The Power of Strategic UGC

Word-of-mouth motivates your customers 92% more than traditional advertising. They turn to social media feeds to find information from family and friends, discovering Instagram, Facebook and TikTok ads along the way.

Your customer’s goal is to discover authentic proof that your product or service will work for them, too. It’s up to you to tailor-make video ads that offer that experience to them, which is easier than you think.

 

UGC Myths

UGC in performance marketing is incredibly influential, but some brands still hesitate to jump on the UGC bandwagon. These are the most common reasons that marketers are afraid to leverage UGC:

• Finding a creator is too complicated
• The ads will appear sloppy or off-brand
• Coordinating with content creators is challenging and expensive

Fortunately, high-quality, affordable UGC is easier than ever to coordinate. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to create high-converting UGC ads.

 

Simplify UGC from the Start

Explore the similarities between the buying patterns and shopping trends of your current and ideal customers and weave in the data you collected through marketing analysis and competitor research. Then roll it all together to create a fictional shopper or buyer persona that embodies all of these factors.

This customer—the “user” in your UGC—is who you’ve got to connect with. Tailor-make your UGC to appeal to them. Ask yourself,

• What do they want?
• What do they actively avoid?
• And what is your brand hoping to get from your UGC ad campaign?

 

Authenticity or Bust

UGC doesn’t work unless it’s authentic and natural. With new technology and social media platforms, brands can reach a seemingly endless pool of potential customers, all actively engaging with content. These potential consumers, however, didn’t sign into their accounts to become advertising targets. Instead, bombarded with ads, they developed an ad radar to detect overtly promotional or salesy content.

To avoid alienating their target audience, advertisers moved away from traditional ad campaigns on social media platforms towards UGC. But low-quality, spammy UGC sets off alarm bells every time.

59% of consumers say inauthentic advertising annoys them, which means if your brand sets off your customers’ BS alarm, you risk losing a potentially valuable customer.

Recommendations from trusted peers are more valuable. So, the organic UGC you’re creating reflects the relatable personality of your average buyer, making your marketing efforts far less likely to set off their ad radar.

 

Three Reasons Why You Haven’t Created UGC Ads—And What to Do About It

You’re Worried UGC Ads Will Feel Off-Brand

Here are some ways to inject your brand into your UGC TikTok ads:

Pick the right creator

Your content creator should embody your brand. Hire the real-life content creator version of your buyer persona. Having a content creator that is consistent with your brand helps blur the lines between paid and organic content.

Plus, working with a creator matching your brand’s target audience also provides fresh insights about your customer base and empowers you to create UGC ads that drive conversions.

All in all, your UGC gives your customers a glimpse into their future. If they can relate to your creator, they can envision themselves as your future customer.

 

Surround UGC with Branded Elements 

Add an element of brand identity into UGC ads. Try layering text boxes and type treatments with your brand colors or fonts on top of the UGC footage. For more tips, see the next section.

 

Start Small 

Not to over-emphasize, but finding the perfect content creator for your brand will help ease your mind. The quality of your UGC is far more significant than the quantity of UGC you post.

If you’re still feeling hesitant even after your brand-consistent creator makes your fresh UGC content—start small. Add UGC snippets into regular ads and track engagement and conversion data.

 

You’re Afraid Your UGC Will Look Sloppy

Follow these tips to achieve native-style UGC that still feels professional:

Pick Your Platform

UGC best practices differ by social media platform, so great TikTok ads might need a tuneup to perform well on Facebook.

Your social media followers are more likely to buy your product than brands they don’t follow, so studying each platform’s popular UGC can inspire you to create great content that blends in. For more ideas, check out how these popular DTC brands leverage different features across social media platforms.

 

Don’t Overdirect

Hiring the right content creator will virtually eliminate this concern altogether! They’re industry professionals. Rest easy knowing you’ll have high-quality footage for your team to edit.

Although UGC is supposed to be unpolished, good lighting is always appreciated. It’s worth mentioning to your creator that great lighting and clever product placement are important for your brand (many creators like to film during golden hour).

 

Provide a Shot List 

You don’t want to get in the way of the creative process, but if there are specific shots, specific footage, or essential elements you want, including close-ups, demos, unboxings, etc., make a list for your content creator beforehand. Otherwise, let them run with it!

You’ve hired the right creator, so you’ll end up with professional footage.

 

You’re Concerned Your Ad Will Look Out of Place

Incorporate these native elements into your ads to achieve seamless UGC:

Use First-Person Perspective

Your audience wants to know how people like them use your product, and since your content creator fits your buyer persona, they’re the perfect person to share their experience directly.

A great way to create that connection is by using the first-person perspective.  “I” statements are more relatable and help communicate authenticity—without being salesy. The “testimonial” and “how-to” formulas are great examples of first-person in UGC.

While it’s fine to mention, remember it comes naturally to most content creators, so don’t limit their creativity with a script. Your creator is the embodiment of your buyer persona. They’ll be able to relate and identify with their peers—your target audience—more authentically if they can speak freely (see next tip!).

Check out how the best TikTok ads are fun and creative without losing their organic feel.

 

Sound On

A video with sound improves the experience for your audience, whether they are Instagram Reels or TikTok ads. Trending songs, platform-specific sound bites, and voiceovers can add authenticity to your ads, but prioritize clear audio above all else.

 

Use Voiceover

Using voiceovers rather than trending music or audio clips engages your client and makes your UGC feel more relatable. You build trust by using narration to lead your audience through an experiential journey with your product as if they are close friends or are in on a secret.

 

Use This Formula for Winning UGC TikTok Ads

Take the guesswork out of your UGC ads by trying any of the fantastic ad templates available to brands and content creators.

Remember that effective UGC ads typically need the following:

• A great hook– It’s what compels people to stop scrolling and start listening. Ask your creator to film a few hooks—two is fantastic, and 3+ is even better!
• A motivator for finding solutions– Give the audience a moment to relate to the content before jumping into the fix.
• A way out (your brand!)– Introduce your brand’s product or service as the solution to their problem.
• An explanation of the benefits or features of your solution– Describe specific benefits and features.
• An authentic testimonial– Your creator’s voiceover or video (they can provide a few options).
• A CTA– Your audience wants to buy the product. Tell them how to do it!

 

Try this template: 

 

Example:

 

Leave It to the Pros

When your target customers become curious about how a product look in real life, whether they actually work as advertised, and if they are worth their money—they’re logging into their social media apps and looking for recommendations from content creators to find out.

By giving your customers access to this information, you can convert curiosity into purchases and see for yourself the significant ROI that UGC advertising brings.

Primer makes it easy. Discover new creators and get ready-to-launch UGC video ads with Primer. Schedule your consultation today.

 

Let’s say you’ve crafted the perfect paid social ad using proven ad templates. The big question is, now that you have your audience’s attention, how do you get them to take the next step toward making a purchase?

The answer to that lies in your CTA, or call to action.

The most effective CTAs blend into the video or image around them. Yet this may leave you wondering how to write a less overt CTA that still captivates a viewer and converts them into a potential customer.

When it comes to creating video ads that will help maximize growth, we don’t believe you have to reinvent the wheel. Often, great marketing is about using what works and making it fit your brand’s messaging and voice.

Primer has tested thousands of video ads on social platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and others, and we’ve learned how to develop a CTA that converts while also feeling organic to the user and native to the social platform.

Why Should You Include a CTA?

Simply put, CTAs drive conversions.

When you end a video ad with a CTA, you’re prompting your audience to make a purchase, learn more about a product, or sign up for a service.

In other words, you convinced your target audience to watch the ad with an attention-grabbing hook and showed them the important details, frame-by-frame, by using a proven video ad template. Your CTA tells them what to do next.

Once your audience is inspired to take action, you can boost your conversion rate by having your CTA lead to a landing page tailored to your audience’s ad experience.

