The anatomy of a short-form video ad, second by second
Storyboard a short-form video ad beat by beat: build a hook, show the problem, demonstrate proof and make one clear ask, with timing examples.
14 min read
Topic6 guides
Short-form video ads
Guides to planning, making and measuring short-form video ads: structure, safe zones, captions, metrics, creative tests and the disclosure rules.
A short-form video ad is a vertical clip, usually under a minute, that plays between organic posts on TikTok, Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts. It has to make sense in the first seconds, survive the app's buttons and captions sitting on top of it, and work with the sound off. These guides cover that job from the brief to the results.
Start with the anatomy of a short-form ad, which breaks a cut into hook, problem, proof and ask. The safe-zone guide shows where each platform's interface covers the frame, and the captions guide covers reading speed, placement and contrast. Once an ad is running, the metrics guide explains what each rate measures, and creative testing on a small budget shows how much delivery a fair comparison needs. If an ad uses AI avatars, creators or testimonials, read the rules for AI and UGC ads before it ships.
Every guide cites the platform documentation or regulator page it relies on and marks invented examples as illustrative, so you can check each number against its source.
Safe zones for TikTok, Reels and Shorts: where your text actually survives
Compare official TikTok, Reels and Shorts safe-area templates in pixels, find the shared box for text, and understand why published measurements differ.
13 min read
Hook rate, hold rate and ThruPlay: the short-form ad metrics that matter
Separate platform-defined video metrics from practitioner ratios, calculate a fictional ad funnel, and diagnose whether viewers stop, stay or act.
14 min read
AI avatars, UGC-style ads and the rules: what to make and disclose
Follow the disclosure decisions for actors, AI avatars, cloned voices and customer claims across FTC guidance and platform labels, with scenarios.
15 min read
Captions people can actually read: a practical guide for vertical video ads
Set caption timing, line length, placement and contrast for vertical ads using broadcast guidance and accessibility ratios, then check it on a phone.
11 min read
Creative testing on a small budget: variants, duration and winners
Size a small-budget creative test with sample arithmetic, platform learning constraints and a decision rule set before you see the results.
13 min read