FREE GUIDE FOR BRANDS
What works, what to avoid, and what to send so your first draft is already close to the final video.
NO TIME? READ ONLY THIS
Five things that decide whether an AI video works for your brand.
AI creates the world. Your product stays real.
Put your real product photos into an AI-made scene. Don't let AI redraw your logo or label.
One video, one message.
A 15-second ad can say one thing well. Two messages = two videos.
References save more money than anything else.
Show 2–3 videos you like. It replaces pages of description and whole revision rounds.
Approve the look before the full video.
Changing a still frame is cheap. Changing a finished video is not.
Never use AI as proof.
Real results, real customers and real product demos need real footage.
STEP 1
AI is great at mood, places and impossible shots. It is bad at exact details and real proof.
GREAT FOR
NOT FOR
Simple rule: if the viewer could be misled about what your product really does, that shot should be real. Use AI for everything around it.
STEP 2
Pick one. Each idea uses AI where it's strong and keeps your product real.
Your real product placed in a place you'd never afford to shoot.
Example: a perfume bottle on wet rocks at sunset, waves crashing behind it.
Same product, 5 different hooks or backgrounds. Run them and keep the winner.
Example: one sneaker ad in a city, desert, gym, rooftop and studio.
Update one ad for every season or holiday without a new shoot.
Example: the same coffee ad for winter, Ramadan and Black Friday.
Turn a benefit into a visual metaphor people remember.
Example: 'fresh taste' becomes the can bursting through a wall of ice and citrus.
A 30–60 second film about the feeling behind your brand.
Example: a tired runner at dawn, one moment of decision, then the run.
Fill gaps in videos you already have: B-roll, intros, transitions.
Example: visuals that illustrate what the speaker says in a podcast clip.
Spec concepts are independent work, not commissioned by the brands shown.
STEP 3
Almost every expensive project has one of these. All five are easy to avoid.
MISTAKE
"Make something cool and viral."
DO THIS INSTEAD
Say what the viewer should feel or do after watching, in one sentence.
MISTAKE
"Asking AI to draw your product from scratch."
DO THIS INSTEAD
Send real product photos. They're placed into the AI scene, so the label stays correct.
MISTAKE
"Three ideas in one 15-second ad."
DO THIS INSTEAD
One idea per video. Need more? Make short versions of one main video.
MISTAKE
"Feedback from five people in five chats."
DO THIS INSTEAD
One person collects comments and sends one list per round.
MISTAKE
"Deciding on 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9 after the video is done."
DO THIS INSTEAD
List all formats at the start. Each shot is then framed for all of them.
STEP 4
Seven short answers are enough. Copy this, fill in what you know, and send it to me.
1. The video is for:(product / launch / campaign)
2. After watching, people should:(feel / remember / buy / sign up)
3. Who watches:(age, country, interests)
4. Where it runs:(Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, website)
5. Videos I like:(2–3 links + what you like in each)
6. What I can send:(photos, logo, footage, brand colours)
7. Deadline and budget:(date + rough range)
STEP 5
Every good file means less guessing and fewer redos.
Several angles, high resolution, clean background.
Why: your product stays exact.
Vector or PNG with transparent background.
Why: the ending and text look on-brand.
Plus one line on what you like in each.
Why: the fastest way to agree on style.
Even phone videos of the product in use.
Why: real shots can be mixed with AI.
| Where | Shape | Size in pixels |
|---|---|---|
| Reels, TikTok, Shorts, Stories | 9:16 vertical | 1080 × 1920 |
| Instagram & Facebook feed | 4:5 portrait | 1080 × 1350 |
| Square feed posts | 1:1 | 1080 × 1080 |
| YouTube, website, presentations | 16:9 horizontal | 1920 × 1080 |
In vertical videos keep text away from the top and bottom edges, where app buttons and captions sit. Add subtitles: many people watch with the sound off.
STEP 6
Four steps. You say 'yes' twice, and both times are early, when changes are cheap.
We agree on the idea, formats, timing and price.
Key frames show the style before the video is made.
You approveThe full video with temporary sound.
Your feedbackColour, sound, text, all formats delivered.
Clear comments get fixed in one round. Vague ones take three.
"Something feels off."
"At 0:07 the can is too small. Make it bigger."
"Make it more premium."
"Slower cuts and darker light, like [link]."
"Change the ending."
"End on the logo for 2 seconds, not the person."
"We'll think about it."
"Must fix: 1, 2. Nice to have: 3."
BEFORE YOU SEND
Can't tick everything? That's fine. Open points are what the first call is for.
You're ready to send a brief.
Send my brief NEXT STEP
You don't need everything ready. The goal, one reference and a deadline are enough. In my reply you get:
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