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“Who is Steven Singer? And why will someone pay for a billboard just to say they hate him?”
This is a billboard I saw on a road trip a couple of weeks ago.
It reads the four simple words, “I hate Steven Singer!” (emphasis added❗)
My travel buddy took one quick look and immediately asked, “Who is Steven Singer? And why would someone buy a billboard just to say they hate him?”
It’s a great question, so of course, we looked it up. I quickly googled: ihatestevensinger.com (don’t worry, I was in the passenger seat 👍).
When my internet finally finished buffering, I laughed. I landed on a jewelry website owned by a man named…
You guessed it…
Steven Singer! (emphasis added 😂)
And at the top of the website, there’s a button that simply reads, “Why Hate Steven.” On the About page, there’s a great story of how “I hate Steven Singer” became one of the best testimonials for the jeweler.
If you want to read the story yourself, I’ll link it right here: https://www.ihatestevensinger.com/pages/history#
Now, let’s talk about why it works so well.
This ad works so well because it’s a masterful use of the ironic headline – a contradiction hook that relies on unexpected outcomes to quickly build curiosity.
Ironic headlines are a great way to provoke interest even for skeptical audiences because the loop it opens in the brain is too hard to ignore.
Fun fact: My road trip partner goes out of their way to avoid seeing ads, but even this one piqued their interest.
So, if you’re writing for a saturated market, use an ironic headline – great ones always stand out.
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Steven Singer artfully leaves you on a cliffhanger, making you want more.
This next ad closes the loop immediately, but it still works.
Upgrade to premium today to see how closing the loop can still get sales when done right.
🥇 Who Needs a Boyfriend When You’ve Got Gold?
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