How to make a vertical video ad for Reels and TikTok

A vertical video ad has about three seconds to stop someone scrolling, and most people watch it with the sound off. Open on the product, keep the words big and few, give each scene one idea, and end on your name and one offer.

The first three seconds

Start with something moving and the product in view. No logo intro, no slow fade from black. The first line should be the promise or the problem, in a few large words.

Made for the sound off

Put the message on screen. Every line of the ad should land as words a viewer can read in a second or two. Music and sound effects add energy for people who have the sound on; they shouldn't carry the story.

How long?

15 to 30 seconds for most ads. Long enough for one problem, two or three moments of the product, and an ending. If you have more to say, make two ads.

What a tall frame needs

The product large in the frame, not a small laptop in the middle of a tall screen.
Words in the top part of the frame, clear of the app's own buttons at the bottom.
Phone screens kept whole, with the part that matters brought close.
An ending with your name, your offer and your address.

How to make it with Van-Goh

1Write one prompt, for example "A 20-second Instagram ad for our budgeting app, no voice".
2Choose Vertical, and No voice if it will run with the sound off.
3Add your website's address or four to eight screenshots.
4Read the plan, press Start, and ask for changes in plain words. Each new version takes 10 credits.

Try it on your product

Your first video is free. All you need is an email address.

Make your first video