Video Marketing

30-Second Advertisement Examples: 29 Tech and B2B Ads

Introduction

What a 30-second ad has room for

Thirty seconds sounds like plenty. Then you count the words.

14 of the ads below were broken down from their full voiceover transcripts. The longest, from AWS, speaks 86 words. The shortest, from Northrop Grumman, speaks 24. That's the whole budget: one opening line, one point and one name.

So a 30-second ad can't tour your product. It can make one move. Which move depends on what your buyer is missing.

The short answer: the 30-second ads that work make one of four moves. Opening Jab spends the first seconds on the buyer's problem. Headline Figure puts one checkable number on screen. Sticky Symbol gives the buyer one image or line to keep. Mini Demo shows one task working, start to finish. The 29 tech and B2B ads below are grouped by the move they make.

Most run 24 to 38 seconds. A few run shorter or longer, and their breakdowns say why they're here.

Planning a 30-second ad?

Talk to the Advids team about style, budget and timeline before you write the script. Start with the one move your ad has to make.

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29 examples

30-Second Advertisement examples

Move 1 · Opening Jab

If your buyer doesn't feel the problem yet, spend the first seconds on it.

A boxer's jab doesn't end the fight. It opens the guard. Your first line does the same to a buyer scrolling past ten other software ads.

I call it the Opening Jab: the buyer's problem, cost or deadline in the first line, before the product appears. Seven examples.

Thinfinity Enterprise VDI ad

Thinfinity sells enterprise VDI on Oracle Cloud. The 30-second ad lists what the old way costs, then names the fix in one line.

What works here:

  • The pain is a list an IT buyer can check: “Complex setups, slow connections, rigid licensing, and high costs.”
  • The mission comes before the product: give teams the tools they need wherever they are, “without slowing them down.”
  • The close is 3 words: “Enterprise VDI solved.” Nothing to decode.

The move: List 4 costs of the old way in one sentence, in your buyer's words. If your buyer wouldn't nod at each one, swap it out.

AWS Lambda durable functions ad

AWS opens on the work developers waste time on, then names Lambda durable functions as the fix. It speaks 86 words, the most of the 14 transcripts here.

What works here:

  • The first line is a belief to agree with: multi-step apps and AI workflows “shouldn't mean writing custom complex code.”
  • The waste is named: tracking progress, writing error-handling logic, managing retries.
  • It keeps the developer's own tools: “Write code using your programming language and IDE.” Then one ask: “Get started today.”

The move: Name 3 chores your buyer does today that your product removes. If a developer can't picture each chore, it's too abstract.

Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange ad

Zscaler's ad makes the case against the old network model before it names the Zero Trust Exchange.

What works here:

  • It opens on what's wrong: network-centric models carry “implicit trust and weaknesses.”
  • Then 4 outcomes in a row: minimize the attack surface, prevent compromise, eliminate lateral movement, stop data loss.
  • The product name opens and closes the case: “it's time for the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange.”

The move: Say what's wrong with your category's old model in the first line. Then make your product's name the answer, at the start and at the end.

Cummins X15 engine ad

Cummins introduces the 2027 X15 engine in an ad titled “Forever Rising.” The voiceover is all pressure, and a 3D-rendered engine carries the answer.

What works here:

  • Every spoken line is a pressure fleet owners feel: inflation, declining freight rates, more scrutiny on the industry.
  • The words stop there. The engine, lit at sunset, does the rest.
  • The title makes the turn: “Forever Rising,” against a market that's falling.

The move: Let the voiceover carry the buyer's pressure and let the product shot carry the answer. If your voiceover also explains the product, cut half of it.

HEULE COFA deburring tool ad

HEULE sells precision deburring tools. The ad opens on a jet engine and what it must survive, then shows the tool that prepares its parts.

