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, insights from other performance marketers, and analysis of top internet ads (this issue).
Gift from me: I created this flow in Higgsfield. If you want the prompts, simply click here:
If you've ever struggled to make your ads connect emotionally, this one's going to be useful.
Relatio's ads stop the scroll because they understand the emotional pain of their audience.
And they're speaking to one of the most raw, universal human experiences there is. Breakups.
But here's why you should care even if you're not in the relationship niche.
I went deep into their ad account this week. What I found wasn't just good creative. It was a masterclass in emotional advertising.
These are some of the most psychologically loaded ads running right now. One ad runs for four minutes and forty seconds, with the product showing up at minute three. But the format keeps you hooked. Your audience will not skip it.
Every single ad is built on a psychological principle you can apply to whatever you're selling. Importantly, these are very different ads and they work if you use it right.
This one's worth reading slowly.
Ad #1: The Story Trojan Horse
The first frame looks like a Pixar movie poster. Animated characters, warm lighting, Christmas fairy lights framing the scene. You don't think "ad." You think "what is this?"
And BAM! You're inside a story.
Btw, this is great use of AI to create pixar style scenes.
Why This Works
The moment that animated opening plays, your brain switches modes. You are invested in the story
Look at the script closely. It doesn't say "I sent a message." It says 12 words, and she replied in 9 minutes. Specific details feel like memory. Vague details feel like marketing.
Psychology behind this
Emotional absorption kills skepticism. When you're inside a story, your guard drops completely.
What You Can Steal
Lead with a scene, not a claim.
Use specifics obsessively. Exact times, exact numbers. Details build belief faster than any headline.
Write the arc like this: open with a painful moment, show everything they tried that failed, introduce the product as the unexpected discovery, close with the transformation.
Ad #2: The Enemy Decoder
The opening shot is a man covering his face in the shower. You don't think "ad." You think "someone filmed this in a real moment."
Why This Works
Most breakup ads validate your pain. This one explains her psychology to you.
The script removes blame and replaces it with understanding. The reader stops seeing her as the villain and starts actually understanding what's happening.
The ad then dismantles every logical approach the reader has already tried. Photos. Memories. The kids. 20 years. All of it, one by one. That creates a vacuum. The reader has nothing left.
Psychology behind this
Confusion is exhausting. Clarity feels like a BIG relief. The ad sells clarity before it sells the product.
What You Can Steal
Explain the other side's psychology to your reader. Not just their pain, but why the other person is behaving the way they are.
Destroy every alternative before introducing your solution. Make the reader feel like they've run out of options first.
Raw, unpolished visuals signal authenticity
Write the hook around a pattern, not a person. "Midlife divorces have one thing in common" instantly pulls in everyone who fits that situation.
Ad #3: The Insider Briefing
This one is just text on a paper-textured background.
Looks like a post someone screenshot and shared. Your brain doesn't register it as an ad.
Why This Works
The headline triggers curiosity, not desire. "Why she's ignoring you" is a question the reader is already losing sleep over. They have to keep reading.
Then it immediately kills the most popular advice. "No contact alone won't make her crave you again." The reader has tried this. Now they're hooked.
Bold text on key phrases like "no contact," "reconnection switch," and "blocked you" creates scannable anchors. Even skimmers catch the core idea.
Psychology behind this
People trust information that contradicts popular belief. It signals insider knowledge. The reader feels like they're getting something most people don't have access to.
What You Can Steal
Lead with "why," not "how." Why something is happening pulls harder than promising a fix.
Debunk the most common advice in your niche early. It positions you as the one who actually understands the problem.
Bold text helps skimmers
Tools worth checking out:
Atria: You're only as good an advertiser as your swipe file. Atria saves and analyzes ads, with AI to create concepts and scripts in seconds. Try it for free. It offers ad analytics, a swipe file, an AI creative strategist, collaboration tools, asset management, and competitor tracking. I’m not an ad genius, but Atria makes me one.
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:
Ad #4: The Mirror Hook
"Please Please Please Stop Chasing Her."
