how to create ads that don't look like ads
Creating ads that don't look like ads requires understanding your specific market's organic content preferences rather than defaulting to generic formats. Research your target audience's feed to identify which content formats—whether native static, podcast clips, or street interviews—actually perform well and drive conversions in that particular market.
Summary
The speaker explains that the key to creating effective non-ad-like ads is market-dependent research. Rather than assuming one format works universally, marketers must first understand what content styles their specific target audience naturally engages with and consumes organically. The recommended approach is to create a burner account, follow pages and accounts that represent your target market, and spend time scrolling through the feeds where that audience actually spends time—whether that's Facebook Reels, Instagram Reels, or other platforms. By observing what content goes viral and generates high engagement in that specific environment, you can identify the dominant content formats in that space. The speaker emphasizes that native static ads only work well because they match the organic content consumption patterns of specific market segments, not because they're universally effective at disguising ads. He illustrates this by noting that native static ads might not convert well for audiences whose organic feed primarily consists of different content types. In contrast, formats like interview ads or podcast clips would convert better for audiences that naturally consume that type of content regularly. The underlying principle is that ads perform best when they match the authentic content format preferences of the target audience.
Key Insights
- The speaker argues that native static ads work well not because they disguise ads, but specifically because they match the organic content consumption patterns of particular market segments
- The speaker claims that without understanding your target market's content preferences, ads will fail to convert regardless of how well-designed they are
- The speaker contends that podcast clips and interview-format ads convert better than native static ads for audiences whose organic feeds primarily feature those content types
- The speaker asserts that the content format landscape varies significantly across markets, requiring direct research rather than assuming best practices apply universally
- The speaker states that conversion success depends on matching ad format to the audience's actual content consumption habits rather than on the ad appearing non-promotional
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] How would you go about making ads that don't actually look like ads? What you have to do is market dependent. So, your specific market that you're selling to has specific styles of content that do well organically. Maybe it's a native static, maybe it's podcast clips, maybe it's street interviews, but you don't know until you scroll the feed yourself. So, what I recommend you do is create a burner account and go [music] like all the pages, go follow all the people that your market actually would, and then doom scroll on Facebook reels or Instagram reels, wherever your market typically hangs out more. And understand [0:31] the types of content that actually does well, that goes…
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