They said no on Shark Tank. 300,000 people said yes

Want to see some YouTube Shorts ads that are scaling right now, using VidTao ad intelligence software

You’re in luck…

Because today is 2 Shorts Tuesday. Why YouTube Shorts ads?

Because YouTube Shorts ad inventory is only going to keep growing: 

...And critically, most DTC & Direct Response advertisers are still under-leveraging YouTube Shorts as an ad placement.

(and the upside is huge)

So, what are some ways you can succeed with YouTube Shorts ads?

Let’s take a closer look at 2 YouTube Shorts ads doing well right now:

  Ad 1: BedJet (UGC compilation with a Shark Tank twist)

The first ad we chose for this week opens on the Shark Tank set. 

Check it out:

The sharks are passing on a product. Mark Cuban sits back, arms crossed.
Kevin O'Leary stares. Someone off-camera says "I think we're all out." Then a title card drops over the footage:

"Mark Cuban's Worst Regret. Wait for it. "

That text stays on screen for the next 45 seconds as the ad cuts through a rapid-fire UGC compilation: a woman replying to a comment asking what the thing under her bed is, a guy in bed looking wild-eyed saying "hey white people, why y'all didn't tell us about the BedJet? Y'all think we want great sleep too?", a blonde woman in her bedroom talking about the best sleep she and her husband have had in years, a cascade of 5-star reviews floating across a black screen ("Life-changing," "Worth every penny," "Works A-mazing").

It closes on a white screen: BedJet. 299,999 sleeping better with BedJet.

The product itself (a climate-control air unit that slips under your sheets) appears for maybe three seconds total. It doesn't need more than that.

Why this ad works:

•  The Shark Tank cold open is pure borrowed authority - and the regret angle makes it irresistible. Most brands would lead with their best testimonial. BedJet leads with a billionaire being wrong. The "wait for it" text keeps you watching because you want to see the payoff. That's a curiosity loop built in four words.
•  The UGC compilation covers every buyer type at once. The woman answering a comment (organic, curious), the enthusiastic guy in bed (entertainment, relatability), the calm bedroom testimonial (aspiration, trust), the review cascade (volume proof). Each clip reaches a different viewer. If one doesn't land, the next one might. It's social proof at speed.
•  "299,999 sleeping better" is a specific number doing a lot of work. Round numbers feel made up. 299,999 feels counted. It's close enough to 300,000 that the brain registers scale, but precise enough to feel real. That one detail on a plain white screen closes the ad harder than any tagline could.
•  The "gatekeeping" clip is genius positioning. Calling out one group for supposedly keeping a secret about a product is a well-worn meme format — but here it works as genuine social proof because it implies the product is so good that people hoard the knowledge. And it's funny. Funny gets shared.
•  The persistent "Mark Cuban's Worst Regret" super creates a thread through chaotic footage. The clips are wildly different in tone, setting and presenter. What holds the ad together is that one text overlay sitting in the same spot throughout. It's a unifying device that lets the brand run five very different UGC pieces in one ad without it feeling like a mess.

Don’t forget to check out more ads by BedJet using VidTao ad spy tool:

Creative beats to swipe:

1. Open on a credible third-party rejection - the moment before the "they were wrong" reveal.
2. Drop a teasing text super that stays pinned throughout: "wait for it," "they passed on this," "biggest mistake."
3. Cut through 4-5 UGC clips at pace: curious/informational → funny/relatable → aspirational → review proof.
4. Close on a single stark stat on a clean background. No logo animation, no music swell. Just the number.

 Ad 2: Carpe deodorant (CEO "Don't buy on Amazon" reverse psychology ad)

In this next ad, a guy (the actual CEO) in a shirt stands in what looks like a home office or loft space. Behind him, a big TV screen shows the Carpe Amazon listing. He opens with:

"I keep saying this. Do not buy Carpe on Amazon."

Then he says it again. And again. Five times in fifty seconds, he tells you not to buy his product on Amazon. By the third time, you know exactly where this is going - and you watch anyway, because the setup is funny and the payoff is obvious and obvious payoffs are satisfying.

The pitch lands between the "don't buy" lines: Carpe is one of Amazon's top-selling deodorants. Thousands of five-star reviews. A quick-drying lotion that stops sweat, kills odor and cuts bacteria. And the whole point: you can get it on their site for up to 56% off with four free gifts and free shipping. The CEO holds up the product, grins, and signs off with "stay dry out there."

No voiceover. No editing tricks. Just a founder who figured out that reverse psychology written into a script is one of the cheapest ways to manufacture intrigue.

Why this ad works:

•  The repeated "do not buy on Amazon" is a pattern interrupt that sells itself. The first time you hear a brand tell you not to buy their product, you stop scrolling. The second time, you're curious. By the fifth time, you've already absorbed every reason why you should. It's a misdirection that only works because it's obvious — and being obviously misdirected is still fun.
•  The CEO being in the ad does quiet but real work. There's no fancy set, no cut-aways, no script that sounds scripted. He's holding the product in his own office with his Amazon listing on a TV behind him. The authenticity isn't manufactured — it genuinely looks like a guy who's tired of losing margin to Amazon and decided to do something about it. That's relatable to his customer and probably true.
•  The offer is the whole reason the hook makes sense. "Don't buy on Amazon" only lands if there's a better deal waiting. 56% off plus four free gifts plus free shipping isn't just a discount — it's a reason the founder would genuinely be annoyed people are going to Amazon first. The hook and the offer are locked together. Remove either one and the ad falls apart.
•  The product proof is brief but tight. Top-selling on Amazon. Thousands of five-star reviews. First thing to work for so many people. Quick-drying, stops sweat, kills odor, reduces bacteria. That's the full ingredient list for credibility delivered in about eight seconds. He doesn't linger on any of it because he doesn't need to — the Amazon listing visible in the background is already doing the heavy lifting.

This advertiser has many other cool, high-spending ads to model after, don’t miss out:

Creative beats to swipe:

1. Open with the thing you're telling them NOT to do. Say it with conviction.
2. Repeat the "don't" line as a running beat while you slot the proof in between each repetition.
3. Keep the setting real and slightly lo-fi — a polished production set would kill the founder-authenticity angle.
4. Make the reason for "don't do X" a better deal, not a quality complaint. The viewer needs to feel they're being let in on something, not warned off.
5. Sign off with a personality line that fits the product. "Stay dry out there" is simple and memorable.

To finish off with, here’s a quick look at Carpe’s interesting lander in use - you get to choose 4 free gifts, check it out:

That's all for this week!

We hope this week’s selection of high-performing YouTube Shorts ads has sparked new ideas to test yourself!

Want more insights like these?

Stay tuned for next week’s VidTao 2 Shorts Tuesday…

…where we’ll continue breaking down winning YouTube Shorts Ads you can break down + model for your own creatives & campaigns.

Have a great week!