Ad testing survey templates
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Ad testing survey templates
Ad testing survey templates at a glance
| Stat | Figure |
| Total ad testing templates | 4 |
| Most-used template | Market research survey |
| Short survey completion rate (1-10 questions) | 99.9% |
| Medium survey completion rate (11-20 questions) | 93.8% |
| Long survey completion rate (21+ questions) | 60.4% |
| Default respondents per concept | 200 |
| Results in | As little as one hour |
What are ad testing surveys?
You have three finished ads and the budget to run only one. An ad testing survey shows each creative to your target audience and scores it, so the ad you run is the one viewers respond to. These four templates cover the pre-flight work: market research, ad copy testing, messaging and claims, and competitor research.
On SurveyMonkey, the image ad testing module shows each respondent one creative at a time, so reactions stay clean. The default questions rate appeal, uniqueness, believability, and purchase intent, plus a one-word gut reaction. SurveyMonkey Genius, an AI tool that scores your survey, predicts completion and flags weak questions before you field. Response-quality filtering removes gibberish, profanity, and speeders from the results.
The built-in panel reaches more than 1 million active US viewers and returns results in as little as one hour. Ad tests average a 94.2% completion rate across about 10 questions. Short tests of 1-10 questions finish at 99.9%; tests of 21 or more drop to 60.4%.
Results come with more than 50 industry benchmarks. A Top 2 Box score, the share choosing the top two ratings, then reads as strong or weak against category norms. For the methodology behind monadic testing and Top 2 Box scoring, see our ad testing guide.
How to create an ad testing survey
- Pick one of the four templates on this page, or start from the market research survey template.
- Upload the creative you want to test. Static ads load as PNG, JPEG, or GIF up to 10 MB. For a video spot, link a cut under 90 seconds from YouTube or Vimeo.
- Choose what to measure. The five defaults fit most ad decisions: appeal, uniqueness, believability, purchase intent, and a one-word reaction. Add from 34 more attributes for a specific question.
- Pick your viewers. Use your own list or the panel of more than 1 million US respondents. Add up to three screening questions to hit a target segment.
- Set the sample. The default of 200 respondents per concept covers a clean top-line read.
- Launch and read results. The dashboard ranks Top 2 Box scores at 95% confidence, charts what drives purchase intent, and shows word clouds and your category benchmarks.
When to use ad testing surveys
- Picking the hero creative: Put two or three finished executions in front of the audience before production locks, then let the scores choose.
- Video and animatic checks: Share a rough cut or animatic through YouTube or Vimeo and read purchase intent while edits are still cheap.
- Headline and PPC copy: Test paid-search and social copy variants with the ad copy testing template before you buy the clicks.
- Tentpole and seasonal spots: Validate a high-stakes holiday or event ad before the media buy. See how ClickUp scored a winning big game commercial this way.
- Post-campaign recall: Field a market research or competitor research template after a flight to measure recall and lift against your baseline.
- Early idea screening: Run a quick sequential pass over up to five rough ideas to narrow the field before finished art.
Who runs ad testing surveys
- Brand managers: They hold the media budget and must sell the creative call to a CMO, so a scored winner beats the loudest opinion.
- Consumer insights teams and research agencies: They want agency-grade reads and 95% confidence flags that survive a client deck, often on $15,000 to $40,000 project budgets.
- Product marketers: They test launch ads against a deadline and need numbers before the window closes.
- In-house creative and social teams: They want a guided test and clean reporting, often on a $10,000 to $20,000 yearly budget, without booking an agency per spot.
Tips for creating an ad testing survey
- Keep the ad test short: Tests of 1-10 questions complete at 99.9% against 60.4% past 21, so stick to the five default attributes unless the decision needs more.
- Ask for the gut reaction first: Put the open-ended first-impression question before the rating scales, since asking after it primes the answer.
- Match the format to the media: Test a static ad as an image and a spot as a linked video, so viewers judge it the way the audience will.
- Size to the cut you will report: The 200-respondent default fits one overall read, so plan at least 30 per subgroup to break results by age, gender, or region.
- Benchmark before you celebrate: A high Top 2 Box score means more next to your category norm, so check the 50-plus industry benchmarks first.
Frequently asked questions about ad testing surveys
- Where does the open-ended question belong in an ad test?
Put it first, ahead of any rating scale. An open-ended first-impression question captures the gut reaction to your ad, which is the most useful verbatim you will get. Once viewers rate appeal or believability, those lenses color whatever they type next, so a late open-end echoes the scales instead of instinct. One open-ended question is plenty, since more adds length without adding signal.
- Should I test my ad as a static image or a video?
Match the format to how the ad will run. Static ads, display banners, and print load as PNG, JPEG, or GIF up to 10 MB. For a TV or social spot, link a cut under 90 seconds from YouTube or Vimeo, since there is no native video hosting. Test each execution in the format your audience will see, because a storyboard and a finished film rarely score the same.
- How do I measure ad recall and brand lift?
Run the test twice around the campaign. A pre-flight wave sets a baseline on appeal and purchase intent. A post-flight wave on a market research or competitor template then measures recall and lift against it. Keep the questions identical between waves so the comparison holds. The dashboard charts the two side by side, turning "did the ad work" into a number you can show finance.
- How many respondents does an ad test need?
The default is 200 respondents per concept, enough for a reliable top-line score on a single ad. To break results out by audience, plan at least 30 respondents per subgroup so the AI can detect the differences. A split by two groups needs roughly 400 respondents, and four groups about 800. Size the sample to the cuts you intend to present, not just the headline number.
- How do I benchmark my ad against my category?
After results land, compare your Top 2 Box scores against more than 50 built-in industry benchmarks across sectors like drinks, food, electronics, finance, and retail. A score above the category norm signals an ad ready for spend, while one below it flags creative worth fixing first. Repeat advertisers can also benchmark against their own past ads, which controls for how their audience tends to use the scale.