 

Yet, certain types of CTAs aren’t equally effective on all social platforms. In fact, on some platforms, a CTA done wrong can appear out of place for users.

Take TikTok, for instance.

Did you know TikTok ads that blend into the native content of the platform perform much better than those with a prominent CTA?

That’s because TikTok audiences are likely to click away from ads that feel like ads. Users quickly spot and move on from ads that go heavy on branding and a more traditional, overt ad-style presentation.

In these cases, it’s better to let users find their way to the product organically by matching the style of the platform. For instance, you can convert on TikTok by adopting a single-influencer UGC style, avoiding ending with brand cards and overt CTAs, and leaning into native elements of TikTok in your ads.

 

CTAs That Convert

Regardless of the social platform where you’re running your ad, a CTA should feel organic to the user and native to the social platform. That’s where we come in.

Check out these 25 examples of CTAs Primer has developed that are proven to convert.

 

Native Style

As we touched on above, users on platforms like TikTok are fast to click away from ads that feel overproduced and non-native. On the flip side, a native-style ad mimics the elements used on a specific platform, like text and colors, trending sounds and music, and a video format consistent with other users who post on the platform.

1.     No CTA included (a purely native-style ad).
2.     End with a search bar. Start your ad with a user searching Google and end with a CTA that is your search term.

Search Bar Example:

 

 

UGC Style

A UGC content format is a way to personalize your ads by using creators and UGC ad templates to give them an organic feel. Continue that user voice in the CTA. Test including the CTA both in text on the screen and in the voiceover. We find that using just in the voiceover is powerful, like in the example below, because it feels more like a user’s unique point of view.

3.     Give [brand] a try. (Great in a customer or creator’s voice: “Definitely, give State Bags a try!”)
4.     Go check out [brand]. (Another good one for a creator’s voice)
5.     Don’t sleep on [product]. Order today!
6.     Don’t waste any more time. Give it a try.

UGC Example:

 

 

“Get Started!”

Inspire your audience to act by showing them how simple it is to take the first step with your brand.

7.     Get started with [brand].
8.     Get started for [price].
9.     Get started online.

 

Problem/Solution Oriented

Highlight a problem or problems your audience might have, or offer solutions to problems they didn’t know existed.

10.   Fix your [problem].
11.   Are you ready to let [brand] [solve problem] for you?
12.   Discover your [solution] today. (Example: Discover your custom lawn plan today.)
13.   Upgrade your [problem area] today. (Example: Upgrade your outdoor space today.)
14.   Kickstart [solution] with [brand] today. (Example: Kickstart their reading progress with Ello today.)
15.   Order [product] today and get [benefit]. (Example: Order a Zen One bundle today and get better sleep in 1-3 nights.)

Fix your [problem] Example: 

 

Promotional/Freebie

Everyone loves to save money on a good deal. Offer your audience a promotion that’s free or discounted, such as a membership, shipping, or money off their purchase.

16.   Sign up for free today.
17.   Free shipping (use the CTA to communicate a special offer).
18.   Get your free [offer/analysis/quiz results].
19.   Give it a try for just [price].

Free Shipping Example:

 

Product-focused

Using product-focused ad templates and content is a great way to build up to a CTA that drives home the message about your product.

20.   Find your perfect [product/attribute].
21.   Discover [product] just for you.
22.   Start searching. (This one is great for marketplaces or stores with multiple SKUs where you’re communicating to a wide variety of consumers.)
23.   Sign up for your first [product] today. (This CTA is effective for subscription brands.)
24.   Find yours today. (Note that this CTA should be used in voiceover and not in the text on the screen.)
25.   Say 👋 to [brand].

Say Hi to [brand] Example:

 

Beyond Ad Templates: How Primer Helps Drive Growth

Using these CTAs in your ads can help drive conversions and boost growth, and they can be easily incorporated into one of Primer’s tested and proven video ad templates.

Remember, hypergrowth marketing is all about using what you already know works to build winning ads!

Beyond offering a range of ad templates to craft high-converting social ads, Primer gives you the tools to keep pace in a rapidly evolving marketing landscape. We help our partners develop top-performing ads and scale them effectively through rapid, high-volume testing of your videos and social ads. This gives you the insights to tap into current trends, iterate top-performing ad content, and maximize your growth.

Primer handles the process for you, including

• Creative strategy
• Design
• Production
• Reporting
• Media buying

Schedule a free consultation with Primer to learn how creative testing can help you create successful video ads with CTAs that will take your brand’s growth to the next level.

 

TikTok recently released Smart Performance Campaigns (SPC) for TikTok ads, and it’s a game-changer for advertisers on the platform. 

Similar to Meta’s Advantage+ campaigns, SPC is TikTok’s end-to-end automation solution that uses machine learning to optimize for the best performance and marketing goals. It simplifies the campaign creation process and enhances ad delivery strategies for audience, bidding, and creative exploration. Essentially, SPC removes the need for marketers to set up individual ad groups, determine bidding strategies, or place creative tests.

At a high level, TikTok (Meta too) is trying to further level the playing field for advertisers so that the practice of running ads is simple. With account optimizations removed, this is also more evidence that ad creative is the biggest lever brands can pull to drive growth. 

 

Who Should Use SPC for TikTok Ads? 

Any performance marketer who wants to reduce time spent in the account and see an increase in performance is a good fit for SPC. According to TikTok, it reduces campaign creation time by 26%. They also say it extends the ad lifespan by 37% when compared with manual campaigns. 87% of the Closed Beta advertisers also reported statistically better CPA and ROAS when compared to status quo setups.

We’re seeing pretty amazing results at Primer too. Here’s what our team had to say:

 

SPC is great for performance-driven advertisers who are comfortable with giving control to the system over audience targeting. It can mean less time spent setting up campaigns and tinkering with ad accounts. 

 

How to Set Up SPC for your TikTok Ads 

To test SPC, ensure a minimum of 20:1 budget-to-bid ratio, with 50:1 being the most ideal. Use daily budget for even pacing and avoid touching the campaign for the first 7-days or prior to reaching 50 conversions. CPA fluctuation is normal during this time, so it’s essential to stay patient. Use a minimum of three diverse creative assets to get the best results. We recommend setting it up as an equal, 1:1 test against a standard campaign with the same budget to really understand if SPC is a winner for your account.

 

Get Access to SPC 

TikTok’s Smart Performance Campaign is currently in public beta. As a TikTok partner, Primer can help connect you with reps and beta opportunities. Schedule a call to get started.

 

User-generated content brings products to life in a far more personalized way than traditional ads. Increasingly, your customer’s experience with products comes through their smartphone screen. By hiring professional UGC creators and using UGC templates, you can maximize the value of customer-created content and harness the power of authentically representing the user experience.

But “authentic” is the operative word—and it’s where others can fall short if they’re not intentional about hiring the best content creator for their brand.

Follow these essential tips to maximize your UGC by hiring the perfect pro to create content your audience can’t resist.

Why are UGC templates successful?

Brands are embracing user-generated content (UGC) worldwide, but only some use it effectively. While anyone can use popular UGC ad templates, professional content creators have the experience and creativity to make your content stand out—driving engagement and conversion rates.

The pioneering “user” in UGC

Before UGC rose in popularity with marketing teams, users posted and shared organically created content. The posts were based on real-life experiences with a product or service and geared towards their followers—and potential customers.

Embracing the opportunity to build a community around their products and services, companies seized the opportunity to engage directly with their customers.

Brands repost reviews, feedback, and other user-generated content on their social channels to positively influence engagement metrics. According to one survey, 77% of respondents are more likely to purchase products from brands that use UGC.

UGC in ad campaigns

To traditional marketers, UGC ads seem counterintuitive. The brand takes a back seat, the production value is intentionally low, and they’re giving up some creative control.

