Key takeaways
- Format: UGC-style story with a native question sticker
- Best for: Engagement and awareness among people with old phones at home
- Hook: Asking what forgotten phones are worth
- Reuse it: Photograph your product where it is neglected and add a native poll or question
Available sizes
What is a UGC ad?
A UGC (user-generated content) ad looks like something a real customer posted: phone-quality photos, casual wording and a personal point of view. Because it blends into the feed and reads as genuine experience, it often earns more trust than a polished brand ad.
See all ugc ads →Why this ugc ad works
- 01
Looks native to Stories
The phone-shot photo and Instagram sticker feel like a friend's post, so viewers do not skip it as an ad.
- 02
Curiosity drives replies
Asking people to guess the value creates an open loop and invites interaction, which can lift delivery.
- 03
Relatable setting
Almost everyone has a junk drawer with old electronics, so the scene instantly triggers recognition.
- 04
Text on the product
Writing the message on the phones themselves ties the benefit directly to the object the viewer owns.
Full creative breakdown
Who this ad targets
This ad targets everyday US smartphone users who have old devices tucked away in drawers and have never thought about their value. It suits a broad audience aged roughly 18 to 55, particularly people who use Instagram Stories daily and respond to casual, lo-fi content. It also reaches homeowners and families with multiple outdated phones, and people in a decluttering mindset. The engagement format makes it useful at the top of the funnel, warming up audiences for later retargeting with kiosk-location ads.
Copywriting analysis
The copy is short and conversational. The sticker question, how much do you think these phones are worth, is a genuine question rather than a claim, which lowers resistance and invites a reply. Your phone = CASH! uses a maths-style equation for a punchy, instantly readable promise, and the capital letters add energy. Find out how much your phone is worth plus the pointing emoji acts as the CTA, nudging the viewer toward swiping or tapping. The ad never explains the kiosk or the brand in detail, so it relies on follow-up ads or the profile to close. Adding a specific price range would make it even stronger.
Visual design
The design deliberately avoids polish. A top-down phone photo of a cluttered drawer provides texture and authenticity, and the two phones sit at the centre as the focal point. The white question sticker breaks up the busy background and draws the eye to the top first, then the bold white text on the phones leads down the frame. The handwritten-style marker font mimics creator text tools. Colour comes from everyday clutter rather than a brand palette, with only the small ecoATM icon signalling the advertiser.
How to adapt this template for your brand
- Photograph your product in the messy, everyday place where it usually gets forgotten.
- Add a native-style question or poll sticker asking viewers to guess its value or use.
- Write a short equation or punchy claim directly on the product in a creator-style font.
- Add a pointing emoji CTA line toward the swipe-up or link area.
- Keep branding minimal, just a small icon, so the ad stays native to Stories.
Tips for recycling ads on Meta
Built for Instagram and Facebook Stories and Reels at 9:16. Keep the key line and logo inside the safe zone, roughly 250px clear at the top and bottom, so profile icons and the reply bar never cover them. Pair it with a Get Directions or Learn More sticker-style CTA and use store-visit or location-based objectives with a radius around retail partners. Test a version with motion on the arrow; small animation lifts tap-through in Stories without changing the layout.
About this creative
This vertical story ad is designed to look like organic user-generated content rather than a branded ad. The background is a real photo of an overstuffed junk drawer full of cables, scissors, tape, plastic bags and a phone case. Two old phones lie in the middle: a black iPhone with its back facing up and an Android phone with its screen showing. At the top sits a native-style Instagram question sticker with a small ecoATM icon, asking how much the viewer thinks these phones are worth, with a Type something field below. Bold white handwritten-style text is placed directly on the phones: Your phone = CASH! on the iPhone and Find out how much your phone is worth! with a pointing-down emoji on the Android. There is no logo lockup or polished layout, which is the point. The ad blends into the Stories feed, invites a reply and plants the idea that forgotten devices have real value.
Meta ad · 338 × 600 · Recycling
UGC Phone Recycling Story Ad with a Question Sticker Hook
This ecoATM story looks like something a friend would post: two old phones in a cluttered junk drawer under an Instagram question sticker asking what they are worth. Text on the screens turns the curiosity into cash. Use this template for native, engagement-led story ads.
Added
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Details
Ad copy
Primary text
Recycle your used phone with us. 📱 Get instant cash. 💵 Help the planet. 🌎 Find an ecoATM near you
Description
Find an ecoATM kiosk near you
On-image text
How much do you think these phones are worth? | Type something... | Your phone = CASH! | Find out how much your phone is worth! 👇
Headline ideas for this template
- 1What's your old phone really worth?
- 2That junk drawer is hiding cash
- 3Your old phone = real money
- 4Guess what these phones are worth
- 5Stop storing, start earning
Meta image ad specs
| Placement | Ratio | Size (px) |
|---|---|---|
| Feed | 1:1 or 4:5 | 1080×1080 / 1080×1350 |
| Marketplace | 1:1 | 1200×1200 |
| Messenger inbox | 1:1 | 1200×1200 |
| Stories & Reels | 9:16 | 1080×1920 |
This template is 1:1. Request 4:5 or 9:16 to cover all placements.
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