The Creative That Converts – Door 2 of the Five Door Method
You’ve picked your platform. You’ve set your budget. You’ve launched the campaign. But the clicks are slow. The leads aren’t coming in. And you’re wondering what’s broken.
It’s probably the creative.
“Creative isn’t just the look of your ad—it’s the hook of your message. It’s how you get someone to stop scrolling, start thinking, and eventually say, ‘Yeah, I need that.’”
— Drew Larison, Visionary and CEO at Five Door Media
Welcome to Door 2 of the Five Door Method—where we tackle the most ignored reason your paid ads might be underperforming: the content inside them.
What Is “Creative” in Home Service Marketing?
“Creative” refers to everything your prospect actually sees and interacts with:
Images
Video
Headlines
Text copy
Call-to-action (CTA)
It’s the entire presentation layer of your ad—and it’s the #1 deciding factor in whether someone scrolls past you or stops and engages.
If Door 1 is about showing up in the right place, Door 2 is about saying the right thing once you get there.
Why Most Home Service Ads Fall Flat
Let’s be blunt: most ads for service businesses are boring. They feel templated. Stock-photo heavy. Text-heavy. Feature-focused. There’s no hook, no story, and no urgency.
What do these all have in common?
“Licensed & insured”
“Quality you can trust”
“Fast. Friendly. Reliable.”
They sound nice—but they don’t move the needle.
Scroll-Stopping Creative: What Actually Works
Here’s what turns browsers into buyers:
Cleaning Companies
What works:
Before-and-after photos or time-lapse videos
“Satisfying” visual content (grimy to clean in under 15 seconds)
Copy that paints a picture: “Come home to clean.”
Visual Tip: Add your branding in the first 3 seconds of video. Hook first, brand second.
HVAC Companies
What works:
Seasonal urgency + problem framing (“AC down in this heat?”)
Visuals of actual techs, real systems—not stock photos
Testimonials in motion (clips from happy customers)
Copy Tip: Make the offer time-sensitive. “Next-day installs available” beats “Call us anytime.”
Lawn & Landscaping
What works:
Drone shots or pan videos of lush yards
Split-screen “Before | After” images
Clean, nature-driven copy (“Your yard should be your favorite room.”)
Pro Move: Showcase recurring service value with captions like “Imagine this... every week.”
Formulas That Work for Home Service Creative
If you’re stuck, try one of these ad formulas:
Hook – Pain – Offer
“Too hot to sleep? Your AC isn’t coming back on its own. Book a free estimate today.”
Before / After Transformation
Show the dirty house, broken pipe, brown yard. Then show the transformation. Let the image do 80% of the selling.
“Did You Know?” Pattern Interrupt
“Most homeowners overpay 22% for lawn service—and don’t even know it.”
Educate → Agitate → Solve.
Metrics That Tell You If Your Creative Is Working
Don’t guess. Measure:
Engagement Rate (likes, shares, comments)
Video Completion Rate (especially on Reels/TikTok/Shorts)
CTR (Click-through rate) – if this is low, your creative might not be resonating
Bounce Rate – strong creative, but weak landing page? That’s a Door 4 problem (coming soon)
If CTR is low and CPC is high, that’s almost always a creative or audience issue.
Common Creative Mistakes
❌ Using too much text on visuals
❌ Relying on features instead of outcomes
❌ Skipping the hook and jumping to the offer
❌ Running one version of an ad instead of testing multiple angles
Creative That Converts: Our Process
At Five Door Media, we run every creative concept through 3 simple questions:
Would this stop a scroll in 3 seconds?
Does this speak directly to a pain, problem, or desire?
Is it clear what we want them to do next?
If we can’t answer “yes” to all three, we don’t run it.
“Home service marketing isn’t about being flashy—it’s about being clear, helpful, and fast. Your creative has one job: get them to act.”
— Drew Larison, Visionary and CEO at Five Door Media
Want Us to Review Your Creative?
If your ads aren’t converting and you’re not sure why, let us take a look. On a quick discovery call, we’ll walk through your current campaign creative and show you what’s working—and what’s silently killing your results.