Social feed testing
Will your ad stop the scroll?
Place your social ad in a mock feed among ordinary posts and let people scroll as they normally would. Afterwards, find out whether they noticed it, remember whose it was and want to see more.
Brand A snacksSponsored
Brand A snacksSponsored
After the feed
Which of these brands do you remember seeing?
- Brand A snacks
- A coffee shop
- A phone plan
- A sneaker brand
Why test in the feed
Your ad competes with everything else in the feed
On social platforms an ad sits between friends' photos, news and other brands. A test that plays the ad on its own tells you whether it is clear, but not whether anyone would stop for it. A feed test puts the ad back where it will actually run.
What can go on the bench
Feed versus close up
In the feed first, then close up
Each row is one measure, named the way the report names it.
Base: US adults aged 18-34 who use social media every day; the same people, first in the feed, then close up.
Shares of people. In the feed = before they saw the ad again; close up = after a second, focused look.
Scroll, then look
Watch an ad try to stop the scroll
- 01The ad goes into the feed
- 02People scroll, then remember
- 03Then a close look
- 04Did it stop the scroll?
Step 1 / 4
The ad goes into the feed
Your post sits in a phone-style feed among other posts, in the format you plan to run.
Study set-up
Social feed testing
- StimulusA 15-second vertical video for a new snack flavor
- FeedA mock feed of ordinary posts, the ad placed among them
- WhoUS adults aged 18-34 who use social media every day
- FirstScroll as they normally would, with no hint
- ThenWhat they remember, then the ad again, close up
Set up with our team, or yourself in CatalyseAI
Step 2 / 4
People scroll, then remember
No hint about which post is tested. Afterwards: which posts and brands do they recall?
After the feed
Which of these brands do you remember seeing?
- Brand A snacks
- A coffee shop
- A phone plan
- A sneaker brand
"I saw the chips but not the flavor."
"It looked like a normal post, so I kept going."
"The crunch sound made me stop."
Step 3 / 4
Then a close look
They see your ad again on its own and rate its appeal, its message and its fit with the platform.
The same people, twice
In the feedClose up
- 64%Noticednot asked
- 41%Brand recallnot asked
- 23%Message72%
- 29%Interest47%
- not askedPlatform fit68%
In the feed: before they saw the ad again. Close up: after a second, focused look.
Step 4 / 4
Did it stop the scroll?
In-feed results next to close-up results show whether the ad gets noticed, and what got lost.
The set-up
How the feed test works
From the feed to the close look.
- 01
Build the feed
Your post goes into a phone-style feed with other posts around it, in the vertical or square format you plan to run.
- 02
Let people scroll
Each person scrolls at their own pace, with no hint about which post is being tested.
- 03
Ask what they remember
Which posts and brands do they recall? Which one was yours, and what was it about?
- 04
Show it again, close up
Then they see your ad on its own and rate its appeal, its message and how well it fits the platform.
What got lost
Example: a new flavor in the feed
A snack brand has a 15-second vertical video for a new flavor. US adults aged 18-34 who use social media every day scroll a mock feed of ordinary posts with the ad placed among them, then answer a few questions. The brand learns whether people who scrolled past still remembered the flavor, and whether the ad felt at home next to the other posts.
The 15-second video
Name it sooner
Noticed by 64% in the feed, but only 23% could name the new flavor before seeing it again.
Put the flavor name in the first second.
Close up
The ad works
Once people look, 72% get the message and it feels at home in the feed.
The problem is the scroll, not the ad.
Ask the studyAnswers from your own data
Did people who scrolled past still remember the flavor?
Partly. 41% named the brand from the feed, but only 23% could name the new flavor before they saw the ad again.
It checks its numbers against your data and draws the chart.
What you get
What you get
Output 01
In-feed results
How many people noticed the ad and named the brand before they were shown it again.
Output 02
Close-up results
Appeal, message and interest after a second, focused look.
Output 03
Comments in their words
Open answers on what made people stop or scroll on, grouped into themes.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Is my ad posted on a real social app?
No. People see a mock feed inside the survey that looks like a social app. Your ad is never published anywhere.
Will you measure how long people stop on my ad?
We have not confirmed this yet. The survey already records time spent on each question, but timing a single post inside a feed needs more work.
Related
Goes well with
Planning a social campaign?
Tell us the platform, the format and the audience. We will suggest how to set up the feed test.
Nearest office: Orlando, FL (corporate office)