How to make static ads with ChatGPT 4o (plus some freebies!)

Author

Alex Cooper
March 30, 2025

Hey!

Alex Cooper here - welcome to Jimmy and I’s new newsletter :)

For those of you who signed up through Jimmy’s link and don’t know who I am, I run Adcrate - a creative agency for 8 and 9 figure brands. And I geek out over AI.

For those of you coming from my link and don’t know who Jimmy Slagle is (where have you been?), Jimmy is an AI expert and specialises in helping brands optimize their creative operations with AI.

I speak for both of us when I say we can’t WAIT to share exactly what we’re learning in the world of AI with you. We really didn’t feel there was a newsletter out there on this topic for people in creative strategy. And there is SO much to talk about right now.

But first, let’s start by talking about the big news this week - the ChatGPT image model update.

ChatGPT 4o can now generate images with crazy accuracy. Check some of these statics I made earlier this week COMPLETELY with AI…

So - here’s a summary of my tips on how to get the best out of the new image model:

  1. Generate the image in GPT, add the text elsewhere

After doing a lot of experimenting, I actually think today you're better off generating static ads without headlines in GPT and doing the rest on Figma.

Getting the design right is easy. Cracking the spacing and formatting of text on a one-shot prompt is not.

I'm sure the models will get there with time, but right now, it's easier to just export without text and add on elsewhere.

Besides, someone will probably drop a third party tool that solves this problem by making the outputs drag and drop.

(When I say probably, I mean I know at least 2 tools that will be shipping it very soon lol).

But until then, I'll be using this method for most of my static ads generated via GPT.

Pretty background generated with AI -> headline and features added in Figma/Photoshop.

  1. Ask Claude to write the prompt

Most content over the last few days tells you to use a prompt like ‘recreate this ad for my brand’.

Now that CAN work, but it’s very hit and miss. And highly dependant on how good the reference ad you give it is.

I’ve found it to be way more reliable to give a defined prompt - and I do this inside of Claude.

First, I give Claude the reference ad and ask for a brief to recreate it in extreme detail.

Then, whatever it gives me, I respond with "this is a 4/10 in terms of graphic design detail. I need a 10/10. GO INTO EXTREME DETAIL - IMPRESS ME!”

Then, I take this output and paste it into GPT.

It’s not perfect, but it does tend to be a lot more consistent than the first method.

  1. Better inputs = better outputs

As mentioned above, a big part of the game is how good the inspiration you give it is.

But good inspiration isn’t just how good it is from a design perspective, it’s also how easily your product slots into that design/style.

Thing is - if you pick the right inspiration, you actually don't need too detailed of a prompt to get a good output.

Take this example that James made. Super simple prompt, but a surprisingly good output, because the example referenced allowed him to pretty easily slot in the Hydrant product.

I could spend forever talking about this tips and tricks to get the most out of GPT, but technically this is supposed to be a digest, so let’s move on :)

Here are some of my favorite GPT outputs I’ve seen so far this week…

And arguably the most important of all, my new Twitter header.

As I learn more about this incredible update, I’ll be sharing it with you guys first through this newsletter.

But before I wrap up, I want to share some freebies.

As we’ve had way more demand than expected for this newsletter, not everyone has received the signup resources (you guys broke my automations lol).

So today, I’m giving away THREE free resources:

If you find these valuable, forward this email to someone who you think would to - so that we can help more people learn how to better implement AI in their creative strategy.

I hope you enjoyed this first issue of AI for Creative Strategists. Let me know your thoughts, feedback or topics you’d like me to cover over the next few weeks by hitting reply to this email!

Til next week.

Thanks,

Jimmy and Alex from h2