VODOOAI video ad script: a 15-second structure that works, and how to turn it into shots
By VODOO AI · · 4 min read
Most short video ads that fail don't fail on the picture. They fail on the script: a slow opening nobody stays for, three messages where one would do, and no clear thing to do at the end. AI makes the pictures fast and cheap, which only makes the script matter more.
Here is a 15-second structure that works for almost any product, how to write a hook, how to turn every line into a shot an engine can make, and templates you can fill in.
The 15-second structure
0 to 3
- Job
- Hook: stop the scroll
- What it sounds like
- A problem, a surprise, or a bold claim you can back up
3 to 8
- Job
- Show it working
- What it sounds like
- The product doing the one thing that matters
8 to 12
- Job
- Proof or feeling
- What it sounds like
- A result, a reaction, a detail that convinces
12 to 15
- Job
- What to do
- What it sounds like
- One clear next step, and the name
| Seconds | Job | What it sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 3 | Hook: stop the scroll | A problem, a surprise, or a bold claim you can back up |
| 3 to 8 | Show it working | The product doing the one thing that matters |
| 8 to 12 | Proof or feeling | A result, a reaction, a detail that convinces |
| 12 to 15 | What to do | One clear next step, and the name |
One message per ad. If you have three things to say, make three ads and let the numbers tell you which one wins.
Hooks that stop the scroll
The first three seconds decide everything. The best hooks are specific and visual: they show something happening rather than announcing that something will.
- The problem, shown: coffee spilling across a white shirt.
- The surprise: a bag that unfolds into twice its size.
- The before: a dull, flat photo of a living room, about to change.
- The question: "Still ironing your shirts?" over a wrinkled sleeve.
- The result first: the finished, perfect thing, then how it got there.
Turn every line into a shot
An AI engine can't read a script; it makes one shot at a time. So under each line, write the shot: who or what, the action, the setting, the light, the camera. One line, one shot, one clip of three to five seconds.
Line: "Spilled coffee on your only white shirt?" Shot: a cup tips and coffee splashes across a crisp white shirt sleeve on a desk, slow motion, bright office daylight, close-up, the moment of the splash.Make this in VODOO →
Line: "One spray, one wipe." Shot: a hand sprays the stain remover on the coffee stain and wipes once with a cloth; the stain lifts away cleanly. Close-up, same desk and light, static camera, one clean action.Make this in VODOO →
Line: "Like it never happened." Shot: the same white shirt sleeve, now spotless, as a hand smooths it flat on the desk; soft bright light, slow push in on the clean fabric, calm and satisfying.Make this in VODOO →
Script templates to fill in
- 01Problem and fixHook: [the problem, shown]. Show: [the product fixing it, one action]. Proof: [the result, close up]. End: [name] — [one next step].
- 02Before and afterHook: [the dull before]. Show: [the change happening]. Proof: [the after, in good light]. End: [name] — [one next step].
- 03Feeling firstHook: [a moment of the feeling: calm, energy, confidence]. Show: [the product in that moment]. Proof: [a detail that makes it real]. End: [name] — [one next step].
Write the voiceover last, and keep it to about 35 words for 15 seconds. Read it out loud: if it doesn't fit comfortably, cut words rather than speed up.
Test hooks, not whole ads
Because AI makes shots cheaply, you can keep the middle and the end and try three or four different hooks. The hook is where most of the difference in results comes from. More on this in AI TikTok ads and AI UGC ads.
Making it in VODOO
Paste each shot into Create as its own brief; VODOO picks an engine for each, shows the price before anything runs, and the clips land in your Library ready to cut together. 300 free credits a month, no card. For the shot briefs, see the AI video prompt template.
Questions people ask
- How do you write a script for an AI video ad?
- Use a 15-second structure: a 3-second hook, the product working, proof or feeling, then one clear next step. Under each line, write the shot an engine should make, one shot per line.
- How many words fit in a 15-second ad?
- About 35 words of voiceover. Read it aloud; if it doesn't fit comfortably, cut words rather than speeding up.
- What makes a good hook for a video ad?
- Something specific happening in the first three seconds: the problem shown, a surprise, a dramatic before, or the result first. Show it rather than announce it.