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Dave Lastovskiy

A working guide / Creators + media buyers

Make Good Ads

Understand the buyer. Make a clear argument. Build the right creative. Learn from the result.

Give the right person a reason to act.

A hook earns a moment. The rest of the ad has to make that moment worthwhile: a relevant offer, a believable argument, and an obvious next step.

  1. 01Understand the buyer
  2. 02Make a relevant promise
  3. 03Earn attention
  4. 04Establish belief
  5. 05Make the next step clear

A working model for creative decisions, not a scientifically validated formula. These jobs can happen together; they are not mandatory scenes in a video.

Use it while doing the work.

01 / Understand

Principles →

Buyer psychology, the offer, proof, attention, brand memory, and action. Understand why a creative choice might work.

02 / Make

Production →

Turn customer evidence into concepts, scripts, and finished assets. Copy the brief, storyboard, and delivery checklist.

03 / Learn

Testing →

Define what a test can tell you, judge the business result, and turn the learning into the next brief.

04 / Observe

Examples →

35 tutorials, creative breakdowns, and brand examples. Study a technique, then decide whether it fits your assignment.

Start with a brief. End with a decision.

MomentCreatorMedia buyer / owner
Before productionFind customer language. Propose a promise, concept, and proof.Confirm the objective, acquisition economics, event, and question worth testing.
Before launchDeliver labeled assets, copy, destinations, and evidence.Check tracking, placement previews, test design, and decision criteria.
After results matureExplain what the creative changed. Write the next hypothesis.Separate observed performance from causal evidence. Decide what deserves more investment.

Agree on one primary business outcome. Attention, click-through, and watch time help locate a problem; they do not establish profitable acquisition.

Five questions before anything ships.

  1. Who is this for, and what situation makes it relevant now?
  2. What single promise should they take away?
  3. What gives them a reason to believe it?
  4. Will they recognize the product and understand the next step?
  5. What will we learn, and what result would change our decision?

See a technique. Ask what job it does.

Chris Chung's notebook diagram of a curiosity gap.
Attention: open a question.
Source: @iamchrischung
Jacob Arabo discussing his watch designs.
Belief: show the maker.
Source: @jacobarabo
Alex Hormozi comparing two ad openings.
Comprehension: make the point clear.
Source: @hormozi

Examples illustrate choices. Their inclusion does not verify conversion performance.