Pattern-Breaking Linkedin Ads

3 min | Brainstorming

Most LinkedIn ads look something like this:

And that’s a great opportunity for B2B brands that dare to be different.

So let’s create some ads for NordPass, a business password manager.

1. Message

First, I use Luke Sullivan’s “This ad is about…” technique to define my message:

“This ad is about how risky it is to manage and share your passwords
manually.”

Now, I want to find a more creative way to say that.

2. Image

I break down my “This ad is about” statement into keywords:

• risky

• manage

• share

• passwords

• manually

Then, I search the keywords on Shutterstock, one by one.

“Risky” brings up some interesting results:

So I use Photoshop’s AI feature to make it look even riskier.

3. Headline

Next, I do some research and come up with a headline and sub-line.

4. Validation

The only way to truly validate an ad is to run it. But these two tests help me know if I’m heading in the right direction.

The “Get it?” test

When I try to be clever, there’s always a risk of being unclear. So I ask GPT-4.

GPT’s response:

“This ad uses a visual metaphor to draw a parallel between the obvious physical risk in the image and the risky behavior of using ‘password’ as a password.

The statistic “Over 700,000 business managers…” emphasizes the prevalence of this insecure practice. The logo suggests that NordPass is the solution.”

The “Three Executions” test

If I can turn my idea into a series, it means I have a concept, not just a one-off.