A professional creator understands the fundamental advantage of user-generated content. UGC minimizes consumers’ distrust of conventional advertising by engaging directly with brands’ customer base from the consumer point-of-view.

And most importantly, content creators know how to do it authentically—with eye-catching content that subtly communicates your call to action before your audience realizes they’re watching an ad.

UGC creators vs. influencers

Although influencers create content, there are significant differences between UGC creators and influencers. Know the difference so you can hire the right content creator to represent your brand.

Influencers

Brands engage influencers as product ambassadors for access to their follower base and clout as microcelebrities. It is tempting to reach out to influencers because of their large followings, but it’s important to note that their audience may not be relevant to yours. Misaligned or unrelated content could be interpreted by their audience as outright advertising, which isn’t the intention of well-made UGC, or you could end up paying for an audience that is not likely to convert.

Content creators

Brands hire UGC creators for their creativity, ability to capture the brand’s voice, and connection with a target audience. They don’t need a large following since they do not typically share UGC content on their social channels. Social platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels have popularized UGC templates for both ads and organic posts alike. With content creators, brands can leverage those UGC templates to create ads that feel more native to the social feed.

Content niches

At their core, UGC creators and influencers are content creators experienced in crafting a message that resonates with an audience within niches. Partnering with creators who can speak directly to your audience, whose audience matches your ideal customer, and who represents that ideal customer maximizes your brand’s messaging.

Brands are no longer limited to marketing strategies that rely on public figures and celebrities with large audiences. As a result, content creators give brands a voice that is relatable and accessible.

Consider your audience

The more your creator fits the persona of your target audience, the more successful your campaigns will be. They will be able to capture your customers’ attention, keep them interested, and motivate them to buy more effectively if they can identify with your audience—their lifestyles, preferences, challenges, and spending habits.

Hiring and working with freelance UGC creators

It’s not one size fits all. Choosing a professional who understands your brand can make or break your UGC marketing strategy, but you may not know where to start, what to look for in a creator, or how to tell if your UGC templates are effective.

How do you find and hire a content creator tailored to your brand and target audience? And how do you keep your project on track once you hire one?

TikTok Creator Marketplace

TikTok is the mothership for UGC creator content. There is an endless supply of talented creators ready to take on your project—and TikTok made it easier than ever.

Discover hundreds of professional content creators on the TikTok Creator Marketplace by applying filters based on the type of creator you need, your brand’s goals, your target audience, and other relevant requirements.

Tip: Searching #UGCcreator tags on TikTok and Instagram is a great way to surf professional UGC creators’ content to see if they’re the right fit for you. 

Fiverr & Upwork

Popular freelancing platforms, like Fiverr and Upwork, allow businesses to browse through the catalog of talented UGC creators or post an ad for their campaigns. Creators have their rates and reviews in their profiles, helping you stay on budget while searching for your perfect creator.

Connect with a creator

Investing in a content creator to convert your product or services into credible endorsements and content that feels native to the platform requires some prep work.

It’s important to communicate your brand’s goals. Define your marketing goals and sales strategies ahead of time. Your perfect content creator can apply your UGC templates to make the biggest impact.

If you think you’ve found the right creator, talk to them about your campaign. They need to know:

1. 1. About your company: your target audience and UGC goals
   2. Campaign name + details
   3. Campaign budget
   4. Their point of contact

Impactful UGC templates

Professionally made UGC blends advertisements with organic user content, but it’s only effective if customers believe in its authenticity. Viewers won’t stick around if they feel tricked into watching a sales pitch. The pros know how and when to use different UGC templates depending on your goals, your audience, and your product. And by passing off these ads as native social media content, popular UGC templates are integrating creator-produced UGC into ads that convert.

Common freelance UGC creator challenges:

Delayed response times

Independent contractors might not have availability to respond to your inquiry immediately or have room on their schedule to spearhead your campaign due to other client commitments. When seeking out creators, ask for their availability right away and make sure to factor in production times (see below).

Surprise fees

You never want to be caught with surprise fees or upcharges. Start by confirming the fee structure against their freelancer profiles before moving forward to avoid inaccurate rate estimations.

Production delays

Make sure you factor in the time it will take to ship the product and have it arrive in the creator’s hands. You should also consider the time it will take to film the content, deliver the footage, and then edit time on your end and apply your UGC templates.

Getting ghosted by creators

Let’s face it, getting ghosted by creators, or slow response time from creators, is not as unusual as you’d hope. It can take a lot of research and reaching out to find a reliable content creator who is professional and responsive. Try to factor in the time it will take upfront to find the right match and get the responses you need to confirm it.

Let them work their magic

Remember, making heavily scripted notes can hinder your creator’s creative process. Add these points to your UGC brief to set your campaign up for success.

• UGC brief
  • Required shot list
  • Product approach: selling points and important details to mention
  • Brand do’s and don’ts
    • What the creator should not to say (e.g. any legal limitations, competitors, etc)
    • Ask the creator not to add copy to the videos—makes the footage more versatile and avoids future image cropping issues
• High-level creative concepts
  • Trending sounds
  • UGC template preferences, like “How to” videos, etc.
  • Layout ideas
• Authenticity is essential—audiences won’t appreciate blatant advertising. Keep the content organic and natural. The best UGC campaigns are natural and unpolished, so avoid overdirecting.

You’ll get more ad material for your money if you don’t expect—or ask— for a completely finished ad from your UGC creator. Instead, direct your creator to record a few different hooks and show a few different sets.  You can edit the raw material yourself and end up with more than one ad from the same material.

Finally, if you like the content creator’s work, hire them again!

Consider the done-for-you UGC route

Alternatively, you can leave the entire process to the pros at Primer. By offloading the UGC creator-hiring process to a marketing company that excels in social advertising, you’ll save yourself the time, staffing, and hassle of tracking down and project managing a freelancer.

Primer-led prep work

Primer builds your ideal customer persona for you, eliminating the guesswork from identifying your target audience.

Simplify the search

With Primer, your brand is connected to the perfect content creators based on your audience profile through their extensive network of highly qualified, trusted specialists. Primer allows you to rank a list of 5-10 verified creators that match your brand.

Primer-led ad creation

Using the content creator’s video footage, Primer creates multiple iterations of your ad across a variety of platforms. Building multiple ads allows you to test them against each other and discover a winner among them.

Simplify your UGC creator search

Whether you DIY or let Primer handle the heavy lifting, you’re on your way to maximizing your UGC content and sharing content your audience will love.

Every month at Primer, our team comes together for the cheekily named “Primees” to honor the top-performing ads. The awards were designed in the spirit of Dunder Mifflin’s Dundie’s but the comparison ends there. These winners are based on real performance (and not everyone wins). We do have fun, though. Themes range from “black tie” to “safari” and everything in between. Our team turns out (via Zoom), often in costume, to celebrate the big winners.

To wrap up the year, we took a look back at the top ads from our 2022 Primees. What emerged is a list of strong ads full of great trends you can apply to your ads today.

We encourage you to leverage these wins for your own ads (great marketers steal!) and apply the learnings to find your own Primee success story in 2023. Wishing you the very best ads.

Best UGC Video Ads

It’s no surprise that we have so many UGC video ads in this list of top-performers for 2022 — it was the top-performing ad format across all brands and channels. This first ad shows the power of performance UGC. While it doesn’t follow a typical influencer-style format where a single person addresses the camera, it tells a story from a single point of view, making you think it’s coming from a person’s own experience.

 

How you can try this: Capture an experience with your product on your phone, edit it down to the key moments, and add captions that describe each step your customer takes to solving their problem with your product.

Similar to the Sunday ad above, this Rocksbox ad shows the perspective of a single person, with unboxing-type shots to share a more personal experience with the jewelry subscription brand. The captions help reinforce the key selling points.

 

How you can try this: Shoot several short videos of your product with your phone. If it comes in a box, show it arriving and open it up to show potential customers what they can expect to get. Add captions that highlight the best features at each step.

