I spend a ton of time thinking about ads and how to capture attention for my clients and even my own brand. This often leads me to dissect different advertisements to see what makes them effective (or not). If you’re like me, you may have wondered how to create effective ads for your own business.
When we started our marketing company, one of the approaches I wanted to take was using education and free tools as a way to attract more clients, along with offering marketing strategy in addition to selling ads. This strategy also helps me connect with businesses that can’t yet afford my services; by helping them now, I stay top of mind for when they grow and need paid marketing, they will hopefully convert to customers. On a deeper level, these tools guide our own work when we make creative decisions for clients, helping us “practice what we preach!”
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been developing a marketing framework that will become tools we can use for two main objectives:
1. Create powerful hooks so people will listen, watch, or read our ads.
2. Write and design great ad scripts for clients (I’ll cover how to script out great advertising in the next article).
I want to share with you the formula we use for ad creation, advertising hooks, and effective ad titles. This is not an exact science, so feel free to add your insights or better approaches. I can tell you I’m often surprised by what does—or doesn’t—work in advertising, despite how much I study it. So, test and adjust, and let me know if you find something powerful!
How to Create Powerful Ad Hooks with this marketing tool
When you create a hook, you need to capture attention fast—whether it’s the first line of a video, the title of an digital ad or print ad, or the subject line of an email. You’ve got about 1–3 seconds to make them tune in, so it has to be compelling. Here’s one approach I use: (You down with WPP? Yeah, you know me!...I digress, lol)
WPP: Who, Problem, Promise
1. Who? Immediately call out the target audience.
Example: “Moms over 40…”
2. Problem. State the main reason they should keep watching/reading.
Example: “…tired of loose skin or ugly stretch marks?”
3. Promise. Make it brief but compelling—a teaser of the solution.
Example: “This 15-minute treatment makes them disappear!”
Remember, this is just the hook/title of your ad, and you only have a few seconds to capture attention. What do you think of this as a hook?
“Moms over 40, are you tired of loose skin or ugly stretch marks? This 15-minute treatment makes them disappear!”
I think it works pretty well. Let’s try another example for a home renovation company:
• WHO? Homeowners over 35
• Problem: Living with an outdated kitchen
• Promise: We renovate it on budget or pay you $500
“Homeowners, are you tired of your outdated kitchen? We’ll update it in no time and stay on budget—or pay you $500!”
This one takes about 6 seconds to say, so hopefully the first half intrigues the right audience. A shorter version might be:
“We help homeowners update their kitchen on time or pay them $500!”
I like the second one better because it’s shorter.
This isn’t the only way to create a title, but it’s a simple framework you can use if you’d like. It works for me.
Applying the Framework to This Article
As an example, I’m going to use the WPP framework for the title of this article, feel free to critique, let me know how I did:
• Who (audience): Business owners who want to market their company more effectively
• Problem: Creating effective ad titles
• Promise: A simple formula that they can use to make ad titles or hooks
Using AI to Brainstorm Titles
I’m a big believer in using AI to help streamline your work, not to do the entire job for you. At this point, most people can spot a direct copy-and-paste from AI. For me, AI is a powerful brainstorming assistant. Here is how I would recommend using it to help you. I fed my formula to ChatGPT, and these are some of the results:
1. Business Owners: Struggling to Craft Winning Ad Titles? Use This Simple WPP Formula. (5.7 sec.)
2. Hey, Business Owners: Want Better Ad Titles in 3 Seconds? Meet the WPP Formula! (4.8 sec.)
3. Business Owners: Can’t Nail Your Ad Titles? The WPP Trick Changes Everything. (5.02 sec.)
4. Business Owners: Tired of Mediocre Ads? Master the WPP Method for Instant Hooks. (4.58 sec.)
5. Business Owners: Elevate Your Ad Titles Now with the Powerful WPP Formula! (4.4 sec.)
I don’t love any of them outright, but there are solid elements in each. You don’t always have to call out your “Who” explicitly at the beginning; mentioning “ad titles” or “hooks” might implicitly do the job for you.
I have gone through the given titles and created my own and I like this one:
“Winning Ad Titles that Capture Attention in under 3 Seconds.”
It’s more nuanced and clocks in at about 2.73 seconds.
More AI Examples
I asked ChatGPT for a second round of titles that are more nuances and shorter and gave it my version. Here are some new refined options that it came up with:
• Winning Ad Titles That Capture Attention in Under 3 Seconds
• Stop the Scroll: Create Winning Ad Hooks in 3 Seconds Flat
• Master 3-Second Ad Hooks: The Simple WPP Formula Revealed
• Crack the 3-Second Code: How to Write Captivating Ad Titles
• Ad Titles That Win in 3 Seconds: A Proven Shortcut for More Clicks
They still sound somewhat “computerized,” but they’re closer to what I’d use. I really like the third one and might tweak it further.
The Process & Next Steps
That’s a peek into my process for creating ad titles. I hope it helps!
If you think I should turn this framework into a web tool for my Free Marketing Tools page, let me know.
For now, here’s the exact prompt you could copy and paste into an AI tool for your own company. Make sure to fill in the bracketed sections in “Here is the information you need:” before you hit enter. Let me know how it works.
AI Prompt:
You are a marketing and advertising expert with a deep understanding of the WPP formula:
• W = Who (the intended audience)
• P = Problem (the key issue they face)
• P = Promise (the benefit or desired result).
Please create at least 5 nuanced, concise marketing titles or hooks for my product/service.
- Keep the language simple, direct, and easy to understand.
- Subtly reference the Who (audience) without naming them too explicitly.
- Clearly highlight the Problem and offer a compelling Promise.
- Focus on capturing attention in under 3 seconds if possible.
Here is the information you need:
[Insert your details: product/service, audience’s main frustration or goal, any unique selling points, any offer or discount, etc.]
Please ensure each option is:
1. Short and punchy (aim for fewer than 10 words if possible).
2. Easy to read and immediately relatable.
3. Slightly different in angle or wording to give me variety.
Generate these titles now.
I hope this helps. In the next article, I’ll cover how to script out the ad once you have your new title in hand.
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