Built from 2,405 reviews, 423 Trustpilot reviews, the real comments on our ads, and a year of ad engagement. People decide on two things: does it smell good and will it look nice in my house. Four concepts prove one of those, and the fifth has Ailis answering what stops people buying.
What customers told us
46%of reviews talk about the scent
34%talk about how it looks
4%mention eco or less waste
1.4%mention value or saving money
What people ask in the comments on our ads
"How do you get the old residual candle out?" The most-asked practical question.
"How big is the candle in the smaller starter pack" and "What's the candle burning time?"
"what does the pot look like when the candle has burned down?"
"you spend this money and you get the scents & don't like them, its a gamble"
Price: "For £89 I'd rather just have the smell of a real tree." This is the biggest objection.
The rule for all fiveThe first few seconds prove the smell or the look. One line later on answers the price: keep the handmade Pott and only buy the candle refill, with the real refill price.
Already moving: the "smells like" ads for Fir and Noël (live),
01Same Pott, five homes
Testing: the settingProves: the lookSeasalt or Fig Standard Starter Pack
The concept
The same Pott, lit, in five homes with very different styles: a farmhouse kitchen, a city flat, a seaside cottage, a period living room and a pared-back bedroom. Quick cuts, with a hand or mug in shot so you can see the size.
Why it matters
How it looks comes up in a third of reviews, and people ask how it would look in their own home. Our showcase ads have returned about 2x, but they've only ever shown one styled set.
Hooks
Which of these homes is most like yours?Asks a question people can answer in the comments
Five homes. One handmade Pott.Close on: When the candle runs out, simply refill it.
The full brief · open it after you've decided
How it's tested
Use the same Pott colour and scent in every home so the only thing that changes is the setting. Run it against a current single-setting showcase ad.
Shots
About 2 seconds per home: the Pott on a real surface, lit, with the room behind.
A hand or mug in at least two of the shots for scale.
End frame: the Pott with the refill next to it, and the price line.
Also cut a static carousel, one card per home.
Where to film
Real homes look more believable than a dressed set: staff, friends or customers' houses. Five different styles matter more than five beautiful ones.
02Actual size
Testing: showing size honestlyProves: the lookPetite, Standard and Grand, one in-stock scent
The concept
Petite, Standard and Grand side by side on a kitchen table, next to a mug and a hand, with burn hours under each. You can see exactly what you're getting before you buy.
Why it matters
"Smaller than expected" is a repeat complaint ("Feel a bit cheated"), and size and burn time are among the most-asked questions in the comments. This should win clicks and also cut disappointed buyers.
Hooks
Petite, Standard or Grand? Here's the real size.
The size question, answered.Close on: Keep the handmade Pott. Only buy the candle refill.
The full brief · open it after you've decided
Shots
One take: a hand places Petite, then Standard, then Grand next to a mug.
Burn hours appear under each, as on-screen text.
A static version of the same line-up, for the Starter Pack ad set.
Watch for
Fewer "smaller than expected" reviews from people who bought after seeing it.
Product
Pick a scent with stock in all three sizes. Not Icicle (Petite is nearly out), and not Fir.
03Eyes shut: what can you smell?
Testing: a real reaction vs our voiceoverProves: the smellTomato Vine, Starlight
The concept
Someone holds a lit candle under a friend's nose with their eyes shut. We hear their first words, unscripted. Three to five people, cut as one quickfire version and two single reactions.
Why it matters
You can't smell a candle through a phone, so someone's reaction stands in for the smell. Our best ad is a reaction (Fir UGC, 4.58x, £29 per new customer), but it's only proven on Fir. This tells us whether reactions work on other scents.
Hooks
Eyes shut. What can you smell?Then the person's first word, as it comes
The full brief · open it after you've decided
How it's tested
Same scent, one change: Tomato Vine reaction vs the current Tomato Vine product voiceover ad (3.21x).
