Craft Ads for Online Education that Feel Real

Everyone who’s advertising online education selling something online will tell you that authenticity sells first.

While many of us have an intuitive understanding of what authenticity means, making it easy to recognize when we encounter it, defining it precisely can be challenging.

Selling Authenticity in Online Education

The same product, when promoted by different brands, can be perceived as either authentic or off-putting.

This phenomenon is evident with various online trends.

One brand might participate in a viral TikTok challenge and become a trending topic, while another brand attempting the same challenge might receive negative feedback or, at best, a patronizing acknowledgement for their effort.

The difference? One brand successfully connected their message to the challenge authentically, while the other failed significantly. Nothing disrupts the native feel of ad content more quickly than a lack of genuine connection.

If you want to come across as authentic in advertising online education, learn the explicit and implicit rules of the platforms where you’re advertising.

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The way to do this is by consuming content on these platforms yourself. This will help you naturally incorporate the content elements, CTAs, visuals, shooting styles and language used in popular, high-traffic content served on the respective platforms.

Successful advertising requires creating ads that feel authentic and your ultimate goal is to boost your course enrollments by gaining the trust of your target audience.

Therefore, it’s essential to communicate that the benefits of your product are genuine and that the problems it solves are real issues your potential students face.

Mimic Successful Organic Content

Want to engage your target audience effectively? If you know they spend a lot of time on Instagram, for example, go ahead and explore the top 5 – 10 creators in your niche that are consistently posting on Instagram.

These are the brands producing content your audience already enjoys. Examine the content these creators post while focusing on engagement levels, popular formats, and common elements in top-performing posts.

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By mimicking this successful content in your ads, you increase the likelihood of running a campaign that feels authentic to your audience.

Researching their online preferences allows you to position your ads as organically as possible, making viewers more inclined to watch them.

This is why UGC is so effective.

Struggling to Find Your Authentic Ad Angle? Try UGC!

UGC creators address their audience in their usual manner except sometimes they highlight certain products. This approach makes the content feel organic and personable, increasing the likelihood that people will watch and listen.

UGC feels more genuine because it comes from real uses rather than the brand itself. This authenticity builds trust as potential customers see actual people using and endorsing the product in their everyday lives.

UGC creators often rely on established relationships with their audiences. When they endorse a product, it feels like a recommendation from a friend rather than a sales pitch, making it more relatable and trustworthy.

Additionally, content created by users tends to receive more engagement because it’s perceived as less scripted and more spontaneous, increasing the likelihood the viewers will interact with the content.

UGC also fits seamlessly into the platforms it’s shared on, adhering to the norms and styles that users expect, whether it’s Instagram, TikTok or YouTube.

You can use UGC for your ad content if you want to create engaging, native-feeling campaigns, as opposed to polished, production-heavy ads.

High quality ads can be expensive to produce, whereas UGC is more budget-friendly and still highly effective. On top of that, because UGC doesn’t require extensive production you can quickly and easily create and update ad content to keep it fresh and relevant.

Lead with Distinctive Audios

If you’re planning to run ads that have an audio element to them, then it’s important to lead with that to capture attention quickly. Catchy or emotionally engaging sounds can immediately halt the viewers and make them stop scrolling for a few seconds.

By designing your visuals to complement the audio, you ensure that the ad’s message is cohesive and impactful. Use the audio to guide the pacing, transitions and overall flow of the ad.

Vertical formats are especially relevant here since they are practically designed for quick, engaging content. Even if viewers have their volume low, a strong audio component ensures your ad remains noticeable even if only partially heard.

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Use music that is distinctive, with a strong, recognizable beat or melody and if there are any voiceovers, make sure they are clear and articulate. Complement the audio with captions and visual cues that can convey the message even if the sound is muted.

Aim to create a visual rhythm that aligns with your audio. For instance, match the visual transitions with the beats of the music or key points in the voiceover to create a cohesive experience for the viewers.

Compare the performance of ads with the sound on versus sound off to get an idea of how well the audio of the ad is performing.

Use Customer Reviews to Match Real Emotions and Language

Get into analyzing customer reviews to be able to source impactful ad content for advertising online education.

Reviews provide direct insights into what customers appreciate and dislike about a product. Examining these reviews, you can identify recurring themes or emotional triggers essential for crafting compelling ad messaging.

Often in these reviews customers will express what they felt before, during and after using the product – whether it’s excitement, relief, frustration, or joy. Leverage the emotions you spot to create ads that genuinely resonate with your audience’s own experiences and feelings.

Take notes on the language and phrases customers use so you in turn can create ad copy that reflects that same terminology that is familiar to them.

In this way you align your ad with their POV, making it feel more authentic. In fact, make use of the real-life scenarios and use cases described in these reviews to create more practical and relatable ad content.

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Conclusion

Authentic online education ads connect with the audience by being… real. Get to know the platforms, mimic popular styles and highlight real customer experiences. Show true value and solve real problems.

When done right, your ad message is felt first and understood second.