What works here:

  • The stake comes first: the engine “must endure extreme temperatures, pressures, and vibration.”
  • The claim is in the buyer's terms: “repeatable edge breaks on cross holes and complex geometries.”
  • The trust line is a number: “over 60 years of Swiss precision.”

The move: Open on what your buyer's product must survive, not on your tool. If the first frame shows your logo, move it to the end.

SinceVision 3D laser profiler ad

SinceVision's ad measures silicon rods with 3D laser profilers. It opens on why the measurement matters: rod precision decides wafer quality.

What works here:

  • The stake is the first sentence: precision “plays a crucial role in wafer quality during slicing.”
  • The specs are ones a quality engineer can check: 0.2 micron Z-axis repeatability and a 20 kHz sampling rate.
  • One scan does the job: it “instantly checks dimensions, arc length, and perpendicularity.” Then a contrast with manual or single-sensor checks.

The move: Open on what goes wrong downstream when your buyer's measurement is off. Then give 2 specs they can hold you to.

Noom App promo video

Noom's app ad opens on the seasonal urge to lose weight, then sweeps fad diets away before it names its own approach.

What works here:

  • Keto and Paleo are swept off screen. The quick fix is the opening problem.
  • The promise shifts from “Summer” goals to “life-long” health.
  • A red line around a head turns into an infinity loop for “lasting change.”

The move: If your category is full of quick fixes, open on them and clear them away. If your fix could swap into that opening, it isn't different enough.

Move 2 · Headline Figure

If your buyer compares on specs, put one number on screen they can check.

A pain hooks the buyer. But a buyer with a shortlist wants something to compare.

A price tag doesn't argue. It sits on the shelf and wins or loses on its own. Your buyer's comparison sheet works the same way. I call it the Headline Figure: one number, big enough to read in a feed, that your buyer can hold you to. Eight examples.

Microsoft Azure compliance ad

Microsoft Azure's 24-second ad sells its free account to developers with one figure: “65+ always-free services.”

What works here:

  • The number is the offer. Nobody has to calculate anything.
  • The buyer is named: compliance tools “designed specifically for developers.”
  • One ask, spoken: “Create an Azure free account.”

The move: Put your offer in one number. If the ad needs two numbers to make the offer clear, the offer isn't simple enough yet.

Wonderful on Google Cloud ad

Google Cloud's ad for Wonderful's agent platform promises to take AI “from pilot to production.” The payoff is a time figure.

What works here:

  • It names the stall AI buyers know: the pilot that never reaches production.
  • Control gets its own line: “built in testing and evaluation” and custom KPIs.
  • The figure is a time cut: “from months to weeks.”

The move: If your number is time saved, say the before and the after in your buyer's units. If they'd have to convert it, rewrite it.

Lendi Lead generation ad

Lendi's 30-second TV ad makes home loan refinancing look easy. Billboards in an animated city carry the numbers.

What works here:

  • “4K+ Home Loan Options” and “25+ Lenders” sit on billboards. Choice becomes a number.
  • The promise is a speed figure: “Home Loan Answers in Minutes, not weeks.”
  • Lendi's logo becomes a “house on wheels” that drives the ad forward.

The move: Put your numbers inside the scene, on a sign or a screen. If a number floats alone on a title card, try placing it in the world.

WORKSWELL animated ad

Workswell's 3D animation breaks down the WIRIS Enterprise, a multi-sensor camera payload for drones, one sensor at a time.

What works here:

  • Specs arrive one per beat: a 30x optical zoom RGB camera, a 16Mpx wide camera, a 640x512px thermal sensor.
  • Connectivity is named for the integrators who buy it: Ethernet, Mavlink, CANbus.
  • Ruggedness is a rating, not an adjective: IP 66 water protection.

The move: Give each spec its own beat. If two specs share a frame, the viewer reads neither.

GL.iNet Promotional video ad

GL.iNet's ad for the Spitz Plus router opens it up in 3D, then layers on its speeds.

