The Art (and Chaos) of Evaluating Creative Content

Creativity is subjective. Full stop. 

There is no universal "right" or "wrong" when it comes to evaluating creative content - whether it's an ad, a social post, a blog, or even an image. Everyone will have an opinion, and those opinions will be different. And guess what? That’s totally fine.

But here’s the catch: Just because there’s no single "right" answer doesn’t mean there’s no way to make smart, strategic choices about what creative to move forward with. You just need the right lens to evaluate it through.

Let’s break it down.

Step 1: Get Clear on Your Goal (Seriously, This Matters)

Before you even think about whether something “looks good” or “sounds right,” ask yourself:

What’s the goal of this content?

Stop-the-scroll impact?

Brand awareness?

Driving a specific action?

Where will this content live?

Instagram? LinkedIn? A website landing page? A magazine? (yeah, that’s still a thing!)

Each platform has different behaviors, expectations, and scrolling speeds.

Who is this for, and where are they in their journey?

Top-of-funnel? Keep it light, engaging, and broad to increase awareness.

Middle-of-funnel? Build credibility and value.

Bottom-of-funnel? Get specific, clear, and action-driven.

If you don’t define the goal upfront, you’re just throwing creative spaghetti at the wall and hoping it sticks. (Not the best strategy.)

Step 2: Evaluate Creative Against the Goal

Now that you have a goal, evaluate your creative options based on how well they help achieve it.

If you need people to stop scrolling → High visual impact. Bold headlines. Instant clarity.

If you need to build trust → Storytelling. Credibility. Relatable messaging.

If you need to drive action → Strong call-to-action. Urgency. Emotional triggers.

Every creative piece might have some merit, but the best one will align most closely with the specific goal you’ve set for this particular application. Each instance shoudl be evaluated independently. 

Step 3: Embrace the Subjectivity (And Be Nice About It)

Here’s the part where people start arguing in Slack threads.

You and your team will likely disagree on which creative option is “best.” That’s normal. The key is to:

✅ Stay open. Everyone sees creative elements differently.
✅ Debate constructively. Discuss alignment, not personal preference.
✅ Decide, test, and move forward. Pick the one that best fits today’s goal and adjust next time.

There’s no perfect formula for predicting what will work 100% of the time. You have to test, learn, and iterate.

Final Thought: Give Yourself (and Others) Some Grace

Creative work is fluid. Today’s best choice might evolve over time. The goal isn’t to pick a “perfect” creative piece - it’s to pick the one that best serves your next step forward.

So, try. Test. Evaluate. Repeat.

And most importantly - find joy in the process of creating.