Most ads that flop don’t fail at the design stage. They fail at a question nobody asked before they went live.
Here are five checks to run on any ad before you publish it. Each one takes a minute, and each one catches a different way ads lose people.
I’m Damon Nelson. I have built marketing software for more than twenty years, and these are the questions I’d want answered before I spent a dollar on an ad.
The five checks at a glance
| Check | The question to ask | What it catches |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The hook | Does it tell the right person it’s for them? | Clever lines that fit everyone and stop no one |
| 2. The opening | Does it start with their problem or goal? | Ads that talk about the company first |
| 3. The desire | Does it connect to something they already want or fear? | Ads that try to create a need from nothing |
| 4. The value | Is it worth stopping for? | Ads that take attention and give nothing back |
| 5. The ask | Is the next step clear and the right size? | Big asks aimed at strangers |
Check 1: Does the hook tell the right person it’s for them?
The hook is the first line or first few seconds of your ad, the part that decides whether anyone keeps reading. A clever line that fits everyone lands on no one. Name the person, the situation or the goal clearly enough that the right reader stops scrolling.
How to use it: Read your first line and ask, “Who exactly is this for?” If you can’t answer in a few words, rewrite it until you can.
Check 2: Does it open with their problem or goal?
Plenty of ads start with the company, the product or the founder. Nobody scrolling cares about any of those yet. Start where the reader already is.
How to use it: Cross out every “we” and “our” in your opening. Replace it with the problem your reader has right now, or the goal they want.
Check 3: Does it connect to something they already want or fear?
You can’t create a desire in a few seconds of scrolling. You can tie your ad to one that’s already there.
How to use it: Write down the one thing your buyer already wants badly, or already worries about. Make sure your ad points straight at it.
Check 4: Is it worth stopping for?
People give you their attention, so give them something back. A useful tip, a moment they recognize from their own life or a quick demo of the thing working all count.
How to use it: Ask yourself, “If this ad sold nothing, would the reader still be glad they saw it?” If the answer is no, add the tip, the moment or the demo.
Check 5: Is the next step clear, and sized to how well they know you?
Someone seeing you for the first time isn’t ready for a big ask. Give a stranger a small step and a warm follower a bigger one. Marketers call people who have never heard of you “cold traffic,” and people who already follow you or bought from you “warm traffic.”
How to use it: Look at who will see the ad. For cold traffic, offer something free or small. Save the big offer for people who already know you.
| Who sees the ad | A good next step |
|---|---|
| Strangers who have never heard of you | A free guide, a checklist or a short video |
| People who follow you or joined your email list | A low-cost product or a free call |
| Past buyers and fans | Your main offer or an upgrade |
Put it together
Specific. Customer-first. Tied to a real desire. Worth the stop. An easy ask. If an ad misses one of those, fix that before you spend a dollar pushing it.
Save this list and run it on your next ad.
Practice this with us
This is the kind of thing we work through at GeekOutFridays, our mastermind that meets live every other Friday. Each session is 30 minutes of strategy and 60 minutes of building one system you can use. Bring an ad, run it through the five checks, and leave with a version that passes.
Join the GeekOutFridays mastermind group.
Want more plain-English guides like this one? Join the Pit Crew, my weekly email. One email a week, no pitch parade.
