News · by Guardian News & Media Ltd
The Guardian Meta Ads & Creative Strategy
Ads refreshed July 27, 2026 · Meta Ad Library +2 new winners this week
4.85848★ 112,885 ratings View on the App Store ↗
Every long-running ad The Guardian runs on Facebook & Instagram — pulled from the public Meta Ad Library, x-rayed by the same system that runs ad accounts autonomously.
Active ads
123
Winning set
37
30+ days live
Longest live
80d
App rating
4.86★
113K ratings
Brand palette
The short version
Key facts
- As of July 27, 2026, The Guardian runs 123 active ads in Meta's Ad Library across Facebook and Instagram; 37 of them have survived 30 or more days of continuous delivery.
- Its longest-running ad has been live for 80 days.
- The winning set splits 24% video, 70% static, 5% carousel.
- The most common message angle is recipe showcase, carried by 24% of the winning set.
- The winning ads speak mainly to Busy Weeknight Cook (35% of ads) and Life-Transition Support Seeker (16%).
- All winning copy runs in English.
- In App Store reviews, the loudest praise goes to journalism quality (37% of mentions) and the loudest complaint is paywall & pricing friction (7%).
- The App Store listing holds 4.85848 stars across 112,885 ratings.
The winning set
Live Meta ads gallery
37 ads have survived 30+ days of continuous delivery, out of 123 currently active. Deduped by creative, that's 34 unique units below; the ×N badge counts the ads running each one. Tap to play, or open the Ad Library record. Sorted by longest live: the account's most proven creatives lead, podium first.
80d dco EN
Chilli eggs with miso beans and spinach
80d video EN
Make Ottolenghi your sous chef
80d video EN
When you're short on time but still want something fresh and comforting, this quick laksa is ideal.
80d video ×2 ads EN
Sometimes the best part of dinner isn't the main, it's the sides.
79d dco EN
Tonight's dinner in under an hour. Find it in the Feast app.
70d image EN
Chilli eggs with miso beans and spinach
67d video ×2 ads EN
Does anyone else go through those phases where it feels like you're just addicted to going out to eat and order and takeaways.
67d video ×2 ads EN
I don't know about you but I've gone a bit overboard with the greasy food.
67d image EN
A family portrait featuring two fathers and two children at Stonehenge.
67d image EN
A collage of three professional individuals smiling in a modern office setting.
66d image EN
A young girl standing in awe before a large, weathered bronze statue of a medieval king.
66d image EN
A vibrant, stylized illustration of three women surrounding a newborn baby, with a digital device connecting them.
66d image EN
Osborne House architecture
66d image EN
null
66d image EN
A group of people standing in front of Stonehenge at sunrise with a prominent sunburst effect.
60d image EN
Chilli eggs with miso beans and spinach
59d image EN
An illustration of four diverse women looking down into a circle, one holding a red ball.
52d image EN
An illustration of two people walking together in a stylized forest setting.
52d image EN
Classis landscape photography of Classiebawn Castle in Ireland.
52d image EN
A collage of Stonehenge imagery featuring a woman in an English Heritage jacket.
51d image EN
The image depicts a supportive scene of women comforting each other, suggesting emotional care and community.
49d carousel EN
It took a village: becoming a solo parent taught me the true meaning of friendship
48d image EN
A scenic landscape view of the Irish coastline.
48d image EN
A scenic, high-end bubble dome glamping setup in a forest at sunset.
The x-ray — every winner analyzed frame by frame
What the winning set is actually doing
Language distribution — where the winning set actually runs
Share of the winning set per copy language. Translation is a deliberate spend decision: a language earning survivors is a market the money already believes in.
English
100% · 37 ads
Format split — statics vs video in the winning set
What survives 30+ days by medium.
video 9 ads · 24%
static 26 ads · 70%
carousel 2 ads · 5%
Persona coverage — who the winning ads speak to
HyperScale agents read The Guardian's buyer personas out of the winning set itself, then tagged every ad with the buyer it addresses.