What works here:

  • An X-ray view shows the internal cooling system and the component layout.
  • Speeds are exact: Wi-Fi 6 AX3000, 574 Mbps on 2.4GHz and 2402 Mbps on 5GHz, plus 4G LTE CAT-12.
  • Modular parts get their own beat: interchangeable antennas, dual Nano-SIM slots, Gigabit ports.

The move: Show the inside before the number. If the speed appears before the hardware that delivers it, swap the order.

Radeon RX promo video

AMD's Radeon RX 7600 XT ad runs 60 seconds, double the target. It stays for one technique: performance numbers shown live over gameplay.

What works here:

  • FPS overlays run over “Starfield” gameplay, with the gains shown with AMD HYPR-RX on.
  • An exploded view shows the card's internals before the numbers.
  • The memory spec is the headline: 16GB GDDR6, for gaming and content creation.

The move: Show your number while the product is working, not on a card afterward. For a 30-second cut, keep the overlay moment and drop the rest.

ASUS Short video commercial

ASUS's 44-second ad for the ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM sells a gaming monitor on specs and one safety feature.

What works here:

  • It answers the OLED worry on screen. A gamer triggers the Neo Proximity Sensor, and the screen dims to protect against burn-in.
  • The future-proof claim is a figure: DisplayPort 2.1a with full 80Gbps bandwidth.
  • The YouTube title leads with a first: “The World's First 27” 4K OLED Gaming Monitor.”

The move: Name the worry buyers have about your category, and show the feature that answers it. If the worry isn't on screen, the spec list won't move them.

ZS Robotics H125 pallet shuttle ad

ZS Robotics' 34-second ad presents the H125 four-way pallet shuttle for warehouse logistics. Its figure is a unit, not a number: millimeter-level precision.

What works here:

  • The opening line sets the standard: “Precision engineering down to every inch.”
  • The buyer's job is named: “engineered for intelligent logistics.”
  • The close is two short claims: “Built to carry more. Engineered to move with millimeter-level precision.”

The move: If you can't share a number yet, name the unit your buyer measures in. If the unit wouldn't appear on their test sheet, pick another.

Move 3 · Sticky Symbol

If your buyer won't remember the words, give them one image to keep.

Numbers win the comparison. But most viewers aren't comparing yet. They're scrolling, and they'll forget the words by the next ad.

Nobody reads a stop sign. The red octagon does the work before the word does. I call it the Sticky Symbol: one image or one line your buyer can replay after the ad ends. Six examples.

CMC Markets Digital ad video

CMC Invest's 15-second cut sells $0 brokerage on Aussie shares. At half the target length, it shows how few symbols an ad needs.

What works here:

  • Everyday symbols do the explaining: a kangaroo on a plane, a shopping basket.
  • Then the product: the platform on a mobile phone.
  • One benefit, plainly: zero brokerage on Aussie shares.

The move: Pick one everyday object that stands for your product's job. If it needs a voiceover to explain it, pick a simpler one.

ANZ Mobile Lending ad

ANZ's 15-second line-art ad sells mobile lenders who come to the home buyer. Its title is the promise: “Anytime, Anywhere.”

What works here:

  • A swirling clock means “anytime.” A hand reaching to a computer or a sofa means “anywhere.”
  • Loan needs get one icon each: a hammer for renovation, a calculator for finance.
  • Clean line art keeps each symbol readable at a glance.

The move: Turn each word of your promise into one icon. If your promise has more than 2 words worth drawing, shorten it.

Logitech product highlight video

Logitech's 15-second animation, titled “Dance of Collaboration,” shows a webcam and a headset at work in an open office and at home.

What works here:

  • It skips the specs. Simple visuals show where the hardware sits and how it's used.
  • The setting changes. The communication quality doesn't. That's the hybrid work promise.
  • The title names the symbol: working together as a dance.

The move: Show your product in 2 places your buyer works. If it only appears in one, “anywhere” is still a claim.

