8 Copywriting Principles Your Brain Can’t Ignore

Author

Aazar Shad
February 08, 2026

What's up, Marketers! This is Aazar.

This newsletter is all about giving you ad ideas to find winnings and help you scale.

This newsletter includes: My learnings (this issue), insights from other performance marketers, and analysis of top internet ads.

I want to thank Stape.io for sponsoring this newsletter too.

I was working with a client spending $160K monthly on Meta ads.

ROAS looked terrible. They wanted to cut budget.

Something felt off.

I ran their site through Stape's free Website Tracking Checker.

Two minutes later, I found the problem:

Their tracking setup had three critical issues:

First, Tag Manager configuration errors meant conversion data wasn't reaching Meta properly. The setup looked fine in the interface, but the data pipeline was broken.

Second, ad blockers were preventing the Facebook Pixel from firing for a significant portion of their traffic. No pixel fire means no conversion tracking.

Third, cookie lifetimes were limited to just 7 days by browser restrictions, destroying their attribution window.

Here's what most brands don't realize:

You're losing 30-40% of your conversion data because browsers and ad blockers block client-side tracking. You're not underperforming. You just can't see what's working.

We fixed it using Stape's server-side tracking. It bypasses ad blockers by routing data through your own server instead of directly from the browser.

Result: 34% more conversions tracked. Same ad spend. Suddenly profitable.

We weren't underperforming. We just couldn't see the full picture.

Other brands using server-side tracking saw similar results: +36% more Google Ads conversions tracked, +24% improvement in Facebook tracking accuracy.

If your ROAS looks bad but your gut says the campaigns should be working, your tracking is probably broken.

I see a lot of garbage copywriting advice.

"Be clear." "Know your audience." "Focus on benefits."

Cool.

Everyone knows that.

So why do most ads still sound the same?

Because nobody teaches you the actual techniques that make copy stick.

I'm talking about principles that have names. Structures you can steal. Patterns your brain recognizes (subconsiously) before you even finish reading.

This edition breaks down 8 copywriting principles you can use today. Not theory. Actionable techniques with examples.

Chiasmus. Anaphora. Aposiopesis. (Don't worry, I'll explain each one in simple terms.)

These work best for static ads. But yeah, you can play around with your landing pages, email subject lines, or anywhere words matter.

Let's go.

Principle #1: Chiasmus

Mirror your idea in reverse order.

The structure: A → B → B → A

Your brain loves symmetry. When you flip the order, the message sticks harder.

For example, you must have heard about this sentence a lot: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country. — JFK

Why it works: 

It creates a rhythm that makes people pause and reread. That pause is where it sinks in.

Principle #2: Anaphora

Repeat the same opening words across lines.

The structure: Start multiple sentences or phrases the same way.

It builds rhythm and momentum. Each repeat hammers the point deeper.

Why it works: 

Repetition creates emphasis. It makes your message feel bigger, more urgent, more certain.

Principle #3: Parallelism

Keep the same grammatical structure across lines.

The structure: Match your sentence patterns line by line.

It makes your copy feel clean and confident.

Why it works: 

Your brain processes patterns faster. Parallel structure makes the message easier to absorb and harder to forget.

Principle #4: Antithesis

Place two opposing ideas side by side.

The structure: Show contrast. This vs. that. Before vs. after.

It sharpens your point by making the difference obvious.

Why it works: 

Contrast creates clarity. When you put opposites together, the choice becomes clear.

I want to thank Videowise for sponsoring this newsletter too.

The average DTC brand uses less than 15% of their video content buried in their library.

Creative volume matters more than ever. But the real bottleneck isn't production but it's organization and retrieval.

Here's the pattern I'm seeing:

Brands commission 50+ UGC videos per quarter, then spend more time searching for clips than building ads. Media buyers wait days for variants that should take hours. Testing velocity dies even though content budgets keep growing.

The problem isn't creativity. It's retrieval and organization.

Videowise AI Clips solves this.

Growth teams can now use AI to automatically:

  • Identify and clip high-value moments (hooks, testimonials, demos, objections, B-roll)

  • Tag everything from people to objects, environment, and context

  • Make the entire asset library searchable in plain English

Early results from brands using AI Clips:

One team went from 5 ad variants per week to 35. Same footage. Same headcount. Zero new production.

Another discovered 200+ usable clips from content they'd written off as "already used."

Principle #5: Aposiopesis

Stop mid-thought and let them finish it.

The structure: You set up the idea, then... you trail off.

Their brain completes the sentence, and they participate in the message.

Why it works: 

People convince themselves better than you can convince them. When they fill in the blank, they own the thought.

Principle #6: But-Therefore Rule

Use "but" and "therefore" to create logic and movement.

The structure: This happened, BUT this changed, THEREFORE this result.

It turns flat statements into a story with cause and effect.

Why it works: 

"And" just lists things. "But" and "therefore" create tension and resolution. That's what keeps people reading.

Principle #7: The Pivot Line

One short line that reframes everything.

The structure: Build tension, then drop one line that flips the perspective.

Why it works: 

Short lines hit hard. When placed right, they stop the scroll and change the frame.

Principle #8: Call-and-Response

Ask a question, then answer it.

The structure: Pose a question people ask themselves, then land your point.

It mimics conversation.

Why it works: 

Questions activate the brain. People answer silently, then keep reading to see if you got it right.

That’s all from this week.

I’d also like to thank CreativeOS. All these image ads in this newsletter were created with the help of CreativeOS.

Creative strategy isn't about one great ad. It's about speed, volume, iteration, and systems.

That's exactly what CreativeOS is built for.

You get instant access to thousands of high-performing static ad, landing page, and email templates — proven hooks, angles, and layouts pulled from top brands. Instead of staring at a blank canvas, you're starting from structures that already work.

Pick a template. Customize it. Launch it. Move on to the next variation.

It's the fastest way to produce more winning creative without burning out your team or sacrificing quality. Whether you're testing new angles, scaling what's working, or building repeatable creative workflows — CreativeOS is the system that makes it happen.

Happy Growing with Paid Social,

Aazar Shad

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