Busy Weeknight Cook
35% · 13 ads
Life-Transition Support Seeker
16% · 6 ads
UK & Ireland Trip Explorer
16% · 6 ads
Family Day-Out Planner
11% · 4 ads
Young Adult Adventure Seeker
8% · 3 ads
Global News Enthusiast
5% · 2 ads
Untagged
8% · 3 ads
Every x-rayed creative is tagged individually (who it sells to, its angle) from its HyperScale x-ray: transcript, casting, story beats. Coverage counts the ads each creative carries. Untagged groups the winners without one clear addressed buyer, so the bars cover the full set.
Angle mix — what the money says works
Every winner tagged with the message angle it leads with, and the languages it runs in — longevity under spend is the only public vote that counts.
recipe showcase
24% · 9 ads
community support story
16% · 6 ads
distinct destination showcase
16% · 6 ads
relatable problem statement
11% · 4 ads
family day out proof
11% · 4 ads
wonder inspiration
8% · 3 ads
authority claim
8% · 3 ads
none
5% · 2 ads
The full winning set, read from the creatives themselves — 37 analyzed winners, hook by hook.
| Days live | Ads | Lang | Angle | Persona | Opening hook | On-screen headline | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80d | ×1 | en | recipe showcase | Busy Weeknight Cook | Make Ottolenghi your sous chef | Make Ottolenghi your sous chef | 5s |
| 80d | ×3 | en | recipe showcase | Busy Weeknight Cook | When you're short on time but still want something fresh and comforting, this quick laksa is ideal. | 32s | |
| 80d | ×1 | en | recipe showcase | Busy Weeknight Cook | Sometimes the best part of dinner isn't the main, it's the sides. | 46s | |
| 80d | ×3 | en | recipe showcase | Busy Weeknight Cook | Sometimes the best part of dinner isn't the main, it's the sides. | 46s | |
| 67d | ×3 | en | relatable problem statement | Busy Weeknight Cook | Does anyone else go through those phases where it feels like you're just addicted to going out to eat and order and takeaways. | 40s | |
| 67d | ×2 | en | relatable problem statement | Busy Weeknight Cook | I don't know about you but I've gone a bit overboard with the greasy food. | 39s | |
| 66d | ×2 | en | relatable problem statement | Busy Weeknight Cook | I don't know about you but I've gone a bit overboard with the greasy food. | 39s | |
| 46d | ×1 | en | relatable problem statement | Busy Weeknight Cook | Does anyone else go through those phases where it feels like you're just addicted to going out to eat and order and takeaways. | 40s | |
| 43d | ×1 | en | recipe showcase | Busy Weeknight Cook | Make a feast out of anything | Make a feast out of anything | 24s |
Creative strategy
The dissection
Both 80-day longest-survivors, 'Make Ottolenghi your sous chef' and a quick laksa hook, are video, yet video is just 24% of the 37-ad winning set against 65% image. Global News Enthusiast finally gets ads, 2 this week, still dwarfed by 89 reviewers praising journalism quality. UK & Ireland Trip Explorer slipped from 9 to 6 ads as distinct destination showcase settled at 6.
Recipe Showcase: 32s, No Faces, App Only
The account's top angle is recipe showcase, 9 of the 37 winning ads (7 x-rayed creatives), and the formula never changes: a roughly 32-second video with no on-camera presenter, just Guardian Feast app and dish footage. Both 80-day longest-survivors, 'Make Ottolenghi your sous chef' and the quick laksa hook, use this exact silent-footage template, even though video is only 24% of the set's format mix against 65% image.
Weeknight Cook Owns 13, News Reader Wakes
Busy Weeknight Cook still leads at 13 of 37 ads, while UK & Ireland Trip Explorer slipped from 9 to 6 ads, now tied with the newer distinct destination showcase angle (6 ads). Life-Transition Support Seeker holds at 6, Family Day-Out Planner at 4, Young Adult Adventure Seeker at 3. Global News Enthusiast, stuck at 0 last cycle, now covers 2 ads, still dwarfed by 89 reviewers naming journalism quality as the top review theme.
