409: A Template For Creating Powerful And Persuasive Ads With Cody Iverson

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The reason most Facebook ads fail is the creative, not the targeting. Cody Iverson’s agency builds ads from a modular framework called PASS UGC (Problem, Agitate, Solution, Sale, with user-generated content layered in), where each section is filmed separately as an interchangeable “element” so hundreds of ad variations can be assembled and multivariate tested from a single shoot.

In this episode I sat down with Cody Iverson, founder of Viscap Media, who has taken ecommerce brands to eight figures and now runs an agency producing high-volume direct response video ads. His system turns ad creation from an art project into a repeatable manufacturing process.

Below is the full breakdown: every element in the PASS UGC framework with real examples, how to structure hooks by funnel stage, why trained creators outperform real customers on testimonials, how to get TikTok creators to work for product alone, and the TikTok-first design principle for 2022 and beyond.

Key takeaways

• Build templates, not one-off ads. Creative people make things that look cool and do not convert without a framework.
• PASS UGC is the workhorse framework. Problem, Agitate, Solution, Sale, with UGC after the solution.
• Film each element separately. Interchangeable pieces let you assemble many videos and test which elements drive results.
• Hooks have three segments by funnel stage. Top (unaware), middle (problem aware), bottom (most aware, discount).
• Trained creators beat real customers on camera. Use real testimonial text, have actors deliver it.
• TikTok creators work for free product plus Spark Ads. They want followers and virality more than they want cash.
• Give bullet points, not scripts. Full scripts sound inauthentic. No direction produces unusable footage.
• Design for TikTok first. Facebook-first creative never works on TikTok. The reverse does.

Why your Facebook ads fail on creative, not targeting

Most Facebook ad problems are creative problems. When people are asked what makes a good ad, they almost always say a strong hook and a strong offer, ignoring everything in between, which is where most of the persuasion actually happens.

The fix is treating ads as assembled products rather than creative projects. Without a template, talented creative people produce work that looks impressive and does not convert, because nothing constrains them toward the structure that sells.

Templates also carry you through platform disruptions. When iOS 14 landed and targeting degraded, brands with proven creative frameworks had something reliable to fall back on.

The PASS UGC framework explained

PASS UGC stands for Problem, Agitate, Solution, Sale, with user-generated content mixed in after the solution is introduced to provide social proof. Broken into filmable elements, a full ad runs: hook, problem, agitate, intro product, product demo, product result, UGC testimonial, summary problem, summary solution, guarantee, call to action.

Here is each element with a shampoo example:

• Hook: “Is flaky hair ruining your day?”
• Problem: “Chemical-filled shampoos lead to dry scalp.”
• Agitate: “Can you no longer wear black shirts on a night out?”
• Intro product: introduce via reviews, PR, social proof, or a benefit
• Product demo: someone using it in the shower
• Product result: the desired end state, so viewers can envision themselves there
• UGC: testimonial-style social proof
• Summary problem: “Stop washing your hair with chemicals that stunt growth.”
• Summary solution: “Join millions now growing their long, luscious hair one shower at a time.”
• Guarantee, then call to action

The agitate step is the one most brands skip. It magnifies the problem into a specific consequence the viewer recognizes from their own life.

How elements and segments make ads modular

Each element in the framework has multiple “segments,” which are different ways of executing that same structural step. Intro product, for example, can be executed through customer count, press mentions, social proof, or a benefit statement.

Filming each element separately with multiple segment variations is what makes the system scale. Shoot five problem scenes and you can distribute them across ten different assembled videos, appearing roughly twice each.

That distribution enables multivariate testing at the element level. You can see which specific problem scene, which specific hook, and which specific product demo contribute to or subtract from ad performance, rather than only knowing that one whole video beat another.

How to write hooks for each stage of the funnel

Hooks split into three segments by audience awareness, and the same product needs all three.

• Top of funnel (unaware): “Did you know there’s a wrong way to shampoo your hair?” Curiosity-driven, assumes no knowledge of the problem.
• Middle of funnel (problem aware): “Recent studies show a majority of shampoos contain [ingredient].” Speaks to someone who already suspects there is an issue.
• Bottom of funnel (most aware): “Until Thursday, get [product] for 50% off.” Pure offer, for people who already know you.

The two sales rule underneath all of this: before someone takes out their wallet, they have to envision themselves using and receiving the product. The product result element exists specifically to make that happen.

Why trained actors outperform real customers in UGC ads

Trained content creators outperform real customers in testimonial-style ads, because being natural on camera is a learned skill. Real customers filming their own reviews are genuine, and typically stiff, unfocused, and unusable, which is why 80-90% of solicited customer video comes back poor.

The approach that gets both: pull real testimonials off your website, then have actors or content creators deliver that real messaging. You keep the authenticity of actual customer language and gain the delivery skill of someone comfortable on camera.

Trained creators can also add tonality, pretend to think, and stutter slightly, all of which reads as more authentic than a genuinely nervous first-timer reading their own words.

Use multiple actors. Some people connect with an audience and some do not, and you cannot reliably predict which in advance. Two to four actors per shoot is typical.

Where to find actors and creators for ad content

Find actors and creators through regional Facebook groups and the TikTok Creator Marketplace. Search “[your city] models,” “[your city] actors,” or “[your city] talent” on Facebook. Las Vegas, California, Florida, and Tennessee all have strong groups.

The TikTok Creator Marketplace is currently the most active source. Insense is a paid marketplace platform that also works well, with the usual marketplace caveat that creators there know their market rate and price accordingly.

