What's up, Marketers! This is Aazar.
This newsletter is all about giving you ad ideas to find winning ad ideas and help you scale.
This newsletter includes: Analysis of top internet adsm insights from other performance marketers, and my learnings (this issue).
Collectively, our agency creatives spend more than $50/m year, and we have 25+ ad accounts that spend 6-8 figures a month. So, we know what’s working.
I am sharing these ad formats are the ones working really well right now for our clients.
So I pulled them into one breakdown you can steal for your next campaign. They work for any niche.
We made a few of these ads. So these are formats we've run ourselves and saw them perform; feel free to steal them.
Each one below is short. What the format is, and the psychology that makes it click. Let's go.
1. Secret Camera Angle
People talking like they forgot the camera was on. You're basically eavesdropping.
(btw, we created this ad, and it is crushing it)
Why it works
Feels like a real conversation, not an ad, so people don't put their guard up
The pitch hides inside the chat, so it never feels like selling
You catch the product as the "answer" one friend gives another, which lands softer than a claim
The psychology behind it
Watching a candid moment triggers curiosity about someone else's life, and that keeps eyes on screen. We're wired to be nosy, and anything that feels private makes us lean in
2. Writing on Whiteboard
Just a hand writing on a whiteboard while music plays.
Why it works
The writing appears one point at a time, so you stick around to see what lands next
It feels like a lesson, not a sale, which makes the claims easier to trust
Rough and low production, so it reads as honest instead of polished marketing
The psychology behind it
We grew up learning from whiteboards, so the format quietly borrows a teacher's authority and we absorb it like a fact, not a pitch
They’re in a lab breaking down why most supplements fail, then reveal the "right" one.
They never claim to be an expert. The confident teardown does it for them.
Why it works
Ranking the bad options first makes them look neutral, so the recommendation feels earned
The expert look lets them make bold claims without sounding salesy
You feel educated by the end, so buying feels like your own smart decision
The psychology behind it
You can't say "trust me, I'm the authority," but you can show it. A coat and calm expertise trigger the same trust, and we rarely stop to question it
We’d like to thank Atria, our partners, for this newsletter.
Raya is an AI performance marketer that lives in your Slack. Tag her like any other teammate and she answers right in the thread, backed by your actual ad account data.
She's trained on over $5.4B in ad spend, so what she tells you is grounded in what's actually worked, not a guess.
One thing worth being clear on: Raya isn't here to replace your team. She takes the reporting and analysis off their plate, so they get their week back for the creative work that actually needs a person.
Add her to a channel. Ask her anything. You'll have your answer in a minute.
My clients create their own report in our common Slack channel.
4. Constant Movement with Open Loop (Jenga)
They’re answering questions about the product while stacking a Jenga tower.
Why it works
The tower creates tension, so people watch to the end just to see it fall
Longer watch time means the full pitch actually gets heard
The casual setup makes the sell feel like background chatter, not an ad
The psychology behind it
We can't look away from something about to collapse. That open loop hijacks attention and holds it while the message slips in underneath
5. Post-it Note
An ugly stack of post-it notes, one point scribbled on each.
(We created this ad)
Why it works
Looks organic, not produced, so it blends into the feed like a real person's post
The messy look signals "not an ad," so people drop their guard
Each note is one quick idea, which makes it easy to skim and keep watching
The psychology behind it
Feeds are full of glossy, produced ads, so our brain filters them out on sight. Something that looks handmade breaks that pattern and reads as a real person sharing, not a brand selling
It walks through what someone is quietly going through, then explains the real cause and hands over the fix. Feels like someone finally gets it.
Why it works
It describes the problem better than the buyer could, so trust builds fast
Naming a hidden cause reframes the whole struggle, and the product becomes the obvious answer
Long, specific, and calm, so it plays like advice instead of a sale
The psychology behind it
When someone explains your problem better than you can, you assume they hold the solution too. That earned trust does the selling before the product even shows up
7. Tier Ranking
You might have seen this in organic already. It has transferred to paid ads now. It grades the options like a tier list. C tier, S tier.
Why it works
Ranking rivals first makes the verdict feel fair, not biased
The scorecard format is easy to follow and fun to watch
The winning pick feels chosen, not pushed
The psychology behind it
We're built to compare and rank. A tier list scratches that itch and holds attention, and the top pick borrows all the credibility of a "neutral" judgment
Happy Growing with Paid Social,
Aazar Shad
Since this newsletter is free, I do it to follow my curiosity. But I’d love it if you could leave some feedback so I know if I am helping you or not.
One way I can help you, whenever you are ready:
If you’re looking to create winning ads for your brand or app, book a call here. I’m open to more clients now. We’ve been crushing it for multiple health, app, and DTC clients.