Three pleases. Not one, not two, three. That repetition mirrors exactly what the reader has been doing internally. Begging. Pleading. The headline sounds like their pain.
Why This Works
Then it immediately tells them to stop. You came looking for ways to chase better, and the ad tells you chasing is the problem. That's a pattern interrupt inside the hook.
"We're looking for 10 men" adds scarcity. That makes you want to qualify.
The timeline turns a promise into a schedule. The reader stops asking "will this work" and starts asking "which week am I on."
Psychology behind this
Seeing your own behavior reflected back at you creates a jolt of self-awareness. That jolt is what drives the click.
What You Can Steal
Write hooks that sound like your reader's inner monologue, not a product description.
Use repetition deliberately. Three of anything feels like urgency.
Replace vague outcomes with a timeline. Specificity makes promises feel real.
Scarcity doesn't always need a discount. "We're looking for X people" works just as well.
Ad #5: The Visual Contradiction
The image and the text are telling opposite stories at the same time.
Why This Works
You're looking at what he had while reading about losing it.
The warmth of the visual makes the pain of the text hit harder. You feel the loss more because you can see exactly what was lost.
The scrolling text format hooks you into the story and keeps you reading line by line.
The screenshot UI signals organic content, not something a brand produced.
Psychology behind this (This was my favorite trigger)
Contrast amplifies emotion. You’re seeing what you’ve lost. Happiness and loss shown simultaneously create a tension your brain needs to resolve. You keep watching to resolve it.
What You Can Steal
Pair visuals and copy that contradict each other intentionally. The tension does the emotional work for you.
Make your ad look captured, not produced. Phone UI, natural lighting, real moments.
Use scrolling text formats to pull readers through a story line by line.
Ad #6: The Provocative Note
I’ve already tried this format for my clients. And it’s winning big in testing campaign already.
Why This Works
The handwritten format signals personal, insider advice. It feels like a secret being passed between friends.
The controversial headline gives the reader permission to abandon everything that hasn't been working. That’s relief.
The body copy is three sentences. Problem, discovery, result.
Psychology behind this
Provocative statements create a jolt. The reader either strongly agrees or strongly disagrees. Either way, they stop scrolling.
The headline says the thing your reader is thinking but feels uncomfortable admitting.
What You Can Steal
Keep the body brutally short. Problem, discovery, result. That's all you need.
Controversial doesn't mean offensive. It just means saying something that challenges the obvious advice everyone else is repeating.
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.
Ad #7: The Split-Screen Shock Hook
This is an interesting format… Three videos running simultaneously: a creator narrating at the top, two emotionally relevant clips below.
The hook is deliberately provocative to stop the scroll cold, then an educational, clinical breakdown does the heavy lifting to build enough trust for the click.
Ad #8: The Raw Walk-and-Talk
This is one of their longest-running ads.
It feels completely unpolished and unscripted. Raw authenticity signals advice, not advertising.
The Quiz Funnel (And Why It's Brilliant)
I normally just break down the creative strategy, but this quiz funnel deserves attention.
Every ad sends you to a 3-minute quiz.
Quiz
It doesn't just ask questions. Between questions it drops facts, social proof, and urgency. The quiz is doing sales work the whole time.
Scarcity inside the quiz
It layers scientific credibility mid-funnel. Oxytocin diagrams, biochemistry explanations. By the time you finish, you feel educated, not sold to.
Scientific credibility inside the quiz
Reviews appear toward the end, right when doubt peaks. Timing is everything.
Social Proof inside the quiz
Quiz funnels work exceptionally well for apps in high-stakes niches. If your product solves a personal problem, a quiz almost always beats a landing page. Worth testing.
Key Learning and Takeaways
Lead with story, not product
Use specifics obsessively (times, numbers, details)
Explain the other side's psychology (not just pain)
Destroy alternatives first (create vacuum)
Visual-copy contradiction (amplifies emotion)
Native format (looks organic, not produced)
Write like inner monologue (not marketing voice)
Debunk popular advice (signals insider knowledge)
Quizfunnels for emotional products (engagement > landing pages)
Timeline instead of vague promise (makes it feel real)
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.
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