Glossary
Ad Glossary
Plain-English definitions for the terms that come up when you build, run or measure an ad creative — from the format words (carousel, aspect ratio) to the math words (CTR, ROAS). Nothing here assumes you already work in ads.
How to use this glossary
Each entry below is a single sentence, deliberately short enough to skim while you're mid-task — writing a prompt, reading an ad set report, or deciding which ad creative to generate next. Only "ad creative" links out to a longer page right now; every other term is defined inline so the list stays scannable. If a term shows up in a metric you're calculating, check whether one of the free calculators already does the math for you.
Terms A–Z
- Ad Creative
- The actual image, video or text a viewer sees when an ad runs.
- AOV (Average Order Value)
- The average amount a customer spends per order.
- Aspect Ratio
- The width-to-height shape of an ad creative, such as 1:1, 4:5 or 9:16.
- Ad Set
- A group of ads that share the same budget, audience and schedule.
- Carousel
- An ad format that lets a viewer swipe through several images or videos in one unit.
- CPC (Cost Per Click)
- What an advertiser pays, on average, for each click an ad receives.
- CPM (Cost Per Mille)
- The cost of one thousand ad impressions, regardless of clicks.
- Creative Fatigue
- The drop in performance that happens when an audience has seen the same ad creative too many times.
- CTR (Click-Through Rate)
- The share of people who saw an ad and clicked it.
- Frequency
- The average number of times one person has seen a given ad creative.
- Hook
- The first line, image or second of video built to stop a scroll before the pitch begins.
- Landing Page
- The page a viewer reaches after clicking an ad, where the actual conversion happens.
- Lookalike Audience
- A targeting group built to resemble an advertiser's existing customers.
- Placement
- The specific spot an ad runs in, such as a feed, a Story, or a search results page.
- Retargeting
- Showing ads again to people who already visited a site or engaged with a brand.
- ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
- Revenue earned back for every dollar put into an ad campaign.
- Static vs Video
- The two broad ad creative formats — a still image versus a moving clip.
- Thumb-Stop
- A moment in an ad creative strong enough to interrupt a scroll on a phone.
- UGC (User-Generated Content)
- Ad creative styled to look like an ordinary customer video rather than a produced ad.
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Common questions about this glossary
Why is only "ad creative" a link?
It's the one term with its own page right now. The rest are defined right here so you don't have to leave the glossary for a one-line answer.
Does this glossary cover a specific ad platform?
No — these terms apply across Facebook, Google, TikTok, LinkedIn and X. Platform-specific detail lives on the platform pages and in the guides.
Is this the same as an ad-spend database?
No. AdLibrary.net doesn't index or archive other advertisers' running ads — it generates new ad creative from a prompt. This glossary just explains the vocabulary you'll see while doing that.
Where do I actually use these terms?
Mostly while writing a prompt or reviewing an ad creative before it runs — see the use-case playbooks for that in context.
Related
Keep going
Ad Creative
The one glossary term with its own full page.
Use Cases
Step-by-step playbooks that put this vocabulary to work.
Free Tools
Calculators for CTR, CPM, CPC, ROAS and AOV.
Meta Ad Library Guide
See these terms applied to real research workflows.
Ads Library
Browse ad creative formats by placement and platform.
AdLibrary.net is an independent ad generation tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Meta, Google, TikTok, LinkedIn, X or Pinterest. Platform names are used only to describe the ad formats the generator renders for.