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Programming an Ad Test

Ad Test is a research test designed to measure the effectiveness of image and video ads by placing them inside lifelike simulations of popular social feeds such as Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

 

 

Adding an Ad Test to your survey

To include an Ad Test in your survey:

  1. Drag and drop the Ad Test icon into the survey editor, or click the icon to insert it directly.
  2. Click the first drop-down menu to select a social media type: Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. This determines which metadata fields (e.g., Shares, Saves) appear in your setup, and what text is piped into the question text box.
  3. Click the second drop-down menu to select either Image Stimuli or Video Stimuli.
    Note: TikTok will always default to Video stimuli.
  4. Click the Browse/Upload button to upload content into the research test, or drag and drop the stimuli from your hard drive. If you’ve previously uploaded a video to the platform, you can use the dropdown menu to Reuse a saved video from another survey.
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Social Platform-Specific Fields

The default text fields will update automatically based on your selected platform: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok.

 1. Instagram

  • Edit the Account name and click the camera icon to upload a profile image.
  • Add Ad/Post text
  • Add a Call to Action (only applicable to ads)
  • Set the number of Likes
  • Set the number of Comments
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2. Facebook

  • Edit the Account name and click the camera icon to upload a profile image.
  • Add Ad/Post text
  • Add a Call to Action (only applicable if an ad)
  • Set the number of Likes
  • Set the number of Comments
  • Set the number of Shares
     
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3. TikTok

  • Edit the Account name and click the camera icon to upload a profile image.
  • Add Ad/Post text
  • Add a Call to Action (only applicable if an ad)
  • Set the number of Likes
  • Set the number of Comments
  • Set the number of Saves
  • Set the number of Shares

Note: While you may edit the default instruction text, please note you’ll still find those original instructions shown to respondents before the simulation begins. Any edits you make will appear as a prompt inside the simulation. 

 

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Customizing Ad Test Settings

After adding your content, configure how the ad behaves within the simulated feed:

  1. Click the Test Time drop-down menu to select how long respondents stay in the simulated feed before moving on automatically.
  2. Click the Repeat drop-down menu to select how many times the ad appears.
    Note: An ad will only be shown once every 30 seconds, with a maximum of 3 repetitions.  
  3. Click the Position drop-down menu to select where the ad will appear in the simulation feed. 
    Select:
    • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 for an exact position.

    • If choosing a random placement setting for your asset, select from the following ranges. These options allow your content to appear at a randomly selected position within the specified range.

      • Random: Early Feed (1–20)
        Places the asset randomly within the first 20 positions of the feed.
      • Random: Mid Feed (21–50)
        Places the asset randomly between positions 21 and 50.
      • Random: Deep Feed (51–75)
        Places the asset randomly between positions 51 and 75.

      • Random: Natural (1–100)
        Allows the asset to appear at any position in the feed, from 1 through 100.

        Note: If 2 or 3 Repetitions are enabled, the following random placement ranges become available:

        • Random (1–50)
        • Random (1–75)
        • Random (1–100)
        • Note: When repetitions are enabled, ads are distributed randomly throughout the feed while maintaining minimum spacing between placements. This spacing helps ensure ads are spread out across the experience and do not appear too close together, even when multiple ad repetitions are included
  4. Click the Ad drop-down menu to select whether this will appear in the feed as an Ad or a Post. When Ad is selected, you will be prompted to choose a Call to Action (e.g., Learn More, Buy Now, etc...) in the text fields.
  5. Check the box next to Verified to enable a verification badge for the posting account.
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Previewing an Ad Test

Before launching an Ad Test, aytm recommends previewing the simulation to ensure the experience is functioning as intended and aligns with your research objectives.

  1. Click the Preview button located above the research test.

This will open a full simulation of the selected social feed, allowing you to experience the interface exactly as your respondents will.

During the preview, you can:

  • View the automated instruction text
  • See the customizable pop‑up message respondents receive
  • Scroll through the social feed
  • Mute and unmute video content
  • Like posts
  • Indicate intentions to comment and share
  • Interact with the feed as you typically would

When the testing period ends, respondents automatically advance to the next survey question.

Note: While aytm aims to closely mirror the visual appearance of real social media platforms, 100% accuracy cannot be guaranteed due to frequent platform interface updates.

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