We’ve dissected hundreds of ads from about a dozen unique and successful brands in 2024. There are about 5 main ad types that seem to come up as the core of any paid social campaign when it comes to DTC brands in particular.
Let’s go through all five of them:
1) User-generated content, aka UGC
Whether done by real users or through paid actors, all brands, especially DTC brands, use this.
UGC can have many angles:
- testimonial
- unboxing (common with luxury products, in particular)
- demo
- favorite things about the product
2) Addressing objections
You must gather info about the common objections buyers have then use them as angles in your ads.
You might also take a price objection and reframe it.
Ensure that your audience understands the value of the product. If you can make them see that your product can provide 10x the value of its price, it’ll help you sell a lot more easily.
Also, be genuine, of course. People can see right through heavy sales tactics and fake marketing.
3) High-quality static product images
With all the talk of video taking over, we’ve seen that all brands have high-quality product images in their paid social mix.
4) Social proof
It’s essentially an ad with social proof, showing past customers, positive reviews, and more.
5) Celebrity endorsement
This ad type seems to be what pushes a brand from low 8-figure yearly revenue into the mid-8 figure or even 9 figure revenue.
So, this might come after other ad types.
But it can be a big one if you find a big influencer or thought leader who is a big match for your product. Their audience can help you get a big influx of new leads and customers, and potential repeat buyers, depending on what you sell.