This top-performing Ello video ad feels organic in a user’s feed with the audio of the Ello app and video of the child using the product. The captions grab attention and answer a key buying question (how much is it?).

 

How you can try this: Grab audio and video of your product in action. Play that in the background while captions tell the user how your product can help solve their problem. 

For Prime Shrimp, we used an ad format that keeps winning: a vertical split screen. On the left we feature short copy that describes the simple steps for cooking Prime Shrimp. On the right, we have an ASMR video of that process in action, complete with clear audio of each action (rip of bag, boiling water, microwave buttons, etc.). The result is a salivating ad.

 

How you can try this: Create a vertical split screen ad like the one above. Communicate a key value proposition on the left, and show video of how that value proposition comes to life on the right. Try it with sound on! These top performers all have audio.

These next two ads follow a similar format: they both show you (the customer) how easy it is to go from shopping on your phone to using the product in your life. They both walk through the actual user experience and then show the product in action. The TeePublic ad went a step further and tapped into a cultural moment (Halloween) by tailoring the messaging to the holiday.

 

 

How you can try this: Grab a screen recording of ordering your product from your phone and combine it with video footage of the product in action. Add captions to describe each step and how this product will benefit your customer.

This ad taps into a TikTok trend that has expanded into Facebook and Instagram as well by starting with the POV caption. While the footage of the (albeit very exciting) product plays in the background, captions answer questions that the customer will need answered before making a purchase.

 

How you can try this: Hook your audience with a top trend within the first :03 of your video, then support footage of your production in action with key stats or information that answer the most important questions they need answered before making a purchase (e.g. how much is it, where can I get it, does it ship to me, etc.).

This UGC video ad features a single influencer and her use of the product, describing the three reasons (in this case, ingredients) that help solve her problem.

 

How you can try this: Use a single influencer to share three reasons why your product can help solve a problem. 

Need help sourcing UGC video content? Primer now offers UGC on-demand. Our team can source influencers, develop the strategy and help produce the ads. Learn more here.

Best TikTok Ads 

While we believe 2023 will be the year of TikTok, we saw massive growth and success on the platform in 2022. Not only did we create hundreds (thousands?) of ads for our partners on TikTok, we also created ads for TikTok itself.

This ad leaned heavily into the platform’s native styles and showed a playful take on shopping with the addicting cash register sound.

 

How you can try this: Embrace the native styles of the platform where you are advertising, including the text and the way the person is being featured in the video (in this case, a cropped shot of her head). 

We created this ad for Little Passports through the TikTok Creative Exchange, and it quickly rose to become a TikTok Top Ad. Why? It visually walks the user through what they can expect from the product, showing screenshots of the purchase process (from a mobile device!) and examples of what you can expect to get from the box.

 

How you can try this: Similar to the UGC styles above, try walking through the purchase process in your video to show prospective customers what they can expect. 

While this video ad doesn’t follow typical TikTok/UGC style, it still worked so well it was featured on TikTok Top Ads. Why? It is fast-paced, starts with an attention-grabbing hook, and combines brand footage with UGC footage of the app in use.

 

How you can try this: You don’t have to be a TikTok star to get a TikTok ad to perform. Just incorporate these key ingredients: attention-grabbing hook in the first :03 (here are 101 ideas for video hooks), fast-paced cuts between footage, and include sound on! 

Best GIF Animation Ads 

While GIF animation ads aren’t as high-converting as video ads, they can still be a powerful tool to help communicate a lot of information in a simpler format. This Apostrophe ad used the vertical split screen similar to the Prime Shrimp ad above to feature the personalized ingredient lists of its products. The mix of the different frames in the ad helped to drive home the point that Apostrophe is customized for your individual needs.

 

How you can try this: Use the vertical split screen to communicate key points on one side and show an image on the other side. Rotate through a few variations in a GIF animation to tell a story or show multiple scenarios for your product.

This ad leverages a winning headline with a combination of images of its clinics to further communicate the message.

 

 How you can try this: Test a winning headline with a slideshow of images that help to reinforce the benefits. 

Best Image Ads 

In a world where everything is animated, sometimes a static image is what is needed to grab attention. These images did just that, while still communicating enough information to drive high conversions for our partners.

For Rocksbox, an image of jewelry combined with a press quote made for a powerful image. Once we found the win in August, we scaled it with a Halloween theme in October, resulting in huge performance.

 

How you can try this: Combine an image of your product with a press or customer quote. Once you find a winner, scale it with elements that tie into the season or by testing different quotes or images. 

This combination of a product shot, customer testimonial and callout has worked in several iterations for Feetures — simply communicating a lot of information in one attractive ad.

 

How you can try this: Try adding a sticker-type callout with a benefit or offer and mix it with a product image and testimonial. Keep testing different variations until you find a winner.

This static image directly addresses a major problem for the target audience (50+ tabs open… I feel ya!) and demonstrates how it solves the problem. The copy provides social proof, and the headline shares an offer. Everything you need for a conversion.

 

How you can try this: Set up a core problem for your customers in the headline and use your image to show how you solve that problem. 

Best Comparison Ad 

This GIF animation ad uses one of our tried-and-true themes: vs. the competition. In this case, we compare many of the features of Outer outdoor furniture to the alternative brands. The ad quickly highlights Outer’s key selling features and answers many of the potential customer’s questions.

 

How you can try this: break your product down into key features and compare each of them to the similar features of a competitor. 

Best Carousel Ad 

Carousel ads found a home among top performers in 2022, and this one led the pack. It follows our top-performing “buyer decision questions” theme, which asks and answers the most important questions a customer might have before buying your product. This carousel ad answers the questions in the form of testimonials, adding social proof to the messaging.

How you can try this: Start a carousel ad with a question your buyer might have about your product and answer it in the following slides. Design your slides to be continuous so that users get a peek at what is next and are encouraged to scroll through them. 

Ready for 2023 

We’re expecting big things next year, including more UGC and TikTok ads. If you need help finding creative wins, we’d love to talk. Primer is here to help you grow, whether that’s by providing on-demand ad creative when you need it most or by partnering with you as your full-service growth solution. Schedule a call to learn more.

In between creating and optimizing ads these past few weeks, our team of growth marketing experts came together to talk about what we expect to see in digital advertising in 2023. The conversation quickly got exciting.

It’s no secret that the past couple of years in the digital ad space have been challenging — privacy changes, COVID, supply chain issues, inflation — but we believe the future is pretty bright.

We predict 2023 is going to be a big, disruptive year for digital ads. Here’s how:

UGC Will Dominate Ad Creative

Video ad creative outperformed static ads in almost all cases in 2022. In 2023, ads will be dominated by UGC.

User-generated or influencer-created video ads are an incredibly powerful form of advertising that leverage the influence of one person’s opinion about a product or service. We’ve seen UGC video ads take off in the past year, evolving from unscripted, complicated videos to more strategic, organized, native-style testimonials.

 

At Primer, we expect that the production quality of UGC will continue to rise as more content creators participate. Video and recording technology will continue to accelerate, bringing with it features that were previously only accessible to studios. The gap between professionally produced content and that made from individuals will continue to shrink. 

With higher quality creator content, we believe the lines between traditional PR and paid advertising will become more blurred. Content creators will see the value in participating in ads, and brands will gain trust in the creator. Brands will start to shift dollars from these traditional forms of PR into more measurable media like paid social.

As a result, whitelisting will be critical next year. Users will crave more genuine content from their favorite creators, with fewer ads. Marketplaces like the TikTok Creative Exchange and the forthcoming Instagram Creator Marketplace will make it easier than ever for brands to find creators to whitelist.

Ultimately, we believe that brands that have historically shied away from UGC ad creative will start to test the waters, further validating this powerful form of advertising.

