CourseCorrect

Your customer is nearly always wrong.

That’s the argument makes in this TED talk.

His point is that customers know the future they want, but they don’t know what gets them there. If they did, they’d already be there.

And that changes what your copy has to do, because if the reader is wrong about the road, your marketing has to be the thing that corrects them.

Phil has a phrase for how to do that, saying you need to be objectively disruptive.

Which means staying rooted in what’s true for the person you’re talking to, and willing to challenge them on the parts they’d rather not look at.

So If you look at what your business has been putting out over the past few months, how much of it is doing that?

How much of it reframes what the reader believes and challenges them where it counts?

Because it’s easy to drift into subjective territory.

Writing from inside your own experience, in language that sounds right to you and your team, with the service getting described the way you see it …

Or, watering things down because challenging a prospect feels too aggressive.

But both will produce copy that sounds “fine” and moves nobody towards the desired actions you want them taking.

Something that’s flying under the radar right now are education-first ads, and a lot of brands are fishing in only 5% of the pond.

They’re pouring all their focus into people who are already problem, solution, and product aware in the ads they’re running. Whether they realize it or not.

So recently, I created this spec ad style for

Here’s a few things worth taking away from it for the next batch of ads you run:

1. Show, don’t tell.

This doesn’t tell the reader they have a problem. There’s no finger-wagging or “you NEED magnesium” lecture happening.

It just describes their nights accurately enough through six relatable moments so they self-identify.

2. Highlight the problem-mechanism.

A lot of people already know magnesium is important. What they don’t know is what being deficient actually looks like from the inside.

So this ad gives them six specific deficiency signatures, then explains the mechanism behind each one.

And when someone finally understands the why behind their suffering, their trust in the fix goes up.

3. Lean into visual storytelling.

With sleep especially, there’s a very clear cascade of problems at play. One thing leads to the next, and wreaks havoc on your quality of life.

That’s where visual storytelling becomes a powerful tool. Because when you can show that cascade panel by panel, the reader feels the problem viscerally.

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If you or your team are currently struggling to figure out what style of ads to run or what concepts and angles to lead with...

Shoot me a DM and I’ll share more around how I can help.

How many times have you heard someone say, “I’m not a morning person”?

Maybe you’ve said it yourself.

Either way, it’s one of those statements that gets thrown around like it’s a fact.

Like some people are just wired for mornings and others aren’t.

End of story.

When that’s not really the case.

It’s just a label people attach to themselves.

And once we label ourselves as something...

We work overtime to prove it true.

The identity reinforces the behavior, and the behavior reinforces the identity.

And round and round it goes.

That’s why I love this part of ’s site.

Because they’re not trying to convince you that you need to join the 5am club.

They’re doing something way smarter -

Reframing what it means to be a “morning person” in the first place.

Not “here’s the one perfect routine.”

Or “wake up earlier and you’ll be successful.”

But to find what works for YOU.

Suddenly, it’s not this binary thing anymore.

You’re just someone who hasn’t found their version of mornings yet.

It’s permission-based positioning.

Because most people don’t actually hate mornings.

They hate the guilt and pressure that comes with feeling like they’re doing them
wrong.

So AG1 removes that pressure entirely by showing you real people with real routines.

Rather than seeing celebs/influencers and comparing yourself to some unattainable standard....

You’re seeing someone relatable who’s a few steps ahead of where you are.

Which makes the identity shift feel possible.

So here’s my question for you -

What labels have your audience attached to themselves?

What binary beliefs are they holding onto that might be keeping them from buying?

Because once you get clear on what those labels are...

You’ll know exactly which ones to challenge and dissolve.

Worth spending some time on.

And if you need support figuring this out for your brand, my DMs are open.

If you want someone to act differently...

You need them to see differently first.

Because once you change the frame, you change the feeling.

And when you change the feeling, you change the decision.

hims & hers does this incredibly well with their “You’re exceptionally average” message.

With their line (erectile dysfunction medication & hair loss treatments)...

Shame is the biggest barrier to action.

And when someone believes their struggle is rare or abnormal...

A lot of the time, they’ll avoid seeking help and suffer in silence.

It’s a classic case of self-isolation driven by stigma.

Which is why Hims reframes the entire experience.

