Creative library / HubSpot
H
HubSpot
The Free Tool Funnel
Creative breakdown · from live Meta ads

How HubSpot's Meta ads actually work.

Give away a genuinely useful free tool. The tool is the ad, and the ad is the top of funnel.

Vertical SaaS Format Static Running 8+ weeks Site hubspot.com
Broken down by a former Meta growth leadBroken down by Jonas, a former Meta growth lead, from HubSpot's live ads in the Meta Ad Library
The principle

HubSpot doesn't run ads saying 'buy our CRM.' They run ads for free tools, Website Grader, Email Signature Generator, Blog Ideas Generator, Invoice Templates. Each free tool solves a small, specific problem. The user gets value immediately. HubSpot gets an email address and a user who now associates the brand with helpful tools. The free tool is simultaneously the ad (it provides the click motivation), the landing page (it delivers value), and the lead magnet (it captures the email). Three funnel stages compressed into one interaction.

The ad, in one frame
hubspot.com
Sponsored · Static
Give away a genuinely useful free tool. The tool is the ad, and the ad is the top of funnel.
hubspot.comTry it free
StaticThe Free Tool Funnel
'Grade your website in 30 seconds, free' or 'Generate your email signature in 2 clicks'
The hook promises immediate, specific, free value. No demo to book, no PDF to download and read later. Instant utility. The specificity ('30 seconds,' '2 clicks') makes it feel effortless.
The framework
Hook
'Grade your website in 30 seconds, free' or 'Generate your email signature in 2 clicks'. The hook promises immediate, specific, free value. No demo to book, no PDF to download and read later. Instant utility. The specificity ('30 seconds,' '2 clicks') makes it feel effortless.
Body
Preview of the tool output, what the website grade looks like, what the email signature looks like. Showing the output proves the tool is real and useful. The viewer evaluates the output, not the brand. If the output looks valuable, the click follows naturally.
Trust
HubSpot brand recognition, 'used by X businesses,' 'free, no credit card required'. 'No credit card' removes the fear of hidden charges. The brand recognition assures the viewer this isn't a scam tool that harvests emails. Scale numbers validate that the tool works.
CTA
'Try it free' or 'Grade your site now'. Action-oriented CTA that describes what the viewer will DO, not what they'll get. 'Grade your site' is more engaging than 'Use our tool' because it promises a specific result.
How to adapt it

Every SaaS company has a feature that could be a standalone free tool. A project management tool could offer a free meeting agenda template generator. An accounting tool could offer a free tax deadline calculator. A design tool could offer a free color palette picker. The tool should solve a problem adjacent to your core product. Users who find the tool useful are pre-qualified leads for your paid product. This is the highest-ROI B2B advertising strategy on Meta.

See it live

HubSpot's real ads on Meta

This breakdown is built from HubSpot's active ads, running for 8+ weeks at the time of writing, a signal the format is still working. See the current set for yourself in Meta's public Ad Library.

Open HubSpot in the Meta Ad Library →

Want the account plan, not just the creative?
This is how HubSpot's ads are built. To model how an account like this should be structured, budgeted and optimised, run your own site free.
Run your site →
Common questions
What is The Free Tool Funnel in advertising?
Give away a genuinely useful free tool. The tool is the ad, and the ad is the top of funnel. HubSpot doesn't run ads saying 'buy our CRM.
Why does HubSpot use it in their Meta ads?
The hook promises immediate, specific, free value. No demo to book, no PDF to download and read later. Instant utility. The specificity ('30 seconds,' '2 clicks') makes it feel effortless.
Related principles
Monday.com
The Visibility Promise · SaaS
Shopify
The Founder Proof · SaaS
Huel
The Price Reframe · DTC