What a 19-Year-Old Creator Taught Me About Making Scroll-Stopping Ads

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 (this issue)

• Sometimes sharing some other performance marketers’ lessons with you

• And I analyze & compare the best ads on the internet

New Episode Alert: 5 Ads Formats That Convert Like Crazy!

You’ll learn:

• Trust Hacks That Convert: Real reviews, raw UGC, and feature-first messaging that actually sell.

• Low ROAS? No Panic: How we manage budgets + client comms when performance dips.

• AI Game-Changer: A lip-syncing AI tool that makes your ads pop.

• Creative That Cuts Costs: The carousel ad that slashed CAC for a health brand.

• Back to Basics: Why fundamentals > shiny objects every time.

We’re dropping tactics, wins, and ad breakdowns that doubled revenue.

Check it on Youtube or Podcast player wherever you listen. 

BEST LINKS OF THE WEEK (on popular demand)

My favorite finds

• Meta Ads Playbook: 10 High-Impact Tactics

• ChatGPT ad examples thread (since their launch of image generation)

• True Classic early playbook

• ChatGPT image generation prompt

Studying organic videos will teach you how to run better ads. 

I went down a rabbit hole studying Jenny Hoyos.

She’s 19, has over a billion views, and her average short pulls in 10 million.

I went through her most-watched podcast interviews, her TED Talk, and breakdowns of her content by creators like Takumi Shyegun.

And this edition is about extracting the tactics and applying them to paid ads.

Let’s get into it:

1.  Open with the Problem and the Plan

Jenny doesn’t just hook you with a bold line. She tells you what’s wrong and what she’s going to do about it—immediately.

For example, "My grandma thinks Christmas is expensive, so I’m going to prove her wrong with a $5 gift."

You instantly know:

• What the video is about

• Why it matters

• And how it ends (but you’re sticking around to see how)

This is powerful for ads. Most brands waste the opening on fluff. Instead:

• Hit the pain point.

• Show what you’re about to do.

• Tease the result.

People don’t watch for mystery. They watch to see a plan unfold.

2. Set the Stage, Then Build Towards the Payoff

Every Jenny short follows a clear rhythm:

1. Bold opening

2. Set expectations

3. Tell the story step-by-step

4. Deliver the ending

5. End fast

Here’s the trick: she constantly reminds you where the story is headed

If she starts with "I’m going to fix this for $5," you’re watching to see if she pulls it off. That’s the whole point.

For ads, this means:

• Let people know what they’ll see if they stick around.

• Then actually show it.

• And don’t drag it out.

3. Design Your Ad for the Replay

Jenny’s average short is 34 seconds. Not 20. Not 60. Thirty-four.

Why? That’s her sweet spot for rewatch rate.

She knows that when people rewatch, the retention % climbs.

That’s what pushes videos into the algorithm.

For paid ads, that’s your chance to repeat the CTA, product shot, or punchline—without annoying the viewer.

Design for repeat viewing (rewatching it again and again):

• Short. But not too short.

• Interesting enough to watch again.

• Ends cleanly—so it loops well.

4. Make People Say: “That’s So Me”

Jenny’s strongest skill? She makes people feel seen.

She doesn’t rely on jokes. She shows everyday moments in a slightly exaggerated way.

And that’s what makes people stay.

For ads, this is gold:

• Don’t try to be clever.

• Don’t try to go viral.

• Just show a moment your audience already lives with.

As I shared in the previous newsletter for comedy ads, be relatable. 

Funny happens when people recognize themselves. Even if it’s a little uncomfortable.

5.  Make the Video Feel Familiar

Her sets are simple, but intentional.

A fast-food sign. A kitchen. A grocery store.

The kind of stuff you instantly recognize—even without sound.

You don’t need a fancy location. You need familiarity.

Use:

• Props people know (TV dinners, cracked iPhones, microwave burritos)

• Stereotypes people spot instantly (messy roommate, clueless boss)

• Visuals that signal the theme right away

The faster your viewer gets it, the faster they understand and stay.

