$0 marketing to 1M+ views on a $236 AI ad — Mason Werner’s playbook for fintech content

Hey yall

Last weeks session with Mason Werner (Creative Director, Slash) was a masterclass in building a modern fintech content engine that drives real distribution and demand.

Here’s your fast, value-packed recap:

What we covered

• From creator economy to fintech: Why “everything is a remix” and how Mason’s TikTok-native approach translates to B2B banking.

• Entertainment, then education: Lead with attention (shock, humor, culture), then layer in product education once they lean in.

• The Global USD launch: How Slash abstracted crypto complexity to deliver a USD-like experience for foreign entities — and used content to explain it simply.

• The viral AI ad breakdown (1M+ views): A scene inspired by The Big Short, produced end-to-end with AI for ~$235.60, engineered for conversation and reach.

• What’s next: Cultural riffs (e.g., an Ocean’s 11-style “assemble the team” spot) and original skit-based ads that show real product value (like merchant locks for trucking).

Big takeaways you can use now

• Authentic > polished: Native, platform-true content wins across age groups — even execs on LinkedIn respond to strong hooks and real talk.

• Entertainment first: Use culture, humor, or shock to earn attention; follow with clear product value to convert attention into action.

• Original skits scale better than pure parodies: Cultural references are hot right now, but expect fatigue; invest in story-first concepts that demonstrate your features.

• Quantify the ROI: AI production lets you ship cinematic concepts fast — at cents per impression. Track cost per view to justify the motion.

• Trust isn’t harmed by AI when quality is high: Pair entertaining AI ads with real product demos/threads to satisfy evaluators.

The AI stack Mason used

• Image generation: Midjourney (with SREFs), upscaled via Magnific AI for photorealism.

• Prompt engineering: Claude for ultra-detailed JSON prompts (down to millimeters for facial features) to keep characters consistent across shots.

• Video generation: Text-to-video with careful shot planning; avoid “frame-to-video” for sensitive scenes or when you need maximum fidelity.

• Workflow tip: Map every shot like a director. Reuse identical camera angles to speed iteration. Expect 20–30 minutes per perfected shot once you’ve got your system.

Numbers that stood out

• $235.60 total AI production cost for ~1,000,000 views ≈ ~$0.0002 per impression.

• Zero to content machine: Slash did virtually no marketing pre–Series B, then engineered a breakout via entertainment-led distribution.

Action checklist for your team

• Audit your last 10 posts: Are 70–80% entertainment-led with a clear product through-line?

• Pick one feature and script a 30–45s skit that dramatizes the problem/solution.

• Prototype your first AI spot: lock a character via JSON prompts, plan 6–9 shots, and measure impressions per dollar.

• Pair every viral-aimed post with a plain-English product explainer thread or short demo.

Watch the full conversation

• YouTube replay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGdF4iwMAWs

Be first in the (virtual) room
Our next live session digs deeper into AI-native production, content that actually converts in fintech, and the exact creative ops to scale this motion.

• Reserve your spot: https://events.gotcatalyst.com/

• Bring your team: Perfect for heads of growth, content leaders, and founders who want distribution without bloated budgets.

If you found this useful, forward it to a teammate who owns content or growth. They’ll thank you.

See you at the next one,
Will

P.S. Got a question you want answered live? Reply to this email and we’ll add it to the queue.