The 2025 Creative Strategist Toolkit

The role of a creative strategist has evolved. It’s no longer just about spotting trends or coming up with big ideas – to really make an impact, today’s strategists need a system that connects performance data, content creation, and paid media into one fast-moving, insight-driven loop.

This toolkit is a practical breakdown of that system – how high-performing teams actually operate to create ads that work. It covers the core team structure, the workflow, and the tools used at every stage of the creative process.

We’ll break it down into two parts: your core team setup, and the essential tools that power each stage of the creative workflow.

Part 1A: Setting Up Your Core Team

Your core team should make up the following roles:

Creative Strategist - The connector

Your creative strategist sits at the centre of your team, linking performance insights, production, and media. They look at what’s working (and what’s not) in ad performance and translate those insights into creative direction. They drive the vision – but more importantly, they keep everyone on the same page.

Think of them as the hub – connecting the spokes of strategy, production, and media, and keeping everything moving smoothly.

Content Production – The creators

These are the people who turn creative vision into something tangible. They shoot the video, direct talent, and produce the raw footage and assets that form the foundation of your ads. This could be your in-house creators, influencers, or freelance talent.

Without their work, the content simply wouldn’t exist. As such, you’ll want to find the right talent for your project and make sure they understand your brand, message, and goals.

Post-Production – The polishers

Your post-production team takes the raw content and turns it into scroll-stopping creative. They edit, format, subtitle, and optimise everything for the platform it’s going on.

Since they’re responsible for the final output, they’re the last line of quality control – making sure each asset looks sharp, sounds clear, and performs across every channel.

Paid Media - The launchpad

This team takes the final creative and presents it to the right audience. They select the platforms, launch campaigns, and report back on ad performance.

Since they’re the first to see how people respond to the ads, they can quickly spot what’s working. That includes which hooks are landing, which platforms are scaling, and where tweaks need to be made. Their feedback helps strategy and production make smarter, faster decisions.

Part 1B: Turning Roles into a System

With your team ready, you'll want to turn those individual roles into a cohesive, collaborative system. This is where clear communication, shared ownership, and fast feedback become essential.

High-performing creative teams typically don’t follow a rigid hierarchy or top-down structure. Instead, they operate more like a connected network – where insights flow freely, feedback moves fast, and everyone has a voice.

For example:

• If Post-Production needs clarity from Content Production, they talk directly.
• If Paid Media sees a hook crushing it on TikTok, they tell Post-Production.
• If a creator has a killer idea mid-shoot, they loop in the strategist on the spot.

However, your creative strategist is the heart of this network. While they’re not the boss, they keep everyone aligned, ensure all aspects are considered, and bring out the full potential of ideas.

If you don’t have all the team members yet, start lean – maybe you’re both the strategist and the creator. Bring in freelancers as needed. The structure matters less than the flow of communication. Build the system first, then fill in the roles as you grow.

Part 2: The Essential Toolkit (By Workflow Area)

With your team and project structure in place, it’s time to get the right tools. Your system should be be built on speed and iteration, where every stage of the creative loop needs software that’s easy to use, reliable and effective.

In this section, we’ll break down the essential toolkit by workflow area:

1. Ad Creative Research, Briefing & Analysis

Tool: MagicBrief
Used by: Creative Strategists

Before any creative work begins, you'll want to determine the types of ads that resonate with your target market. MagicBrief powers this phase by pulling in competitor ads, creative trends, and past performance data via its ad library and analytics tools.

Use MagicBrief to:

• Access a vast ad library for creative inspiration
• Track competitor ads and spot trends in hooks, formats, and visuals
• Write structured briefs that connect performance insights to creative direction
• Review, compare and optimise your own ads that are currently running

Armed with the right insights, you can make informed, strategic creative that’s designed to outperform the competition.

2. Creative Design

Tools: Canva / Figma / Adobe Suite

Used by: Designers, Creative Strategists, sometimes Content Producers

This is where static assets get built – logos, illustrations, end cards, and other brand visuals. These tools are ideal for creating content like social media posts, website banners, and marketing materials. The goal is to translate strategy into visuals that stop the scroll.

Use this stack to:

• Rapid-prototype ad concepts
• Build and version static assets for paid social
• Hand off designs cleanly to editors or motion teams

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3. Video Production

Tools: CapCut / DaVinci Resolve / Premiere Pro / Final Cut

Used by: Editors, Content Producers, and sometimes Creators

Unless you plan on creating strictly image-based ads, you'll need to add video to your stack. Video is a crucial component of modern advertising, as it enables more engaging and dynamic content.

These tools help teams quickly edit UGC, repurpose footage, add motion graphics, and subtitle everything for platform-native delivery.

Use this stack to:

• Cut creator content for multiple channels
• Test different hooks, CTAs, and end-frames
• Keep edits nimble and responsive to feedback

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4. Creative Review

Tools: Frame.io / Vimeo

Used by: Creative Strategists, Editors, Post-Production, and Stakeholders

Final cut doesn’t mean done. Feedback loops are essential, and these tools help teams collaborate across locations, roles, and time zones.

Use these tools to:

• Centralise feedback from strategists, media buyers, and stakeholders
• Version and approve assets faster
• Keep a clear paper trail of edits and notes

Consider this the modern version of sending endless emails back and forth. These tools allow for a streamlined, efficient workflow that promotes project completion in a timely manner.

Bringing It All Together

When the right roles, tools, and systems are working in sync, the result isn’t just more content – it’s better content, delivered faster, with performance baked in.

Each part of the system plays a specific role:

• Strategy decides what to make and why
• Production brings the ideas to life
• Tools keep everyone moving quickly and collaboratively
• Feedback loops ensure nothing is wasted – every piece of creative becomes smarter than the last

Just remember that you need all of these pieces to work together for a successful ad creative creation system. And once you do, everything builds on itself, making the process more efficient and effective over time.

Book a Free Demo with MagicBrief Today

Ready to take the guesswork out of your creative process? MagicBrief helps you build winning ads faster – with real data, proven inspiration, and tools built for creative teams.

Whether you're a solo strategist or part of a growing brand, we’ll show you how to streamline your workflow and make better content, quicker.

Book your free demo today and start creating ads that actually perform – not just look good.

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