Seb Valiente, founder of Growth Pod, joins Sarah and Nate to break down how his team turns messaging into static ads that actually make people stop and feel something.
They get into the difference between clarity and scroll-stopping visuals, why most teams struggle with the idea itself rather than the prompt, how to hire for creative thinking, and why static ads can still be some of the most dependable creative in an account.
Seb also shares a practical framework for building a visual from scratch, including how to use references without simply copying what already exists.
Timestamps
00:00 Meet Seb and Growth Pod
03:00 Why Seb's static ads stand out
04:00 The "after-work wind down" ad
06:00 Clarity vs. scroll-stopping creative
08:00 Why messaging comes before visuals
09:00 AI is only as good as the person using it
11:00 Why creative instinct matters
13:00 Can you predict which ads will work?
15:00 How Growth Pod matches headlines to visuals
17:00 Why marketers should pick one thing to communicate
19:00 Where static ads fit next to video
24:00 How to build a static ad from scratch
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CoHost: Nate Lagos
Twitter: https://x.com/natelagos
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natelagos/
Tactical and Practical Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tactical-practical/id1752915534
CoHost: Sarah Levinger
Learn more at: https://www.tetherinsights.io/
Twitter: https://x.com/SarahLevinger
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahlevinger/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah.levinger/
Watch me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKwfjt_7PU5N_2fTfHemXXg
Guest: Seb Valiente
Twitter: https://x.com/Sebastian_DTC
Website: https://growthpod.ca/