Ad formats for apps and services with no physical product
Savannah Sanchez's catalogue of UGC formats that work for apps and services on Meta and TikTok (Feb 2025) — before/after skit with a custom sound, self-skit, rating slideshow, walk-and-talk, staged street interview, whiteboard, Notes-app checklist, paper flip, writing hooks, myth vs truth, TikTok comment reply, "if you're searching for X" — with client examples (Bumble, Noom, Zapier, Alma, Jackpocket).
Ad formats for apps and services
TL;DR
- With no product to hold, every format puts a real person on camera telling their experience, overlaid with the app or site (usually green screen), with text overlays for sound-off viewing.12
- Savannah Sanchez’s first format for a new client is the self-skit: one creator plays two characters, e.g. FaceTiming herself in another outfit.3
- Before/after skit with a custom sound: scary music while life without the app is bad, resolving once it improves (Bumble).4
- Cheap, native-looking formats: walk-and-talk, Notes-app checklist, rating slideshow (“things Bumble did for my dating life: 12/10”), TikTok comment reply in the first 3 seconds.567
- Prop formats that stop the scroll: whiteboard (her “best $10 investment”), paper flip (no talking), writing hooks on a cake, sand or mirror, post-it notes on a screen.8910
- Copy hooks: myth vs truth, “here’s the secret to…”, “if you’re searching for X, you need to try this”, “I’m about to save you money on…”.111213
Details
Format list with the client example shown:
| Format | How | Example client |
|---|---|---|
| Before/after skit | life before → after the app, custom sound or pointing at on-screen text | Bumble4 |
| Self-skit | same creator, two outfits, talks to herself, app overlay | Bumble3 |
| Slideshow | rate what the app did for you, X/10 | Bumble5 |
| Success story | B-roll of the end result (dates, adventures) | dating app5 |
| Walk-and-talk | creator walks, handles an objection (“dating apps used to scare me”) | Bumble6 |
| Street interview | two briefed creators stage a “horror story” interview, app as fix | dating app14 |
| Whiteboard | graph or value props written and crossed out | various8 |
| Notes app | ticking goals off a checklist; UGC strip below | Noom15 |
| Paper flip | printed sheets flipped on the street, no talking | sleep offer (“100 nights free”)9 |
| Writing hook | message written on a cake, sand, mirror; post-its on a screen | IG-growth service, Alma10 |
| Myth vs truth | industry myth → your truth, green screen over site | Alma Therapy11 |
| Comment reply | TikTok comment overlay as the hook | many7 |
| Lead-gen hooks | “reasons to visit X”, throwing money in the trash, “here’s the secret” | Affordable Health Plans12 |
| Current vs future self / you vs friend | exaggerated stressed vs relaxed character | Zapier16 |
| FAQ answers | answer objections; good for retargeting | Jackpocket17 |
| POV / problem–solution | exaggerated happy reaction + app screenshots | Jackpocket17 |
Production notes. She re-uses a small trained creator roster weekly across clients. Film green-screen talent on a neutral (white) background so they’re easy to cut out over the app.1416
Disagreements / caveats
- Shown without metrics (“top performing” per her). The agency sells UGC production.
- Samet Durgun warns against feature-tour ads. Lead with pain and emotion, then show the app after ~5 s (Testing creative formats in buckets, then iterating inside the winner). Most formats here do that.
- Several are scripted testimonials with hired creators. Keep claims truthful and disclose where required (Using AI to scale app ad creatives (without fake testimonials) on FTC risk).
See also
- The UGC app-ad format — captions, green screen demo, phone in hand, wild hooks — the core app-demo UGC format
- Structure and concepts for paid app video ads — hook → demo → offer → end card
- Verbal and text hook templates that are winning on Meta (2025–2026), Visual and skit hook formats for UGC ads (2025–2026)
- Savannah Sanchez
Footnotes
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Apps & Services: Top Ad Creative Formats @ 12:16 — Savannah Sanchez ↩
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Apps & Services: Top Ad Creative Formats @ 09:07 — Savannah Sanchez ↩
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Apps & Services: Top Ad Creative Formats @ 02:42 — Savannah Sanchez ↩ ↩2
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Apps & Services: Top Ad Creative Formats @ 00:58 — Savannah Sanchez ↩ ↩2
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Apps & Services: Top Ad Creative Formats @ 04:16 — Savannah Sanchez ↩ ↩2 ↩3
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Apps & Services: Top Ad Creative Formats @ 05:15 — Savannah Sanchez ↩ ↩2
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Apps & Services: Top Ad Creative Formats @ 10:44 — Savannah Sanchez ↩ ↩2
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Apps & Services: Top Ad Creative Formats @ 06:02 — Savannah Sanchez ↩ ↩2
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Apps & Services: Top Ad Creative Formats @ 07:59 — Savannah Sanchez ↩ ↩2
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Apps & Services: Top Ad Creative Formats @ 09:07 — Savannah Sanchez ↩ ↩2
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Apps & Services: Top Ad Creative Formats @ 09:07 — Savannah Sanchez ↩ ↩2
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Apps & Services: Top Ad Creative Formats @ 10:44 — Savannah Sanchez ↩ ↩2
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Apps & Services: Top Ad Creative Formats @ 14:56 — Savannah Sanchez ↩
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Apps & Services: Top Ad Creative Formats @ 05:15 — Savannah Sanchez ↩ ↩2
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Apps & Services: Top Ad Creative Formats @ 07:11 — Savannah Sanchez ↩
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Apps & Services: Top Ad Creative Formats @ 12:16 — Savannah Sanchez ↩ ↩2
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Apps & Services: Top Ad Creative Formats @ 13:46 — Savannah Sanchez ↩ ↩2