Image Wins Volume, Video Wins Survival
65% of the 37 x-rayed creatives are static images against 24% video, 5% dco, and 5% carousel; on-camera presenters now appear in 52% of creatives, up from 48%. Visual collage leads hook mechanics at 5 uses, ahead of visual storytelling and scenic landscape (3 each). Of 9 timed videos, 7 run 30-60s and none top 60s, yet both 80-day longest-survivors are video, not image.
Ads Push Recipes, Reviewers Want Trust
89 reviewers cite journalism quality and 18 cite reliability/trust, but the top-repeated ad body (4 ads) sells '7000+ recipes' and another 4-ad cluster pitches a '14-day free trial', with zero mention of app stability. Meanwhile 14 reviewers flag app crashes and 17 flag paywall/pricing friction, objections absent from all 28 unique primary texts in the winning set.
Community Story Ads Cast Only Women
Recipe showcase leads angles at 9 ads, community support story and distinct destination showcase tie at 6 each, and each community story ad runs as a static image fronted by a female 25-34 presenter, per the signature execution. Relatable problem statement and family day out tie at 4 ads apiece, wonder inspiration trails at 3. Casting overall skews male (6 male 25-34 vs 5 female 25-34), yet community support story stays exclusively female-led.
What we'd test next
- Produce a ~32-second no-presenter recipe showcase video (top angle, 9 of 37 ads) using the visual collage hook (leading mechanic, 5 uses) for the Busy Weeknight Cook persona (13 ads), built around a new five-ingredient midweek dinner concept.
- Build a scenic-landscape hook (3 uses) static image ad, matching the account's 65% image-led mix, for the UK & Ireland Trip Explorer persona (6 ads), centered on a new coastal town day-trip angle.
- Test the 14-day free trial mechanic as a carousel ad (still only 5% of the format mix) for the Life-Transition Support Seeker persona (6 ads), pairing trial copy with an Ottolenghi-style recipe swipe sequence.
- Launch a wonder inspiration angle static image ad using the scenic landscape hook (3 uses) for the Global News Enthusiast persona (2 ads, versus 89 reviewers praising journalism quality), spotlighting a Guardian correspondent's global dispatch.
The HyperScale batch
New ad concepts, generated for The Guardian
HyperScale agents are producing an original round of ad concepts for The Guardian, built from the winning angles above, the brand's real App Store assets, and what reviewers actually say. This page updates when the batch drops.
This analysis lives in a ready-made HyperScale workspace. If you work on The Guardian, it's yours: we hand it over personally, usually within a day.
Customer voice — 2947 recent reviews analyzed
What reviewers actually say
Objections the ads must pre-empt
- Article limits and paywalls frustrate even paying subscribers
- Frequent login/sign-in issues and being logged out repeatedly
- App crashes, freezes, and breaks after updates
- Subscription price increases seen as steep, especially for international users
- Some readers perceive editorial bias despite claims of independence
Review-theme mix
Share of analyzed review mentions per theme — ＋ praise, − complaint, ~ mixed. Themes, not individual reviews.
+ journalism quality
37% · 89
+ editorial bias/independence
22% · 54
− paywall & pricing friction
7% · 17
+ app design & navigation
8% · 19
+ reliability & trust
7% · 18
− app performance & crashes
6% · 14
+ global/international coverage
7% · 17
~ competitor comparison
5% · 13
“The ethical standards & dedication to rigorous journalism are unparalleled by any other news & information source”
“The ethical standards & dedication to rigorous journalism are unparalleled by any other news & information source”
“Independent journalism, with integrity. One of the best news services available to the English speaking world”
“The Guardian UK is the only newspaper I read now. I trust the journalism because it's nonpartisan and very well researched”
“Guardian is in that very thin layer of real independent journalism”
“You are a voice and you're not Murdoch.. You tell it how it is without fear”
“Factual reporting with no bias or billionaire owner”
“You are a voice and you're not Murdoch.. You tell it how it is without fear”
“I feel liberated from Murdoch press and empowered where I get my sources of news”
“The Guardian UK is the only newspaper I read now. I trust the journalism because it's nonpartisan and very well researched”
“I can rely on the Guardian to report accurately, entertain & dig deep if required. The only newspaper which I trust these awful days”
“Factual reporting with no bias or billionaire owner”
“The app itself is fast, intuitive, and thoughtfully designed, making it easy to navigate breaking news, in‑depth features, and live coverage”