This Will Be the Year of TikTok

At Primer, we’ve been bullish on TikTok for a while now — having seen the impact of the platform first-hand for our partners — but we believe that 2023 will be the year that TikTok starts to see a massive increase in ad spend. 

The perception of TikTok will continue to improve as major brands and less-obvious verticals (e.g. B2B) will understand the opportunity beyond just teenagers.

Share will shift away from challenged ad platforms (Twitter, Snapchat) and into TikTok.

TikTok will also have a continued impact on other ad channels. TikTok-first ad creative will become more prevalent on Instagram and YouTube Shorts and could even bleed into OTT. We have already seen TikTok-first ad creative work on other platforms in 2022, and we expect that as it becomes more mainstream, the style will become even more effective on other channels.

We don’t see TikTok’s top-notch business team slowing down any time soon either. TikTok is innovating at rapid speed and supporting their advertisers unlike any other platform today with a strong ads manager, incredibly helpful reps, and resources like the TikTok Creative Exchange. As TikTok continues to grow, we expect this level of service to grow as well, introducing new ad formats that will serve a wider variety of advertisers.

All in all, the combination of TikTok’s friendly ad environment, the improving perception of the platform and the power of UGC (native to TikTok) set the stage for a pretty big year for TikTok.

AI Is Going to Become Part of the Creative Process

This year, AI in marketing creative went from a Twitter meme to a killer app. In 2023, it’s going to become part of the creative process. 

Generative AI — when the machine creates something new, rather than analyzing something that exists — has begun to take hold in the marketing creative landscape. AI text tools like Jasper.ai and Copy.ai have matured to become a solid resource for first drafts or thought starters for things like ad copy headlines, blog posts, and landing page copy.

AI imagery, while still awkward, can be leveraged as a way to storyboard or concept a future photo, video or design. Agencies like BBDO are already testing image generation for brainstorming with the AI tool, Stable Diffusion.

In 2023, we will see some savvy, scrappy startups begin to use AI for the majority of their creative needs, shifting what was an hour-plus in Canva to 5 minutes using AI to create a graphic or blog post.

Larger companies and agencies will start leveraging AI to assist with copywriting. While it may not result in the final product, it can quickly and efficiently jumpstart the creative process by getting ideas flowing. They may also use AI to draft concepts and streamline communication between marketers and designers. Mockups will lose relevance as marketers can generate 20 AI drafts and send 2-3 of those to a designer that are close to what they need.

AI and machine learning will be at the forefront of iterative testing and ad creation, especially for static images. We will begin to see this natively integrated into martech tools to help generate fast iterations on an image and speed up the workflow.

This also expands the pool of creative talent. People without copywriting or creative skills will be able to quickly generate draft concepts that would have taken time, coordination and resources. The skill to successfully prompt AI to generate high-quality output will give you and your business a leading edge over the competition.

More Trends to Watch

In addition to the three big, disruptive trends mentioned above, we also believe that these shifts below will have a meaningful impact on the advertising landscape in 2023. 

• CTV and OTT grow fast. Cross-platform attribution tools have gotten more sophisticated and gained wider adoption in the past year, opening up the possibility to measure expanded channels. At the same time, CTV and OTT targeting has advanced to be competitive with the targeting capabilities in paid social. This combination points to big growth in 2023.

• Product photography is powerful. Shoppable DPA ads have proven to be very effective, and with more shoppable capabilities being built into social platforms, we expect this ad format to gain in popularity in 2023. Strong product photography will become more important to leverage these shoppable ads.

• Meta invests in advertisers. We saw this start to happen with Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns (ASC) in 2022, and we expect to see more improvements to the platform and support in the coming year.

What Won’t Change in 2023

We predict that 2023 will be a disruptive and exciting year, but there are a few things that we feel confident won’t change.  

• Creative is king. At Primer, we’ve long believed that creative is the biggest lever for growth, and we don’t see that changing any time soon. Ad platforms continue to get more automated, removing the ability to optimize for growth. The real gains are made when you have a continuous pipeline of ad creative, consistently testing new ideas and iterations to find winning ads.

• Continued focus on profitability. LTV was the metric to watch in 2022, and we believe that’s here to stay for 2023. Brands are more focused on profitability and we expect that again next year, as brands continue to navigate through an ever-changing economy.

• Paid social holds strong. Sure, you can say we’re biased on this one, but we also have an inside track. The trends in UGC, TikTok, and AI all help improve efficiency and effectiveness within paid social advertising, and with the continued focus on profitability, budgets will remain allocated to measurable channels like paid social.

At Primer, we use these trends and our insights from working with disruptive brands to plan our roadmap in 2023. It’s exciting, for sure. If you’re looking to dive into any of these trends or simply fuel your growth with better ads, we’d love to help. Schedule a call by clicking below.

 

Primer has run thousands of tests for TikTok advertising and video ads on other paid social channels.

Why? 

High-volume ad testing using Primer’s Outlier Method helps our partners to keep their marketing accounts fresh, keep their finger on the pulse of modern trends in the paid social space, and identify and iterate high-performing ads that consistently convert.

That’s exactly what we helped long-time partner Rocksbox accomplish with their ad creative.

It was through this rapid, growth-based ad testing that Primer learned why Instagram ads didn’t work for us when it came to TikTok advertising–and what did. Identifying winning ad elements across different platforms gave us a 614% conversion rate increase and a 1,035% increase in purchases.

Here’s how.

Our partner Rocksbox was seeing a high level of success placing ads on Instagram, and they wanted to branch out into TikTok advertising to find growth on a new platform.

Primer helped Rocksbox test their highest-performing Instagram ads on TikTok. However, our Instagram top performers simply did not find the same success on TikTok.

 

Why Our Ads Worked on Instagram (but Not TikTok)

Our top-performing video ads on Instagram were often presented as not quite brand content, but not quite native style, either.

These ads had certain elements in common, such as:

• Compilations of UGC-images
• Often starting with sound off
• Ending with brand cards
• A very polished style
• Caption styles that were native to Instagram
• Branded/UGC style mix

 

In response, we decided to lean more heavily toward the native style of TikTok. Here’s what we found.

 

TikTok Advertising: What Actually Works

We found that video ads that do well on TikTok adopt a true UGC style, and incorporate those elements without going heavy-handed on the branding or the polished style of brand content. They usually focus on a single influencer or user throughout the entire video, and they avoid switching between many different POVs.

TikTok advertising that converts has these elements:

• First-person voiceovers
• Single-user storylines
• Key pop culture moments
• Fun, upbeat music
• Quiz styles
• No end cards
• Native-style captions

Example:

 

How Primer Helped Rocksbox Unlock Growth

These changes all unlocked exponential success for our client, Rocksbox. We think that they’ll unlock great success for you as well.

For Rocksbox, it gave us:

• a 1035% increase in purchases
• a 614% increase in conversion rates
• a 73% decrease in CPI

So try out these approaches to TikTok advertising to see if they work for you. We ended up getting consistently featured in TikTok’s top ads, and we hope for the same success for you.

 

How We Can Help You, Too

Hypergrowth marketing in today’s paid social landscape requires rapid, high-volume ad testing to guarantee long-term success and ads that consistently convert. That requires management and a lot of creative.

If you’re looking for a partner who can help scale and test your ads–Primer has your back. We handle the creative, strategy, design, production, and media buying, so you can dedicate your resources where they’re most effective, while you sit back and watch the wins roll in.

For those who simply need a lot of ad creative with a super fast turnaround, we also offer Primer On-Demand for access to videos, images, and landing pages designed by top marketing professionals.

Primer’s experience with many different partners has given us unique insights into what works in a variety of verticals, placements, platforms, and audiences. We want to use those insights to unlock your organization’s potential growth.

Schedule a free consultation with Primer to learn how creative testing can help you master TikTok advertising, as well as create ads that perform on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and more, to maximize your company’s growth.

