Creative That Converts

Press

Every month, we spend millions of dollars testing hundreds of ads, and for the most part, they only live within Ads Manager and our hard drives. So in this post, we’re coming at you with a few of our favorites focused on utilizing PR.

If you’ve been mentioned in a few magazines or blogs, this is a great way to show off all of those press logos to convey social proof and extra credibility.

Take a look below to get some insights for your own campaigns!

Homesick

This ad we made for Homesick drove a ton of sales. So many, that we created a v2 (that also drove a ton more sales.)

Sometimes when making ads, we focus more so on letting each logo have its time in the spotlight. But sometimes, the gravity of the volume of logos and sheer amount of press is more powerful. And creating a collage of sorts is a subtle nod to the convention of ‘things organized neatly’ (you’ll find a deep dive on that in the archives).

The other takeaway is that the product image in the foreground is dynamic with the flame flickering. The subtle movement brings attention to the product and makes it hold attention a bit longer than a still would.

Missing home? Grab a candle that smells like home to you at homesick.com.

DRNXMYTH

Press works in ads, you just need to find the right format for you. Sometimes a good old screenshot-esque, single-frame press ad is the best bet. Sometimes you have to add some more bells and whistles to get the point across.

The biggest motivation behind this piece we made for DRNXMYTH was momentum and impact.

Showing the press hits blocked out in multiple tiles on a single frame helps get the point across that these drinks are getting attention. And flying through them also helps add to the momentum of the ad, and the momentum of the social proof.

You won’t miss the bar with these ready-to-drink cocktails from drnxmyth.com.

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Splendid Spoon

There are a ton of ways to slice and dice press, and this design we made for Splendid Spoon is one of our favorite ways. Great press hits can be used to answer a common question that can greatly help overcome a customer’s buying objections!

The press speaks for itself and not only helps answer the questions that YES, indeed, it is tasty- but, because it’s press, consumers tend to see them as an authority source without question.

If you’ve got press (even just one good headline!), how can you use it to answer a common question potential customers have?

If you want to see if their plant-based meals are ACTUALLY good, go visit splendidspoon.com.

Prima

This ad we made for Prima is features a press logo sticker. This can be an awesome strategy for any brands that are new to the market; are releasing a new product; or are hoping to beef up the trustworthiness of the claim or statement they are making within the main frame.

Our creative team is constantly looking for ways to splice and dice press mentions. Press can serve as the star of the asset, or can be cast as a supporting role. These press logos are the backup, and serve to reinforce the main messaging of the ad.

All of that press can’t be wrong, get your hands on the skincare product everyone is talking about at feelprima.com

Playa

This ad we created for Playa did a great job advertising a bundle of their bestsellers. You can raise your average order value by bundling products so that customers don’t have to do it themselves.

This is one of the simpler ads that we put together to encourage people to purchase more than one product. This ad came from the result of testing different ways to position the bundle. The idea of healthy hair & swapping the word bundle for ‘kit’ were two of our biggest takeaways that led to this iteration.

We follow a classic copywriting formula to open this ad up. If you want X, then you need Y. X should represent why your customers purchase your product, or what your product can offer. Y is clearly your product!

We then introduced what you get in the bundle, and bolstered the reputation (increasing trust) with a press quote. Could this ad have been better served by a press quote that was speaking directly to the health of your hair? Yes. But as we all know, you don’t get to write your own press quotes. And again, through testing, we saw that press performed better than customer reviews.

Try their Healthy Hair Starter Kit from playabeauty.com.

Vitamin A

What we did for this ad for Vitamin A was screengrab a Vogue article that mentioned the brand, and overlaid a video on top to make it stand out in the feed even more. Now, having a blue-chip magazine like Vogue helps, but this can work with lesser-known outlets too.

And if you have a few press mentions, you can make a version of this for each to test which performs best.

Pick up a shirtdress from vitaminaswim.com and style it anyway you want.

Act+Acre

(not our client) 

The main thing to call out within this ad would be how they snuck in some minimized press logos to help increase the social proof.

Rather than distracting from the sale details (the main focus) with benefits and value props, they’re hoping to establish some quick trust by using the press logos. Not a bad strategy and absolutely worth trying if you’ve got some good press mentions!

Visit actandacre.com to try out their cold pressed hair care.

Parade

(not our client) 

This ad is a winning combination of composition + press (another fun way to slice and dice those press quotes and mentions you’ve worked hard to recieve) = a winning combo! Not only that, but because the product is similar in size and shape, they were able to create even more visual interest by swapping the grid around. Incorporate your product shots into your ad strategy to get the most out of your SKUs.

Want comfy AND sustainable undies? Go here yourparade.com.

Ritual

(not our client)

Ritual hit the nail on the head with their screenshot press ad. So rather than have the press hit get buried in the article text, they called it out in a native text overlay. Ritual added another (genius) step by taking a second screenshot of the best paragraph in the article, and then overlaying that on top of the header. That way, you get the social proof from the publication, but can also read pretty much the entire review by Refinery29.

To breakdown the “screenshot press” genre- if you will- to it’s foundations, would be:
– you pull up a press hit about your brand on your phone
– you take a screenshot
– you run it as an ad

Need to change up your vitamin routine? Try the multivitamins from ritual.com.

The Patch Brand

(not our client) 

This ad pairs a hook with a rotating press bar to reinforce social proof throughout the entire video.

Tossing something into the trash is a solid opener. It’s getting a litttttle overused out there but is still worth testing. This is good inspo for your other hooks though- What else can you do that’s equally intriguing? Alternative ideas: Smash your competitor’s product; toss it off a bridge; put it in a blender; etc.

Tired of swallowing pills? Try the patch from thepatchbrand.com.

STILL CURIOUS?

We thought this was a fun way to show off some of the cool stuff our creative department is doing without giving away the full strategy secrets. So while I’ve drastically simplified the intention and strategy behind each asset above, I hope these were still entertaining (and maybe even a bit inspiring?) to play through.

If you would like to see more ad examples like the ones above, subscribe to our daily email list to receive ideas to inspire your creative every weekday: