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How to Make VSLs That Hold Attention and Drive Sales (Breakdown + Templates)
templates + prompts too
Aazar Shad
March 16, 2025
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)
BEST LINKS OF THE WEEK (on popular demand)
My favorite finds
New Youtube Episode Drop: How THIS Viral Ad Hack Made us $45K to $150K in Revenue Within a Day
2 winning ad formats that are working for me & why
2 winning ad formats that are working for Marco & why
How to exploit viral success from Super Bowl for your ads
Why you should stalk your wife or partner to steal ad ideas
I’ve made multiple purchase decisions because of a good VSL.
When something is high-ticket or an important investment—especially in education, fitness, and health—a good video sales letter (VSL) makes all the difference.
Why?
Because a VSL gives you time to connect, explain, and persuade in a way no other ad can.
I've personally watched (and bought) from programs just because their VSLs worked on me. If something costs over $300-500/month or $3000 overall, I’m sitting down and watching the video.
And I’m not alone.
If the message resonates and the offer is right, a VSL will move people to buy. I’ve experimented it myself.
That’s why I believe VSLs still work incredibly well—if done right.
In this edition, we’re breaking down 3 powerful VSLs that hold attention and convert. We’ll analyze:
What makes them work?
What keeps people watching?
How can you create a similar structure?
I’ll also share VSL templates (exact framework) you can steal to make your own high-performing VSL.
(To go easy on you, and not make this edition excruciatingly long, I’ve taken one long VSL and two short ones, make sure you watch them)
Shout out to Mikka from my community to giving me the best brands to steal ideas from.
Let’s dive in.
VSL Breakdown #1: Dr. Gundry Energy and Health
Check the complete ad here.
What Immediately Stands Out
Strong Hook with a Viral Trend: Kicks off with Korean banana coffee, making it feel like a casual, everyday video—not an ad.
Quickly Flips the Script: Just as you’re intrigued, it throws in a twist—banana milk isn’t actually healthy. This makes you rethink what you thought you knew.
Delivers a Big "aha" Moment: Drops the bomb that even “healthy” foods are packed with harmful seed oils, making you question your diet choices.
Calls Out a Common Enemy: Points the finger at big corporations pushing unhealthy foods for profit, adding a layer of skepticism and urgency.
Gets Personal for Credibility: Dr. Gundry shares how he struggled with weight gain and had to unlearn mainstream health advice, making him relatable and trustworthy.
The Hero’s Journey Structure:
Struggle: “I used to be 70 pounds overweight.”
Discovery: “I realized seed oils were the real problem.”
Breakthrough: “I found the answer in a rare Moroccan olive oil.”
Backed by Science (Not Just Opinions): Supports claims with historical facts, biology, and real research, making the argument hard to dismiss.
Stacks Benefits Like Crazy: This isn’t just an olive oil—it boosts energy, supports joints, clears skin, sharpens focus, and helps with weight loss.
Makes It Feel Exclusive: It’s not available in stores, which makes it seem rare and premium—you can only get it through this offer.
Removes Any Risk of Buying: The 90-day money-back guarantee makes it a no-brainer to try.
Clear and Urgent Call to Action: Uses a limited-time discount and direct language to push immediate action. Makes people act now rather than “think about it” later.
This VSL hooks viewers with curiosity, builds trust with storytelling and science, and drives action through urgency and exclusivity.
Steal This VSL Framework
Start With an Unexpected Hook
Use a trendy or surprising idea to grab attention.
Example: “Have you heard about the viral Korean banana coffee trend?”
Quickly Introduce a Problem
Make it relevant and urgent.
Example: “Here’s the problem—banana milk is full of sugar and additives.”
Reveal a Hidden Truth
Educate the audience with an uncommon insight.
Example: “Seed oils were originally used as machine lubricants before being marketed as ‘health food.’”
Introduce the Solution
Position it as exclusive, powerful, and scientifically backed.
Example: “This Moroccan olive oil has 30X more hydroxytyrosol than normal olive oil.”
Stack the Benefits
List multiple high-impact transformations the product can create.
Example: “Supports heart health, sharpens focus, hydrates skin, boosts energy, and burns fat.”
Create Scarcity & Exclusivity
Make the product hard to get outside of this offer.
Example: “You won’t find this in stores.”
End With a Strong CTA + Risk Reversal
Offer a discount + risk-free trial to push urgency.
Example: “Try it for 90 days, and if you don’t love it, get a full refund.”
Thanks to our partners who support this newsletter.
