The problem
You send a creator the transcript of the winning video. They record it. Same words. Half the sales rate. The words were the same. The video was not.
The rule
A winning video is words plus timing plus what is on screen. Copy all three.
Say it to a creator
“Same words, but I need three things on screen: a mirror clip at second 3, a before-and-after at second 9, and the bottle in frame from second 15 to the end.”
The example
The winning video on the gut gummy, 32 seconds, broken down by time.
| Time | On screen | Said |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 2s | Creator's face close, mid-sentence, kitchen | 'So my bloating was so bad I...' |
| 3s | Cut to a mirror clip, stomach visible | '...looked like this every night' |
| 5 to 8s | Back to face, holds up bottle, label to camera | 'I'm not saying it's magic' |
| 8s | Text on screen: 'Day 1 vs Day 30' | |
| 9 to 14s | Split screen, before and after | 'give it 30 days' |
| 15s | Bottle back in frame, pointing down | 'it's in my showcase' |
| 16 to 32s | Face, talking, bottle stays in frame | rest of the story |
The creator's version, same words
- 0 to 14s: face, talking, no cuts
- 15s: bottle appears
- 16 to 32s: face, bottle set down out of frame
What went missing
- No mirror clip at 3s
- No before-and-after at 9s
- Bottle gone after 16s
The three things the winning video shows are the three things that made it win. The words carried the story. The screen carried the proof.
What to write down for every winner, four lines, sent with the script:
- When the product first appears, and how.
- When there is a cut, and to what.
- When text hits the screen, and what it says.
- Whether the product is visible during the ask.
Do this in Verdict
- 1Paste the winning video into Video Breakdown. It returns the script and a timestamped list of what is on screen: cuts, product in frame, text overlays, gestures.
- 2Attach the breakdown to the brief instead of the transcript. The creator gets both halves.