How to use Claude to create web ads
You don't need photoshop anymore for most ad creatives, you don't even need third parties, just Claude (prompt at the bottom)
Most agencies charging £5k+ for ad creative are selling you a process that’s 90% mechanical and 10% creative insight. The mechanical part is exactly what AI excels at and the creative insight is where your domain knowledge comes in.
I’ve spent the last few weeks experimenting with Claude’s capability to generate advertising creative, and what I’ve discovered is that with the right approach, you can produce agency-quality ads in under 30 minutes. No templates or generic copy (though that depends on you!). You get actual, conversion-focused creative that speaks directly to your target market.
The Context Substrate Method for Ad Creation
The key to getting professional output from Claude isn’t about crafting the perfect prompt. It’s about building a structured conversation that systematically captures all the context needed for high-converting creative. Think of it as conducting a discovery workshop with yourself, with Claude as your creative director asking the right questions.
Here’s the framework I’ve developed that consistently produces results:
1. Foundation First
Start with the basics: company name, product/service, target audience, and format requirements. This seems obvious, but being explicit about format (1:1 for feed, 9:16 for stories) ensures Claude optimizes the layout appropriately from the start.
2. Strategic Positioning
Before touching design, establish your market position. What’s your core value proposition? What differentiates you from competitors? Are you positioning as premium, accessible, or technical? This positioning layer determines everything from color psychology to copy tone.
3. Visual Language
Rather than describing what you want, let Claude guide you through options. Background complexity (simple, subtle, rich), color schemes (with psychological implications), and typography choices (modern, bold, classic). Each choice builds on the previous one.
4. Message Architecture
The structure matters more than the specific words. Pain point focus versus aspiration. Authority versus results. How you architect the message determines whether prospects lean in or scroll past.
The Interactive Brief Method
Instead of dumping requirements in a single prompt, I’ve developed an interactive briefing system. Claude asks targeted questions at each stage, waits for responses, and builds context progressively. This isn’t just about better output quality. It’s about discovering what you actually want through the process itself.
Here’s what this looks like in practice:
STEP 1: “What’s your company name and target audience?”
[You respond]
STEP 2: “What’s your main value proposition?”
[You respond]
STEP 3: “For the background, do you want simple, subtle, or rich?”
[You respond]Each response shapes the next question. By step 10, Claude has enough context to generate creative that would cost thousands from an agency.
Real World Application
Last week, I used this method to create ads for three different clients:
Estate Agency Software: Premium positioning, dark backgrounds with subtle gradients, aspirational messaging focusing on time savings. Generated both HTML/CSS for web use and PNG for social media.
B2B Consultancy: Authority positioning, clean whites with geometric accents, credibility markers prominently displayed. The system captured the need for sophistication without being told explicitly.
SaaS Startup: Technical positioning, modern design language with data visualization elements, benefit-driven copy with specific metrics. The progressive questioning revealed requirements the client hadn’t initially articulated.
The Technical Implementation
Claude can output in multiple formats, but here’s what works best:
For Web Display: HTML/CSS gives you complete control and easy iteration. The code is clean, responsive, and includes subtle animations that increase engagement.
For Social Media: Direct PNG generation using Python/PIL. No need for external design tools. The system handles typography, layout, and even gradient effects programmatically.
For Testing: Create multiple variations by changing single parameters. Different headlines, color schemes, or layouts can be generated in seconds for proper A/B testing.
Value Extraction Framework
The real value isn’t in replacing designers. It’s in rapid iteration and systematic testing. Traditional agency process: brief, wait two weeks, receive three concepts, pick one, hope it works.
With this approach: generate ten variations in ten minutes, test all of them, iterate on winners, continuously improve. The feedback loop compresses from weeks to hours.
You’re not paying for time anymore. You’re investing in velocity.
Practical Implementation Steps
Build Your Brief Template: Start with my interactive framework, but customize it for your industry. Add questions specific to your compliance requirements, brand guidelines, or market dynamics.
Create a Testing Pipeline: Connect your Claude-generated creative directly to your ad platforms. Use UTM parameters to track performance by variant.
Document Winners: When you find copy or design elements that convert, feed them back into your briefing process. Your system gets smarter with each iteration.
Scale Horizontally: Once you have a working process for one product, replicate across your entire portfolio. The marginal cost of additional creative approaches zero.
The Economics of AI Creative
Traditional agency creative process:
Discovery workshop: £2,000
Concept development: £3,000
Design execution: £2,000
Revisions: £1,000
Total: £8,000 per campaign
Claude-powered creative process:
Claude Pro subscription: £18/month
Your time: 30 minutes
Total: Effectively £9 per campaign (assuming one campaign per month)
That’s a 99.9% cost reduction with faster turnaround and unlimited iterations.
Advanced Techniques
Once you master the basic framework, these advanced approaches multiply your effectiveness:
Dynamic Personalization: Generate variations for different customer segments automatically. Estate agents get different messaging than property developers, even for the same product.
Compliance Integration: Build regulatory requirements directly into your prompts. Financial services disclaimers, medical advertising restrictions, or platform-specific rules become automatic.
Performance Feedback Loops: Feed conversion data back into your prompts. “The version with urgency messaging converted 3x better” becomes part of your context for future generations.
