Scroll a feed with the sound off. A tech ad starts. You see some text, then a name, then a logo. But no line tells you what the product does. That is how most failing ads fail. The usual fix is a bigger logo or captions. Yet 89% of these ads already show the name. What they miss is one sentence. So mute your last ad. What does the screen say?
Silent auto-play means your ad plays in a feed with the sound off. The mute test asks: can a viewer see whose ad it is, and what it does? Perfect, here, means the order of text on screen that more than half the ads share. What works in your feed stays your test. ADVIDS Research read 124 short product video ads from 108 companies, such as Drata, Proofpoint, Microsoft and Rho.
Six beats stand out, in the order a muted viewer meets them. Text shows up in the first seconds (Early Line). The name is written on screen (Written Name). One sentence says what the product does (One Claim). About 40 words fill the screen (Word Budget). A logo card ends the ad (Address Card). And a little over half pass with the sound off (Mute Test).
ADVIDS Research · 124 tech product ads · 108 companies · read frame by frame · published 14 September 2026 · 18 min read
Top takeaways
Early Line
59% of these tech product ads show text on screen by 0:05.
Written Name
89% of the tech ads show the company or product name on screen.
One Claim
66% write a claim line: one sentence on screen that says what the product does.
Word Budget
81% put 20 or more words on screen, but voiceover ads show far fewer words than they speak.
Address Card
67% end on a brand logo card, but only 20% add a web address or an ask.
Mute Test
58% of the tech product ads pass the mute test, with the name and a claim line on screen.
Questions this report answers
Do tech video ads work with the sound off?
The ads can't show whether they work, only what is on screen. That's the Mute Test. 58% of these tech product ads show the name and one written claim line. Most of the ads that fail show the name but no claim. So the missing piece is one sentence, not the logo.
How soon should text appear in a video ad?
In the first few seconds. That's the Early Line. In half of these ads, the first on-screen text shows up by 0:03. But 36% open on a blank card, a screen with no words, before the first line. Drata puts its first line up at 0:00.
When should a video ad show the product name?
Before the end card, written as text. That's the Written Name. 89% of these ads show the company or product name on screen, and half do it by 0:22. But many wait until the last seconds. The name comes before the claim line about as often as after it.
Should a video ad write its claim on screen?
Yes, one sentence of it. That's One Claim. 66% of these ads write a claim line: one sentence on screen that says what the product does. A third write none and leave it to the voice. Kroolo puts its first claim line up as big moving text at 0:16.
How many words should be on screen in a video ad?
Enough to carry your claim lines. That's the Word Budget. The typical ad here writes 40 words on screen. Ads with a voiceover show far fewer words than they speak, so the screen repeats only a small part of the script. Music-only ads show more, since the screen carries every word.
What should a video ad end card show?
The logo, plus something to do. That's the Address Card. 67% of these ads end on a brand logo card. Only 20% put a web address or an ask there. Proofpoint's end card shows its name, a tagline and its web address, all in one frame.
Do tech video ads use burned-in captions?
Rarely. Just 9 of 124 build captions into the picture, and 8 of those pass the Mute Test. Companies that do include Alloy, BAI Communications, Cegid, Hoogendoorn, etc. Captions are one way to pass. The other is One Claim: a single written sentence about the product.
How were these ads measured?
ADVIDS Research checked 188 videos against a rule written before the work began. 124 qualified, from 108 companies. Every line of text on screen was read and timed. Six beats came out of it: Early Line, Written Name, One Claim, Word Budget, Address Card and Mute Test. The full dataset comes with the report.
The sound-off map
Each mark shows when the typical ad reaches that step. More than half the ads have each step, and 44% have all four (55 of 124).
Each row is one ad, from first frame to last. Text comes early, the name and claim come mid-ad, and the logo card comes last.
The eight most common orders on screen
| Order on screen | Ads | Base |
|---|---|---|
| text → name → logo close | 17 | of 124 |
| text → claim → name → logo close | 17 | of 124 |
| text + name → claim → logo close | 11 | of 124 |
| text + name → logo close | 10 | of 124 |
| text → name → claim → logo close | 10 | of 124 |
| text → claim | 8 | of 124 |
| text + claim → name → logo close | 7 | of 124 |
| text + name | 6 | of 124 |
A plus sign means two steps show up together. No single order wins. Most start with text and end on a logo card.
How to read this report
This report looks at 124 short promotional videos for technology products from 108 companies, posted 5 January to 3 August 2026. Each figure counts ads, like 73 of 124. Each time, like 0:03, is when that thing first shows up on screen.
Beat 01 · Early Line
1. Most ads show text in the first five seconds.
Most tech ads put words on screen fast. 59% show text by 0:05 (73 of 124). But many open on an empty screen with no words at all. A muted viewer sees something and has no idea what it is. If your ad opens empty, put a written line up inside the first 3 seconds.
Think of a lit shop window with no sign. People look, but they can't tell what's sold.
In half of these tech product ads, the first text shows up by 0:03. It is most often simple animated text, or text inside the product interface.
