside coloured pencils
First words I want to introduce you to little Heart and Flowers Sheep…
Meta gave this cut little delivery (£1), so there is nothing to read.
Opens on Hands opening the house box, the sheep holding a heart
First words If you're thinking of buying your mum something such as flowers, have a look at Heart & Flowers…
Meta gave this cut little delivery (£1), so there is nothing to read.
Nurse Mouse
Round 2 £297 · 15 sales · 1.45x
Round 1 £152 · 4 sales · 0.84x
Close to its minimum (£297), 15 sales, under half of Evergreen's return, and no better against Evergreen than round 1. Meta put most of it into the long, no-price cut (Ad 117). Length and the price card made no clear difference.
Round 2 · new cuts · 28 Oct to 10 Nov · most spend first
Most spend and sales in set
Opens on The house box on a table, opened by hands
First words The second I saw this little nurse mouse…
£208spend
10sales
- ROAS
- 1.35x
- Per sale
- £21
- Watched 3s
- 24%
- Held to 15s
- 22%
Opens on The house box on a table, opened by hands
First words The second I saw this little nurse mouse, I immediately thought of a friend who's been a bit poorly lately.
£43spend
4sales
- ROAS
- 2.99x
- Per sale
- £11
- Watched 3s
- 22%
- Held to 15s
- 20%
Opens on The house box on a table, opened by hands
First words The second I saw this little nurse mouse…
£34spend
1sales
- ROAS
- 0.65x
- Per sale
- £34
- Watched 3s
- 21%
- Held to 15s
- 15%
Opens on The house box on a table, opened by hands
First words The second I saw this little nurse mouse…
£12spend
0sales
- ROAS
- 0.00x
- Per sale
- −
- Watched 3s
- 14%
- Held to 15s
- 17%
Round 1 · first cuts · 14 to 22 Oct · most spend first
Meta's pick in round 1
Opens on Creator holding Nurse Mouse up to camera
First words You know when something just feels completely right for someone? Well, the second I saw this little nurse mouse…
£140spend
4sales
- ROAS
- 0.92x
- Per sale
- £35
- Watched 3s
- 26%
- Held to 15s
- 17%
Opens on Creator holding Nurse Mouse at a table
First words You know when something just feels completely right for someone?…
£11spend
0sales
- ROAS
- 0.00x
- Per sale
- −
- Watched 3s
- 24%
- Held to 15s
- 21%
1 more cut Meta gave little delivery (under £10)
Opens on Creator holding Nurse Mouse, talking to camera
First words If you've ever wanted to send someone a little reminder that you're thinking of them…
Meta gave this cut little delivery (£2), so there is nothing to read.
Christmas Collection
Round 1 £243 · 7 sales · 1.12x
Round 1 only: £243 and 7 sales, 78% of Evergreen at the time. Meta backed Ad 78 ("Christmas decorations that actually get more meaningful the longer you keep them"). Not re-cut; worth a retest closer to Christmas.
Round 1 · first cuts · 14 to 22 Oct · most spend first
Meta's pick in round 1
Opens on Characters and a branded box on a checked tablecloth
First words If you want Christmas decorations that actually get more meaningful the longer you keep them…
£211spend
6sales
- ROAS
- 1.05x
- Per sale
- £35
- Watched 3s
- 21%
- Held to 15s
- 22%
Opens on Two Christmas mice, one skiing, beside small house boxes
First words If you love the idea of building a Christmas collection that grows with your family every year…
£15spend
0sales
- ROAS
- 0.00x
- Per sale
- −
- Watched 3s
- 25%
- Held to 15s
- 32%
4 more cuts Meta gave little delivery (under £10)
Opens on Two house boxes with red bows and three Christmas characters
First words If you want to start a Christmas tradition that you keep adding to year after year…
Meta gave this cut little delivery (£8), so there is nothing to read.
Opens on Creator on a sofa holding two Christmas characters
First words If you're the kind of person who likes to add something new to their Christmas…
Meta gave this cut little delivery (£7), so there is nothing to read.
Opens on Hands taking a Christmas mouse out of its box
First words If you'd rather Christmas pieces that you'll treasure for years…
Meta gave this cut little delivery (£2), so there is nothing to read.
Opens on Creator in a red jumper holding Christmas characters
First words Every one of these reminds me of a different Christmas.
Meta gave this cut little delivery (£0), so there is nothing to read.
Christmas List
Round 1 £182 · 4 sales · 0.51x
Round 1 only: £182 and 4 sales, the weakest concept. Ad 71 names people ("a mum who loves gardening, your cricket obsessed uncle") and got clicks, but the ad linked to a page that didn't show those three characters, so the clicks didn't turn into sales.
Round 1 · first cuts · 14 to 22 Oct · most spend first
Meta's pick in round 1
Opens on Creator at a desk holding two mice
First words You've got a mum who loves gardening, your cricket obsessed uncle and your sister who always has her head in a book.
£176spend
4sales
- ROAS
- 0.53x
- Per sale
- £44
- Watched 3s
- 27%
- Held to 15s
- 19%
2 more cuts Meta gave little delivery (under £10)
Opens on Creator talking to camera, holding Gardener Mouse
First words Are you still stuck on what to get mum for Christmas?
Meta gave this cut little delivery (£5), so there is nothing to read.
Opens on Hands scrolling the website on a phone
First words If you need to buy Christmas presents for the whole family, these Sew Heart Felt characters make it easy.
Meta gave this cut little delivery (£1), so there is nothing to read.
Where the round 1 winners went
After round 1, we copied three ads into Evergreen (same posts, so their likes and comments came with them). Results since 22 Oct.
| Ad | Now in | Spend | Sales | ROAS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ad 91 Winner Heart & Flowers · "longer than flowers" | Evergreen › Best Performers | £2,556 | 163 | 1.82x |
| Ad 89 Winner Founder Sonia · "Hi, I'm Sonia" | Evergreen › Best Performers | £172 | 19 | 3.27x |
| Ad 100 Winner Gifting reviews · character + review | Evergreen › Best Performers | £53 | 1 | 0.42x |
Ad 91 shows a test winner can scale: £2,556 and 163 sales since the move. Ad 89 is smaller but strong. Ad 100 has barely spent in Evergreen, so its round 1 result (£66) was too small to call.
What we do next
- Move Ads 114 and 102 into EvergreenEach took the most money and made the most sales in its ad set, at or near Evergreen's return (3.23x and 2.45x). Same posts, so the likes and comments carry over. Proposed, not done yet.
- Turn off Ad 112 so Gifting's money moves to Ad 111Same footage and almost the same sales on £324 less. Gifting is the concept Meta scales; the job now is making that spend pay.
- Give Knitting Nell more budget before calling itMost sales per pound and level with Evergreen, but on little more than its minimum. Raise its budget for a week to see if the return holds at higher spend.
- Write new hooks to the two rulesThe first line names the person or what the gift beats, over an opening frame strong enough to win the budget. Change one thing per test.