How to make ads that convert

1 The bottom line

Make raw, clear ads that show the product in the first seconds and speak to one specific pain. Polished, generic or off-topic creative gets views but not paying users, and you pay for every view.

2 Key takeaways

• Raw, clear screen recordings beat slick creative. Polish slows the point and looks like every other ad.
  • A raw Brawler screen recording ran at about a $10 CPA against a $40 break-even, roughly 3 to 4x ROAS George, Wrestle AI13:08.
• Hook on one narrow pain, not a broad promise. Fewer people stop, but the right ones convert.
  • A "stuck on 1,000 views" hook may reach 1 million people instead of 50 million, but it converts them well Alex, Boost App Social22:57.
• Make the product the reason the video works. A demo that is the point converts, and a product tacked on at the end does not.
  • Product demos convert about 0.5% to 1%, against 0.05% to 0.2% for memes and slideshows An, Flame33:19.
• Build intent into the hook text, not just relatability. Views without a reason to install earn nothing.
  • A scratch map app got millions of views with a post-breakup overlay and no conversion. An exam procrastination overlay moved it up the App Store in several countries Yannis, Superwall38:00.
• Test concepts by hand, then automate the winners. Winning ads need many variants to stay alive.
  • Winning ads had 400 to 500 iterations made Marcus Burke, Superwall37:00.

Ads that are very high quality suck, at least in our experience.

George, Wrestle AI, Brawler and AdMax

2.1 Find the pain and the words for it

Start with the real problem your buyer has, and copy how they say it.

• Aim ads at real pains, not click-bait. Source: Ethan Ethier, Built With Science22:40
  • Get a baseline trial-to-paid rate from Meta in about a month. Use it to work out your allowable acquisition cost.
  • Then test avatars built from customer surveys and warm traffic, and keep iterating on the winners.
  • Click-bait ads got cheap trials, but trial-to-paid dropped sharply.
  • Content that makes an app look like a fun toy gets views but not payers. Coconote's brain rot video got 41 million views and did not convert Brett Bauman and Zack Hargett, Coconote29:04.
• Mine Reddit threads with an LLM for vivid emotional language. Source: Marcus Burke, Superwall24:40
  • Collect 10 to 20 high-engagement threads and feed them to an LLM.
  • Ask it for sub-audiences, language patterns, pain points, desires and vivid emotional language.
  • Add your own and your competitors' app reviews as sources.
  • Reddit works because people write anonymously and bluntly, and big threads signal what matters.
• Write the copy in your audience's exact words. Source: Marcus Burke, Superwall10:03
  • Frame the product as the solution, in their language. Use hyper-specific, current phrases like "rewire toxic attachments".
  • Make one context file per sub-audience, plus features, social proof and awards. Then ask for several distinct text hooks Marcus Burke, Superwall33:40.
  • Specific copy also helps Meta find the right people, since broad targeting picks the audience from engagement.
  • A tinnitus angle for a green noise app came from learning that users mask tinnitus with noise. The concept was tested in around 100 versions.
  • Without context, an LLM falls back on generic internet marketing language.
• Plan creative by persona, hook and value prop, and think about who pays. Source: Leon Sasson, Rise Science13:00
  • Do not split the plan into web creative and app creative. Ask which personas, hooks and value props you want to reach.
  • The user and the buyer may differ. Coconote's early viral videos used a "my mom changed my life" angle Brett Bauman and Zack Hargett, Coconote44:00.
  • The creator brief was to picture a mother and daughter at student orientation and ask who you would pitch a $130 notetaker to.
  • Rise's audience mix, such as more women over 50 on web, shapes which creative gets made.

2.2 Write the hook

The first 5 seconds decide the ad, so make them specific, short-term and strange.

• Spend most of your effort on the first 5 seconds, in both copy and visual. Source: Alex, Boost App Social22:57
  • Pick a very real, narrow frustration instead of a generic promise.
  • The "stuck on 1,000 views" ad used a green screen, her real account on screen and an orange-stroked label. It was among their best.
• Tie the hook to a moment when the viewer wants the app now. Source: Yannis, Superwall38:00
  • Keep the visuals identical and change only the on-screen text. Keep going until the text links to a moment of use.
  • On Meta, use short-term, shocking hooks, not long-term benefits like "you'll have more energy" Asia Paloni, Welltory6:37.
  • Welltory's hook is that something scary is probably happening inside your body. Each ad clings to a different process, such as cortisol or arteries.
• Test small wording and image changes, because they swing views hugely. Source: Nic Weber, Noise15:36
  • Swap the first line or the hook image and compare the results.
  • Pick images that are relatable and understood at a glance. Eggs in the first slide got higher views in the clean-eating niche, because viewers swipe on Nic Weber, Noise0:21.
  • Frame income claims small, such as $20 a night, then state the monthly total, such as $500 Nic Weber, Noise16:53.
  • "Don't get a second job" went viral, while "everybody needs a side hustle" flopped, since people dislike being told what to do. That one change was the gap between 10,000 views and a million.
  • Washing dishes beat vacuuming and pouring coffee as the visual. The dishes version got several videos over a million views and 8 cent installs for about 3 days.
• Open with something novel that stops the scroll. Source: Phil Carter, Elemental Growth44:51
  • Show a novel AI capability in the first 6 seconds, especially where every ad looks like the tenth version of the same thing.
  • Use AI video to make openings real creators could not shoot. Aim for weird, awe-inspiring or scary, with Veo 3 and CapCut Alex, Boost App Social24:40.
  • PhotoRoom led Meta and TikTok ads with AI background removal. It raised subscriber conversion, cut CAC and unlocked Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia.
  • A familiar celebrity-style voice pushed one video to 50 to 60 million views. It also brought a cease and desist letter, so don't push it too hard Ryan Thorpe, Flo14:30.

