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- [3 Ad Thursday ]š”YouTube Ads With Really Smart Hooks
[3 Ad Thursday ]š”YouTube Ads With Really Smart Hooks
We analyzed 3 competely different ads with one thing in common - smart hooks!
Welcome to, or welcome back to this weekās VidTao 3 Ad Thursday!
Each Thursday weāll be diving into our VidTao YouTube ad library to uncover 3 high-performing YouTube ads driving results.
This week weāve got three high-performing YouTube ads for you to check out & model, including:
āļø Solar panels ad with over 3 million USD in adspendā¦
š Book publishing ad with over $133k in adspendā¦
š Over $1.2M Spent On This Addiction Recovery Adā¦
Ready to check the ads out?
The tracking metric you've never heard of that 4x'd a $750M business š
99% of DTC Subscription brands miss this
Duolingo was stuck in 2018.
Yes, $750M in revenue & 40 million+ daily usersā¦
But growth?
Flatlining.
Hundreds of tests running⦠Nothing moving the needle.
They were trapped optimizing metrics everyone tracks: conversion rates, retention rates, acquisition costs.
Then they used a framework that flips traditional tracking on its headā¦
ā¦exposing the ONE metric that mattered most...
ā¦buried in every DTC subscription brand's biggest blind spot.
When they tested it against everything else ā new user acquisition, reactivation campaigns, onboarding flows ā this one metric had 10x more impact than all of them.
The result?
4x growth.
Not from better ads. Not from new traffic sources. Not from a rebrand.
From tracking one transition that 99% of subscription brands completely ignore.
Want to see how you can uncover your DTC subscription businessās āmagic metricā?
VidTao Co-Founder Brat Vukovich just wrote an article inside his weekly newsletter, The Dashboard, walking you through exactly how to dig into your own subscription business and uncover this golden insight.
PS ā The Dashboard is where Brat shares weekly notes on building Bratrax, buying media, and making sense of performance data - without the fluff.
PPS ā Send this link to a friend who needs it: blog.bratrax.com
Let's dive right in and take a closer look at this week's YouTube ad standouts and discover what makes them so successful.
āļø Solar Lead Gen Ad With Over 3 Million USD in AdSpend
Ad that is our first pick for this weekās analysis is a solar lead gen ad we found inside VidTao!
Letās take a look at it:
This ad's estimated total ad spend is over 3 million USD! š°
These are some of the elements this ad combines for its success:
1ļøā£ Engaging, Problem-Solving Hook ā Directly speaks to homeowners' hesitation about solar, making them curious to learn more.
2ļøā£ Educational ā3 Things You Need to Knowā Framework ā Simplifies the decision-making process, positioning the ad as helpful rather than pushy.
3ļøā£ Unique Selling Proposition (USP) - AI-Powered Solar Calculator ā Highlights a high-tech, data-driven approach that eliminates the need for in-person assessments.
4ļøā£ Key Benefits Presented in a Logical Sequence ā Answers homeowners' biggest questions: cost, savings, and system size.
5ļøā£ Strong Social Proof & Credibility Boosters ā Uses local pricing data and 28,000+ verified reviews to build trust.
6ļøā£ Low-Friction CTA with Two Options ā Allows both ready-to-buy and hesitant users to engage without pressure.
7ļøā£ Scarcity & Urgency to Push Action ā Encourages immediate action by framing solar incentives as time-sensitive.
This advertiser has many other cool ads you can take inspo from, and you can find them all inside VidTao YouTube ad library š
~ update from our friends at Funnel of the Week ~
Air Fryers, āDark Postingā & Category Creation for
a $4B Market
Our friends at Funnel of the Week just released a new funnel breakdownā¦
ā¦This time itās a DTC beauty brand using dark posting + smart benefit repositioning to turn a decades-old niche product into a mainstream hit.
