Video Ads That Convert: 5 Best Practices You Need Now

Hey friend!

Video ads continue to dominate the ad landscape, but not all videos perform equally. If you want to maximize engagement and conversions, follow these proven best practices:

1. Perfect Your Lighting

Good lighting immediately elevates the perceived quality of your ad. Aim for bright, even lighting to clearly highlight your product or subjects and avoid shadows or dim settings.

For example, you can see in the image below how this woman is using natural light, which really shows her face well.

Problem: Poor lighting can make your brand seem unprofessional and untrustworthy. It also can make the hook unclear for someone to comprehend.

Solution: Use natural or consistent artificial lighting to keep your visuals appealing and professional. Shooting in the car has great lighting, as well as shooting by a window.

2. Nail the Hook (First 3 Seconds)

Viewers decide within the first three seconds if your ad is relevant. Clearly and immediately show what's happening, why it matters, and why they should care. Don’t be clever here, be clear.

This ad starts by the creator showing the flip-flops right away at the start + has a text overlay that says “Best flip flops in the world”. You immediately get what the ad will be about and either stay or leave based on if you’re interested in getting new flip-flops.

Problem: Low scroll stop rates from ads due to unclear or slow openings.

Solution: Use a strong, visually captivating hook to immediately clarify the value of watching further. Add a crystal clear text overlay with some context (again keep it clear).

3. Keep the Pace Dynamic

Attention spans are short. Keep your viewers engaged by introducing changes, whether visual, auditory, or textual every 1-2 seconds. This could be as simple as a zoom in, a different camera/angle, a new setting, or text popping up.

Look at how quickly this ad moves from scene to scene. It really captures your attention the entire way through doesn’t it?

Problem: Viewers quickly losing interest and scrolling past your ads. Low average video watch time.

Solution: Regularly vary your scenes, visuals, and graphics to maintain viewer attention and engagement throughout the ad.

4. Simplify Your Call-to-Action (CTA)

Each ad should have one clear, simple action you want viewers to take. Avoid multiple or vague CTAs, make it straightforward and irresistible.

If it’s a top of funnel (prospecting) ad, encourage people to learn more or see the collection (rather than buy now, which may be too soon).

Below is a great screenshot of a CTA with the man using the green screen effect and just pointing up at the site and URL. The man says a simple, “Go check them out now”, which feels more organic.

Problem: Low click-through rates from confusing or cluttered CTAs.

Solution: Clearly articulate one simple, compelling action viewers should take next.

5. Optimize for Sound-Off Viewing

Most viewers scroll with sound off. Ensure your video communicates clearly through visuals and captions, making it effective even without audio.

Think about how you can visually amplify your main message. Is your product high-quality and built like a tank?

We had a partner of ours drive a truck onto his product to amplify this visual and it grabbed attention and most importantly, made people buy.

Here’s an example screenshot of a man showing how flexible the jeans are by stretching and amplifying that visual.

Problem: Missing critical messaging because viewers have sound muted.

Solution: Always include captions and strong visual storytelling to clearly convey your message.

Benefits of Applying These Best Practices:

• Increased viewer retention (higher scroll stop rate, higher hold rate, higher average watch time)

• Higher click-through and conversion rates 🤑

• Improved ad performance and return on investment 🚀 

Master these tips, and watch your video ads boost engagement and conversions!

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