CUT 01 / FIELD NOTES
Start with a clear hook, show the real product, and render every frame on purpose. These guides explain the choices behind that process, from format and footage to sound and delivery.
CUT 02 / ALL NOTES
NOTE 01
11 MIN READ
We analysed three well-regarded video ads frame by frame and turned the measurements into a quality bar. Here are the individual findings, each with the real number and what to do about it.
NOTE 02
6 MIN READ
TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts all publish to the same 1080x1920 vertical canvas, so one well-made video ad can serve all three without a reshoot. Getting more from it is a publishing decision, not a production one.
NOTE 03
8 MIN READ
A consultant, accountant, lawyer, coach, agency, or home-service pro with no footage of the work itself can still open a video ad on something real: the pricing, booking flow, FAQ, testimonials, and process steps already published on their own website.
NOTE 04
6 MIN READ
A video ad built from stock footage or a rough approximation of a website leaves small, checkable mismatches with the real site: wrong interface text, the wrong browser chrome, a stand-in scene, drifted layout, an off colour or logo, mismatched actors, and cursor or scroll behaviour that could not happen on the real page.
NOTE 05
7 MIN READ
Vertical video outperforms horizontal in a phone-first feed because it fills the screen it's watched on, matches how a phone is held, and fits how TikTok, Reels, and Shorts are laid out natively, while a horizontal file gets letterboxed or cropped once it lands in that same vertical space.
NOTE 06
7 MIN READ
Before paying a freelancer, agency, or tool to make a video ad, ask who owns the finished files, how long delivery takes, how many revisions are included, whether the footage is real or generated, whether the music is properly licensed, and what the actual cost works out to per video or per month.
NOTE 07
9 MIN READ
Common brand-colour mistakes in DIY video ads include sampling a colour from a screenshot instead of the real brand value, low-contrast captions over busy footage, clashing platform UI chrome, a leftover template palette, colour drift between cuts, and colours that break down once the video is compressed and viewed at small size.
NOTE 08
6 MIN READ
A useful screenshot set covers nine specific parts of a website: the fully loaded hero, a product detail at inspection size, the complete pricing table, one specific proof section, the checkout step, matching mobile and desktop views, an interaction state, an empty state, and any comparison element the site has.
NOTE 09
5 MIN READ
Seven specific reasons a TikTok ad loses viewers in its opening seconds, from logo-first opens and unreadable text to a crop that hides the point of the shot, explained against the platform's own view-counting mechanics.
NOTE 10
5 MIN READ
Eight video ad concepts an ecommerce store can build using only the product photography and copy already on the site, from variant swatches to the reviews section, with no new photoshoot required.
NOTE 11
7 MIN READ
Twelve TikTok ad concepts for bakeries and cafes built from what a website capture can actually supply, such as the menu, ordering flow, seasonal specials and catering page, rather than generic pastry footage.
NOTE 12
7 MIN READ
Ten video ad concepts for plumbers and other trade businesses that need no on-camera talent, built entirely from the quote form, service-area map, pricing page and review section already on the website.
NOTE 13
8 MIN READ
A dental practice has ad material beyond smile transformations: cost transparency, insurance and booking friction, procedure explainers, staff and practice culture, and proof already sitting on the website.
NOTE 14
6 MIN READ
A website can be perfectly usable for visitors and still produce a weak video capture: baked-in text that cannot be re-typeset, inconsistent brand colours, or a hero that loads too slowly for a clean frame.
NOTE 15
7 MIN READ
The techniques that stop a thumb on a vertical feed are specific to that format: the first frame before sound, text sized for a phone, and visual contrast built for a narrow, fast-moving screen.
NOTE 16
6 MIN READ
Generative video invents pixels instead of replaying your interface, so labels, layouts, and states can drift. Browser capture keeps the product real while motion is authored around it.
NOTE 17
8 MIN READ
Local business TikTok ads most often fail for the same handful of reasons: a slow intro, the wrong crop, silent-unfriendly footage, and no plan for what happens after the ad goes live.
NOTE 18
6 MIN READ
A sizzle reel is a short, tightly edited argument for attention. It selects a few strong moments, opens with a clear promise, and makes the next action feel worth taking.
NOTE 19
6 MIN READ
Choose vertical when the video must fill a phone-first feed, and horizontal when it belongs in a wide player or desktop context. Decide from the placement before you compose the shot.
NOTE 20
6 MIN READ
A sound being popular or available in an app does not automatically clear it for every commercial post or paid ad. Use the platform's eligible library for the exact account and placement, or use music you have separately licensed.
NOTE 21
6 MIN READ
Deterministic rendering paints every frame at an exact timeline position before encoding the video. That keeps motion, cuts, and product text stable instead of asking a live recorder to keep up.
NOTE 22
6 MIN READ
A video hook gives the right viewer a specific reason to keep watching, then immediately begins to prove it. Write the opening as a claim and a matching first shot, not as a greeting.