inference-sh/video-ad-specs

Video Ad Specs

Create platform-specific video ads via inference.sh CLI.

Quick Start

Requires inference.sh CLI (belt). Install instructions

belt login

# Generate a vertical video ad scene
belt app run bytedance/seedance-1-5-pro --input '{
  "prompt": "vertical video, person excitedly unboxing a product, clean modern room, bright natural lighting, social media ad style, authentic feeling, 9:16 format"
}'

Platform Specifications

TikTok

| Spec | Value | |------|-------| | Aspect ratio | 9:16 (vertical) | | Resolution | 1080 x 1920 px | | Duration | 5-60 seconds (15-30s recommended) | | File size | Max 500 MB | | Format | MP4, MOV | | Sound | On by default (design with sound) | | Text safe zone | 150px from all edges | | Hook window | 1 second — first frame must grab attention |

Instagram Reels

| Spec | Value | |------|-------| | Aspect ratio | 9:16 (vertical) | | Resolution | 1080 x 1920 px | | Duration | Up to 90 seconds (15-30s for ads) | | Cover image | Separate upload, shows in grid | | Sound | On by default | | Caption area | Bottom 20% reserved for text overlay |

Instagram Stories

| Spec | Value | |------|-------| | Aspect ratio | 9:16 | | Resolution | 1080 x 1920 px | | Duration | Up to 15 seconds per segment | | Swipe-up/Link | Available for ads | | Top/bottom | 14% top and 20% bottom = unsafe for key content |

YouTube

| Format | Aspect | Duration | Skip | |--------|--------|----------|------| | Bumper | 16:9 | 6 seconds exactly | Non-skippable | | Non-skippable | 16:9 | 15 seconds | Non-skippable | | Skippable (TrueView) | 16:9 | Any length | Skip after 5 seconds | | Shorts | 9:16 | Up to 60 seconds | N/A |

Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (16:9) or 1080 x 1920 (Shorts)

Facebook Feed

| Spec | Value | |------|-------| | Aspect ratio | 1:1 (square) or 4:5 (recommended for mobile) | | Resolution | 1080 x 1080 or 1080 x 1350 | | Duration | Up to 240 min (15-30s recommended) | | Autoplay | Silent — captions are essential | | Sound | 85% of Facebook video is watched without sound |

LinkedIn

| Spec | Value | |------|-------| | Aspect ratio | 1:1 or 16:9 | | Resolution | 1080 x 1080 or 1920 x 1080 | | Duration | 3 seconds to 10 minutes (15-30s for ads) | | Tone | Professional | | Autoplay | Silent in feed |

AIDA Framework for Video Ads

| Phase | Time | Goal | Technique | |-------|------|------|-----------| | Attention | 0-3s | Stop the scroll | Pattern interrupt, bold visual, question | | Interest | 3-10s | Keep watching | State the problem, show relevance | | Desire | 10-20s | Want the solution | Show the product/outcome, social proof | | Action | Final 3-5s | Click/buy/sign up | Clear CTA, urgency, offer |

Hook Techniques (First 3 Seconds)

| Technique | Example | |-----------|---------| | Bold statement | "This tool replaced my entire marketing team" | | Question | "Why are you still doing this manually?" | | Surprising visual | Unexpected transformation, before/after reveal | | Pattern interrupt | Start mid-action, unusual angle, bright color | | Social proof | "2 million people switched to this" | | Pain point | "If you hate [common frustration], watch this" |

Creating Video Ads

Vertical (TikTok, Reels, Stories, Shorts)

# Hook scene (0-3s)
belt app run google/veo-3-1-fast --input '{
  "prompt": "vertical 9:16 video, close-up of hands struggling with tangled cables and messy desk, frustrated energy, shaky handheld camera, authentic social media style, bright lighting"
}'

# Solution reveal (3-15s)
belt app run bytedance/seedance-1-5-pro --input '{
  "prompt": "vertical video, smooth product reveal, clean wireless charging station on minimalist desk, satisfying organization transformation, bright modern room, social media ad aesthetic"
}'