Example: Drata's ad opens on big moving text at 0:00: BUSINESSES RUN ON TRUST. The name doesn't show up until 1:01. Line first, logo later.
No text before 0:10: companies in this group include SAP, Airwallex, Arkose Labs, Board, etc.
Exception: an ad that sells a mood. Airwallex's Build the Future runs 1:30 of black-and-white scenes, and the voice carries every word. The only word on screen is its logo, at 1:22.
Source: Advids analysis of 124 tech product ads
More ads open on an empty screen than on words. The first line comes a moment later.
Beat 02 · Written Name
2. Nearly all ads show the name, but half wait past 0:22.
Nearly every ad shows the company or product name on screen. 89% do it (110 of 124). But half wait until 0:22 or later, and some save it for the end card. Until then, a muted viewer can't tell whose ad it is. If your name only shows on the closing logo, write it as text earlier.
Think of a name badge at a meetup. You read the badge first, then you remember the face.
Most ads write the name out in words. Only 4 show just a logo with no name in words. And the name comes before the claim line about as often as after it.
Example: Crestron's ad for its 80 Series Touch Screens runs to music. At 0:03, a text card shows the product name in dark type, before any other line.
Never named on screen: companies in this group include Neo4j, Amplitude, Emburse, Google Cloud, etc.
Exception: a name said out loud in a scene. Zoho's Zoho Cliq ad is an office chat where the name is spoken, never written. The screen is left to the app.
Source: Advids analysis of 124 tech product ads
Beat 03 · One Claim
3. Two in three ads write one sentence about the product.
A claim line is one sentence on screen that says what the product does. 66% of these ads write one (82 of 124). The rest leave it to the voice or the product screen. Muted, those ads show a name and no reason to care. If your voiceover says the claim, write it on screen too.
A shop sign with a name tells you whose shop it is. Add what they sell, and you know whether to walk in.
Here a claim line is any line of three or more words outside the product interface. Questions and labels don't count. Most set it as big moving text.
Example: At 0:16, Kroolo's ad puts its first claim line up in big moving text: "It doesn't just summarize it executes". One sentence. No voice needed.
No claim line on screen: companies in this group include Anthropic, AFL, Alteryx, Apple, etc.
Exception: when the product screen makes the case. Microsoft's Copilot Cowork ad shows text in bits of one or two words. The rest is text typed inside the app.
Source: Advids analysis of 124 tech product ads
The claim line can come at any point. Few ads open with it.
Beat 04 · Word Budget
4. The typical ad writes 40 words on screen.
Most tech ads write a short paragraph of text on screen. 81% write 20 words or more (100 of 124). Ads with a voiceover write less, because the voice does the talking. Music-only ads write more. If your ad has a voice, write its claim lines on screen and let the voice carry the rest.
Think of a talk with slides. The speaker says it all, and the slide holds the line you'd write down.
With a voiceover, the typical ad shows 35 words and speaks 136. Music-only ads write more. Words inside the product interface, like menus, count too.
Example: Rho's Gmail Connector ad runs to music. At 0:02, its first line shows up in black type: "Receipts live in your inbox". 41 words in all, and no voice.
100 or more words on screen: companies in this group include Atlassian, Nexthink, OpenAI, Perplexity, etc.
Exception: a product whose output is text. Bloomfire's AI answers ad speaks 62 words and shows 88. Its chat answers fill the screen, so the demo writes the script.
Source: Advids analysis of 124 tech product ads
Beat 05 · Address Card
5. Most ads end on a logo, but few say what to do next.
Most tech ads end on a brand logo card: 67% (83 of 124). But only 20% add a web address or an ask, like Book a demo. So a muted viewer gets a name and nowhere to go. If your end card shows only the logo, add one of those.
Think of a business card with a logo and no phone number. You know who they are, but you can't reach them.
Example: Proofpoint's end card at 0:25 shows the wordmark, "CYBERSECURITY FOR YOUR PEOPLE, DATA, AND AI AGENTS." and the web address. Name, claim and address, all in one frame.
A web address or ask at the end: companies in this group include Akto, Campfire, Cegid, Celigo, etc.
Exception: when the ask is to try the product. Campfire's Ember Agents ad ends on a text card reading campfire.ai/ember, with no logo card anywhere. The address does the logo's job.
Source: Advids analysis of 124 tech product ads
Two in three ads end on the logo card. What sits next to it varies.
Beat 06 · Mute Test
6. A little over half the ads pass with the sound off.
With the sound off, can you tell whose ad it is and what it does? 58% of these ads pass (72 of 124). Most that fail show the name but never write what the product does. Ads with a voice fail more often. If your ad has a voice, watch it muted and check both things.
Think of a TV in a loud bar. There's no sound, but you follow the game from the score in the corner.
Music-only ads pass more often than voiceover ads: 68% against 52%. Few ads build captions into the picture, but most that do pass.
Example: Hoogendoorn Growth Management builds captions into its ad. From 0:06, each spoken line shows up on screen. Muted, the words are still there, so it passes.
Named but no claim line: companies in this group include AppsFlyer, Bloomfire, Deel, Deliverect, etc.