 

We’ve officially partnered with TikTok to produce performance marketing videos for advertisers through the TikTok Creative Exchange! The Creative Exchange allows brands like yours to use our video ad expertise to grow quickly on the platform.

Every single one of our partners that we’ve worked with on TikTok has been featured in TikTok’s Top Ads, their library of top-performing ad creative. This achievement has garnered us a spot as one of the top agencies on TikTok, even giving us access to unique beta opportunities.

100% of the partners we’ve worked with on TikTok have been featured in TikTok’s Top Ads.

Do you want to be featured, too? If you’re a direct-to-consumer brand needing to hit growth goals, we may be a perfect fit.

“Our unique method works extremely well on TikTok,” said Primer CEO and Co-Founder, Kamo Asatryan. “We take formulas that have proven to work across multiple partners and platforms and create a version that is native to TikTok. The results have been incredible.”

 

A Must-Have For B2C Brands

As TikTok’s influence as an e-commerce engine grows, advertisers are finding huge opportunities to tap into a highly engaged audience of shoppers. A recent study from Insider Intelligence found that 71% of TikTok users worldwide shop when they stumble across something in their feed, stories, or other content.

“Right now, TikTok is one of the most powerful platforms for advertisers, combining the two most successful marketing tactics of 2021 and 2022: short-form video and UGC content. Any DTC brand would be remiss not to invest in TikTok,” said Primer COO and Co-Founder Brady Flynn.

More TikTok resources

Looking to amp up your performance marketing videos yourself?

• 7 things you can try that get our partners on TikTok Top Ads 🔝
• 9 ways to create outstanding video ads that convert [Free Templates + Examples]

Not on TikTok quite yet?

• How to Get Started with TikTok Ads: The 2022 Guide 🤓
• 7 Reasons Your Company Needs TikTok Ads

Curious how you can better leverage TikTok?

Like the sound of all this? Schedule a call with us to learn how we’ve gotten our partners on TikTok ads, and how we’d hope to do it for you, too.

 

As a fast-growing, direct-to-consumer (DTC) business, it can be hard to create static and video ads for paid social that stand out among the competition. Especially if your brand is among the largest DTC category: apparel and accessories.

What Is a Facebook Ad Library? Why Does It Matter to DTC Fashion Brands?

The Facebook ad library is an example of how social media companies like Facebook and TikTok have started compiling ads using their platforms, so they’re searchable by category and can be used to track ad spending data.

We found 10 scroll-stopping ads from top DTC fashion apparel and accessories brands in the Facebook ad library and broken down the winning features so you can apply them to your campaigns today.

Through the process of testing thousands of ads on paid social channels like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, Primer has developed its own library, where you can find even more examples of winning ads that are proven to convert and drive growth for your organization.

 

1. AllBirds – Facebook Video A

What they’re selling: sustainable, lightweight footwear.

The ad:

 

Why the ad works:

This video ad from the Facebook ad library puts the user in AllBirds’ shoes–literally! The ad achieves this by showing their product in action, avoiding static ad and branding elements, and highlighting some key selling points.

• Shows the shoe in action. We can imagine ourselves running with these shoes more easily because the ad shows not just the shoe in action but also a person putting on the shoes before running in the woods.
• End card with the logo. Instead of a static end card, we see the Allbirds logo flash before a video of the runner.
• Highlights additional selling points in the headline. Allbirds takes advantage of headline and description real estate to share two more reasons to buy: “free shipping + free returns.”

 

2. Reformation – Facebook and Instagram Image Ad

What they’re selling: eco-friendly, upscale women’s clothing.

The ad:

 

Why the ad works:

We wanted to highlight this image ad by Reformation from Instagram and the Facebook ad library because of its use of selling points in the headline, appeal to buyers’ emotions, conversational tone, and stand-out use of color.

• Highlights additional selling points in the headline. In this instance, “shop responsibly” speaks to sustainability. It subtly positions itself against the competitors (largely fast fashion retailers) with this headline.
• The image headline appeals to buyers’ emotions. “Get some compliments” taps into their buyers’ desire.
• Uses a casual tone in its copy. “Thanks, it’s Ref” achieves a few things for this ad: it allows the brand to speak for itself; it converses with the headline in the image; and it stays true to the brand’s casual, “best friend”-esque tone.
• Plays with color. While most of the “thumb-stopping” ads you’ll find on this list utilize a bright color palette, this ad focuses on having the monochromatic outfit stand out against the bright background of the webpage.

 

3. StitchFix – Facebook Video Ad

What they’re selling: a personal stylist box.

The ad:

 

Why the ad works:

• Includes a compelling testimonial in the thumbnail. The user quote serves as social proof of how awesome the service is, and its effectiveness is a perfect example of why this ad makes Primer’s top 10 list from the Facebook ad library. It’s particularly scroll-stopping in a thumbnail because that’s the first thing people see. Continuing the user-generated content (UGC) throughout the video also makes it feel relatable and approachable. Bonus that StitchFix says these are “real clients paid for their time.”
• Shows unboxing footage. Not only is unboxing a current trend on organic social media, but it adds a sense of trustworthiness and excitement.
• Describes the process in easy-to-understand steps. The video breaks down what StitchFix is and how to use it very easily: we learn that you sign up, take a style quiz, and then have clothes picked for you delivered.

 

4. Pact – TikTok Video Ad

What they’re selling: women’s underwear.

The ad: 

 

Why the ad works:

• Has a person in the first two frames. We’ve found that our best TikTok ads showcase a user in the first two frames. This suits the overall shift to more UGC-style content. Learn more about creating ads that work on TikTok. 
• Shows unboxing footage. Pact, like StitchFix, uses unboxing video to complement the rest of their ad. Here, it’s equally successful at making the video seem like a real customer’s journey, and thus being more trustworthy.
• Shows a variety of style options. In multiple frames, we see different color and style options, including in the hand of the narrator, on a screenshot of the website, and laid out one-by-one.
• Has captions (good for both sound on and off viewing). A bonus is that this particular caption style is native to TikTok and reflects TikTok’s “auto-generated” captions.
• Calls out some unique selling points that might appeal to an ideal buyer. (e.g. How Pact’s underwear is sustainable because it’s made from organic cotton.)

 

5. Alo Yoga – Facebook and Instagram Stories Ad

What they’re selling: workout and athleisure clothing. 

The ad:

 

Why the ad works:

This ad by Alo Yoga earned a top spot in our winning Instagram and Facebook ad library because of how it utilizes urgency, highlights the usefulness of their product,uses simple animation, and makes their ad timely.

• Adds a sense of urgency with “limited edition” messaging. By including “limited edition” in a rotating sticker, this ad not only adds a reason to buy right now (as opposed to later) but also implies an increased sense of exclusivity and competition. It fits with the higher-income audience Alo is likely targeting. 
• Shows a full outfit. Matching separates are in right now, and Alo’s ad is not only on-trend, but it also makes their clothing seem more wearable by styling an outfit for buyers right away. They made two versions of this ad: one with a bandaeu top and shorts, and one with a bra top and capris leggings. Tip: Swapping outfits but keeping the rest of your ad the same is a great way to test which product items have the most click-through interest. 
• Includes simple motion. One way to stand out from the crowd with your images is to make them GIFs. Here, Alo Yoga takes the static one step further by adding animation to key copy: “blue splash” and “limited edition.”
• Hints at the season in the description. Alo stays relevant to shoppers by including a nod to the current season. Here, we see it in a less prominent location: the description (“So essential for all your summer plans”).

 

6. Fabletics – TikTok Video Ad

What they’re selling: men’s athleisure apparel.

The ad: 

 

Why the ad works:

• Uses a conversational tone. This ad sounds like a friend talking to you, which makes it seem less like an over-the-top sales pitch.
• Shows the website and different color options. We’ve seen this before: showing the real user experience on a website and the variety of product options entices a variety of buyers and makes your brand seem more legitimate. This ad does something unique, though: instead of just using a screen recording of the website shopping experience, we get a video of the woman actually using the website on her computer. Having her hand in the frame makes this feel like a real user experience.
• Uses native-feeling green screen trend. By utilizing the green screen TikTok filter, this ad feels on-trend and native to the platform. You can also use this filter to keep a person in frame, even when showing off screenshots.
• Has native-style, “auto-generated” captions (good for both sound on and off viewing).

 

7. Mejuri – Facebook and Instagram Image Ad

What they’re selling: trendy fine jewelry. 

The ad:

 

Why the ad works:

• Shows a real number of customers. By including “over 20,000” in their sub-headline, Mejuri makes the positive reviews seem more tangible to potential customers. This is much more impactful versus saying something vague like “Thousands of five-star reviews.”
• Visually shows the stars in the star rating. It may seem like a small thing, but we’ve found that ads that include the stars on the image when talking about the number of positive reviews perform better than those without that same imagery.
• Adds two secondary selling points in the description. They make efficient use of the description space to pack in two more reasons to buy: “free shipping and easy returns.”

 

8. Rocksbox – Facebook and Instagram Stories Ad

What they’re selling: a jewelry rental subscription box.

The ad:

• *Made by Primer

 

Why the ad works:

This video ad, which Primer made for our long-time partner Rocksbox, deserves a top spot from both Instagram and the Facebook ad library. We’re proud of this ad because it effectively uses press quotes, highlights a variety of product styles, and uses colors that pop.

• Image headline is a press quote. Press quotes, like user testimonials, add a sense of trustworthiness to positive feedback. Here, for example, seeing “the best” feels truer (and less like exaggeration) than if the brand were to claim this themselves. 
• Shows a variety of styles. There’s a style that works for everyone, from cute avocado earrings to refined gold chains. By showing a variety of options, you can entice a wider buyer base. People may click on the ad because one specific piece of jewelry caught their eye, and they want to sign up to get it.  
• Blue headline background stands out. The sold background color imitates Instagram story captions, while the specific color choice—a bright blue-purple— stands out against the pink background, making the press quote pop. 

 

9. James Allen – TikTok Video Ad

What they’re selling: custom engagement rings.

The ad:

 

Why the ad works:

• Walks users through the purchase. Videos that follow the “how to” format perform well because they guide the viewer through the buying process and let them know what to anticipate when ordering. This ad walks the user through every step of the process of buying a ring at a specific budget. (More video hooks here.)
• Shows users exactly where to look. Because this video is so jam-packed with information, it uses additional design elements, like arrows and circles to direct attention to the portions of the screen that the voiceover discusses.
• Shows the product on a real hand. After spending so much time on the James Allen website, the ad brings it back to a real person: at the end, they show this DIY’d ring on a real hand.

 

10. Warby Parker – Facebook and Instagram Stories Ad

What they’re selling: prescription eyeglasses. 

The ad:

 

Why the ad works:

• Regional call-out. When your goal is to grow in a specific market or with a specific product, it’s best to filter out unqualified customers by not only targeting the audience but also targeting the content to speak with those you want to reach. This Warby Parker ad creative speaks directly to their target: buyers in D.C. 
• Native text style in the image. The black text and white background combination in the image mimics the text style of both Instagram stories and TikTok videos, making this ad feel organic.

 

What can we take away from these 10 outstanding fashion ads?

Want to create ads that drive conversions, facilitate rapid brand growth, and would be a top performer in the Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook ad library?

Here are 5 rules of thumb for making your content stand out on the feed:

1. Include native-style captions and trends to blend more organically into the platform you’re on
2. Walk users through the full buyer journey (decision making, after ordering, and unboxing)
3. Choose eye-catching, scroll-stopping colors
4. Make use of the description to further differentiate your product
5. Use your ad creative to target your consumers

Check out more examples of high-converting ads in the Ad Library.

Want to use paid social to stand out from your competition?

Primer works with several DTC apparel and accessories brands, helping them scale their business and hit their goals. If you’re interested in learning how Primer can help you, book a complimentary growth consultation.

Seeing examples of successful ads can help inspire you to create new creative that actually converts.

How the Facebook Ad Library and Others Inspire Us

Popular paid social channels like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook have developed searchable ad libraries of the ads that brands run on their platforms.

Facebook ad library is the first and most prominent example of this. Hypergrowth marketers can use ad libraries to research competitors and popular ad trends across different industries to draw inspiration for their own ad campaigns.

We’ve even compiled our own ad library of Primer-developed ads for examples of those that are proven to drive conversions.

When we searched the Facebook ad library including Facebook and Instagram ads, as well as TikTok’s ad library, we discovered these 10 image and video ads from Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok that made us click. We show you what they look like, break down why they work, and discuss how you can implement those principles for your brand.

Let’s dive into 10 compelling video ads from food and beverage powerhouses like Daily Harvest, Hello Fresh, and Drizly.

 

TikTok Ads to Copy:

1. MUD/WTR | TikTok Video Ad

What they’re selling: a coffee alternative made from mushrooms.

Why the ad works:

• Sells a lifestyle. Rather than just a product, this video sells an entire lifestyle—idyllic, filled with wanderlust and beautiful sunsets, peaceful —with MUD/WTR at the center of it all.
• Emphasizes brand tone. The natural imagery underscores the brand’s desire to be connected with health and holistic wellness in contrast to its alternative, coffee, which is usually associated with city life and “the grind.”
• Shows the product in action. Demonstrates how easy it is to make a cup of MUD/WTR in step by step format.

 

2. Kencko | TikTok Video Ad

What they’re selling: powdered packets that rehydrate into a thick smoothie.

Why the ad works:

• Starts with a strong hook—”want a more nutritious way to start your morning?” This sets up the premise of the rest of the video and speaks to a key buyer decision question. See 101 more video hooks that will improve your ads.
• Displays flavor variety in the first frame. This can draw in people who may only like one or two smoothie flavors.
• Calls out key benefits, including daily servings of fruits and veggies, good taste, flavor variety, and easy to make.
• Shows the product in action. This makes it seem like anyone could use their product. It also highlights their proprietary blender bottle, which looks a bit different from the common ones on the market.
• Emphasizes sustainability. This is particularly important since it is a single-use product. Emphasizing its compostable packaging can help ease the minds of people worried about single-use plastic.
• Includes a clear CTA to tell viewers what to do next—“order yours at kencko.com.”

 

3. Daily Harvest | TikTok Video Ad

What they’re selling: a subscription to frozen smoothie mixes.

Why the ad works:

• Uses elements that look native to TikTok, including the “ask box.” This helps viewers engage more because it seems less like an ad interrupting their scrolling experience and more like…well, a TikTok.
• Shows the site and how to actually order a variety of flavors. This can help alleviate any anxieties about the subscription process by making it feel transparent.
• Highlights strong value propositions, including good taste, health benefits, and ease of use.
• Includes a clear CTA

Want to run TikTok ads like Daily Harvest?

Learn how this hypergrowth company optimizes their TikTok ads, and how you can, too, in our free interactive teardown. We’ll break multiple ads down frame-by-frame and tell you why they work. (And some things Daily Harvest could improve.)

 

Top Ads From the Facebook Ad Library That We Clicked On:

There’s a reason these ads stood out to us in the Facebook ad library. Each contains elements that make them high-performing ads and drive conversions on these platforms.

We believe these ads can act as a springboard for success in your future campaigns.

 

4. Misfits Market | Facebook and Instagram Image Ad

What they’re selling: a food box that compiles less aesthetically-pleasing food that’s still good to eat.

