Read in your browser ↗ Hey! When I write an ad script, I spend 50% of my effort on the first three seconds. The hook. Great ad hooks consist of two key elements: • Sound: Voice over, dialogue, music, sound effects. • Visual: Footage, video effects, and captions. Today, I'll show you 24 visual hook examples from tech companies. Cheat Sheet (tl;dr) Let's dive in. 1. Setting Pick an unexpected place or time. 2. Scale Make your subject tiny, huge, or multiplied. 3. Familiarity Use famous or...
25 days ago • 1 min read
Read in your browser↗ The freelance market is tough. Talented creatives are struggling to find work, while brands are struggling to find creative talent. How’s that possible? Well, one reason is that we creatives are great at marketing, but terrible at marketing ourselves. So today, I’ll share everything I’ve learned about finding clients. TL;DR Okay, let’s dive in. My Personal Experience Hi, I’m Shlomo. I’ve been a freelance copywriter and creative for about six years. I started my career...
2 months ago • 6 min read
Read in your browser↗ Oh, Nano Banana. The greatest AI image tool. Here are 12 ways I use it to make ads: 01. Change Hairstyle Prompt: Mess up her hair so it looks like a full-on bad hair day: Uneven volume, frizzy strands, pieces sticking out in random directions and covering her face. 02. Expand Frame Prompt: Zoom out to reveal her legs and more of the room she was painted in, while keeping the same original painting style. 03. Change Outfits Prompt: Replace her dress with pink cozy pajamas...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Read in your browser↗ Hey! Making ads for tech products is hard because product screenshots are usually boring. Great UX/UI, terrible ad hook. Volkswagen had a similar problem. Their cars had tons of unique features, but explaining them meant showing boring illustrations. Now, showing the actual features is very important – just later in the funnel. An ad should grab attention and deliver one simple message, not cover the entire pitch. So they tried a different creative strategy... Analogy...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Read in your browser↗ Hey! I created this AI ad for my client: Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the process, prompts, and prices. Step 1: Inspiration 🛠️ TikTok (free) and Perplexity ($20/mo) A few months ago, I saw a TikTok of a woman working on her laptop in the ocean. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it, but I knew it was a fantastic visual hook, so I created this little mood board. Then, while doing research for HiBob’s payroll feature launch, I saw this Reddit comment....
4 months ago • 1 min read
Read in your browser↗ Hey! Making video ads doesn’t always mean spending $50k. Sometimes all you need is a tiny production. Here’s how I created four short video ads for my client, HiBob: 1. Concepts I presented my ideas like this: 💡 Pro tip: Prepare 3-5 extra concepts. Let the client choose. 2. Scripts Then I turned the chosen ideas into scripts: Read the full script and grab this template For the visual reference part, Google’s Nano Banana makes it easy to adjust facial expressions and...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Read in your browser↗ Hey! Constantly coming up with new ads is hard... But a technique I learned from Pablo Rochat makes it easier. Credit: Nicer Tuesdays I call it Square Storming. And here's how I used it to come up with 100+ ads for my client, AppsFlyer: SPONSOR I use Senja to collect, organize, and share testimonials from my course students: And when I advise startups, Senja is the first tool I recommend, because nothing boosts conversions faster than social proof. SPONSOR Step 1: I...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Read in your browser ↗ Hey! Legal restrictions often kill good ads. But sometimes, they inspire genius ideas, like this: Here's another one from this campaign: The Recipe I call these “Legal Loophole Ads,” and I think there are two main ways to come up with them: 1. Complain about your legal restrictions I also love this classic from 1985: 2. Find a way around your legal restrictions And another great example: Budweiser couldn’t use photos of rock stars drinking Bud because of copyright. So...
6 months ago • 1 min read
Read in your browser ↗ Hey! Typographic ads are the perfect mix of copy and design. Because Typography turns plain copy into expressive visuals. So here are six techniques I use to create Typographic ads. 1. Replace letters with images 2. Turn words into shapes Small caption (right ad:) “See danger before it happens. Audi Cornering Lights.” Ad for mental health hotline. I had the pleasure of writing copy for this Coke campaign. Two stories, in two languages, form the shape of a bottle....
7 months ago • 1 min read