Creating high-quality video ads can be expensive.

But you need those anyway.

Even if your product is great, you can’t just expect people to land on your Shopify store magically. You need video ads that reach your target customers and compel them to buy. 

This is also where you’ll face fierce competition. The current dropshipping market is saturated with multiple ad campaigns and strategies.

Video ads are one of them and we’ll prioritise them. Here’s why:

  • Customers prefer videos over long text descriptions.
  • Video ads show your product in action, helping your customers decide.
  • They’re highly shareable on social media, which can expand your reach organically. 
  • Platforms like Instagram, TikTok (and recently, LinkedIn) favour video content. They’ll push short ads if you engage them well enough.

Also, customers are 95% more likely to remember a brand message conveyed from video than written content, which is just 10%.

In this article, we’ll see how to research, script, and create video ads that convert. Then, we’ll actually create a video ad for a “dog toy” product using these steps for free.

You don’t need to be an expert editor or have a marketing team’s budget to make them. All you need is a normal desktop, internet, and a few minutes.

Video Ads That Work On TikTok & Instagram

People dislike ads that look like ads. It makes them feel like you’re forcing or tricking them into something.

For instance, remember the last time you watched a YouTube ad? Chances are you clicked “Skip ad” even before it ended. 

Studies show that ads that are raw and authentic perform better. To make such ads, you’ll need a solid understanding of the product (and who you’re selling it to).

That’s one aspect of it.

If you see product ads that perform on TikTok, you’ll notice a common pattern in them, they are:

  • Relatable: Highly relatable. Often starts with emotionally charged hooks that address the customer's pain point.
  • Short: These ads are normally between 15-30 seconds depending on the platform.
  • Simple: Easy to consume.

For example, take the TikTok dropshipping ads for Mini Projectors. These ads were shot on phones, featured everyday scenarios, and were short and simple. They went viral, collecting millions of views.

We’ll focus on the above patterns to create a dropshipping video ad that converts.

Understanding Your Audience

Most ads flop because they’re aimed at people who just don’t care.

For example, if you don’t have a dog and see an ad for a dog product, you’ll probably just scroll away. No matter how great the ad is.

Ads that try to please everyone end up pleasing no one. That’s why, understanding your audience is super important. 

To understand your audience, start by asking the following questions:

  • Who’s the target audience for this product?
  • Why would they want to buy this product?
  • What problem does it solve?
  • What benefits does it provide for the customer?
  • Which social media apps will the customer spend time on most?

Note down these answers, you’ll need them later. 

Tip #1: Focus on a single customer persona. Instead of thinking about what’ll work for everyone, think about what’ll work for one person. Ironically, If it works for one, it’ll work for a million others.

Tip #2: Check out that product’s reviews on eBay and Amazon. See what people are saying, both positive and negative. Note down 10 of each.

Overall, these exercises will give you a deeper perspective on the product you’re selling.

Researching Your Competitors

Before we start, let’s see what video ads dropshippers in our niche are creating. The aim is not to copy them but to get a reference point.

Trending content is a proven template to see what makes viewers stop and watch. We’ll specifically look at product trends and songs that are trending in our niche.

For example, if you search for the #dogchewtoy hashtag on Instagram, you’ll get videos and posts people are interacting with the most.

Look at these common factors between them:

  • Songs they’re using: Popular songs often have hooks that keep viewers watching till the end.
  • Interesting challenges: Engaging challenges creates curiosity, making viewers watch the entire video.
  • Engagement: Note what types of videos get the most comments and shares.

You can also search them on TikTok or YouTube.

Script Your Dropshipping Video Ad

Now it’s time to put all the material together and script a great video ad.

Why is this necessary? Why put so much work into a 15-30 second video?

Because this will save you valuable time while making the video. So, Instead of wandering around and copying trends, you can create something that resonates with your audience.

Get the answers you prepared in the previous section and get ready to write some effective ads.

We understand you might not be a scriptwriter. Skip to the “Scripting Video Ads With ChatGPT” section to use ChatGPT for quick, effective scripts. However, we still recommend understanding the fundamentals in the first 3 sections.

Planning A Great Hook

Great hooks capture your viewers by surprise and draw them in.

To create a great hook, address the customer's pain points within the first few seconds and make it emotionally charged.

