What's up, Marketers! This is Aazar.
This newsletter is about leveling up your paid growth marketing skills by analyzing the best brands' paid strategy, tactics, positioning, and value props.
This newsletter is divided into:
Sharing what I've learned
Sometimes sharing some other performance marketers’ lessons with you
And I analyze & compare the best ads on the internet (this issue)
There's an ad on Meta with a photo of raw fish.
It has no headline, no branding and no logo.
It's been running since June 2025 and it's still going strong.
That's the thing about native ads. When done right, they don't feel like ads at all. People just read them.
The 40+ audience in particular responds incredibly well to this format, but the truth is, when something speaks directly to a person, it works, no matter their age. They buy.
Today, I’ll share 4 principles to create great Native Ads.
This is what native ads look like:
We’ll discuss the psychology behind each one, a copy template you can steal, and two prompts at the end. One to find the deep pain your ad needs to be built on. One to write the ad itself.
This is the whole system, start to finish.
Note: You’ll have to check the complete ad to read the complete ad.
Plus, I am sharing how to make these with different prompts at the end of this newsletter.
Let's get into it.
Principle 1: The Confession That Disarms
"My husband came out as gay after 26 years of marriage and it nearly killed me. Literally."
That is a strong confession. And once you read that line, you are inside the story.
By the time the product shows up, readers are rooting for Aaliyah.
Why it works
The opening voices the reader's own shame before they have to admit it themselves
A fictional doctor delivers all the science, so the narrator never has to make a single claim
Details like "random Tuesday in October" make the story feel like memory, not marketing
Psychology behind this
Stories bypass the part of the brain that evaluates and resists
Once you are emotionally invested in a character, rejecting the product feels like abandoning them
Here's the template
[Open with a moment, not a claim. Something happened. Put the reader in the scene.]
[The thing they secretly blamed themselves for. Say it out loud for them.]
[Everything they tried that failed. Be exhaustive. The longer this list, the more seen they feel.]
[The unexpected discovery. A person, a conversation, a turning point.]
[The explanation. Why nothing worked before. This is where you earn trust.]
[The product. Natural, not forced. Just the next step in the story.]
[Week by week results. Specific numbers, not vague claims.]
[Close with a reason to care, not a reason to buy.]
Principle 2: The Rage That Validates
The ad opens with a woman who has had 12 UTIs in 18 months. And her husband gets his first UTI in 20 years.
He walks out with specialist referrals and ultrasounds.
She gets told to drink cranberry juice.
Why it works
The first line reads like something typed into a Facebook group at 2am. Raw, specific, zero polish. It stops the scroll immediately
One UTI in 20 years gets full specialist treatment. Twelve in 18 months gets cranberry juice. That contrast is doing all the heavy lifting
"Has anyone ever explained WHY you keep getting these infections?" makes every previous doctor look incompetent without saying a single negative word about them
The exhausted husband sighs "another miracle cure?" shows the toll the problem takes on the whole relationship, not just the body
Psychology behind this
When an ad says what the reader has been feeling but never said out loud, trust is instant
Reframing the problem as systemic failure removes self-blame and makes the reader feel like the solution is finally on their side
Here's the template
[Open with the reader's exact words. Write the first line like they would type it into a search bar or a group post at midnight. Raw, specific, no polish.]
[The comparison that makes the unfairness undeniable. Their situation vs someone who got treated better. Use real numbers.]
[The list of everything they did right. Show they are not the problem.]
[The one question nobody ever asked them. This is your pivot to the solution.]
[The explanation of WHY. Science delivered through a trusted character, not a brand voice.]
[The product as the first thing that addresses the real cause, not the symptoms.]
[A relationship detail that shows what the problem costs beyond the physical pain.]
[Close with solidarity, not a pitch.]
Tools worth checking out:
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Some of the latest features I am in love with.