Why the ad works:

• Shows a price comparison. This ad uses one of our favorite styles: “vs. competition.” Here, we see a picture of blackberries with two prices laid out—”ours” vs. “theirs.” Of course, “ours” is more affordable. This is a good way to simply and concisely showcase price comparisons.
• Uses strong headlines. The image headline and the copy headline both offer compelling commands: “Save up to 40% on groceries” and “Stop overpaying for groceries.” It’s nice that they convey the same value prop—saving money vs. the competition—in two different ways: if someone isn’t convinced to click by the image headline, they might be by the copy headline.
• Offers a secondary value prop in the description. What we can see of the headline before it is cut off introduces another reason to switch to Misfits Market: sustainability. It mentions fighting food waste and going green. While the headlines focus on saving the individual money, the description goes broader. This is a good example of a brand knowing its buyer personas and speaking to multiple levels of buyer questions.

 

5. Farmstead – Facebook and Instagram Carousel Ad

What they’re selling: free, local grocery delivery.

Why the ad works:

• Seamless carousel. For many accounts, carousels will work better than single static images because of the ability to highlight additional value propositions, the native feel (many popular Instagram posts are carousels), and, for Facebook, the variation from other posts on people’s feeds. For this ad, we chose to go the way of a “seamless carousel,” meaning each image interplays someway with the next. That way, the ad feels like a cohesive image instead of disconnected stills.
• Local call out. In the copy, we spoke directly to the local geography: “Hey Charlotte.” This helps scrollers feel like the ad is more relevant to them and reaffirms that any offers in the ad work for their area.
• Includes a testimonial. While the first two images focus on defining what Farmstead is and its benefits, the last frame relies on using a real user review as social proof. Including testimonials not only feels more real and casual but also shows that the product or service has worked for other people and will work for your new buyers, too.

Learn more about how we’ve used high-volume ad testing to grow Farmstead in our Farmstead Case Study.

 

6. HelloFresh – Facebook Stories Ad

What they’re selling: At-home meal kits.

Why the ad works:

• Includes a comparison to the competition. Remember how the Misfits Market ad relied on a price comparison to place themselves as better vs. the competition? In this ad, Hello Fresh uses both the number of meals and a visual of the plates to set themselves apart in  a larger, bright yellow section. This is a good template for brands who might want any comparisons to the competition to be secondary to their value props.
• Provides clear numbers. As part of the image headline and comparison text, we see concrete numbers: 6 meals vs. 3 meals; ready in 20 min or less. This makes the ad feel as if it’s backed by data, and thus, for many, more trustworthy. We also see a great, concrete price listed in the copy headline: “Start for just $3.99/meal!”
• Is a scroll-stopping bright color. The bright yellow stands out against other images on one’s feed.
• Uses emojis in the copy. Using emojis to help set off a list of value props is one of our tried-and-true methods for creating compelling, clickable ad copy. It’s icing on the cake that Hello Fresh also used emojis in the description, which helps separate it from the copy headline.

 

7. Drizly – Facebook and Instagram Image Ad

What they’re selling: Online liquor store and alcohol delivery.

Why the ad works:

• Shows the app (with prices). Seeing a screenshot of the app adds a trust factor to it. For selling a regulated product like alcohol, this is particularly important so that people know it’s a legitimate business. Even better, the screenshot shows a real price for a bottle of wine—at $11, helping to entice buyers who are also looking for a good deal on wines.
• Showcases a relatable lifestyle. This lifestyle photo presents a laid-back, social, warm-weather vibe: it’s outdoors, with a cute dog, presumably at a public park. It makes the ad more relatable while reinforcing that their app can be used to order alcohol from anywhere.
• Uses simple copy that gets at the heart of what the brand is and why someone should order from them right now. What does Drizly provide? “The widest selection of drinks delivered in under 60 minutes.” And why is now the best time to order? Aside from it being summer, you can “get free delivery on your first order” with their code. Then, they provide a bunch of scannable emojis that make it clear to a quick scroller what the company sells. I only wish that the copy headline included more of a command/call-to-action instead of only a description of the product (e.g. “Get Alcohol Delivered for Free in 60 min.” vs. the current “60 min. Alcohol Delivery”)

Read more about how Drizly is winning on Facebook in our free Drizly Teardown.

 

8. ALOHA – Facebook Image Ad

What they’re selling: plant-based protein bars.

Why the ad works:

• Tells a story. The copy of this ad walks the viewer through a sensory visualization. By telling a story about your audience purchasing your product, you can help make buyers understand how your brand can fit into their lives. In this instance, the sensory visualization also serves to highlight the mouth-watering flavors and ingredients of ALOHA’s newest bar.
• The map makes it feel local. By including a map sticker, the ad not answers an important question(Where can I buy ALOHA? At Whole Foods) but also, at first glance, makes it seem like a local product.
• Simple enough to understand at a glance. With just a quick glance, viewers can tell this ad is introducing a new flavor of ALOHA bar. This ad would work particularly well in a remarketing campaign: the new flavor might interest past purchasers, or it might convince people who have seen the brand before to now convert.

 

9. Huel – Facebook Image Ad

What they’re selling: Nutritionally complete grab-and-go meals.

Why the ad works:

• Detailed comparison. Although similar to the “vs. the competition” ads above, this Huel ad has a slightly different take—we’ll call it “vs. alternative.” In it, we see the Huel product being compared to a worse alternative.
• Backs up comparison with numbers. Facts and stats lend credibility to products. In this instance, the protein and Vitamin C comparison indicates that Huel has the proof to support their claim.
• Clear, concise headline. This ad uses the same headline both on the image and in the copy headline spot: “All the Nutrients You Need. 1 Meal.” It clearly tells the viewer what Huel is and the most important benefit of it (complete nutrition).
• Refutes a common buyer claim and presents Huel as a solution. Huel mentions a common misconception (“I haven’t got the time to eat healthy”), then explains why it’s inaccurate and presents its product as the solution.

 

10. Daily Harvest – Facebook Image Ad

What they’re selling: a subscription to frozen smoothie mixes.

Why the ad works:

• It’s seasonal. Daily Harvest has chosen to showcase tropical ingredients in the image and call out the current season in their copy: “It’s 365 days of summer (in a smoothie).” It’s always great to paint a picture for the buyer that shows how easily a product or brand can fit into their ideal aesthetic.
• It highlights the discount up front. We see the discount in two places: the caption and the headline text. Both are worded slightly differently (“Save up to $40 on your first box” vs. “Get $40 OFF First Order for Limited Time”). The image and the first part of the caption copy seek to answer the question “why buy Daily Harvest?” while the headline brings urgency: why buy Daily Harvest right now?
• Includes a texture shot. Thanks, in large part, to the rise of beauty influencers, the texture shot feels super native to Instagram and Facebook. Here, Daily Harvest shows it off with a nice “drip” of the smoothie off the side of the cup. This little “imperfection” feels more authentic than a perfect image, and it contributes to an aesthetic sense of mouthwatering goodness.

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As we’ve seen in these 10 clickable ads from TikTok and the Facebook Ad Library, there are many reasons why an ad would appeal to your audience. That’s why it’s important to test variations of each key component, including the image, headline, copy, and call-to-action.

No matter your audience, your ads should achieve three things:

1. answer common questions that your buyers have
2. present your product as the best solution to a problem
3. be visually scroll-stopping

Learn more about composing ads that convert in our templates and guides:

• How to write a buyer persona and develop buyer decision questions (and why they’re important)
• 25+ Ways to write ad copy (and why they work) [Templates + Examples]
• 9 Outstanding video ad templates that convert

As you can see, the Facebook ad library, TikTok, and others are a great place to start when looking for inspiration on how to stay ten steps ahead of the competition.

Even better: If you want access to ads that have been tested and proven to drive conversions across the most popular social media channels including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and more, check out our comprehensive ad library of winning Primer-original ads! (link coming later)

 

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When you sign up for Primer On-Demand, you’ll get access to 10+ frame-by-frame templates for image ads, video ads, and landing pages. And you’ll be able to request an unlimited number of ad designs from our team.