Instead of positioning these as problems that make you different...

They positioned them as problems that make you normal.

Hence why their ads take on a playful, provocative angle...

Like having cacti (representing ED) plastered across NYC subway stations...

Because metaphors embedded with humor are disarming.

It strips away the heaviness that keeps people stuck...

And makes the conversation feel less like a medical consultation and more like a mate looking out for you.

Once someone sees their problem as common rather than unique...

Seeking help becomes the obvious move, not the embarrassing one.

And this is what great brands understand.

How to give people a new way to see themselves and their situation...

Which changes everything about how they engage with your solution.

So, ask yourself:

What story is your market telling themselves about their problem?

What frame are they using to make sense of it?

And what reframe would make acting on it feel obvious?

“Hit them where it hurts, then help them where it counts.”

I heard this from a marketer years back.

Pretty sure it was in a workshop on how to write attention-grabbing hooks.

And it stuck with me, because it’s “sticky” - it rolls off the tongue.

But just because something’s quotable doesn’t make it universally true.

Here’s what I mean...

A lot of hooks and leads lean HARD into fear.

To agitate a core problem, they paint a worst-case scenario.

And sure, fear can create urgency.

But it can also backfire. Especially in DTC health.

Heavy fear-based messaging can trigger “defensive avoidance.”

Basically... when the threat feels too big, people don’t take action.

They avoid it entirely.

Because if the problem seems insurmountable, why face it at all?

So they don’t.

They put off the doctor’s appointment...

Ignore the symptoms...

And tell themselves they’ll “deal with it later.”

And when I think about Function Health’s market...

I see a huge segment of their audience that’s exhausted by fear tactics.

They’ve been hit with enough doom-and-gloom health messaging to last a lifetime.

They’re numb to it.

So that’s the mindset I brought when I put this billboard together.

Because Function Health doesn’t guilt or scare people into action.

They give them agency.

So by saying “Your future self is counting on what you do today”...

It translates to the fact that you’re in the driver’s seat.

You get to choose what version of you shows up in 10, 20, 30+ years.

Also...

Most people are terrible at imagining their future selves.

There’s research on this called “temporal discounting.”

Where our brains treat Future Us like a stranger.

So when you say “this will help you in 20 years”... they don’t care.

Because 20-years-from-now them feels like someone else’s problem.

But when you show them the moment...

Like the grandmother holding her grandchild.

The specific, visceral, emotional reality of what they’re playing for...

Now it feels real, because their future self isn’t a stranger. It’s them.

[Continued in comments.]

What comes up when you hear “body builders”?

For a lot of people, it’s gym bros, protein shakes and bicep curls.

Which is what makes this billboard so good.

They created a pattern interrupt by giving you a heavily pregnant woman in yellow, with her belly out, owning the frame.

A literal body builder.

And that italicized “real” puts strength behind the word, while creating a subtle us vs. them dynamic.

Because a lot of women who’ve been pregnant, are pregnant, or want to be will look at this and think:

“Hell yeah.”

Which is strengthened by how bodybuilding culture actually works.

It’s tribal and identity-driven. And about claiming your version of strength.

So, Ritual hijacked that energy and redirected it.

Also…

Most supplement brands hide behind clean minimalism and clinical language.

With sterile packaging and soft pastels.

But this feels a lot more straight-forward, confident, and empowering.

The visual simplicity forces engagement. And the yellow background cuts through everything.

You can’t look away, or half-process it.

And when you compare it to typical prenatal vitamin ads (serene women in white linen, gently cradling their bump)…

The contrast is stark.

This shows reality, and treats it as extraordinary… without making it delicate.

They’re positioning it as what it is:

An act of creation so intense it demands real nutrition.

Big fan.

What’s your take?

Not your typical ‘Thank You’ page…

But here’s why I’m a big fan:

1️⃣ It breaks the expected pattern

Most thank you pages are forgettable.

“Thanks for subscribing to my newsletter! Please check your inbox.”

Standard… but generic.

While this one stops you in your tracks.

2️⃣ It makes you feel like you made the right choice

It congratulates you on becoming Person B.

Boosting your ego, by calling you the proactive one. The action-taker.

You haven’t even read the first email yet, and you already feel validated for subscribing.

