Use this 30-year-old lead framework on YouTube ads to scale 📈

It's like discovering that the hottest new chefs in town are all secretly using your grandmother's recipe book.

When an ad begins with "This case will ruin your iPhone 16..." or "This caused more arguments than any product we've ever made..." - that's not random. That's strategic. That's a master copywriter pulling strings that have been working for decades.

I'm talking about Michael Masterson's "Great Leads" framework - a systematic approach to crafting the opening section of any sales message for maximum impact. In copywriting, the lead is the headline and initial paragraphs – that crucial hook that either grabs your audience or loses them forever.

What makes this framework so powerful? It's the recognition that about 80% of an ad's success comes from just the first 20% of the copy. Those opening moments are where the battle for attention is won or lost. As Masterson himself puts it, "You can't sell to someone if they aren't reading your copy."

His framework breaks down six core types of leads: 

1. Offer lead,

2. Promise lead,

3. Problem-solution lead,

4. Big secret lead,

5. Proclamation lead,

6. and Story lead.

Each provides a different strategy for beginning a persuasive piece - from direct approaches that immediately present your product to indirect ones that first engage with intrigue or story before mentioning what you're selling.

Let me show you how today's most successful YouTube advertisers are secretly using this 30-year-old framework to create ads so compelling that people actually choose to keep watching.

The Great Leads framework: A 30-year-old goldmine for modern marketers

Before we dive into how today's smartest brands are applying this framework to YouTube, let's understand what it actually is.

In the world of direct response marketing, your opening - your "lead" - is everything. It's those critical first few seconds that determine whether someone keeps watching or hits "Skip Ad." Michael Masterson identified six distinct types of leads that consistently outperform all others:

1. The offer lead: Immediately presents a compelling proposition,

2. The promise lead: Opens with a bold benefit statement,

3. The problem-solution lead: Identifies a painful problem, then introduces the solution,

4. The big secret lead: Teases hidden information or an insider approach,

5. The proclamation lead: Makes a startling statement or prediction,

6. The story lead: Begins with a compelling narrative.

Each type serves a different purpose and works best with audiences at specific awareness levels. The direct leads (offer and promise) work with highly aware audiences, while indirect leads (story, secret, and proclamation) excel when your audience doesn't yet know they need your solution.

The man behind the framework

You might be wondering who Michael Masterson is. That's actually a pen name for Mark Ford, a lifelong entrepreneur and copywriter who has quietly built an empire through his writing and business ventures.

Ford has been involved in dozens of multimillion-dollar businesses, including one exceeding $100 million in revenue and another breaking the billion-dollar mark. From 2000 to 2010, he posted more than 3,000 essays on his Early to Rise blog, which once reached nearly a million readers.

What's fascinating about Ford is his range - from entrepreneurship to martial arts to philanthropy. He's the quintessential renaissance business mind who applied his practical experience to develop frameworks that actually work in the real world, not just in theory.

Great Leads in action: Analyzing top-performing YouTube ads

Let's examine some high-performing YouTube ads through the lens of Masterson's framework and see exactly how they're deploying these time-tested techniques.

1) Mouse iPhone Case: Problem-solution lead

The ad opens with: "This case will ruin your iPhone 16, and here's why..."

This is a textbook Problem-Solution lead. Within the first three seconds, Mouse presents a clear problem (other cases block the iPhone 16's new button) before transitioning to their solution (a specially designed case with an "ergonomic cutout").

Why it works: The Problem-Solution approach immediately creates tension - you might be using a case that's actively harming your expensive new phone! This works because the audience is already aware of the problem (poorly designed cases) but may not have consciously identified it.

Notice how they establish urgency with "this problem is only going to get worse with Apple Intelligence coming" before presenting their solution. The problem comes first, creating a void their product perfectly fills.

2) Transformer Table: Story lead

This ad opens with a personal narrative: "To start the process, we're going to replace the biggest item here, the dining table. It has served us well when it was just me and my wife, but as my family grows, it's time to move on."

This is a classic Story lead. The narrator draws us into his personal journey of family growth and the challenges that come with it - specifically, needing versatile furniture for a growing household.

Why it works: The Story lead creates an emotional connection by showing rather than telling. Instead of opening with "Buy this expandable table," they invite viewers into a relatable life transition. The personal narrative about family growth resonates with their target audience - people who need adaptable furniture solutions for variable numbers of guests.

Notice how seamlessly they transition from problem (outgrowing a dining table) to solution (a transformable table) through a personal story that viewers can see themselves in.

3) Solar Estimate: Problem-solution with promise elements

"Thinking about going solar, but not sure whether it's worth it for your home? Well, before you get quotes, there are three things you need to know about going solar and one easy way to find them out."

This ad primarily uses a Problem-solution lead but incorporates Promise elements. It identifies a clear problem (uncertainty about solar's value for your specific home) and immediately promises a solution (their unique calculator).

Why it works: The Problem-Solution approach here addresses the primary barrier to solar adoption - uncertainty about the actual benefits for a specific home. By promising to solve this with "America's most accurate solar calculator," they're removing the primary obstacle to conversion.