AI chat that’s basically media buyer and analyst on my finger tips.
and AI tagging to easily find what’s trending and what to double down on:
Principle 3: The Double Standard That Hits Home
This ad compares the double standards culture has when dealing with problems in men and women. It is calling the culture out as an enemy.
Why it works
The opening reframes a personal, embarrassing problem as something that is not normal, just normalised. That shift alone is powerful
Husband mentions ED once, walks out with a prescription. She spends 18 months with four doctors and gets told to have a glass of wine. The specificity makes it land hard
The gaslight list works because every line on it is something the reader has personally heard. Reading it feels like finally having a witness in the room
One real data point, that women were not included in clinical trials until 1993, gives the whole story credibility without feeling like a lecture
Psychology behind this
When someone sees their problem is being ignored while an equivalent one gets full attention, shame turns into clarity
That shift from self-blame to clarity is what makes them ready to act
Here's the template
[Open with a comparison that shows how differently the reader's problem is treated vs an equivalent one. Make it specific and a little provocative.]
[The contrast that exposes the gap. Real numbers, real situations.]
[The gaslight list. Every dismissive thing they have been told. Write it in their voice, not yours.]
[One real data point that validates everything they suspected. Just one.]
[The expert who finally gets it. Deliver the science through them.]
[The product as an act of reclaiming something that was taken from them.]
[Close with permission. Tell them they do not have to accept this.]
Principle 4: The Witness Who Pulls You In
This ad starts like a thriller story and pulls you into the story.
Why it works
Told from the spouse's perspective, not the sufferer's. The person in pain recognises themselves and so does the partner watching
The opening is a scene, not a symptom. A phone call, a stranger's voice, shaking hands, a burgundy scarf. Details that make it feel real
Halfway through, the doctor tells the wife she is also at risk. One purchase now protects two people
Psychology behind this
Perspective shifts find people who would never have self-identified as the target audience
Fear for someone you love converts faster than fear for yourself
Here's the template
[Open with a scene, not a symptom. Tension first, context second.]
[Tell the story from the observer's perspective. Someone watching a person they love go through something.]
[Sensory details that make the scene feel lived in. What they saw, heard, felt.]
[The reveal delivered to the observer, not the patient. They are learning alongside the reader.]
[The moment the observer realises they are also at risk. This expands your audience without changing the product.]
[The product ordered for a loved one that turns out to be needed by both.]
[Results for two people, not one.]
[Close with the fear of the phone call they never want to receive.]
Find The Pain Before You Write A Word
Every ad we broke down today started from the same place. A deep, specific, almost uncomfortably accurate understanding of what the reader is feeling.
Dan Kennedy called it entering "the conversation already occurring in the customer's mind." Not guessing at pain points. Diagnosing the market so precisely that the reader feels recognised before you introduce a product.
I built a prompt based on his method from The Ultimate Sales Letter.
Feed it your product and audience, and it surfaces the exact pain your ad needs to be built on.
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.
Now Go Build One
Both prompts are below. One finds the pain. One writes the ad.
Fair warning: they are going to ask you a lot of questions. That is the point. The better you answer, the better your ad. Make a coffee first.
TL;DR
Native ads work because they don't look like ads
All ads have one thing in common: Storytelling that makes you feel something.
One image that has nothing to do with your product + long story-driven copy is the format
40+ audiences read long copy. Don't be afraid of it
Lead with a confession, a rage, a comparison, a trap, or a witness. Pick one
Pick 5 top negative emotions to lead with the hook and story.
The image's only job is to stop the scroll. It doesn't need to match the copy
Your opening line is everything. Write it like the reader typed it themselves
The product should feel like the next logical step in the story, not the point of it
Never lead with the product. Lead with the human
Polish kills trust. Real moments, real people, real scenes
Do the pain research first. Everything else follows from that
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.
Two ways I can help you, whenever you are ready:
Work with me to get you growth from paid marketing. Book a call here. I’m open to more clients now.
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