The product? Shampoo bars. The angle? No longer āeco-friendlyā - now itās hair transformation stories like:
āMy hair grew 4 inches in 2 monthsā
āFinally found the solution for my thin, lifeless hairā
And the growth opportunity is huge:
US shampoo bar market: $4.13B, growing 7.7% annually
Only 35% of consumers know this category exists
Only 8% have tried solid shampoo bars
Inside this breakdown, youāll see:
ā All ādark postā influencer accounts running now - and how they target different demos
ā Creative strategy that shifts from eco benefits to personal transformation
ā The awareness stage moves that take someone from ānever heard of itā to āordering todayā
ā How this exact framework has created billion-dollar markets before (electric toothbrushes, plant-based meat, and more)
š āPublish Your Own Bookā Ad With Over $133k in AdSpend
Moving on to our next ad pick, which is this book publishing ad, with estimated total ad spend of over $133k! š„
Let's dissect it and see some of the key elements this ad combines:
1ļøā£ Inspiring, Emotion-Driven Hook ā Uses a powerful quote from Tony Morrison to immediately connect with aspiring writers.
2ļøā£ Strong Emotional & Legacy Appeal ā Frames publishing as a way to leave a permanent mark on the world.
3ļøā£ Problem-Solution Framework ā Addresses the common belief that publishing is complicated, expensive, and time-consuming.
4ļøā£ Simplified, Low-Friction Offer ā Highlights how Spinesā platform makes publishing as easy as ādrag and drop.ā
5ļøā£ Clear & Actionable CTA ā Encourages viewers to book a free 15-minute call with a publishing expert.
6ļøā£ Brand Positioning & Tagline Reinforcement ā Ends with a memorable line: āSpines ā the same old story retold.ā
Using VidTao YouTube spy tool, you can find all landers in use by this, or any other advertiser you wanna spy on š
Hereās what this advertiserās landing page looks like:
š $1.2M+ Spent On This Addiction Recovery Ad
Already our last ad analysis for the week, folks!
And itās this addiction recovery ad by Mason Cain:
This ad's estimated total ad spend is over $1.2M! šµ
Now letās see what are some of the elements that make it stand out:
1ļøā£ Deeply Personal & Relatable Hook ā Opens with a vulnerable confession, immediately building trust and connection.
2ļøā£ Problem-Agitate-Solution Framework ā Frames addiction as a cycle, then positions their method as the only way to break free.
3ļøā£ Faith-Based & Spiritual Appeal ā Leverages religious messaging to strengthen credibility and emotional impact.
4ļøā£ Strong Social Proof & Success Stories ā Features testimonials and personal transformations to validate effectiveness.
5ļøā£ Clear & Low-Friction CTA ā Encourages users to register for a free video and receive discreet follow-up emails.
6ļøā£ Urgency & Divine Timing Angle ā Suggests that watching the video isnāt a coincidence but an answer to prayers.
Use VidTao ad intelligence tool to see other ads by this advertiser, all the relevant stats and a lot more!
Hereās a sneak peek:
šµļø Want to āSpyā on over 29 million YouTube ads (and landing pages)?
Go here to claim your free trial of the VidTao Premium YouTube Ad Libraryš
With that, weāre all done for this week! š
We hope this weekās selection of high-performing ads has sparked new ideas to test yourself!
Want more insights like these?
Stay tuned for next weekās VidTao 3 Ad Thursday, where weāll continue breaking down winning strategies from the best YouTube ads in the game!
And btw⦠If you have questions about YouTube ads?
Go here to schedule a free chat with our friends at Inceptly. Inceptly is a top Direct Response video ad agency, specializing in high-performing YouTube ad creatives & media buying.
Have a great week!
PS - Go here to Claim Your Free Trial of VidTao Premium: Access 34.3 Million YouTube Ads & Their Landing Pages!
PPS - Are you spending $1k/day+ on Paid Ads? š Go here to set up a free YouTube Ad brainstorm chat.