Tools worth checking out:
Atria: You're only as good an advertiser as your swipe file. Atria helps save good ads and analyze them in-depth. But the best part? Their AI helps me create concepts and scripts within seconds. Check it out for free. Most importantly, they now have built-in ad analytics & AI creative strategist to make more winning ads. Check out this video, how I am using their AI recommendation (don’t hate the hook, it STILL works for one of my clients. I thought about testing it).
Creatopy: This is how top brands create thousands of perfectly-sized ads effortlessly. With Creatopy, one click instantly resizes designs for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn while maintaining perfect brand consistency. Change one headline? It updates EVERYWHERE across all variations. It even handles translations automatically!
I used to spend hours tweaking designs for different platforms. Now I create 50+ professional ad variations in seconds. Try Creatopy free (no credit card required) and transform your ad production workflow.
Creative OS: Don’t waste your designer’s time in copying swipe files. Get all static ad templates to increase your experiments and ad creatives’ velocity. Check it out here.
VSL Breakdown #2: Sabri Suby
What Immediately Stands Out
Grabs Attention with a Story: Starts with a dramatic, relatable moment—a failed marketing effort that’s played out like a real conversation, not an ad. It’s stealthy and feels like something you'd stumble upon in your feed.
Keeps Energy High with Fast-Paced Editing: Uses quick cuts, bold text overlays, and sudden shifts in tone to keep viewers engaged and prevent them from clicking away.
Throws in Humor & Pattern Interrupts: Jokes about a tequila enema and throwing a MacBook out of a moving car instantly make it feel different from a typical marketing ad. The humor makes frustration relatable rather than just another sales pitch.
Calls Out the Audience’s Struggles: Directly addresses the chaos of modern marketing—too many tools, confusing strategies, endless podcasts, and fake productivity (LinkedIn refreshing, unnecessary Zoom calls).
Hits You with an Unexpected Pivot: Just when you expect a traditional marketing solution, he drops a curveball—"There is no solution." This shocks the viewer and makes them pay attention.
Instant Credibility Boost: Casually flexes $7.8 billion in client sales and running the fastest-growing agency, making the offer impossible to ignore.
Teaches Instead of Just Selling: Introduces the Larger Market Formula, explaining why most marketing efforts fail and showing a better way to approach selling.
Breaks Down the Real Problem:
Only 3% of people are ready to buy now.
Most businesses waste all their effort chasing that small 3%, instead of nurturing the other 97% into buyers.
Solution? A system that turns cold prospects into eager customers.
The CTA is a No-Brainer: Instead of pushing a product, he offers a free book (Sell Like Crazy), removing any hesitation and building trust before asking for a sale.
Uses Scarcity & FOMO Without Being Pushy: “Get your free copy today… before you stay stuck in a pit of your own pity.” Frames the decision as progress vs. stagnation, making inaction feel painful.
Ends with a Quirky, Memorable Disclaimer: Instead of a boring legal notice, he makes the fine print funny, listing fake “side effects” like higher ROAS, lower CPLs, and even hurting a horse’s feelings. It reinforces the playful, high-energy tone of the VSL.
This VSL is a perfect mix of humor, storytelling, and education. It grabs attention, shifts beliefs, and makes the offer feel irresistible without hard selling.
Steal This VSL Framework
Start With a Story Hook That Feels Real
Open with a relatable struggle to make it feel like a natural piece of content, not an ad.
Example: “They said all I needed was a new logo… then my marketing budget was murdered.”
Call Out the Audience’s Frustration
List common struggles in a humorous, exaggerated way.
Example: “Thinking of doing a tequila enema or throwing your MacBook out a window?”
Introduce a Surprising Insight
Drop an unexpected truth that reframes how they see the problem.
Example: “Here’s the problem—most businesses focus only on 3% of buyers.”
Explain Why Traditional Approaches Fail
Educate the audience with an easy-to-understand framework.
Example: “97% of buyers aren’t ready YET—but you can turn them into customers with the right system.”
Show Proof & Authority
Share big revenue numbers, client success, or personal expertise.
Example: “We’ve generated over $7.8 billion in sales.”
Introduce the Solution in a Low-Friction Way
Instead of selling immediately, offer something free to build trust.
Example: “Want this system? Get my book for free.”
Close With Fun Scarcity & CTA
Use playful urgency instead of aggressive pressure.
Example: “Or don’t… and stay in a grey emotionless pit of your own pity.”
VSL Breakdown #3: V Shred
Check the complete ad here.