The ad brilliantly uses specificity ("three things you need to know") to build credibility and create clear expectations, making the solution feel more tangible and trustworthy.

4) Mouse Day Backpack: Proclamation lead

"This caused more arguments than any product we've ever made..."

This is a perfect Proclamation lead. It opens with a startling statement that creates immediate curiosity and tension.

Why it works: The Proclamation approach here works brilliantly because it establishes intrigue from the first second. Who wouldn't want to know what caused so much internal conflict at a company? It signals that this product has a story behind it and that significant thought went into its creation.

What makes this lead particularly effective is how it positions the product as something worth arguing over - implying its importance and the passion behind its development.

5) Government Spending Card: Big secret lead

"Are you an American who's making 50,000 or less a year with no Medicare or Medicaid? Good, that means you are already approved to receive an extra $5,800 every month from Uncle Sam."

This is a Big Secret lead, promising inside information about a benefit program most people don't know about.

Why it works: The Big Secret approach creates an "us versus them" dynamic - positioning the viewer as someone special who's about to gain access to privileged information. The ad claims to reveal a government program that supposedly isn't being widely advertised.

This lead creates urgency through scarcity ("when this goes viral... all available spots will be taken up") and uses specific numbers ($5,800) to make the promised benefit feel concrete and real.

While this particular ad appears questionable in its claims, the lead technique itself demonstrates why the Secret approach can be so compelling when used ethically.

6) Amazon Kindle Income: Big secret/Story hybrid

"Why is Amazon paying me $63,000 a month?"

This ad begins with a Big Secret lead ("why is Amazon paying me...") but quickly transitions into elements of a Story lead as the narrator explains his journey.

Why it works: The opening immediately creates curiosity - most viewers would be interested in learning how someone is earning that much from Amazon. The question format engages viewers by presenting a puzzle that their brain wants to solve.

By transitioning to a story about how the speaker discovered this method, the ad builds credibility while maintaining the "insider secret" angle. They even bring in a second person ("Carla taught me this") to reinforce that this is a legitimate, teachable system rather than a fluke success.

The YouTube lead strategy: Matching your message to audience awareness

After studying these ads, one thing becomes crystal clear: the key to a YouTube ad that converts isn't just choosing any lead type – it's choosing the right lead type for your specific audience's awareness level.

Here's how to apply Masterson's framework strategically:

1) For highly aware audiences

If your viewers already know your product category and are ready to buy, go direct:

• Use an Offer lead when you have a compelling deal that needs no context. Think "Get 50% off our premium VPN service this week only." These work brilliantly for remarketing campaigns targeting people who've already visited your site.

• Try a Promise lead when you have a bold benefit worth highlighting upfront. The Mouse iPhone case could have alternatively opened with: "This is the only iPhone 16 case that gives you full access to all camera features while providing maximum protection."

2) For problem-aware audiences

If your audience recognizes they have a problem but doesn't know about your solution yet:

• The Problem-solution lead (like the Mouse iPhone case ad) works by validating their pain point before introducing your product as the answer. This bridges the gap between their known problem and your unknown solution.

• A Big secret lead (like the Amazon Kindle income ad) is perfect when your solution isn't mainstream knowledge. By positioning your approach as "little-known," you intrigue people who've been struggling with a problem and thought they knew all possible solutions.

3) For completely unaware audiences

When people don't even recognize they have a problem that needs solving:

• The Proclamation lead (like the Mouse Day Bag ad) creates shock or surprise that jolts viewers out of complacency. It's perfect for cold traffic who needs to be educated about a problem they didn't know they had.

• The Story lead (like the Transformer Table ad) builds an emotional connection before introducing product details. This works when you need to create context and desire before presenting your solution.

By matching your lead type to your audience's awareness level, you meet viewers exactly where they are mentally. This approach keeps them engaged through those crucial first 5 seconds when the "Skip" button appears and guides them naturally toward your call to action.

The results speak for themselves - the difference between a perfectly matched lead and a mismatched one can easily be 5x in conversion rates. I've seen this repeatedly in my own campaigns and in analyzing top performers.

Your YouTube lead action plan

Here's your four-step process to leverage this framework:

1. Map your audience segments by awareness level - Are they totally unaware, problem-aware, solution-aware, or product-aware?

2. Create different lead variants for each segment - Don't use a one-size-fits-all approach. Craft separate openings for cold, warm, and hot audiences.

3. Test ruthlessly in those first 5 seconds - Use YouTube's analytics to see exactly where people are dropping off and optimize accordingly.

4. Build a competitive advantage through fundamentals - While everyone else chases flashy new techniques, master this timeless framework that consistently delivers results.

The most valuable insight I can share is this: YouTube may be a 21st-century platform, but it's still powered by human psychology that hasn't fundamentally changed in decades. The marketers seeing the most success aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets or the fanciest effects – they're the ones who understand that the first few seconds of their message must be perfectly calibrated to their audience's mindset.

In a world obsessed with the latest marketing technology, sometimes the most powerful tool is a 30-year-old framework that actually understands how human attention works.

Now, I'm curious - which of these lead types do you think would work best for your business? And have you noticed yourself getting hooked by any of these approaches when you're watching YouTube?

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