Intel Arc short brand video

Intel's 16-second spot, “Well hello there Intel Arc,” greets its Arc graphics brand with light and no words.

What works here:

  • No narration. The visuals carry it.
  • Abstract light waves stand for the power inside.
  • Rendered components glow with pulsing RGB lighting, one motif repeated from start to end.

The move: If your ad has no voiceover, pick one visual motif and repeat it. If a frame breaks the motif, cut the frame.

ARTURIA Landing page video

Arturia's 31-second ad relaunches Mini V, its software version of a classic synth. Fire is the symbol: the new processing “sets sound alight.”

What works here:

  • Fiery lighting and abstract backdrops frame the instrument like an icon.
  • There's no narration. A driving electronic track lets the viewer hear the product.
  • Two lines carry the brand: “sound explorers” and “the greatest of all time.”

The move: If your product's value is felt in use, let the ad use it. If you're describing it in words, you've spent the 30 seconds on the wrong thing.

Live Oak Bank Landing page video ad

Live Oak Bank's 31-second animation answers “Why Live Oak Bank?” for small business owners with 3 reasons: know-how, efficiency and service.

What works here:

  • A clean, modern animation style signals a break from traditional banking before a word lands.
  • The 3 reasons stay in one order: industry know-how, efficient processes, service that treats each customer uniquely.
  • One line sticks: “your drive drives us.”

The move: End on one line your buyer could repeat to a partner. If it only works with your logo next to it, rewrite it.

Move 4 · Mini Demo

If your buyer doubts it works, show it working inside the 30 seconds.

A symbol gets remembered. But a buyer close to a decision has a harder question. Does it actually work?

A street food cook doesn't describe the dish. You watch it get made. Your buyer trusts a product the same way. I call it the Mini Demo: one task, shown working start to finish, inside the 30 seconds. Eight examples.

monday.com marketing work ad

monday.com's 38-second ad runs one marketing request through the platform as a quick team exchange, while floating UI windows show the work moving.

What works here:

  • It opens on a deadline every marketer knows: localize the summer campaign, “By yesterday.”
  • The voiceover is the team's own shorthand: “Top performers only.” “Skip carousels for now.”
  • It ends by handing the next task to AI agents, so the demo points to what comes after.

The move: Script your demo in the lines your buyer's team actually says. If it sounds like a feature list, it isn't their voice.

Adobe Acrobat pitch deck ad

Adobe's 30-second Acrobat ad is a rap about building a pitch deck with AI, set to polished UI motion graphics.

What works here:

  • The task is one job: a pitch, from docs to deck.
  • The lyrics walk the steps in order: PDF spaces, a template, an outline, a slide. “Draft, design, deliver.”
  • The hook repeats at both ends: “Do that with Acrobat.”

The move: Put your task's steps in order and say each one in 2 or 3 words. If a step needs a full sentence, the ad needs a cut.

Wan by Alibaba Cloud ad

Alibaba Cloud's 29-second ad for Wan, its AI video model, shows ideas turning into video on floating interface cards.

What works here:

  • It opens on the outcome marketers want: “higher visibility, traffic, and leads.”
  • The use cases are one quick list: marketing, entertainment, e-commerce and enterprise.
  • It ends on an invitation to try Wan, with free video generations.

The move: Show what your product makes, not its settings. If the buyer only sees the interface, they still have to imagine the result.

Vectary automotive 3D ad

Vectary's 30-second ad assembles an automotive AC vent inside an interactive 3D scene, following animated hotspots step by step.

What works here:

  • One job, start to finish: each hotspot attaches the right part in the right order.
  • Then the extras on the finished part: the diameter view, color switching and an exploded view.
  • The use is named: a guide that helps visualize assembly steps.

The move: Build one thing start to finish on screen. If your ad shows 3 half-finished tasks, keep the one buyers ask about most.

Foxit Brand awareness video ad

Foxit's eSign mobile app ad runs 55 seconds. It's here for its pace: fast app screens with bold, synced on-screen text.