What Immediately Stands Out
Grabs Attention with a Familiar Face: The “Have you seen this guy?” hook instantly creates curiosity while subtly reinforcing social proof. If you’ve seen him before, it makes him feel legit and everywhere—which builds trust.
Challenges What You Think You Know: Instead of giving the usual weight-loss advice, it shakes things up with unexpected claims:
“Stop running on the treadmill.”
“Stop cutting carbs.”
This forces viewers to question their current approach, making them more open to new information.
Uses Multi-Narrators for Engagement: The video doesn’t rely on just one speaker—it rotates between three people, keeping things dynamic and conversational.
Keeps Energy High with Fast-Paced Editing: The video moves quickly with bold text, rapid cuts, and engaging B-roll, making it hard to look away.
Makes Science Simple: Instead of overwhelming the audience with biology, it frames visceral fat as “the real enemy”, making it easy to understand why losing weight isn’t just about eating less and exercising more.
Introduces an Expert for Authority: Just when you start questioning everything, they bring in the celebrity trainer, giving instant credibility to the claims.
Taps Into Psychological Priming: Transformation stories and before-and-after comparisons make you subconsciously compare yourself and wonder if you’re doing something wrong.
Turns the Offer into a Low-Friction Commitment: Instead of pushing a hard sell, the ad pitches a free body type quiz, which feels helpful rather than salesy.
Uses Micro-Commitments to Build Engagement: The interactive quiz gets users involved, increasing the likelihood that they’ll follow through to the next step.
Creates a Seamless Funnel: Not a VSL thing, but the funnel is smooth. The quiz personalizes the experience, leading to a custom VSL based on the user’s answers—making the final pitch feel tailored and relevant.
This VSL has the authority, engagement, and psychology to make it nearly impossible to ignore. Plus it leads viewers step-by-step into a conversion funnel without feeling like an ad.
Steal This VSL Framework
Use a Social Proof Hook That Reinforces Awareness
If running paid ads, frame your authority as “everywhere”.
Example: “Have you seen this guy?” (implying you probably have).
Challenge Conventional Beliefs Fast
Immediately disrupt common industry myths.
Example: “Stop running on the treadmill. Stop cutting carbs.”
Introduce a Hidden Problem (The “Enemy”)
Frame the real issue as something people haven’t considered before.
Example: “The real problem isn’t carbs—it’s visceral fat.”
Back It Up With an Expert
Introduce a trusted authority (trainer, doctor, scientist, or founder).
Example: “This celebrity trainer is proving why weight loss advice is all wrong.”
Simplify the Solution Without Hard Selling
Instead of pushing a product, offer a simple, science-backed insight.
Example: “The food you eat directly impacts visceral fat storage.”
Drive a Low-Friction CTA (Micro-Commitment)
Instead of selling directly, guide users into a quiz, free test, or personalized tool.
Example: “Take our free quiz and get a personalized plan.”
Make the CTA Feel Urgent & Easy
Use direct, action-driven language.
Example: “Click the link below, take the quiz, and get your plan now.”
Key Lessons and Takeaways: VSLs for Paid Ads
Start with a hook that grabs attention fast. A question, bold statement, or viral trend works well.
Challenge what the audience believes. Make them rethink what they “know.”
Make the problem feel urgent. Show them why they need to act now.
Use storytelling to keep people engaged. A personal struggle, discovery, and solution work well.
Keep the video moving. Fast cuts, text overlays, and changing speakers help hold attention.
Use simple language. People should understand everything without effort.
Introduce an expert or authority figure. It builds trust and makes your solution feel real.
Show proof that backs up your claims. Before-and-after results, studies, and real people help.
Stack the benefits. The more ways your solution improves their life, the better.
Make the offer feel exclusive. If they can get it anywhere, it’s less valuable.
Keep the call to action easy. A free quiz or free resource lowers hesitation.
Give them a reason to act now. A limited-time offer or risk-free trial helps.
Make it feel natural, not like an ad. It should feel like helpful content.
Use humor and personality when possible. People buy from people they like.
Don’t sell right away. Educate, build trust, and then guide them to the offer.
Use a funnel to warm up leads. A quiz or free resource makes the sale easier later.
Keep testing and improving. A great VSL isn’t one and done. You have to iterate. One of my friends told me that it took him 6 months to perfect his newsletter.
Here’s a link to Notion with Templates and ChatGPT prompt to create great VSL ads.
P.S. You can find more resources of mine on VSL here too:
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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