STORY ADS.
FROM BRIEF.
TO FINAL.

Start on your computer.

ChatGPT

Your next idea starts here.

A WORKSPACE FOR YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS

Let’s create our next Story Ad.↑

ChatGPT

You need the ChatGPT desktop app, your ChatGPT account with access to Codex and image generation, and the campaign’s source material.

1. Install the app for your operating system from the official ChatGPT setup page.
2. Sign in with the account you use for your ChatGPT subscription.
3. Choose Codex from the ChatGPT product selector. This tutorial follows our workflow with a local project folder.

Use the tools available on your account. Image generation access and usage limits can vary; this workflow does not require you to set up a paid API.

Give the work a home.

Create a local folder named Story Ads. Add it as a local project in Codex, then start a chat inside it. Keep each brand’s files in its own subfolder. Replace [Brand] below with the brand you are working on, then explore the folders to see what goes where. We use Apex later to illustrate the process.

Right-click the project and open its folder in File Explorer on Windows, or Finder on Mac. The menu wording can vary by app version. If you do not see that action, open the same folder directly in your file manager.

This is where you put the actual source files. Here is how your project can look:

Use Brand for the logo and brand brief, Design - Ref for inspiration, Briefs for campaign inputs and Output for your exports. Keep the agreed direction in Design-Rules.txt.

Choose the local project linked to this folder. A ChatGPT project with uploaded sources is a different setup. A folder helps Codex access your files; ask it explicitly to read the relevant ones.

Build context before visuals.

Start by helping Codex understand the brand you are working on: the company, audience, products, vocabulary, official logo and tone. In your project chat, paste the company’s official website and social profile links, alongside the approved brand files. Ask Codex to review these sources and write a short brand brief in the project.

• Official website: the homepage, About page and relevant product or service pages.
• Official social profiles: Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube or X, to understand the brand’s tone, visuals and recent communication.
• Approved brand files: the logo, brand guidelines and any internal notes that add context.

Explain what each link is for. If a page cannot be opened, provide the relevant text or screenshots. Save the useful links in [Brand]/Brand/official-sources.txt so they can be reused.

Separate lasting brand information from campaign information. Discounts, account prices, codes and deadlines must come from the current campaign. An old ad is a visual reference, not today’s offer.

The prompts work with any brand. Replace [Brand] with its name and use that brand’s folder, references and campaign information.

We are creating Story Ads for [Brand].

Official website: [paste the website URL]
Official social profiles: [paste Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube or X URLs]
Brand files: [Brand]/Brand

Read the brand files and review the website and official social profiles above. Summarize what the company does, its products, audience, tone of voice and visual identity. Cite your sources and flag anything uncertain. If a source cannot be accessed, tell me which text or screenshots you need.
Save a concise brand brief and an official-sources.txt link list in [Brand]/Brand. Keep changing offers, prices, codes and deadlines separate from lasting brand information. Do not create an ad yet.

Read the summary, correct it and save the agreed version. In each new campaign chat, ask Codex to read that brief and Design-Rules.txt. This creates reusable project context; it does not permanently train the model or guarantee it will recall every past chat.

Show what good looks like.

Go to Frame.io and find the strongest previous ads: the ones with the clearest hierarchy, best typography and most useful compositions. Download a small, deliberate selection into Design - Ref. Start with 3–6 strong examples.

ILLUSTRATED WORKFLOWFrame.io → your project

01

Choose in Frame.io

3–6 strong ads for this brand.

✓

✓

✓

→

02

Save your selection

Keep the actual image files.

Design - RefStory Ads / [Brand]

reference-01.pngreference-02.pngreference-03.png

Tell Codex which files to inspect and what you like about each. “Use this for the typography” is more useful than “make something like this.” Select one main reference so conflicting styles do not pull the design in different directions.

Case study: the Apex art direction.

Each brand needs its own visual rules. Here is what we chose for Apex; another brand may need a completely different palette, typography and visual language.

These are the creative choices recorded in our Apex project, not a claim about Apex’s official brand guidelines.

Inspect the images in [Brand]/Design - Ref. These are our visual references, not sources for current offers.
Explain the typography, hierarchy, spacing, color and lighting choices worth keeping. Follow [Brand]/Design-Rules.txt and identify any conflicts with the references.
Propose one clear art direction. After my feedback, save the agreed rules in Design-Rules.txt so we can reuse them.

Turn the message into a brief.

Your campaign input might be an email, a WhatsApp message or another written brief. Attach readable screenshots or paste the original text into the chat. Include the full offer, relevant messages, conditions and deadline. Use several screenshots if needed, and remove unrelated personal information.

Ask Codex to extract the details before generating the design. Compare its reading with the original message. If a number is blurry or a condition is missing, supply the original text.

APEX / A REAL CAMPAIGN EXAMPLE

From source message to first design.

These two email captures were the starting point for the Story below. A WhatsApp message follows the same process: read the source, confirm the facts, then build the visual.