For direct outreach at scale, scrape relevant hashtags. For a hair care client that means searching shampoo, hairtok, and similar tags, then contacting creators whose existing content style already matches what you want.

Selection criteria: ignore follower count entirely and evaluate whether they make good content. Are they using trending audio, trending transitions, and current video styles? Their existing work tells you whether you will need to give heavy direction.

How to get TikTok creators to work for free product

TikTok creators will often work for free product alone if you offer to run Spark Ads behind their content, because followers and virality are worth more to them than a modest cash fee.

Spark Ads mechanics: the creator gives you a post ID from their own account, and you run ads from that post through your business manager. The ad drives traffic to their profile, which grows their following and increases their odds of going viral.

Typical deliverables in exchange for product: three videos and three photos. That is a substantial ask for free, and it works because the follower growth is genuinely valuable to them.

On pricing when creators do quote: many are simply shooting their shot. Someone asking $3,000 for a video will frequently accept a third of that.

Do not promise specific ad spend amounts, since you do not know yet whether the creative will work. Cite past results instead: “creatives that worked for us have received $10,000 to $20,000 in spend, which produced roughly this much follower growth.”

Scripts versus bullet points for creator briefs

Give creators bullet points rather than full scripts. Viscap tested fully scripted line-by-line delivery, completely unscripted freedom, and everything between. Prompts and bullet points consistently produce the best combination of sales message and authenticity.

The failure modes on both ends are real. Full scripts produce delivery that sounds obviously read. No direction produces content with no direct response principles in it, which is why so much creator content stalls at $3,000 to $5,000 in spend and cannot scale further.

Well-briefed TikTok ads can absorb 30 to 50 times more spend per asset than unbriefed creator content, which is the entire argument for controlling the message while leaving the delivery free.

Why you should design for TikTok first

Design your creative for TikTok first, because TikTok-native content works on Facebook and Instagram while Facebook-native content never works on TikTok. It reads as an ad immediately and fails.

TikTok now has over a billion daily active users and longer watch time than YouTube, which means trends originating there now dictate what performs on other social platforms.

The practical workflow: brief creators for TikTok, then pull pieces from that footage into the PASS UGC framework for Facebook. You are not running the TikTok as-is on Facebook. You are harvesting elements from it.

Roughly 50% of the footage in Viscap’s ads is shot on a current-model iPhone, mixed with more polished material. Ads should look native to the platform they run on.

Ad length by platform

Facebook ads currently run under a minute, and increasingly in the 15 to 30 second range. YouTube ads run substantially longer, with the best performers between four and seven minutes.

The YouTube long-form format is closer to a video sales letter than to the Harmon Brothers-style comedic infomercial. It is hardcore direct response rather than brand entertainment.

Fewer templates work on YouTube than on Facebook, partly because the domain expertise in the industry has concentrated on Facebook for so long.

The cold traffic testing structure

Test new creative on cold traffic with one ad per ad set at two to three times your target CPA, holding the thumbnail, copy, and landing page constant across the test.

The purpose is isolating a single question: will this new video scale? Everything except the creative stays fixed so the answer is unambiguous.

For a smaller brand without an agency, filming four variations per element is a reasonable target: test three and hold one back to test against whichever wins.

Channel diversification after iOS 14

The strategic priority after iOS 14 is channel diversification, because the platform disruption that happened will happen again and probably worse.

The recommended channel set is Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, with Snapchat and Pinterest as viable additions. Designing for TikTok first is what makes a genuine cross-channel content strategy possible.

The second priority is owned audiences. Move people to SMS and email as quickly as possible so a future platform change cannot cut off your access to your own customers.

Frequently asked questions

What is the PASS framework for Facebook ads?

PASS stands for Problem, Agitate, Solution, Sale. With UGC layered in after the solution, a full ad runs: hook, problem, agitate, intro product, product demo, product result, UGC testimonial, summary problem, summary solution, guarantee, and call to action. Each section is filmed separately as an interchangeable element.

Why do most Facebook ads fail?

Creative, not targeting. Most advertisers focus only on the hook and the offer while ignoring everything between them, which is where the persuasion happens. Without a repeatable framework, creative teams produce work that looks good and does not convert.

Should you use real customers or actors for testimonial ads?

Use real testimonial text delivered by trained creators. Real customers filming themselves produce unusable footage roughly 80-90% of the time because being natural on camera is a learned skill. Actors can add tonality and natural-sounding hesitation that reads as more authentic.

How do you get TikTok creators to promote your product?

Offer free product plus Spark Ads run behind their content. The ads drive traffic to their profile, growing their following and their chance of going viral, which most creators value more than a modest fee. Typical deliverables are three videos and three photos.

Should you script content for influencers?

Give bullet points, not full scripts. Fully scripted delivery sounds read, and no direction produces content with no direct response structure that stalls at a few thousand dollars in spend. Well-briefed TikTok ads can absorb 30 to 50 times more spend than unbriefed creator content.

Should you design ads for TikTok or Facebook first?

TikTok first. TikTok-native content works on Facebook and Instagram, and Facebook-native content reads as an ad on TikTok and fails. TikTok now has over a billion daily users and longer watch time than YouTube, so trends there dictate what works elsewhere.

How long should a Facebook ad be versus a YouTube ad?

Facebook ads run under a minute and increasingly 15 to 30 seconds. YouTube ads perform best between four and seven minutes, structured as hardcore direct response closer to a video sales letter than to a comedic brand infomercial.