# Add voiceover
belt app run falai/dia-tts --input '{
  "prompt": "[S1] Stop wasting time with this mess. This one product changed my entire setup. Everything charges. Everything is organized. Link in bio."
}'

# Merge video + audio
belt app run infsh/video-audio-merger --input '{
  "video": "solution-reveal.mp4",
  "audio": "voiceover.mp3"
}'

# Add captions (critical for silent autoplay)
belt app run infsh/caption-videos --input '{
  "video": "ad-with-audio.mp4",
  "caption_file": "captions.srt"
}'

Square (Facebook, LinkedIn Feed)

belt app run google/veo-3-1-fast --input '{
  "prompt": "square 1:1 video, professional person at desk discovering a new software tool, laptop screen showing clean dashboard, natural office lighting, corporate commercial style, satisfied expression"
}'

YouTube Bumper (6 Seconds)

# 6-second bumper: one message, one visual, one CTA
belt app run google/veo-3-1-fast --input '{
  "prompt": "6 second product ad, quick montage of a sleek app being used on phone, fast cuts, modern, energetic, brand logo reveal at end, punchy and dynamic, wide 16:9"
}'

# Keep it tight
belt app run falai/dia-tts --input '{
  "prompt": "[S1] Your reports. Automated. Try DataFlow free."
}'

Captions Are Mandatory

85% of Facebook and 40%+ of Instagram video is watched on mute.

Caption Best Practices

| Rule | Reason | |------|--------| | Always add captions | Silent viewing is the default on most platforms | | Large, readable font | Small text is invisible on mobile | | High contrast | White text with dark outline/background | | Centered or bottom-third | Standard viewing position | | Max 2 lines at a time | More text = can't be read fast enough | | Key words in bold/color | Draws eye to important words |

# Generate captions from audio
# (create SRT file from your script, then burn in)
belt app run infsh/caption-videos --input '{
  "video": "ad-video.mp4",
  "caption_file": "ad-captions.srt"
}'

Ad Structure Templates

Testimonial Ad (15-30s)

| Time | Content | |------|---------| | 0-3s | Customer states the problem they had | | 3-15s | How they discovered and tried the product | | 15-25s | The specific result they achieved | | 25-30s | Product name + CTA |

Demo Ad (15-30s)

| Time | Content | |------|---------| | 0-3s | The problem (text or visual) | | 3-20s | Product demo showing the solution | | 20-25s | Key result/benefit | | 25-30s | CTA + offer |

Before/After Ad (15s)

| Time | Content | |------|---------| | 0-3s | "Before" state (messy, slow, frustrating) | | 3-5s | Transition / product introduction | | 5-12s | "After" state (clean, fast, satisfying) | | 12-15s | CTA |

Common Mistakes

| Mistake | Problem | Fix | |---------|---------|-----| | No hook in first 1-3s | Viewer scrolls past | Open with pattern interrupt | | Landscape video on TikTok/Reels | Letterboxed, looks amateur | Use 9:16 for vertical platforms | | No captions | Most viewers watch silent | Always add captions | | CTA too late | Viewers already left | Clear CTA within last 5 seconds | | Too long for platform | Forced skip or dropout | Match platform duration norms | | Same ad for all platforms | Wrong specs, wrong tone | Create platform-specific versions | | Logo in first 3s | Feels like a commercial, gets skipped | Save branding for the end | | Text in unsafe zones | Cut off by platform UI | Check safe zone per platform |

Checklist

• [ ] Correct aspect ratio for target platform
• [ ] Hook in first 1-3 seconds
• [ ] Captions added (readable, high contrast)
• [ ] CTA clear and within final 5 seconds
• [ ] Duration matches platform norms
• [ ] Text outside platform unsafe zones
• [ ] Audio designed for both sound-on and sound-off
• [ ] Platform-specific version (not one-size-fits-all)

Related Skills

npx skills add inference-sh/skills@ai-video-generation
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@video-prompting-guide
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@text-to-speech
npx skills add inference-sh/skills@prompt-engineering

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