01The source

LEAD WITH

90% off + Legacy BOGO.

KEEP THE CONDITIONS

Second evaluation of the same size. First month only. All Legacy sizes.

KEEP THE DEADLINE

October 29, 12 noon ET, as supplied in the email.

02The first Story Ad

Archived campaign example. Open any image to inspect it. Offers and dates are shown as supplied. The CF code is visible in the design but not in these email captures: confirm missing codes and CTAs separately.

MAIN OFFER

What should the viewer notice first?

PRICES & ELIGIBILITY

Which product, account or bundle does each price cover?

CODE & CTA

Exact code, reply instruction or link action.

DEADLINE

Date, time and timezone, if supplied.

CONDITIONS

Required qualifiers and exclusions.

DELIVERABLE

Language, dimensions and number of versions.

Read the campaign information I have attached or pasted (email, WhatsApp message or another written brief). Extract the offer, products, prices, discount, exact code, CTA, deadline with timezone, and conditions.
Separate exact source information from suggested ad copy. Mark anything missing, ambiguous or unreadable; do not guess or reuse details from old ads.
Propose a short English copy hierarchy for a Story Ad. Wait for me to confirm the extracted details before generating the image.

Connect the brief to the references.

Once the facts and copy are correct, ask for one first design. Reference the brand brief, the agreed art direction and the chosen inspiration by filename. Specify a vertical 9:16 Story, delivered at 1080 × 1920 px, with English ad copy.

Set the order of attention: main offer, supporting details, then CTA. Mention any space needed for a link sticker. A generated image may need a separate resize or layout pass; inspect the actual export dimensions.

Create one Story Ad for [Brand] using the approved campaign copy from this chat.
Read [Brand]/Brand and [Brand]/Design-Rules.txt. Use the selected references in [Brand]/Design - Ref for art direction. Use the supplied official logo faithfully.
Vertical 9:16, final export 1080 × 1920 px. English copy. Make the main offer dominant, keep supporting details readable on a phone, and keep the CTA clear.
Preserve every approved number and condition. Add no new claims or deadlines. Save the result in [Brand]/Output as v01 and report the actual file dimensions.

Treat generated text and logos as items to inspect. If they are inaccurate, use the official logo and correct the typography in your design tool before delivery.

The first result starts the review.

Look at the design on a phone-sized preview. Is the offer clear? Does the visual support it? Are the tables and CTA easy to read? Decide whether to make targeted adjustments or explore a new direction.

Use AI to produce options.
Use your eye to choose the direction.

One campaign. Three design passes.

Continue with the Legacy BOGO ad from step 05. The first version carries the email’s details, but the text dominates. A new reference and a more selective copy hierarchy change the result.

THE DESIGNER’S DIRECTION / 3 NOV 2026

“Cut 60% of the copy and keep what is the most important”

The same request also asked for a design based on this inspiration. Keep the idea of one large glass candlestick and a strong focal point; adapt it to Apex’s blue palette, symbol and campaign.

Actual designs and reference from the Apex conversation on 3 November 2026. The 60% figure was the requested reduction target, not a measured result. Campaign offers and dates are archived examples.

Give specific feedback.

Name what to remove, what to emphasize and what must stay. In the final pass, the repeated “Buy one Legacy evaluation. Get one FREE.” line and the checkout sentence were removed. The key condition remained: “Same size. First month only. All Legacy sizes.”

Simplify repeated copy and optional detail while keeping the offer accurate. Check the revised design against the confirmed brief, especially eligibility, conditions, code and deadline.

Bring in a stronger reference.

Find an idea on Pinterest, Dribbble or another design platform. Attach the image, keep its source link, and explain the useful principle: composition, lighting, material or typography. Ask for an adaptation to the brand’s identity and the current campaign.

Use the current ad as the base. The attached inspiration is a reference for [composition / lighting / material / typography].
Adapt that principle to [Brand]. Specifically change: [describe the exact adjustments].
Preserve the approved offer, prices, conditions, logo and CTA unless I explicitly request a change. Keep the brand’s agreed art direction and mobile readability.
Save a new version without overwriting the previous one, then summarize what changed.

Check the exported file.

Open the actual final image and compare it with the confirmed brief. Review it at full size for accuracy, then at phone size for readability.

• Offer, prices, account types, code and conditions match the current brief.
• Any deadline includes the correct date, time and timezone.
• The logo is correct; every word and number is legible and spelled correctly.
• One clear focal point leads to the supporting details and CTA.
• Important text stays clear of Story interface overlays; check the target placement preview.
• The file is 1080 × 1920 px, with no cropped content or unintended borders.
• Version names are clear and the source files are included when required.

Name the export consistently, for example [Brand]_Story_[Campaign]_v03.png. Keep the selected references, confirmed brief and useful feedback in the project. Upload the deliverable to the team’s Frame.io review location.