A video that works organically does not automatically work in paid. Here a technical constraint is added to all the others, and it decides half the results.
What gets rejected
Four reasons come back, and all are fixed before submission.
Overly broad results claims, particularly on health, appearance, weight loss, money and earnings.
Screenshots of private conversations and unauthorised faces.
Burnt-in price or promotion mentions that no longer match the landing page.
And the absence of commercial identification when the video looks like personal content.
The cost of a rejection is not only the delay: it is also the lost learning, since the variant will never be tested.
The first three seconds decide the budget
That is true everywhere, and more so here, because the audience scrolls fast and often watches with no sound.
Three practical rules. The product or the problem must be identifiable immediately, with no introduction. The on-screen text must hold in three to five words, large, centred. And the first frame must work as a still, since it is sometimes the only thing the person will see.
So shoot four to six different openings for the same video body, and test them separately.
Keep the rushes
It is the least spectacular and most profitable advice on this page.
A campaign wears out, and rebuilding it requires a new shoot if the original files are gone. With the rushes, it is re-edited in an afternoon.
So negotiate delivery of the rushes in the contract, or at least a master with no burnt-in text and no music.
That is also what allows seasonal versions, regional variants and recrops without paying for a production again.
Fatigue arrives faster than expected
Three signs announce the end of a creative, in that order.
Cost per action rises while retention stays stable: the audience has already seen the video.
Exposure frequency increases without volume following.
And the comments become repetitive.
So plan the replacement from the first shoot: a second wave filmed the same day costs a fraction of a new production.
What to deliver to launch a test
| Element | Useful quantity | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hooks | Three per video | The first driver of results |
| Formats | Vertical plus square | Two placements |
| Subtitles | Burned in, one language | Silent playback |
What changes between two trials
One thing only. Changing the hook and the edit at once gives a result you cannot attribute to anything, and the budget spent teaches nothing.
What gets a video rejected at approval
An unverifiable claim, a before-and-after with no disclaimer, text promising a result, or a missing partnership disclosure when the brand has paid.
What to measure
Three indicators, read together and never separately.
Retention at three seconds, which judges the opening.
The click rate, which judges the promise.
The cost per real action, which judges the join between the ad and the page.
Add a rule of patience: do not judge a variant before it has spent a significant amount, and do not let it run once the three indicators degrade together.
Finally check the rules applicable to the product, which depend on the category, and the compulsory disclosures, with a lawyer, before going live.
