Thirty seconds is not a trailer. It is an interruption that has to earn the next three seconds four times in a row. Most book ads fail in the first frame — a static cover, a slow fade, a title card — and by the time anything interesting happens the thumb has already moved.
What you receive
- A 30-second master in 1080p, plus vertical, square and wide cuts from the same edit.
- A two-second hook — the line, image or motion that stops the scroll before anything else happens.
- Kinetic typography carrying the hook, the stakes and the promise, because most social video is watched muted.
- Cover animation and a closing card with the title, author and a plain call to action.
- Licensed music and captions burned in, with a clean version without the end card for ad platforms that add their own.
How it is made
- Choose the hook from the manuscript: the line that creates a question rather than describing the plot.
- Storyboard in five beats — hook, situation, conflict, promise, call to action — each with about five seconds.
- Edit and set type, testing legibility on a phone at arm’s length, muted.
- Export variants for each platform, then check the first frame as a thumbnail.
Why muted changes the design
Most feed video plays without sound. That means the words have to be on screen, in a size that reads at a glance, positioned away from the caption area and the platform’s own controls. Music still matters for the small proportion who unmute, but it cannot carry the message. Designing for mute first and adding sound later produces an ad that works in both conditions; the reverse produces an ad that only works in a cinema.
Where a 30-second ad is actually used
As a paid social creative on Facebook and Instagram, where fifteen to thirty seconds is the effective ceiling. As a pre-roll on YouTube with the hook front-loaded to survive the skip button. As an embedded clip on your own book page, where a reader who will not read a blurb may still watch. And as the opening of a longer trailer, if one is commissioned later.
What we need from you
The manuscript or a detailed synopsis, the cover file, the blurb, and any existing brand assets. If photography or footage of the author is involved, high-resolution source files are essential — upscaled phone footage looks soft on a large screen, and no amount of editing fixes it. A short brief on the target reader sharpens the hook more than any technical choice.
Testing before you spend on placement
Two hooks, one small budget, one week: that is enough to learn which line stops the scroll before you commit real money. We deliver the ad with an alternate opening so an A/B test is possible without a second commission, and we review the retention graph with you — the point where viewers leave tells you whether the problem is the hook, the pacing or the call to action. Most campaigns improve more from that single test than from a larger budget.
Pricing
| Tier | Scope | Price | Was | You save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 1 video | $30 | $45 | |
| Professional | 3 videos | $100 | $100 | |
| Bulk / Authority | 5 videos | $150 | $150 |
Frequent questions
Can I change the text afterwards?
Yes, if the change is small. A different title or a new price is a quick edit; a new story direction is a new ad.
Is the music licensed?
Yes, for commercial use on social platforms and your own site. The licence is supplied with the files.
How long does it take?
Four to six working days, including one round of revisions.
Commission a 30s ad — send the cover, blurb and target reader.