3️⃣ It demonstrates the skill they’re selling

This page comes from The Ad Professor - a team that are all about visual storytelling. That’s their thing.

This does exactly that. It communicates a powerful concept in seconds.

The thank you page is real estate most businesses waste.

This one makes you excited to be on the list.

So here’s my question for you ⬇️

Are you capitalizing on the moment someone makes a micro-commitment to your brand?

Because here’s the thing -

When someone gives you their email, joins your waitlist, or completes a purchase…

That’s when they’re most receptive, and open to what you have to say next.

Yet most DTC brands just follow “best practices” because everyone else does.

So take a look at what you’re running right now.

For your newsletter confirmations, post-purchase pages and waitlist opt-ins…

Don’t just check a box.

Think about how you could use that high-intent moment to reinforce the decision they just made, show them who they’re becoming, or give them a reason to engage deeper.

And if you’re a DTC founder and want to talk through how to turn these dead zones into actual assets, shoot me a DM and let’s have a chat.

At second glance.

The perfect name for a powerful campaign by Grabarz & Partner ().

Because only at second glance do you realize that Steffen isn’t the tired man in the foreground, but the one smiling in the background.

Then your mind catches up to what just happened.

The instant assumption you made - that depression looks sad, withdrawn, and obvious.

And then it becomes personal.

Because there’s a story here that most of us recognize. One we’ve lived or witnessed.

Everyone, to some degree, has put on a smile to hide their struggle.

We hear it all the time:

“Check on your strong friends.”

“You never know what someone’s going through.”

“Mental health matters.”

But sometimes those words float by without much weight.

Without context that makes you actually *feel* them.

That’s why this works.

It doesn’t tell you depression is invisible. It shows you.

In one image. One glance, then another.

It respects your intelligence while challenging your assumptions.

Rather than lecturing you, it invites you to see differently.

What are your thoughts when you look at this?

Ever binged an entire Netflix series in one sitting?

Or started organizing one room... then felt compelled to clean the entire house?

It’s common, because incomplete loops create tension.

Which is why intrigue and knowledge gaps in copy can be so powerful.

But to go big picture, in the context of our daily routines...

There are things that can feel “off” if we don’t complete them.

It’s why when you’re getting back in shape...

You feel weird eating junk food after hitting the gym.

Your brain craves consistency across the entire system.

And a month ago, launched AGZ with this exact thinking in mind.

Which is likely to give their LTV a nice bump.

Because when someone establishes a morning ritual around AG1...

Their brain starts craving completion of that daily optimization cycle.

It satisfies our need for systematic closure.

Something I also found interesting was their “melatonin-free” positioning.

Sleep supplements aren’t new. Most people know what melatonin is.

But they’re drawing attention to that groggy feeling melatonin can create…

While appealing to the growing number of people who WANT evening routines, but are scared of melatonin tolerance.

Smart play.

I like the name too.

It leverages all the existing brand equity, while still feeling new and distinct.

What’s your thoughts towards it?

The most overlooked conversion lever in DTC?

Loss aversion.

Most brands are so busy telling people what they’ll GET…

Not realizing that humans are hardwired to avoid loss twice as much as they seek gains.

Take skincare…

When someone’s struggling with acne...

They’re not only missing out on clear skin...

They’re losing:

→ Confidence in social situations
→ Dating opportunities
→ Professional credibility
→ Peace of mind
→ Their younger-looking self

Stack that up…

And suddenly your $97 skincare routine feels like a bargain.

Here’s another example…

Fitness brand selling to busy dads:

❌”Build muscle and feel strong!”

✅ “Stop watching your kids grow up while you grow weaker”

The second one is centered on what he’s losing every day he doesn’t take action.

So the real key is getting specific about their losses.

What confidence are they losing?

What opportunities are slipping away?

And what version of themselves are they abandoning?

Once you nail that...

Your product becomes so much more than a product.

It becomes the vehicle rescuing them from what they’re losing.

That’s when DTC brands go from “nice to have” to “must have.”

So with your current campaigns, look at how (or if) you’re leveraging this trigger.

Because it could mean the world of difference to your conversion rates.

And if you need a hand in bumping those numbers up, shoot me a DM and let’s have a chat.