What works here:

  • Document types are shown, not listed: Word, PDF and photos.
  • An offline mode with online syncing answers the on-the-go worry.
  • Compliance is named: HIPAA, with secure sending and storage.

The move: Cut your app demo to the screens a buyer needs to trust it. If the cut still runs past 30 seconds, drop features before you drop the trust beat.

RIIFO Social media ad video

RIIFO's 53-second animation shows its F6 Push-Fit connector joining pipes. It runs long, and it's here for one demo moment.

What works here:

  • Exploded views and ghosting show the double slip prevention and dual seal rings inside.
  • One fitting works for both PEX and multilayer pipes.
  • The proof moment: a green indicator appears when the pipe is fully inserted.

The move: Find the moment your product confirms the job is done, and show it. If you can't point to that moment, your 30-second cut has no center.

Philips explainer video

The 44-second ad for Philips Sleep Headphones with Kokoon shows the sleep tech working on a side sleeper.

What works here:

  • The first claim is physical: the “world's thinnest sleep buds,” shown on a side sleeper.
  • Biosensors and noise masking are animated, so the tech inside is visible.
  • The Kokoon app carries personalized sleep audio, from pre-sleep audio to post-sleep data.

The move: Show your product on the buyer who's hardest to fit. If it works for them, every other buyer assumes it works for them too.

Northrop Grumman innovation ad

Northrop Grumman's 30-second ad, “Innovation Beyond Limits,” turns down the speech: “We could tell you how we push past the status quo. Or we can just show you.”

What works here:

  • The setup is 24 spoken words, the fewest of the 14 transcripts here.
  • Then high-end 3D renders of radar and aerospace tech do the rest.
  • The line names the trade every 30-second ad makes, tell or show. It picks show.

The move: Write your claim, then delete it and show the product doing it. If the ad still makes sense, the claim was never needed.

Pick your move

Which move does your 30-second ad need?

The short answer: ask one question. What is your buyer missing: the pain, a number to compare, something to remember or proof it works? The answer picks the move. One move per ad. If two are missing, make two 30-second ads instead of one 60-second ad.

If your buyerUseDo thisExample to copy
doesn't feel the problem yetOpening JabThe problem, cost or deadline in the first lineThinfinity
compares you on specsHeadline FigureOne checkable number on screenMicrosoft Azure
won't remember your wordsSticky SymbolOne image or line they can replayANZ
doubts it worksMini DemoOne task, shown working start to finishVectary

Now go back to the 86 words. That's the most any transcribed ad here spoke, and AWS spent every one on a single move: the chores its product removes.

The move: write your next 30-second script, then count the words. If it runs past 86, or makes more than one move, cut until it does one thing.

A 30-second ad can't explain your product. It can make your buyer remember one thing about it.