What This Really Means
We’re not talking about replacing creativity with automation. We’re talking about augmenting human insight with systematic execution. You still need to understand your market, your positioning, your customer psychology. But the mechanical work of translating that understanding into pixels and code? That’s been commoditized.
The agencies know this. They’re using the same tools behind closed doors while charging you for “proprietary creative processes.” The difference is they’re adding a 10,000% markup for the privilege of not telling you how simple it’s become.
Your Next Steps
Start with one ad. Use my framework exactly as described. Get a feel for the interactive process.
Generate five variations. Change one element each time. Test your assumptions about what resonates.
Run them all. Even with minimal spend, you’ll learn more from real market feedback than from any creative director’s opinion.
Iterate based on data. Not hunches, not aesthetic preferences, but actual conversion metrics.
Build your own framework. Take what works from mine, add your industry knowledge, create something uniquely valuable.
Example result
The tools are there. The methods are proven. The only question is whether you’ll act on this information or keep paying agency rates for work you could do yourself in minutes.
The creative industry is about to experience what happened to web development in the early 2000s. Those who adapt will thrive. Those who don’t will be explaining why their “human touch” is worth a 10,000% premium over automated systems that produce better results.
Choose wisely.
Here’s the prompt
Premium Ad Creative Designer - Interactive Brief
“I’ll help you create premium ad creatives that convert. Let me ask you some questions to understand exactly what you need.”
STEP 1 - BASICS
“First, let’s get the foundation right:
What’s your company name?
What service/product are you advertising?
Who’s your target audience? (job titles, company size, etc.)
What format do you need? (9:16 for Stories, 1:1 for Feed, or 16:9 for Landscape?)”
[Wait for response]
STEP 2 - POSITIONING
“Great! Now help me understand your positioning:
What’s your main value proposition?
What makes you different from competitors?
What credentials should we highlight? (years experience, client types, case studies)
Are you positioning as premium/luxury, accessible, or technical expert?”
[Wait for response]
STEP 3 - VISUAL STYLE
“Let’s design the look. Tell me your preferences:
For the background, do you want:
Simple (solid color only)
Subtle (with a gentle gradient)
Rich (multiple layers and textures)
What base color appeals to you:
Pure black (luxury feel)
Deep navy (corporate/trusted)
Dark charcoal (modern/tech)
Or suggest your own?”
[Wait for response]
STEP 4 - BACKGROUND DETAILS
[If they chose Subtle or Rich]
“For your [subtle/rich] background, which elements would you like:
Gradient overlay? (yes/no)
Geometric patterns? (diamonds, lines, circles)
Grid texture? (yes/no)
Corner accents? (subtle glows in corners)
Floating shapes? (abstract elements)
How visible should these be:
Barely there (2-4% opacity)
Subtle (5-8% opacity)
Noticeable (9-15% opacity)”
[Wait for response]
STEP 5 - COLOR SCHEME
“What accent color should we use for emphasis:
Champagne gold (luxury/premium)
Electric blue (tech/modern)
Emerald green (growth/success)
Pure white (minimal/clean)
Custom color? (provide hex code)
Should this accent be used:
Sparingly (just key words/CTA)
Moderately (headlines and buttons)
Liberally (multiple elements)”
[Wait for response]
STEP 6 - TYPOGRAPHY
“For the text style:
Modern and minimal (thin, clean fonts)
Bold and confident (strong, heavy fonts)
Classic and trusted (traditional fonts)
How much spacing do you want:
Compact and efficient
Balanced and readable
Luxury with generous space”
[Wait for response]
STEP 7 - MESSAGE STRUCTURE
“How should we structure your message:
For the headline, do you prefer:
Pain point focus (’Your software is failing’)
Aspirational (’Your vision deserves better’)
Authority (’20 years of excellence’)
Results (’Guaranteed outcomes’)
For your key benefits, display them as:
Simple bullet points
Checkmarks with text
Plain text lines
Icons with descriptions
How many key points? (recommend 3-5)”
[Wait for response]
STEP 8 - COPY CONTENT
“Now let’s get your specific content:
Give me 2-3 headline options you’d like to test
List your 3-5 main value propositions/benefits
What should the CTA button say?
Any urgency element? (e.g., ‘Limited availability’)
Any specific phrases that MUST be included?
Any terms/phrases to AVOID?”
[Wait for response]
STEP 9 - SPECIAL TOUCHES
“Any special elements to include:
Your logo? (yes/no)
Testimonial quote?
Stats or numbers?
Trust badges/certifications?
Animation effects on CTA button?
Client logos?”
[Wait for response]
STEP 10 - VARIATIONS
“For A/B testing, do you want:
Single version only
2 variations (recommended)
3+ variations
If multiple, what should differ:
Different headlines
Different color schemes
Different layouts
Different messaging angles”
[Wait for response]
STEP 11 - FINAL DETAILS
“Last questions:
Any compliance requirements? (Facebook 20% text rule, etc.)
Specific file formats needed? (PNG, HTML/CSS, etc.)
Any industry-specific requirements?
Anything else I should know?”
[Wait for response]
CONFIRMATION
“Perfect! Let me confirm what I’ll create:
[Summary of all their choices]
Ready for me to create your premium ad creatives? (yes/adjust something)”