Brain Bug Copywriting
đ§ Build Invasive Hooks That Spread, Not Just Stick, Meta Expands Reels and Threads Ad Options, and more!
Howdy Readers đ„°Â
In this newsletter, youâll find:
đ§ Brain Bug Copywriting
đŁ Meta Expands Reels and Threads Ad Options
đ Ad of the Day
If youâre new to ScaleUP then a hearty welcome to you, youâve reached the right place along with 50k+ CEOs, CMOS, and marketers. Letâs get into it, shall we? Oh! Before you forget, if someone forwarded this newsletter to you, don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter so you never miss out!
Together with Portless
đŠ BFCM is Weeks Away. Make Sure Your Inventory Isn't.
Your competitors are panicking. Their BFCM inventory is sitting on a container ship somewhere in the Pacific, arriving (maybe) by late November.
You could be selling next week.
With direct fulfillment, Portless cuts your inventory lead times by 90%, meaning you start generating cash flow immediately not in late November.
Here's how Portless gets you selling for BFCM faster:
âïž Onboard inventory from your factory in 1 week (not 60-90 days)
đŠ Start selling immediately while others wait for containers
đ° Generate cash flow now to reinvest in BFCM marketing
đ Restock winners in 3-5 days throughout the entire season
With Portless, you'll be 3 months ahead of brands waiting for containers. That's 3 extra months of sales, reviews, and cash to make this the best BFCM ever.
The math is simple: Start selling your products in 1 week or wait until November.
đ Want to start selling before your competitors even receive inventory?
Get a custom quote for your brand now â
đ§ Brain Bug Copywriting
Most ad hooks are designed to capture attention. But the highest-performing ones go further they colonize memory. These are not âanglesâ; theyâre brain bugs: sticky, emotional fragments of language that implant themselves into the buyerâs subconscious and replay themselves uninvited.
They donât just work in ads. They echo in the shower, surface at checkout, and get repeated in group chats. This isnât copywriting, itâs idea germ warfare.
đł Why Most Hooks Die on Impact
The default DTC hook playbook is built around flexible benefits:
âHydrates your skin all dayâ
âPerfect for oily complexionsâ
âClean ingredients, real resultsâ
These sound safe. But they float. Theyâre too broad to embed. Too product-focused to feel personal. Too polished to survive the chaos of a scroll.
đŠ What Makes a Hook Invasive?
Great hooks arenât product headlines. Theyâre psychological splinters. They stick because they violate a mental boundary.
Hereâs what to engineer:
Self-Narrative Violation: âIâm 30 and I still canât look in the mirror.â
Tribe Disruption: âOther girls glow. I still cake on foundation.â
Conflicted Truth: âI donât want another product. I want my face back.â
These hooks donât sell the product. They sell the pain of not resolving the tension. And that tension becomes the trigger for memory.
đ§Ș The Playback Test
The best hooks arenât just remembered. Theyâre replayed.
Test this:
If your ad line wouldnât survive being quoted in a group chat, itâs not invasive enough.
If it doesnât prompt a âwait, thatâs meâ moment, it doesnât belong in your top-of-funnel.
Performance hooks should feel less like marketing, more like a secret someone just confessed.
đč How to Brief Creators for Brain Bugs
Most briefs say: âTalk about our results. Mention the sale. Smile!â
But invasive hooks require emotional immersion: âStart by describing how it feels when none of your photos are âsafe.â Donât pitch the product, narrate the insecurity first.â
Insense helps 2000+ brands like Auri, Starface, and Native brief creators with psychological stick points, not just product perks. You can book your free strategy call.
You canât win the scroll war by being accurate.
You win it by being invasive. By designing lines so close to the buyerâs own thoughts they canât un-hear them. Thatâs what brain bug copy does, and thatâs why it scales.
đŁ Meta Expands Reels and Threads Ad Options
Meta announced a full slate of ad upgrades at its Brand Building Summit, giving marketers more ways to reach audiences across Reels and Threads while tightening AI-powered targeting.
The Breakdown:
1. Reels Trending Ads - Meta is expanding Reels trending ads to all advertisers with a sales rep, letting brands place campaigns next to the most culturally relevant Reels content. Early tests show a +20% boost in unaided brand awareness, making this a high-impact format for visibility.
2. Threads Ad Formats - Threads now supports carousel ads and 4:5 single-image or video formats, plus catalog ads that extend Advantage+ campaigns. Brands without a Threads account can even run ads using existing Facebook or Instagram posts.
3. AI-Powered Targeting - Meta expanded value rules to awareness and engagement campaigns, letting advertisers prioritize their highest-value audiences. Early tests show 2x more high-value conversions versus standard campaigns. Landing page view optimization has also been enhanced, while detailed targeting exclusions are removed for simplified control.
These updates tighten Metaâs discovery-to-conversion loop just as the holiday season ramps up. Broader Reels access drives awareness, new Threads formats open fresh engagement channels, and expanded AI targeting provides more precise audience reach, all in one integrated system for cross-platform campaigns.
đ Ad of the Day
What Works and Insights
1. Bold promise with clear benefit - The phrase âNo Moreâ instantly lists the problems customers want to solve, thick nails, brittle texture, discoloration, making the ad feel like an immediate fix. This is a reminder to lead with the exact pain points your audience wakes up worrying about, then pivot fast to the solution for maximum stopping power.
2. Visual proof of texture and action - The flowing cream background mimics the productâs rich, penetrating formula, visually reinforcing the idea of deep treatment. Brands can use this technique to show product efficacy through texture or motion graphics, so the design itself communicates the benefit before a single word is read.
3. Clinical credibility in a glance - The term âDeep Penetrating Formula for Nail Fungusâ paired with the straightforward jar image signals a medical-grade solution without overwhelming copy. Marketers can combine a short, authoritative product name with a clean pack shot to build instant trust and reduce hesitation.
Direct, problem-solution messaging cuts through crowded wellness markets. Ads that focus on the exact symptoms and pair them with simple visuals help audiences self-qualify quickly, which speeds purchase decisions and improves conversion rates across digital channels.
Advertise with Us
Wanna put out your message in front of over 50,000 best marketers and decision makers?
We are concerned about everything DTC and its winning strategies. If you liked what you read, why not join the 50k+ marketers from 13k+ DTC brands who have already subscribed? Just follow this.
At ScaleUP, we care about our readers and want to provide the best possible experience. That's why we always look for ways to improve our content and connect with our audience. If you'd like to stay in touch, be sure to follow us EVERYWHEREđ„°
Thanks for your support :) We'll be back again with more such content đ„ł