Choosing a platform is not choosing an audience: it is choosing a format, a length, a way of framing and a mode of viewing. That is decided before the shoot.
The deliverable is decided in the brief, not in the edit
That is the rule that saves the most money, and almost nobody applies it.
A video shot for a vertical feed does not recrop properly for a square product page: heads are cut off, text leaves the frame, the product ends up out of shot.
So decide the exact list in the brief: which formats, which lengths, with or without burnt-in text, with or without voice.
Then shoot wide, keeping margin at the top and on the sides, so every crop remains possible from the same rushes.
What each context imposes
Four contexts, four different constraints.
The vertical feed: full-screen viewing, sound often on, decisive first second, text in the centre.
Paid advertising: same images, but an opening that must work without context, and an offer that stays changeable.
The product page and the marketplace: silent viewing, often small, square format, the product must be identifiable even without reading.
And messaging, where the video travels from person to person: light file, short length, no dependency on a link.
What the audience actually watches
Three observations every local brand ends up making.
The audience watches longer a video shot in a set it recognises than a better-lit video shot elsewhere.
Sound counts more than definition: an average image with a clear voice passes, the reverse does not.
And the same video does not perform the same way depending on the posting time, which is tested over two weeks rather than guessed.
What does not change from one platform to another
Three obligations follow the content everywhere.
Identifying the commercial nature, whatever the format and whatever the follower count.
Claims about the product, which bind the brand and the person speaking, particularly for health, food, finance and cosmetics. The applicable rules depend on the product and are checked with a lawyer before publication.
And usage rights: a video published on a creator account is not automatically usable in paid advertising by the brand.
What plays out on the first request received
| Moment | What you do | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Within the hour | Acknowledge and ask one question | The case moves forward |
| The same day | Send a price and a date | The decision gets made |
| After acceptance | Confirm in writing what was agreed | No misunderstanding |
What an application that stands out contains
One sentence showing you read the listing, the sample closest to the need, the price, the lead time. Nothing else: the brand is comparing twenty profiles.
What loses an order already won
A lead time announced with no margin, a question asked three days later, or a delivery in a format the brand never asked for.
The simple rule
Two questions before each shoot.
Where will this video be seen first? That sets the main format.
Where will it be reused afterwards? That sets the margin to leave in the frame, the length of the master and the rights to write into the quote.
The rest, the trends, the music, the effects, changes every quarter. Those two questions do not.
Sources
Checked on 26 August 2026. Thresholds and rates change: where this guide and the official source disagree, the official source is right.