Thanks to our partners who support this newsletter.

6. Add a Flaw. Then Exaggerate It.

I’ll say it again, perfect people aren’t interesting.

Jenny’s videos work because they’re full of flaws:

• A character who doubts her

• A mom who thinks she’s being ridiculous

• Her own awkwardness when something goes wrong

Notice how she reacts when it gets awkward in this video. She even goes on saying, “Look at my face, I’m RED. Tomato.” And how her mom is adding conflict to the story.

In ads, we call this "Building relatable tension." But honestly, that’s just being human.

Try this:

• Make someone a little selfish

• Make someone a little clueless

• Let someone react too dramatically

Exaggerate one of these and suddenly the scene has life.

7. Plan for the Moment That Pops

One important part of Jenny’s videos is the edit.

The way everything clicks visually.

This could be:

• A fast zoom right as something breaks

• A cut that lands perfectly on a punchline

• A visual that pays off the setup

If you want your ad to be remembered, you need this moment.

Look at how this video is so much more interesting because of the edits.

Think of it like the emotional payoff. That one moment people will want to show their friend.

Script can’t save a bad edit. So make the edit sing.

8. Repeatable Formats = Repeatable Wins

Jenny doesn’t reinvent the wheel.

She repeats formats:

• $1 food vs full price

• Gift with very little money

• Breaking a rule for fun

Each is a bucket. A format that she can repeat 10 different ways without boring the audience.

Paid ads need this more than ever.

Don’t just make 20 random videos. Make 3 buckets and go deep. Test what is working. Then follow the same structure, different hooks, different scenarios or different angles.

That’s how you learn what works fast.

9. Write Like You’re Talking to a 10-Year-Old

Jenny uses a readability checker.

Her goal is to write 5th-grade level or lower.

Why? Because words like “optimize” or “growth” or “equity” sound fine to you, but they make people scroll.

Instead of saying "profit," she explains it like:

"I spent $1 and made $3."

Look at the simplicity of the language in the video below.

Simplicity always wins.

Write like you're explaining it to a bored 10-year-old because that’s how most people consume content.

10. The Hidden Psychological Itch

Here’s the underrated principle Jenny nails—She opens a loop and always promises to close it.

It’s curiosity psychology.

She doesn’t just say, “Let me show you something.” She says: “Let me prove this person wrong—with only $5.”

Now the viewer has to stick around.

And because she actually delivers the payoff, it builds trust.

It’s like storytelling with accountability. Not just hype. But a setup and a satisfying ending.

Great ads do this too:

• Present a real question

• Make the product the answer

• Wrap it all up before the viewer scrolls

11. Her Viral Story Formula

Jenny shared her formula in her TED Talk while breaking down this video. She shared what works every time:

• Start with a bold, slightly absurd question ("Can I cook faster than a drive-thru?").

• Show the journey—step by step—toward that answer.

• Add tension. In her case, it was her mom doubting everything, creating mini-conflicts and chaos in the background.

• Layer a B-plot. Her mom worrying about the smoke or her burning the car added another thread to follow.

• Deliver a clear resolution (she did cook faster).

The power here is momentum. You're not just telling a story, you're pulling the viewer along by opening a loop and stacking little problems.

It’s not about being polished or perfect. It’s about creating just enough curiosity and conflict to make someone stick around for the answer.

For ads, this structure works beautifully when your product becomes the resolution. 

When your product is the thing that brings the chaos to an end.

You can check here TedTalk here.

That’s a wrap!

Jenny’s videos aren’t magic. They’re just stacked with good elements:

• Clear problem

• Easy setup

• Real characters

• Clear conflict

• Simple visuals

• Great editing

• Clean payoff

Put those in your next ad.

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.

Three 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.

• Level up your paid marketing by joining my community, where we share the latest tactics and get nuanced paid marketing questions answered here (we are now 70+, but there is a waitlist to join).

• Promote yourself to 13,500+ highly qualified paid marketers by sponsoring this newsletter. Advertise here.