How to make great ads, fast
Without professional help
Hello! Welcome to your weekly dose of INSPO ✨
This week, we’re keeping things simple.
It’s easy to overcomplicate ad creative and think you’ve got to be spending hours of time and £££ on professional production.
But in reality, most brands have got a LONG way to go before they need that.
Ad breakdown
Ad production doesn’t have to be time consuming or expensive.
But it does have to be rooted in good strategy.
Barry Hott (the guy in the ad below) is known for being an ugly ads advocate and a master at creating ads that don’t scream ads.
So what makes this work?
👉 An attention grabbing visual hook. The fact he’s stood in the shower looks odd and makes you stop scrolling just to work out why someone’s filming in the shower.
👉 A strong messaging hook that makes it clear who this ad is for. Using ‘did you know X’ immediately makes us ask ourselves ‘do I need to keep watching this’ which filters out those this ad is for and those it’s not (less budget waste).
👉 A simple script structure focused on a specific problem with a specific solution. No long-winded list of product features/benefits, just problem + solution.
👉 Casual language. The language doesn’t feel scripted at all, it feels natural and authentic, especially at the end as Hott openly calls out the fact ‘this is an ad’.
👉 A visually strong product. I know this isn’t always optional BUT it’ something to consider if you’re a young brand people don’t know yet. Owning a bold and memorable colour can make a big difference.
The best bit? Barry literally just filmed this at home, in the shower, holding and using the product. If you’re a founder, you could easily do the same with your product.
How to make this format work for your brand
If you’re running ads on Meta or TikTok and you haven’t tested an ad in this style yet, move it to the top of your list immediately. But before you hop in the shower and hit record, make sure you’ve thought through this stuff:
🪩 Who are you talking to and what’s a single problem your product solves for them?
🪩 Come up with a strong visual hook that aligns with your product (for example, don’t film in the shower if you sell bedding)
🪩 A strong messaging hook. For example: ‘how to do X’ or ‘did you know X’ or ‘ 3 reasons why X will love this’
🪩 A rough script but not too polished, keep it simple but speak as if you were telling a good friend about this product.
🪩 A strong end card. Make it quick to scan and easy to remember, again keep it simple by adding a few back up facts but not trying to get every little detail on there.
Give this a go and let me know what happens!
Can’t wait to hear how you get on so please do send me links to your ads to once they’re running!
Happy ad making,
Katherine 🪩
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