FAQ

30-Second Advertisement Examples FAQ

What is a 30-second advertisement video?
A 30-second advertisement video is a short ad that makes one point about a product, then ends on a brand line or an ask. Most of the ads on this page run 24 to 38 seconds. For tech and B2B brands, that's room for one move: a problem, a number, a symbol or a short demo.
How many words fit in a 30-second ad script?
Fewer than most drafts use. The 14 ads above with full transcripts spoke between 24 and 86 words. AWS used 86 for a developer product. Northrop Grumman used 24 and let the visuals carry the rest. Write your draft, count it, and cut anything that doesn't serve the one move.
Is a 30-second ad better than a 15-second ad?
They do different jobs. A 15-second cut has room for one symbol and a name, like CMC Invest's kangaroo and $0 brokerage. A 30-second ad has room for a problem and its answer, or a short demo. For shorter formats, see these 15-second animated ads and 6-second bumper ads.
When should you use a 60-second ad instead?
When the buyer needs a sequence that 30 seconds can't hold, like several steps of a workflow. AMD's Radeon ad runs 60 seconds to fit gameplay, internals and specs. If your ad has two jobs, look at one-minute advertisement videos, or split it into two 30-second ads.
What should the first seconds of a 30-second ad show?
The one thing that earns the rest. For a buyer who doesn't feel the problem, that's the problem: AWS opens on code developers shouldn't have to write. For a buyer comparing specs, it's the number. Your logo can wait for the end, where it's the answer and not the interruption.
Can a 30-second ad work without a voiceover?
Yes, if one visual motif carries it. Arturia's Mini V ad has no narration: fiery lighting and the synth's own sound do the work. Intel's Arc spot uses light waves and glowing components. Without a voiceover, keep any on-screen text short enough to read in one glance.
Should a 30-second B2B ad include a call to action?
Only if there's a next step worth asking for. 3 of the 14 transcribed ads spoke one: AWS (“Get started today”), Microsoft Azure (“Create an Azure free account”) and Alibaba Cloud's Wan. The rest ended on a brand line. If you ask, ask for one thing, and make the call to action match the ad's move.
How many features should a 30-second ad show?
One, plus its proof. Every extra feature takes seconds from the move. Microsoft Azure shows one offer. RIIFO's ad has one proof moment: a green indicator when the pipe is fully in. If you have five features to sell, make five short ads and see which one buyers respond to.
Where do 30-second ads run best?
Anywhere a buyer will give you half a minute: before YouTube videos, in LinkedIn and other social feeds, on product pages and in sales emails. The right video length depends on the platform, so cut a shorter version for fast feeds and keep the 30-second cut where viewers chose to watch.
How do you measure a 30-second ad?
Start with video completion rate: the share of viewers who watch to the end. If most viewers leave early, fix the opening before the length. Then track clicks on the ask. A/B test two openings with the same audience and keep the winner.
Should a 30-second tech ad use animation or live action?
Animation, for most software and hardware. It shows what a camera can't: SinceVision's profilers scanning a rod, GL.iNet's router in X-ray, Workswell's sensors one by one. Live action suits a people story, but setting up a scene costs seconds. For the 3D style, see these 3D product CGI videos.
How do you cut a longer video into a 30-second ad?
Find the one move the long video makes best, and cut to it. RIIFO's 53-second animation has one moment that could stand alone: the green indicator confirming the pipe is in. Keep the opening line, that moment and the brand. Then count the words against the 24 to 86 range above.
Can a 30-second ad explain a complex B2B product?
It can explain one thing about it. Zscaler doesn't explain zero trust architecture in 30 seconds. It names what's wrong with the old network model, then lists 4 outcomes. Leave the architecture for longer technology advertisement videos and for the demo call.

Patterns from the analysis

30-Second Ad Best Practices

14 of the ads above were broken down from their full voiceover transcripts. They are AWS, Wonderful on Google Cloud, Zscaler, Thinfinity, monday.com, Microsoft Azure, HEULE, Cummins, Northrop Grumman, Adobe Acrobat, Wan, SinceVision, Vectary and ZS Robotics. Five patterns showed up. 14 is a small sample, so read each count as what these 14 did, not as market data.

Script Budget

How many words should a 30-second ad speak?

Observation
AWS spoke 86 words, Adobe Acrobat 83 and SinceVision 77. Zscaler and Vectary spoke 74 each. Northrop Grumman spoke 24, Cummins 28 and ZS Robotics 30, and let the visuals carry the rest.
Data
14 of 14 spoke 86 words or fewer. 3 of 14 spoke 30 or fewer.
The move
Set the word budget before you write. Past 86 words, you're longer than every ad here. Under 30, the visuals have to carry the point.
Stake First

Should a 30-second ad open on the problem?