“Guardian is in that very thin layer of real independent journalism”
“The world's two best papers are the Guardian and the Financial Times”
“It has a beautiful and uncluttered layout”
“The current redesign of the Guardian's app has greatly improved the reading experience”
“The app itself is fast, intuitive, and thoughtfully designed, making it easy to navigate breaking news, in‑depth features, and live coverage”
“The current redesign of the Guardian's app has greatly improved the reading experience”
“The app runs smooth and works well on an older iPhone 8”
“excellent and balanced paper with more European and world content than most of the better North American papers”
“It has a beautiful and uncluttered layout”
“I get tired of Americans reporting solely on themselves”
“I get tired of Americans reporting solely on themselves”
“I read Guardian and NYT. Guardian is less US centric”
“I read Guardian and NYT. Guardian is less US centric”
“excellent and balanced paper with more European and world content than most of the better North American papers”
“I open daily the BBC, CNN and Guardian's app in that order”
“the Guardian is much better than the other 2”
“I open daily the BBC, CNN and Guardian's app in that order”
“Second best news app after bbc. I want information not confirmation”
“Certainly better than the fading NY Times. Legitimate news and public interest reporting from all over the world”
“Jaded with all US media (a shill for my side is still a shill), I have turned to the Guardian for world events and politics”
“I feel liberated from Murdoch press and empowered where I get my sources of news”
“now I am a person recovering from cancer with 2 perm disabilities. I can't afford to pay, and I am sick of being constantly harassed and reminded I am poor”
“I can rely on the Guardian to report accurately, entertain & dig deep if required. The only newspaper which I trust these awful days”
“Still can't afford to subscribe, so appreciate that I have access to A grade journalism”
“Have to pay $160 year which isn't possible on a student budget.”
“Great investigative journalism and and political reporting for £12 is a fair offer”
“The new 30 article per month limit has pretty much ruined the app.”
“a 45% (!!!) annual subscription price increase”
“The new 30 article per month limit has pretty much ruined the app.”
“There's no way to cancel them. I've tried for months and failed”
“Now there is a hard limit unless you pay $100+ a year. The website is still free.”
“The app logs me out constantly, articles disappear as I scroll down the page. It's insanely frustrating.”
“a 45% (!!!) annual subscription price increase”
“There's no way to cancel them. I've tried for months and failed”
“The upgrade doesnt work. Its old news but app now unusable.”
“lately the app has been crashing, overheating my phone and freezing often”
“now I am a person recovering from cancer with 2 perm disabilities. I can't afford to pay, and I am sick of being constantly harassed and reminded I am poor”
“the Guardian app closing for no reason, 2 or 3 times during the daily reading”
“it's become a sneering ideological nose bag”
“Now since the latest update, app just hangs and won't open”
“The number of negative stories that appear about Israel is unparalleled with regard to any other country in the world”
“The only thing stopping me from unsubscribing is that the other news apps are worse”
The market around it
Brands competing for the same feed
Keep exploring the radar
More Meta ads teardowns
Also winning with the authority claim angle
Quick answers
FAQ
How many ads is The Guardian running on Meta right now?
123 active ads sit in the Meta Ad Library, with a winning set of 37 ads that have survived 30+ days. The longest-running ad has held for 80 days, and this week added 2 new winners with 0 retired.
Which angles and languages dominate the winning set?
All 37 winning ads run in English. Recipe showcase leads with 9 ads, community support story and distinct destination showcase tie at 6 each, relatable problem statement and family day out sit at 4 each, and wonder inspiration holds 3.
What creative pattern is actually working?
The proven formula is a roughly 32-second video with no on-camera presenter, just Guardian Feast app and dish footage, used across the top angle recipe showcase (9 ads). Image still leads the overall format mix at 65% versus 24% video.
What do reviewers say versus what the ads promise?
89 reviewers praise journalism quality and 18 cite reliability/trust, but ads push '7000+ recipes' or a '14-day free trial'. Meanwhile 14 reviewers flag app crashes and 17 flag paywall friction, issues absent from the 28 unique primary texts running.