One place
One apartment, one table, one late night. A second location breaks the 30 seconds.
Story ad · structure · entry not open
Story ad: a person and a small event, then the product, in 30 seconds
A story ad is not a product video with a plot pasted on. Someone finishes a very short scene first. The product arrives in the second half. The ending is one line you already chose. This page is the 30-second shape, the material it needs, and what must not be invented. Story ads cannot be submitted in creation yet.
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When a scene earns its place
The viewer does not know the brand, and will not stop in a feed to read specifications. A person and a small event give the product a place to be seen.
The product has a moment of use that can sit in a real room. Coffee, a lamp, a tool, something passed from one hand to another. “Improved efficiency” cannot be filmed.
You already have packaging or photos, and you accept that the product will not fill the first 15 seconds. If a buyer must see the object and the benefits first, make a product video now.
What one film needs once the entry opens
Two people at most
One person’s reaction is enough. A second person can exist as a note or one line. Not a crowd.
The product as it really looks
The pack, the colour, the action that is visible in use. Performance, comparisons and reviews stay out unless they are in your material.
An ending line you have already written
The brand name, one short line, and one action: see the shop, find this model, or leave the film with a buyer. Do not add an offer in the last second.
Four beats in 30 seconds
The fictional brand Warm Lamp Coffee only shows the timing. It is not for sale, there is no film, and it cannot be submitted in creation.
| Time | Beat | What to say |
|---|---|---|
| 00–08s | Situation | Late night. A designer is still on the deck. The room is cold white light. Two sentences are enough to show why she is tired. |
| 08–18s | Turn | A cup and a note are on the desk. The flatmate’s note says the slides were checked, and she should sleep. She smiles. The product does not need to fill the frame yet. |
| 18–26s | Product | The first sip, and the light warms. Cup and pack use the look you actually have. “Four hours of energy” does not appear unless it is in the brief. |
| 26–30s | One line | Warm Lamp Coffee. Long nights, bright mornings. Then the brand and the action to see this model. No second slogan. |
Keep it apart from films you can make now
A product video can be made now
About 30 seconds, scene and benefits up front, for a product page or a channel. A story ad moves that information into the second half.
A project video asks for an approval
Investors and committees need a problem and evidence. A story ad does not carry a pitch.
Cards and interviews are about a person
Those are your record or a Q&A. The person in a story ad is a character in a scene, not a founder introduction.
What to change when you replace the coffee
Move the place to a room where your product would actually appear. Workshop gloves do not belong in a late-night apartment. The trouble has to be one this product is used for.
The turn stays small: a note, a cup, a hand offered across a table. The product becomes the subject only after about 18 seconds.
Write the last line on paper before you shoot. If you cannot, make a product video and state the benefits plainly. Until the entry opens, this outline can be saved. It cannot be generated as a story ad.
What this page does not offer
Story ads are not a choice in creation. What you can submit today is a project video, a product video, a founder card or an expert interview.
There is no Warm Lamp Coffee film, and the fictional brand is not a case study.
No invented efficacy, clinical advice, or before-and-after customers.
Questions before you start
Why is the page public if I cannot order it?
The shape can be written correctly now. The creation entry is not open, so this page does not take a production order and does not show a price. For a film now, use a product video.
What changes between 15 and 30 seconds?
Thirty seconds holds a situation, a turn, the product and one line. Fifteen seconds usually keeps one person and one action, with the product arriving almost immediately and the turn cut to a single sentence.
Can this be a series?
This page describes one standalone 30-second film. A series needs every episode to make sense alone, which is outside this shape. The entry is closed, and there is no multi-episode schedule.
Can the brand have two lines?
The ending keeps one line and one action. A second slogan covers the scene you just built.
How is this different from a product ad in a feed?
A shop ad needs the goods and the purchase quickly. A story ad may withhold a product close-up through the first half. If the benefit must be visible in the first seven seconds, use the four beats of a product video.
Can I run the coffee example as an ad?
No. It is a fictional outline on this page. There is no film, and it is not an Axiom Lab advertising client.