Video ads

Video ads are watched on phones, on mute

Most video ads today play in a vertical feed on a phone, often with the sound off, next to videos from friends and creators. That environment punishes anything slow, horizontal or dependent on audio. A video ad that works there grabs attention in the first second, tells the story in pictures and captions, and ends with a clear reason to act.

This is good news for small businesses. You do not need a film crew to compete in that feed. You need a good script, decent light and an editor who knows what the numbers say.

The hook decides most of the result

The first second of a video ad does most of the work. If it does not stop the scroll, the rest does not matter. Hooks that work for small businesses usually show one of these:

• The result. A finished kitchen, a clean carpet, a plated dish.
• The problem. Water under the sink, a cracked phone screen, a messy closet.
• A surprising number or claim you can actually back up.
• A person speaking directly to the camera with a question the viewer has asked themselves.

I usually make two or three hooks for each video and let the campaign pick the winner. The rest of the video stays the same, so the test is clean.

Script first, camera second

A short script prevents most wasted filming. It sets one angle per video, the order of shots, the words on screen and the call to action. For an owner speaking to camera, I write it as bullet points rather than lines to memorize, so it sounds natural.

The shot list then translates the script into specific clips: "hands sanding the door edge, close, from the left", "finished cabinet, slow pan right, 5 seconds". With that list, a morning of filming at work is usually enough for several ads.

Your phone is enough, most of the time

A current smartphone, a window for light, a cheap clip-on microphone and a steady hand or small tripod cover most needs. Film vertically, keep the lens clean, avoid backlight. If you prefer a local videographer, they can follow the same shot list and send me the raw files.

I do not film on site; I work remotely and edit the footage myself. That keeps costs reasonable and the editing tied to campaign results.

One shoot, many versions

From one filming session I usually cut:

• a 6 to 10 second version for Stories, Reels and TikTok,
• a 15 to 20 second version for feeds,
• a 30 to 60 second version for YouTube and retargeting,
• square and landscape versions where placements need them.

Each comes with captions and text on screen. For organic use, the same footage can feed your Reels and Shorts. For YouTube ads, I add a version with a stronger spoken intro.

Rules worth knowing

Music needs a commercial license; trending sounds on TikTok or Instagram usually cannot be used in paid ads outside the platforms' approved libraries. Claims in the video must be truthful and supported, as the FTC expects for any ad, and before-and-after footage in health, beauty or weight loss faces extra platform limits. Captions also make your video usable for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, which is the right thing to do and helps reach.

When to use creator videos instead

For consumer products, a person who is not you saying "this actually works" often outperforms the owner. In that case UGC content from paid creators is a better fit. For services where customers want to see the real team and place, such as contractors, clinics and kitchen and cabinet makers, your own footage usually wins.

What you get

Scripts, a shot list, edited videos in every length and format you need, captions, licensed music, and up to three rounds of revisions. If I manage the campaigns, the videos go live and you see what each one did in the report every two weeks. More about the overall approach is on the ad creative page.