Casting
People who have never smelled the scent. Don't tell them what it is, and don't feed them words. If someone says something unexpected, keep it.
Shots
Close on the face, eyes shut, candle coming into frame.
The reaction, uncut.
Reveal the Pott, then the refill and the price line.
04The refill ritual: picking the next scent
Testing: the ritual and the Pott lastingProves: the look + how it worksHouse Pott + Starlight, Noël, Fig refills
The concept
The candle has run out. Show the finished one, lift it out, then the fun part: three new refills on the table and the excitement of choosing which to try next. It drops into the same Pott and gets lit. A Christmas version: last year's Christmas Pott comes out of the decorations box, ready for this year's scent.
Why it matters
It answers the two most-asked questions in one shot: what the Pott looks like when it's burned down, and how the old candle comes out. Our "gifted last Christmas, still using it" ad got more than twice the average engagement. Customers write things like "Beautiful starter set with refills which i am excited to use next!"
Hooks
Candle's run out. Now the best bit: choosing the next one.
Same Pott as last Christmas. New scent this year.Christmas version
"Did you buy another candle?" "Same Pott. Just a new refill."Christmas version, two people
The full brief · open it after you've decided
Shots
The finished candle in the Pott, close up.
Lifting it out, in one take with no cuts, so the claim is shown and not edited.
Three refills on the table, a hand hovering, then picking one.
The drop, the match, the first flame.
End frame: Keep the handmade Pott. Only buy the candle refill. Then the price.
Christmas version
Film it on the tree-decorating set. Use a Pott that is genuinely a year old, and only say "last Christmas" if that's true. The refill shown is Noël or Starlight, not Fir.
Don't say
How long refilling takes, until it's been timed on camera.
05Ailis answers real comments
Testing: which question unlocks a saleAnswers: price, old wax, picking a scentNon-Fir Starter Packs + refills
The concept
A real comment from our ads fills the screen as a sticker, word for word. Ailis answers it straight away, with no lead-in, while she shows the Pott and the refill in her hands. Each comment is its own short ad, plus one longer cut that covers them all.
Why it matters
The questions in the comments are the reasons people don't buy, and nobody has answered them in an ad yet. Founder ads get about 50% more engagement than our average, and Ailis's caption static returned 2.85x at £23 per new customer.
Hooks (the comment is the hook)
"For £89 I'd rather just have the smell of a real tree."Lead with this one. Answer: you keep the Pott for years and only buy the candle refill, with the cost per evening.
"How do you get the old residual candle out?"Answer it by doing it, in one take.
"you spend this money and you get the scents & don't like them, its a gamble"Answer: how to choose your first scent, and what happens if you don't love it.
"Are the fragrances safe for a home with dogs?"Only once Ailis has confirmed the facts.
The full brief · open it after you've decided
How it's tested
The same format every time, and only the question changes. Run the answers side by side and the results show which objection matters most to buyers.
Shots
The comment as a large sticker, with the username hidden.
Ailis's hands and voice (face optional), in her own words, warm and British, not scripted to sound salesy.
Each answer is its own clean take, so it can be cut on its own.
End frame: Keep the handmade Pott. Only buy the candle refill. Then the price.
Product
Seasalt, Fig or Tomato Vine. Keep Fir out of the shot, even when the comment is about the Fir ad.
Comment comes from
Real Instagram comments on Pott's ads, word for word, including their spelling. Never write or reword a comment.
What we need before Thursday
Burn hours for Petite, Standard and Grand, and the refill prices, confirmed (concepts 2 and 4, and every price line).
Five homes to film in, each a different style (concept 1).
Three to five people who have never smelled Tomato Vine or Starlight (concept 3).
A Pott that's been in use for a year, plus a finished candle still in it (concept 4).
Ailis on set for concept 5, plus the facts on ingredients and pet safety if we answer that comment.
Stock check on Starlight, Noël, Fig, Seasalt and Tomato Vine.