Observation
AWS opens on code developers shouldn't have to write. Zscaler opens on the old network model's weaknesses. Cummins opens on inflation, HEULE on what a jet engine must endure, SinceVision on wafer quality and monday.com on a deadline. Azure, Wan and Wonderful open on the offer or the outcome instead.
Data
6 of 14 opened on a problem, a stake or a deadline. Thinfinity reached its problem by the third sentence.
The move
If your buyer doesn't feel the problem yet, give it your first line. If they already feel it, open on the offer, the way Azure does.
Spoken Ask

Do 30-second B2B ads end on a call to action?

Observation
AWS says “Get started today.” Azure says “Create an Azure free account.” Wan ends on an invitation to try it. Thinfinity ends on “Enterprise VDI solved.” HEULE ends on its 60 years of Swiss precision. Zscaler and Acrobat end on the brand name.
Data
3 of 14 spoke a call to action. 11 of 14 ended on the brand or a claim.
The move
If the ad runs where a click is one tap away, say the ask out loud. If it runs before other content, end on the one line you want remembered.
Exact Figure

Should a 30-second ad include a number?

Observation
Azure says “65+ always-free services.” SinceVision gives 0.2 micron repeatability and a 20 kHz sampling rate. HEULE says “over 60 years.” Zscaler counts its “four Integrated Solutions.” Wan's offer includes a count of free generations. Wonderful says “months to weeks” and ZS Robotics says “millimeter-level,” without a figure.
Data
5 of 14 spoke a specific number. 2 more gave a time span or a unit instead.
The move
Speak one number your buyer can check. “Months to weeks” gives a frame. “65+ services” gives a fact.
Named Buyer

Should a 30-second ad name its buyer?

Observation
AWS names developers. Azure says its tools are “designed specifically for developers.” HEULE names aerospace manufacturing, Cummins the trucking industry and SinceVision automated production lines. The other 9 named the job or the product, not the buyer.
Data
5 of 14 named the buyer's role or industry in the voiceover.
The move
Name the buyer in the voiceover or on screen. The right viewer leans in. The wrong one skips early.

How to plan

Where to use your 30-second ad

Put it where a buyer gives you half a minute and no more. That one rule decides most placements.

  • YouTube, before other videos. The first seconds decide whether a viewer skips, so open on your move.
  • LinkedIn and social feeds. Cut a 15-second version alongside it, and test both.
  • Product pages. Above the fold, a 30-second ad answers “what is this?” faster than the copy around it.
  • Sales emails and follow-ups. It's short enough to watch before the call. Save longer B2B advertisement videos for buyers who ask for more.

How to write a 30-second ad script

Five decisions, in order. Each one narrows the next.

  • Move. Pick one: the problem, the number, the symbol or the demo.
  • Last line. Write it first: the brand line or the one ask.
  • First line. The problem, figure or image that earns the next 25 seconds.
  • Middle. One proof for the move. Cut the second proof.
  • Read-through. Read it aloud against a timer. If it runs past 30 seconds, cut words, not pauses.

30-second ad production process

Every 30-second ad runs through the same three stages. Knowing them keeps a short project short.

  • Pre-production. Pick the move, write the script and storyboard one frame per beat. Then set the budget and the timeline.
  • Production. Design and animate the product, or shoot the scene. Record the voiceover against the clock.
  • Post-production. Edit to length, add music and sound, get feedback in one round, then cut shorter versions for fast feeds.

About the author

About Jai Ghosh

Jai Ghosh
Video Producer at Advids · LinkedIn

Jai Ghosh is a Video Producer at Advids, where he has planned and produced videos for B2B software and technology companies for 7 years. He works on product demos, explainer videos and brand videos, from the first script to the final cut, for clients from startups to enterprises.

Before Advids, Jai spent over 11 years in freelance media consulting, after starting out in digital journalism. He writes the Advids blog's breakdowns of product and demo videos, sorting real examples by the question each one answers for a buyer.

  • Focus: SaaS product demos, explainer videos and brand videos
  • Experience: 7 years at Advids, over 11 years in media consulting
  • Background: digital journalism

Connect with Jai Ghosh on LinkedIn