Demand Curve - The Growth Newsletter #176

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The Growth Newsletter #176

Teardown of an emotionally powerful ad

Signs you're marketing nerd:

You stop to watch the ads. You bookmark them. You send them to friends.

You're even nerdier if you analyze an ad line-by-line for over an hour.

Today, we're those types of nerds analyzing an ad from MasterClass + Esther Perel.

Let's dive in

– Neal

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Teardown of an emotionally powerful ad

Insight sourced from Aazar Ali Shad.

How many of you would, at least on occasion, like to be out of the relationship you’re in?

That’s the powerful opening line for an ad (here’s the video) from MasterClass for their course with renowned relationship therapist Esther Perel:

It’s a powerful ad that doesn’t feel intrusive or overly promotional. It’s emotional and thought provoking. It’s filled with credibility building and social proof.

Here’s the line-by-line analysis (click here or the image for a high-res version):

Key learnings:

• For longer videos like this, use various cuts to keep people engaged
• Use a strong hook to get people interested, then use another hook halfway to keep their attention (ex: ”Would you say, coming out of your childhood…”)
• Layer credibility and social proof throughout the video to add weight to what you’re saying
• Use social proof/testimonials to pitch the product instead of doing it directly
• Sell the benefits, not the features
• Leave the CTA subtle in the video and use the ad itself to do the pitch.

Want ad inspiration from top startups? Check out our Ad Vault.

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How we can help you grow

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Thanks, everyone! Have a glorious weekend your enemies' .

Neal O'Grady

Justin Setzer