Death To Stock is one of my favourite accounts on Instagram.
I’ll admit, I often visit their page to steal a little sauce. Because they’re genuinely so tapped in and insightful when it comes to the digital creative realm. I’m a fan, ok?
So, imagine my surprise when I was doing a little "browsing," perhaps looking for a little something-something, and the first reel I click literally says: “want to steal our business!?” – Omg. What. Are they like watching me? Is the FBI about to burst through my windows on ropes and abduct me for my crimes.
I won’t talk, no matter what they do!
Anyway, my bloodied kidnap hallucination came to a quick halt as she continued “here’s our five-step process to create visual magic.”
And then she literally… just told me the whole thing… Every step of their creative process, completely transparent, zero gatekeeping.
By the time the reel ended with "why fight us when you can join us - sign up now for full access" I didn't even realise I'd been watching an ad. I just wanted in.
Which made me realise this ad worked for three reasons: giving away your secret sauce as strategy, creating universally applicable frameworks, and making a CTA feel so natural you don't notice it's selling. This trifecta made the content so fkn good I came here to write a whole article about it. So let’s break it down then, shall we?
Let’s start with the counterintuitive truth: radical transparency doesn't make people steal from you. It makes them trust you.
When Death To Stock literally hands you their entire creative process, they're doing two things simultaneously.
First, they're positioning themselves as the authority - so confident in their expertise that they can give you the playbook and know you still won't execute it like they do. Love the unwavering conviction in oneself. God knew not to give me that level of cockiness or I’d be too powerful. You can thank him later.
Second, they're showing you exactly how much work goes into what they deliver, which makes their service feel more valuable, not less.
Most people watching that reel don't think "oh yippee, now I can do this myself." They think "holy sh*t balls, that's a lot of work that I don’t really know how to do. I'd rather just pay them to do it." Transparency creates appreciation for the complexity, which creates demand for the solution.
The 5-step process part.
What makes this framework brilliant is that it's not just about stock photography. It's a blueprint for any creative or marketing role. Here’s my breakdown of their creative process for you:
Step 1 - Cultural Insight:
Stay on the pulse of culture by curating and discussing rising movements. This isn't passive scrolling - it's active observation. What's changing? What's emerging? What are people talking about that they weren't six months ago? For DTS, this informs every photoshoot. For you, it should inform every piece of content you create.
Step 2 - Trend Identification:
Hunt rising trends in your core industry and adjacent spaces. DTS looks at trending visuals, examines how industries are changing, studies new attitudes. You should be doing the same for your niche. What's gaining traction? What's the emerging aesthetic or messaging style? Where is your industry heading?
Step 3 - Treatment Development:
This is where you take those trends and make them yours. DTS crafts a trend-led look and feel that informs everything from model poses to prop selection. For you, this is about developing your unique angle - how do you take what's trending and filter it through your brand's perspective?
Step 4 - Logistical Planning:
The boring, crucial stuff that makes or breaks execution. DTS meticulously plans from location scouting to casting. You need the same rigour for your content. So, what resources do you need? Who's involved? What's the timeline? Creativity without execution is just ideas, babes.
Step 5 - Delivery:
Share your insights while serving your audience. DTS shares trend findings through social and newsletters while uploading visuals to their platform. You should be doing the same - teaching what you're learning, sharing your process, giving value while positioning your offering.
See: stock photography framework/ universal marketing principle. That's the power of a good system.
Now let’s talk about the art of the invisible CTA.
I watched the whole thing, absorbed genuine value, and didn't realise I was being sold to until the very end. And even then, it didn't feel like a sales pitch.
The CTA - "is this all too much? why fight us when you can join us!" - feels like the natural conclusion to everything that came before it. Of course you'd want to join them. They just showed you how much expertise and work goes into what they do. The offer isn't pushy, it's the logical next step.
This is what great content marketing looks like: lead with value so strong that the pitch becomes obvious, not aggressive. Make people want what you're selling before you even mention you're selling it.
So, back to stealing… what can we marketers steal from all of this?
3 things:
Stop gatekeeping your process.
Transparency builds trust. Teaching your methodology doesn't give away your competitive advantage - it reinforces it. People want to learn from experts, not be sold to by mysteries.
Make your frameworks universal.
The best content teaches principles, not just tactics. DTS could have just shown pretty photos. Instead, they shared a system anyone can apply. That's way more valuable and way more shareable.
Let value lead and sales follow.
The best marketing doesn't feel like marketing. It feels like education, entertainment, or insight that happens to have a natural conclusion: working with you.
Don’t ask yourself, "should I give away my secrets?" Ask instead, "am I confident enough in my execution that my secrets don't matter?" Because if you are, transparency isn't a risk. It's your strongest asset.
-Sophie Randell, Writer
Not going viral yet?
We get it. Creating content that does numbers is harder than it looks. But doing those big numbers is the fastest way to grow your brand. So if you’re tired of throwing sh*t at the wall and seeing what sticks, you’re in luck. Because making our clients go viral is kinda what we do every single day.