2.3 Show the product, raw and clear

Put the product on screen early, plainly, in a format that looks like real content.

• Shoot a plain screen recording and skip the polish. Source: George, Wrestle AI13:08
  • Add simple CapCut animation. Talking-head, stitch and raw demo formats kept winning.
  • Make the first second show what you sell and the pain it solves Yuliya Lennox, Solid Starts6:44.
  • Every time the team went all out on a slick visual, it produced zero revenue and a very high CPA.
  • BetterMe's gross belly fat illustration was recalled a decade later, while skinny workout girls were forgotten. When feeds are pretty, something ugly pulls people out of the scroll.
  • Reflectly's imperfect micro-influencer videos converted because other advertisers ran polished graphic ads Ryan Thorpe, Flo5:00.
• Make the demo the point of the video. Source: Kieran, StudyFetch30:38
  • Do not loop the product in during the last 5 seconds of a video about something else.
  • Design features to be visual and have a wow factor, so they are easy to film.
  • Memes and slideshows convert worst, reaction plus app clip does better, and straight demos convert best An, Flame33:19.
  • A live lecture note-taking demo, with notes streaming onto the screen and hands off the keyboard, became a 75 million view video that drove hundreds of thousands of signups.
  • Views alone are an ego metric if videos do not convert.
• Treat clarity as the main goal, and treat confusion as a product problem. Source: George, Wrestle AI43:51
  • Assume users are dumb, and explain the product so plainly it sells itself.
  • Make the app understandable in a few screens an influencer can show Daniel Heintzman, Sway AI35:35.
  • Make text readable from a distance, and put your logo on all core screens Daniel Heintzman, Cal AI24:45.
  • A creator filmed the wrong feature because the pad work button was not clearly visible.
  • Every Cal AI influencer video shows the camera, the loading screen and the food detail page.
  • Cal AI also built a creator version of the app with a streak and a history of logged meals. It makes each video look like real, ongoing use Daniel Heintzman, Cal AI25:40.
• Put a person in front of the demo to keep viewers company. Source: Alex, Boost App Social22:37
  • Use a green screen creator talking in front, with the app demoing features and value prop behind.
  • Also try filming the app in hand with a second phone and mixing it with screen recordings.
  • Green screen was one of three core lessons from four years of ads, and it fit the app business naturally.

2.4 Finish the ad: captions and call to action

Get to the call to action early, keep it soft, and prepare viewers for the App Store.

• Caption every video ad. Source: Alex, Boost App Social21:58
  • Many people scroll with the sound off, so captions carry the message.
  • He cites that 80% of users watch Instagram or TikTok, especially Instagram, without sound.
• Get the call to action into the first 15 seconds, and put it inside the demo. Source: George, Wrestle AI14:09
  • Order the video as a credible source, then a pain point, then the product solving it, with the call to action inside the solution Dawson Gibbs, Evo Marketing41:37.
  • Show the full URL on screen for about five seconds, not half a second.
  • An AdMax stitch ad delivered its CTA after a roughly 9 second hook and still earned about 3x ROAS.
  • The Dupe.com "my mom's an interior designer" video followed the credible source, pain, solution order.
• Tell viewers they will land on the App Store. Source: Marcus Burke, Superwall8:23
  • Mention the word "app" in the copy, or show an app demo. Do not hide that you are an app.
  • Without that setup, the jump to the store feels jarring and install rate suffers.
• Keep the call to action soft and let onboarding do the selling. Source: Marcus Burke, Superwall14:50
  • Use emotional, pain-point-led text with a light mention of the app. How much to demo depends on the category.
  • Say "go to this app" instead of naming it, so the video sounds like a helpful resource Casper, Payout20:39.
  • On YouTube Shorts and TikTok, skip "link in bio" and use a pinned comment instead Casper, Payout20:05.
  • Text-wall ads run only about 10 seconds, and the final text drives conversion.
  • Naming the app triggers "ad, ad, ad, scroll". Casper has not said Payout's name in any video.
  • The hardest part of UGC is a call to action that feels natural enough that viewers choose to act Nick Lawton, SideShift19:43.