Exception: a founder pitching to camera. Nooks' AI Sequencing ad speaks 155 words to camera. The screen shows the name and labels, but no line says what the product does.
Source: Advids analysis of 124 tech product ads
Most failing ads show the brand. What is missing is the sentence about the product.
Benchmarks
Check your own ad against each row.
Timing, words and sound
| Measure | Typical | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Runtime | 1:03 | Half the ads run shorter than this |
| First text on screen | 0:03 | When the first words show up |
| Name on screen | 0:22 | In words or a logo card, across the 110 ads that show it |
| Claim line | 0:24 | First claim line, across the 82 ads that write one |
| First logo card | 0:51 | Across the 92 ads that show one |
| Words on screen | 40 | Each different line counted once |
| Words outside the product screen | 18 | Text cards, logos and words over pictures |
| Words on screen per minute | 44 | Words on screen divided by runtime |
| Spoken words, voiceover ads | 136 | Across the 77 voiceover ads |
If your name or claim shows up later than these times, it comes later than in half the ads.
What most ads don't do
| Beat | Ads | Base | Companies include |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captions built into the video | 9 | of 124 | Alloy, BAI Communications, Cegid, Hoogendoorn, etc. |
| A web address or ask at the end | 25 | of 124 | Akto, Arkose Labs, Atlassian, Board, etc. |
| Name on screen by 0:10 | 34 | of 124 | AFL, Alloy, Anthropic, AppsFlyer, etc. |
| Text before anyone speaks (voiceover ads only) | 27 | of 77 | Alloy, Amplitude, Apple, Arm, etc. |
| Claim line by 0:10 | 21 | of 124 | Airia, Alloy, Arm, Dext, etc. |
Fewer than half the ads do any of these, so they are not on the map.
Six questions for your next ad
Play your last ad with the sound off, and answer these in order.
- Beat 01 Is a line of text on screen by 0:03? If not, write one into the video script before the edit.
- Beat 02 Is the name written before the end card? If not, put it on screen in the first 10 seconds.
- Beat 03 Is one sentence about the product written out? If not, pick the line that must work on mute and put it on screen.
- Beat 04 Does the screen repeat the spoken lines that make a claim? If not, add them or cut them.
- Beat 05 Can a viewer type something from the last frame? If not, add a web address or one ask.
- Beat 06 Can a stranger say whose ad it is and what it does, muted? If not, the claim goes on screen.
Now go back to that muted feed. A name, a logo, and no sentence about the product. That is 38 of the 52 failing ads. One written claim line gets each one through.
This week, mute your last ad and answer the six questions on one page. Then brief the edit.
The voice speaks to the viewer who listens. The screen speaks to everyone else.
Methodology
| Vertical | Ads |
|---|---|
| devtools | 11 |
| fintech | 11 |
| productivity | 6 |
| ai | 6 |
| martech | 4 |
| cybersecurity | 4 |
| retail | 4 |
| other verticals | 78 |
| Coding scheme | Values | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Text class | type · logo card · interface · picture | From each timed segment's coded motif: kinetic_type and title_card are type; brand_logo_card is the logo card; dashboard, chat, terminal, screen capture, device, notification and chart motifs are interface; every other motif is picture. |
| On-screen line | text | The library coder's transcription of legible text in each segment, split into lines on slashes, semicolons, bars and dashes. It is abridged where text ran long. |
| Name on screen | seconds | A company or product name, as written, in any line of any class, or a brand logo card with or without transcribed text. Name forms are checked per ad. |
| Claim line | seconds | A line of three or more words outside the interface that is not a question, an ask, a URL, an availability line, a legal line, a label list or a problem line. Each ad's first candidate was checked by hand. |
| Problem line | seconds | A statement line carrying a problem cue from a published list: still, manual, slow, chaos, hard, struggle, can't, don't, broken, missing, never, waste, stuck, risk, too many, too much and others. |
| Sound-off test | pass · fail | Pass when the ad is named on screen and carries a claim line. The strict reading needs the name in text, not a logo mark alone. |
| Words on screen | count | Words across each distinct line, counted once per ad. Interface text is included, and the words outside the interface are also reported. |
| Opening and close | type · blank · interface · picture · logo | The class of the first and last coded segment. A blank opening is a type or abstract segment with no text. The close also records a URL or an ask. |
| Sound | voiceover · music only · captions burned in · spoken words | Voiceover or music only comes from audio analysis; burned-in captions are coded from frames; spoken words and the first spoken word come from auto or manual captions. |
| Not coded | cast · surface · altitude · build | The picture dimensions of the ADVIDS trend reports. This report reads text and sound, and does not code them. |
Cite this report
Jai Ghosh, Advids. The Silent Auto-Play Report: We Deconstructed 124 Tech Ads to Find the Perfect Text-on-Screen Formula. 14 September 2026. https://advids.co/blog/silent-autoplay-text-on-screen-formula
About Advids
Advids produces video for AI, SaaS and DeepTech companies. ADVIDS Research publishes coded studies of what those companies ship, with the dataset attached so every count can be checked.