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Hey legends! 👋
This is my first-ever re-run of a brand. This year, I think we’ll see more brands going ALL IN on creators this year, and the smart creators are using AI to scale their operations into full-blown media companies.
Good to be back! Hope you enjoy this breakdown.
-Dev
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THE PLAY
Creator accounts > sponsored posts
People are overloaded in supplement choices to just maintain their health. 50 different pills costing over $100 per day/week = massively confusing.
Traditionally, supplement brands hired celebrities that gained no trust, run fake-looking polished brand ads.
But the playbook is changing, and AG1 is a great example of the “new way”. This is what they did instead:
Simplified the message: "Stop juggling 50 pills. One drink covers everything."
Made ads look like friend recommendations by posting through real creator accounts (not obvious sponsored content)
Sent people to custom landing pages that matched wherever they came from
A.K.A - Tapped into the power of partnership ads (whitelisting).
THE DEEP DIVE
Why AG1's ads feel like friend recommendations
1. The mechanics of whitelisting paid ads
The old way was to pay an influencer with a decent following to simply post on their social feeds.
AG1’s approach is to secure permission to run paid ads through the creator’s own social media handle, effectively bypassing the psychological “ad wall” that people have built against corporate brands.
This helps them:
Reach new audiences
Get cold buyers since there is a layer of approval from the influencer
Focus on distribution rather than spending on creating new creatives in-house
When a user sees a recommendation from key influencers like Andrew Huberman or Tim Ferris, instead of just using the @drinkag1 handle. This creates an immediate sense of organic trust.
AG1’s performance team likely creates “dark posts”. These are ads that don’t appear on the creator’s organic grid but are served to targeted audiences using the creator’s identity. A super easy way to get buy-in from the creators as they maintain their brand image and authenticity.
2. Narrative driven creative testing still applies
Judging by the volume of ads, they have a playbook they follow. The playbook is built around relentless iteration of ad creatives across different formats, including partnership ads.
Their creative strategy is built around Hooks because the first three seconds of a video determine its ultimate ROI. When you zoom in on their ads, you can see they utilise several hook archetypes like:
Reverse psychology hook - “Don’t buy this product” helps get attention in a non-salesy way
Why I quit hook - Creators explain why they abandoned a complex pill regimen in favor of a single scoop of AG1.
Dramatic demos - showing how the product is built into a morning routine with text overlays that highlight the 60-second health habit.
And to keep ad spend concentrated, they maximise spending only on “winning” assets.
They make sure they have enough variations (5+ creative variations) and are prepared to turn off an underperforming ad within 48 hours.
3. Traffic goes to Creator themed landing pages
AG1 avoids the common mistake of sending high-intent traffic from a specific creator to a generic home or product page.
Instead, they build creator-themed landing pages.
When someone tunes into Tim Ferris’ or Andrew Huberman’s podcast and clicks a link, they land on a page that features the creator’s image, their specific endorsement message and the unique offer that they mention in their content.
Message matching reduces the cognitive load on the buyer, maintaining the consistency of the ad throughout the journey.
To really stack these personalised landing pages, AG1 adds the following trust signals:
Social proofing - filtered reviews to make sure it’s super relevant.
Interactive quizzes - a sneaky secondary CTA that captures emails and typically offers personalised results, driving up user interaction.
Price framing - they are really good at making their premium price point feel accessible (“less than $3 per day”)
You can't make smart decisions if you don't know the truth—the 'true truth.' As you get bigger and you have success, you end up talking to yourself instead of really being rooted in what's going on. — Kat Cole, CEO of AG1.
Another way to look at the quote: A product's real value is in solving customer problems, not just its features. AG1 thrived by offering a quick, simple way for customers to manage their health, rather than just selling "greens."
THE FRAMEWORK
The simple growth playbook
Step 1: Partner with the Right Creators
Find creators who already love and use your product
Don't just pay them for one post; get ongoing access to posts from their accounts
This builds way more trust than traditional ads
Step 2: Test Your Ads Fast and Cheap
Make simple, rough videos (not polished ads) with attention-grabbing first 3 seconds
Post them through your creator partners' accounts (so their followers see them)
If an ad doesn't work within 2 days, kill it and try something new
Step 3: Match Your Landing Pages to Where People Come From
Send podcast listeners to a different page than Instagram followers
Make each page speak their language and match what they just heard/saw
Break down your price into a daily cost (like "$3/day") instead of the full monthly price, and it feels way more affordable
Poll: What did you think of today's edition?
That’s all for today! Thanks for tuning in, and feel free to drop me a note with your thoughts!
-Dev
When it makes sense for you, here are 3 ways I can help you:
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