How to adapt an advertising video for Instagram, TikTok and YouTube

Imagine you’ve shot a promo video. A photographer stands in the woods, looking through the viewfinder, when a bear’s paw enters the frame from the side. In the horizontal version, the scene works. Then someone crops it down the middle for Reels. The photographer is still there. Now you have to explain the bear.

We actually filmed that scene for a “М’ясна миска” pet food ad. All we had of the bear was one furry arm, paw to shoulder, and an actor to operate it. The viewer’s imagination fills in the rest. For the joke to land, though, the viewer needs time to see both the paw and the photographer’s reaction. That’s where adapting a video ad for social media begins.

What exactly does the viewer need to see for the ad to work?

Over two shoot days, the edpit agency team filmed 12 short stories for “М’ясна миска”. We also gave the client a director’s cut as a bonus. That brought the total to 117 finished videos. Here’s how we got to that number and what to keep in mind when commissioning ads for several platforms.

Watch the vertical versions here.

First, decide exactly where viewers will see the ad

“We need a video for Instagram, TikTok and YouTube” leaves the main question open. On YouTube alone, someone might watch a vertical Short on their phone or a horizontal video on their TV. You can be reaching the same audience and still need to frame the shot differently.

We produced each story in three formats:

• Vertical (9:16) — for Reels, Stories, TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Watch it on a phone to check that the action is easy to follow and the app’s buttons don’t cover any text or the product packaging.
• Square (1:1) — for feed placements. A square frame leaves less room on either side, so it can work better to show two characters, or a character and the product, in successive shots.
• Horizontal (16:9) — for the standard YouTube player, websites and as a starting point for a TV version. If the ad will air on TV, ask the broadcaster for its technical specifications.

Before the shoot, ask whoever is running the campaign to list the exact placements. You might need just two vertical versions with different offers. Or you might need all three formats for several products. It’s worth settling that while you still have the cast and props on set.

How to keep the joke when the frame changes shape

In one of the ads, a woman accidentally bumps into a vase. It starts to fall, and we freeze the frame. The voiceover tells us a pet can finish the food before the vase hits the floor. The whole story takes just seconds, but the viewer needs to catch three things: who bumped the vase, what happened to it and why the picture suddenly froze.

A scene like this makes it easy to test whether a different crop will work. Overlay a vertical frame on the storyboard, or even on a rehearsal photo. If the woman is in frame but the vase falls somewhere offscreen, you have a few options. Move the vase, change the camera position or shoot a separate close-up of it falling. On set, that might take one extra take. Once you’re in the edit, you only have the footage you shot.

Another simple test is to watch the rough cut on your phone with the sound off. In the vase scene, the voiceover connects the falling vase to the product benefit. If people will also see the ad on mute, make that point in a short on-screen caption. Check that you can finish reading it before the product appears.

What to change in the ending for different audiences

“М’ясна миска” makes food for cats and dogs. So alongside the aspect ratio, we had one more variable: which pack the viewer would see at the end. In advertising, that final shot of the product is called a packshot.

We made three endings: cat food only, dog food only and both together. For a campaign aimed at dog owners, the client can now choose the story that ends on the dog food pack. For a broader campaign, they can run the same story with the full range. The photographer doesn’t have to go back into the woods.

That’s how we got to 117 videos. We had 12 main stories plus the bonus director’s cut of the bear scene. Each of those 13 versions came in three aspect ratios, with three possible packshots. That gives us 13 × 3 × 3 = 117 finished files. If your brand is advertising one product to one audience, you can drop that last multiplier.

What to put in the brief before the shoot

Start with four questions. Where will the ad run? Who will see it? Which product are we advertising? What has to stay in the frame? For example: “Instagram Reels, dog owners. End on the dog food pack. The photographer and the bear’s paw must be visible at the same time.” That tells the camera operator what to shoot, the editor what to keep and the client which version they’re signing off on.

There’s one detail people tend to remember only when the folder of finished files arrives. Agree on how to name them. A filename like vedmid_9x16_sobaky.mp4 tells even someone opening the folder for the first time which video to upload for the campaign. With three files, it’s a small detail. With 117, it’s part of the job.

If you’re planning a series of video ads, send edpit agency a list of your products and the platforms where you want to promote them. Before the shoot, we’ll help you work out how many versions you need, where swapping the packshot will do and where it’s worth filming an extra shot.