Before and after ad examples: 8 concepts

A garden design company · Meta Reels · UGC-style

The ad: The phone is propped on the same fence post for both shots. The overgrown corner holds for two seconds while the owner says, "This is the bit of the garden nobody went in." A single cut shows the finished seating area from the identical spot, and on-screen text reads "Same corner. Six weeks of work."

Why it works: Holding the camera still is the proof: nothing about the angle or light can explain the change except the work.

• Hook ●●●●●
• Offer ●●●●●
• Proof ●●●●●
• Call to action ●●●●●
• Format fit ●●●●●

Try it: Mark the spot where the camera stands on day one, and shoot the after from that mark at the same time of day.

Concept work, not a client ad: drawn to show the pattern.

A carpet cleaning service · TikTok · UGC-style

The ad: A close shot of a stained hallway carpet. The cleaner runs the wand across once, leaving a clean stripe through the stain, and says nothing for three seconds. Text appears: "One pass. No filter." The video ends on the van and "Book a quote."

Why it works: The before and the after share the same frame at the same moment, which is about as hard to fake as video gets and very satisfying to watch.

• Hook ●●●●●
• Offer ●●●●●
• Proof ●●●●●
• Call to action ●●●●●
• Format fit ●●●●●

Try it: Film the first pass in a single continuous shot, with no cut between dirty and clean, and keep the raw file.

Concept work, not a client ad: drawn to show the pattern.

A home repair contractor · Meta Feed · Static

The ad: Two photos side by side of a water-damaged ceiling and the same ceiling repaired, both taken from the doorway. Under them: "Job time: two days. What we did: cut out, dried, re-boarded, painted." The button reads "Get a quote."

Why it works: Saying what was done and how long it took sets fair expectations, which makes the result more believable, not less.

• Hook ●●●●●
• Offer ●●●●●
• Proof ●●●●●
• Call to action ●●●●●
• Format fit ●●●●●

Try it: Add one line under every before and after stating the work done and the time it took.

Concept work, not a client ad: drawn to show the pattern.

A scheduling software company · Meta Feed · Motion

The ad: The left side shows a cluttered spreadsheet of staff shifts with highlighted clashes; the right side animates the same week in the app, conflicts flagged in one color. A caption reads "Same week of shifts. Before and after the app." The end card says "Import your schedule free" with a short clip of the import screen.

Why it works: Software has no physical transformation, so showing the same data in the old tool and the new one gives the viewer a fair, like-for-like reveal.

• Hook ●●●●●
• Offer ●●●●●
• Proof ●●●●●
• Call to action ●●●●●
• Format fit ●●●●●

Try it: Use the same example data in both halves; a cleaner dataset on the after side makes the comparison unfair.

Concept work, not a client ad: drawn to show the pattern.

A storage and organizing product brand · Meta Stories · UGC-style

The ad: A top-down shot of a jammed kitchen drawer. A hand drops in the divider set and puts each item back in real time, sped up but uncut. The final frame holds on the sorted drawer with "Everything that was in there is still in there."

Why it works: Keeping every item in the drawer answers the obvious suspicion that the after was staged by throwing things away.

• Hook ●●●●●
• Offer ●●●●●
• Proof ●●●●●
• Call to action ●●●●●
• Format fit ●●●●●

Try it: Show the whole process in one continuous take, even sped up, so the viewer can see nothing was swapped.

Concept work, not a client ad: drawn to show the pattern.

A mobile car detailing service · TikTok · UGC-style

The ad: Tape runs down the middle of a dull car hood. The detailer polishes one side only, then the camera slowly pans across the line under the same daylight. He says, "Left is how it arrived. Right is forty minutes later."

Why it works: A split panel puts both states on screen under identical light, which is the cleanest comparison a service business can film.

• Hook ●●●●●
• Offer ●●●●●
• Proof ●●●●●
• Call to action ●●●●●
• Format fit ●●●●●

Try it: End on a clear next step such as a booking link and the area you cover, which this concept leaves out.

Concept work, not a client ad: drawn to show the pattern.

A skincare brand · Meta Feed · Static

The ad: Instead of a face before and after, the ad shows the product: a swatch of the moisturizer on the back of a hand, then the same hand a minute later with the cream absorbed. Text reads "Sinks in, no greasy finish." There is no claim about wrinkles, skin conditions or weeks of use.

Why it works: Cosmetic transformations are restricted on Meta and treated as efficacy claims by the ASA, so showing how the product behaves avoids an idealized result the brand cannot prove for everyone.

• Hook ●●●●●
• Offer ●●●●●
• Proof ●●●●●
• Call to action ●●●●●
• Format fit ●●●●●

Try it: If you sell beauty or health products, demonstrate texture, routine or packaging, and get advice before using any face or body before and after.

Concept work, not a client ad: drawn to show the pattern.

A website design studio · Meta Feed · Static

The ad: Two phone screens side by side: a client's old homepage with tiny text and a cluttered menu, and the new one with a clear headline and one button. The client's first name and trade appear with "Shown with permission." The call to action reads "Send us your site."

Why it works: Design buyers want to picture their own site improved, and a real redesign shown at the size a customer sees it makes that easy.

• Hook ●●●●●
• Offer ●●●●●
• Proof ●●●●●
• Call to action ●●●●●
• Format fit ●●●●●

Try it: Show both versions on the same device at the same size, and ask the client before using their old site.

Concept work, not a client ad: drawn to show the pattern.