The “Pull Back and Reveal” Technique

2 min | Storytelling

“Pull Back and Reveal” is a classic cinematic technique.

An example of “Pull Back and Reveal” from ​What About Bob​.

Now, let’s use this technique to make some ads for ExpressVPN.

I’ll base them on the “Fake Plane Challenge” trend.

Step 1: Close-Up

Limit the view to make the audience assume what’s happening.

Step 2: Reveal

Zoom out and surprise them.

Step 3: Brand Message

Bonus: Static

Pull Back and Reveal works for static ads, too.
We just need the right visual hierarchy:

More examples

Here are some fun “Pull Back and Reveal” ads:

In this recipe

No heading found

Keep growing your creative and copywriting skills with my newsletter:

2 min | Brainstorming
Humor Mechanisms for Creating Hilarious Ads

Philosopher H. Bergson discovered the mechanisms that make humans laugh.
Here’s how to use them for marketing.
3 min | Storytelling
Pricing Theory, Simplified and Visualized

12 pricing principles that every marketer should know.
2 min | Copywriting
Writing My Best Worst Headlines

Fear of failure kills creativity. This quick exercise helps me overcome the fear.