A guide from KoalaDigital
Ads Library
19 real social media ads, sorted by industry. Each one has a short note on how it gets attention and one idea you can borrow for your own business.
Each ad belongs to its advertiser and is shown here as an example. We don't have their results, so our notes describe what an ad does, not how well it performed, and don't endorse any claim or offer in it.
Loans and finance
Interface as image
Ad by Cashco
A computer pop-up window asks the question and a shocked man with an empty wallet shows the feeling. Review badges from Google, Finder and Trustpilot sit along the bottom.
Borrow this: Put the customer's question in a familiar shape, then back it with proof they already trust.
Looks like a note
Ad by Cashco
It looks like someone's phone notes rather than an ad. Two options are ruled out or ticked, and the loan appears as the last item on the list.
Borrow this: A plain format can stand out in a feed full of polished graphics.
One simple drawing
Ad by HomeSec
A single line drawing of a figure leaving an open cage carries the whole message, under three red words. The offer is one short sentence.
Borrow this: If one picture can say it, remove everything else.
Before and after
Ad by a business loan provider
Grey and crossed-out problems sit on one side, and bright colour with ticked benefits on the other. You understand the comparison before you read a word.
Borrow this: Let colour do the comparing, and make each list quick to scan.
Customer comment
Ad by a cheque cashing service
A customer's comment sits above the picture, ending on one bold line about getting the money in minutes. The room behind him changes from before to after.
Borrow this: Choose the single line of a testimonial that names the result, and make it the loudest.
Call out the audience
Ad by a mortgage lender
The first three words name exactly who it's for, and the flag repeats it. The bottom line gives a specific reason to act.
Borrow this: Name the audience first, then end on a concrete offer.
Property and investing
Big metaphor
Ad by a property investing business
A prospector panning for houses sits beside a regional home at sunset. The comparison makes a dry market trend feel like a story.
Borrow this: Borrow an idea people already know to explain something unfamiliar.
Reads like news
Ad by a property investing business
The headline reads like a news story and promises an explanation. Two houses with specific growth figures give it something concrete to hold on to.
Borrow this: Lead with a question people are already asking, and use exact numbers.
Show the ticket
Ad by InvestED Conference
A strong yellow ground, a question headline and a ticket wrapped like a gift. The thing you're applying for is right there in the picture.
Borrow this: Turn something intangible, like an event, into an object people can see.
a retirement adviser
Proof and faces
Ad by a team of retirement advisers
The headline combines a proof number, a place and the outcome. The team's faces show who you'd actually be dealing with.
Borrow this: For a trust-based service, pair a real number with real people.
Limited places
Ad by a retirement adviser
Almost all type, on a dark ground. It names the age group, gives a limited number of places and makes the offer sound like an invitation.
Borrow this: Words alone can carry an ad when the offer is clear. Only limit places if the limit is real.
Health and disability support
Curiosity headline
Ad by an NDIS provider
A warm family photo takes most of the space, and the word Revealed sets up the headline. The funding line in red answers the likely objection about cost.
Borrow this: Deal with the biggest objection in the headline, as long as you can stand behind the claim.
Benefit diagram
Ad by WeFlex
One smiling person in the centre, with arrows pointing to four short benefits. A coupon adds a reason to act now.
Borrow this: Short labels around one image are quicker to take in than a paragraph.
Professional services
Result as a quote
Ad by Lincoln Institute
A large quote gives the result in a customer's voice, beside someone who looks like the target customer. A row of industry logos adds credibility.
Borrow this: Show someone your customer recognises as being like them.
Free report
Ad by Lincoln Institute
It speaks to one profession and offers something free. Mock-up report covers make the free analysis feel like a real thing you receive.
Borrow this: Give a free offer a physical form, even when it's digital.
Trades and products
Humour
Ad by Liquid Rubber
It's styled as a post from a roofer, with a dog in sunglasses that has nothing to do with waterproofing. The joke earns the look, and the post delivers the offer.
Borrow this: A trade audience will stop for a laugh too. Keep the offer itself plain.
Product and gift
Ad by Liquid Rubber
A customer quote names the program and the gift card. The product line-up and the card itself then show exactly what the quote describes.
Borrow this: Show the reward in the picture, so the offer is clear without reading.
Marketing and coaching
Familiar interface
Ad by a lead generation trainer
The ad is laid out as a chat with an AI. The question is the reader's own problem, and the answer leads to a free training.
Borrow this: Borrow a format your audience uses every day. Just don't imply that a brand endorses you.
Wanted notice
Ad by Skool
The word Wanted turns the ad around, so the reader is being sought out. A styled flat-lay and product covers show what they could create.
Borrow this: Frame the offer as looking for the right person, rather than selling to everyone.
Is one of these your ad?
If you'd like an ad credited differently or removed, contact us and we'll sort it out.