2.5 Make it for paid, not for organic

You pay for every view, so build creative that sells instead of recycling what went viral.

• Build dedicated paid creative instead of reusing creator videos. Source: Jake Castillo, Cal AI49:50
  • Relate the hook to your product, then explain the value prop fast.
  • Start an affiliate program where creators make videos only about the app, paid by commission on revenue Daniel Heintzman, Cal AI20:50.
  • Cal AI's recycled influencer content got some results, but dedicated paid creative did far better.
  • Commission pushed creators to keep iterating on the videos. Going all in on paid ads gave a step change in growth.
• Try ranking-style ads that would flop organically. Source: George, Wrestle AI11:24
  • Have a creator rank the best apps in your niche, with yours as the favorite.
  • The video is too educational to do well organically, but in paid the viewer is forced to watch and the value builds trust.
• Use UGC for conversion and save cinematic launch videos for buzz. Source: Driss, Methods7:47
  • Content is either very high converting or very viral, and it is hard to find a middle ground.
  • Twitter launch videos reach investors and employees at the top of the funnel.
  • For companies he has worked with, UGC converts four times higher and is 10 to 20 times cheaper than any other paid source.
• Train organic-savvy creators to make ads. Source: Canyon, Sideshift40:07
  • It is easier to teach organic creators to make ads than to teach ad creators to go viral.
  • Better hook rates should lower CPMs and win more auction bids.
  • UGC creators post hundreds of videos a month, so they learn far faster than traditional ad creators.

2.6 Test by hand, then scale with AI

Prove a concept with humans, then automate it into many variants.

• Test new concepts by hand, then automate the winners. Source: Patrick and Pablo, Social45:10
  • While testing many new concepts, human editors are often faster. For agentic editing, write detailed, engineer-style prompts and change one variable at a time.
  • Once a format works, define the prompt for each scene and feed in variables in a node tool like Weave or Flora Marcus Burke, Superwall37:00.
  • Winning concepts need hundreds of iterations to stay alive and scale into new placements.
• Keep humans on ideas and use AI to control variables. Source: Patrick and Pablo, Social42:58
  • The ads are fully AI made, but the ideas come from human input.
  • Do not expect savings. The value is that creator, scene and copy become controllable and testable Marcus Burke, Superwall23:00.
  • Social runs about 4,000 video ads a month and tripled its creative team in six months, because more volume needs more diverse ideas.
  • Generations rack up cost and someone must learn the tools. His freelancers still do 99% of client ads with AI.
• Iterate on scenes with images first, then make video. Source: Marcus Burke, Superwall36:00
  • Build the scene in an image model like GPT Image 2 or Nano Banana until it looks authentic, not plastic.
  • Then use it as the reference image in a video model like Seedance 2 or Veo 3.
  • Prompting video directly burns credits, while images are cheaper to iterate on.
• Multiply ads that feature real people. Source: Phil Carter, Elemental Growth40:00
  • Use tools like Eleven Labs for voice and Suno for music to make many variants of one ad.
  • That could mean translating one spokesperson into 30 languages. Runna went from tens of concepts a month to 400+.
  • More creatives mean faster learning, lower CAC and product roadmap insight.

2.7 Where they disagree

Some tactics pull against each other, so test which fits your product.

• Clear and clean versus cluttered. Source: Cedric Roberge, Pep AI47:57
  • A crowded static ad with about eight pieces of information became the best performer, made in about 2 minutes with ChatGPT. Cedric thought it was too cluttered.
  • He now makes more variants, including cleaner ones for men or women. Let teammates try ideas you disagree with.
  • The static got under $2 per install versus the $2.50 average. This sits against the push for clarity George, Wrestle AI43:51.
• Fully AI ads versus real people. Source: Phil Carter, Elemental Growth40:00
  • Be very careful with wholesale AI ads because of tool quality, FTC risk on fake testimonials and consumer backlash.
  • Alex sees AI openings as the current edge for extreme hooks, so use AI for the hook and keep real people elsewhere Alex, Boost App Social24:40.
• Hard sell versus soft call to action. Source: Jake Castillo, Cal AI49:50
  • Paid viewers should understand the product through a hard sell, since you pay for every view.
  • Subscription apps with long onboarding can sell softly, because the sale happens after the ad Marcus Burke, Superwall14:50.
  • Casper finds calls to action reduce retention on Shorts and TikTok, so he softens them there Casper, Payout20:05.