For example, a great hook for our dog product could be – “Is your dog feeling angry and stressed, taking it out on your shoes? (The video shows a dog looking stressed and chewing on a shoe)”

Or, it can be:

Worried about your dog's safety with cheap and low-quality toys? (The video shows a dog playing with a toy that breaks easily)

Use at least 2 hooks that address the customer problem and are relatable. 

A dog owner facing a similar problem is sure to find this relatable, increasing the chances of them inquiring about your product.

The “So What?” Method For Crafting Great Product Benefits

You’ve successfully captured the viewer’s attention. Now, it’s time to tell them why your product is the best.

To do this, list your product’s benefits. For example:

  1. Safe Materials: The toy is made from non-toxic, pet-safe materials. 
  2. Durable: The toy is made from strong materials that can withstand a lot of chewing. 
  3. Interactive: The toy is designed to engage dogs, keeping them occupied for extended periods.

Oddly, these sound like boring features and may not resonate with your audience. Your customers don’t care about product features, they care about how the product benefits them. 

To solve this issue, use the “So what?” method. 

The "So what?" method means asking So what? after each benefit to understand why exactly does it matter. This reveals the real emotional connection and the deeper problem being solved.

For example, let’s use it on our dog product:

Safe Materials: The toy is made from non-toxic, pet-safe materials. 

  • So what?: So your dog won't ingest harmful substances.
  • So what?: So you don’t have to worry about your dog’s health.
  • Emotional root: So you don't have to worry about your dog's health and can enjoy playtime without fear.
“So you don't have to worry about your dog's health and can enjoy playtime without fear.”

Include A Strong CTA 

You’ve finally convinced the customer that your product is the one for them. The customer is ready to buy your product. Now, you need a proper way to redirect them to your store for purchase. 

This is where a strong Call To Action (CTA) will help.

Add a CTA at the end of your video guiding them to your bio, link in the comments, or include a shoppable video CTA within your dropshipping video ad itself.

Examples of a strong CTA:

  • Shop now through the link in our bio!
  • Click the link in the comments to get yours today!
  • Tap to buy directly from this video!
  • Tag a pet owner!

A strong CTA is good even for non-customers. For instance, using CTAs like "Tag a pet owner" can convince non-customers to share your video ad with a potential customer.

Scripting Dropshipping Video Ads With ChatGPT

You can create a great video ad script with AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini.

To do this, enter your product name and what it does on the AI tool of your choice, we’ll use ChatGPT.

In the same chat, enter the answers you noted down in the “Understanding Your Audience” section.

Enter the following prompt:

"Based on the product information, create a video ad script for a 15-second video with a great hook, product benefits that address emotional roots, and a strong CTA."

ChatGPT will generate a fairly good video ad script that you can use after some minor revisions.

You can experiment with different prompts. For example, ask the AI to generate 3 video ads with different hook scenarios.

Once you have the scripts, choose the best one and finalise it for your video ad.

How To Create A Dropshipping Video Ad

It’s time to finally create a video ad for your dropshipping product. 

We’ll be using Whatmore AI to create and edit the ad as per our script. You can create a new account or log in if you already have one.

Whatmore AI lets you create short video content for your e-commerce store. You can convert your product images and footage into effective dropshipping video ads synced with top social media trends.

For this step, you need to have your product images ready. You can use the video footage provided by your supplier. If you don’t, we’ll grab some free stock footage from the internet.

Step 1: Creating A Hook

Let’s follow the existing script to create a hook for our dog toy product.

As a hook for the toy product, we use - “Is your dog feeling angry and stressed, taking it out on your shoes?” 

Now, let’s find some free stock footage online.

For example, search for “sad dog” stock footage on Pexels. You’ll find free videos to use in your ad:

Now, go to your Whatmore studio dashboard and select the following option.

Select the platform and content type for your dropshipping video ad. We’ll select Instagram Reels:

Click “Add Videos” and upload the hook videos from your device. 

Ensure your video size is less than 100 MB.

You can also directly fetch the video URL from your Instagram or TikTok account. Fetch it from your own account or use someone else’s video. 

Note: We recommend taking the owner’s permission to use someone else’s video.

Step 2: Product Benefits

After hooking the viewer, it’s time to prove why your product is ideal for them. Realistically, you should provide 3 product benefits.

You can use both product images and product videos in this step. Don’t have a product video from your supplier? Learn how to make one for free with these tools.

We’ll be using just our product images.

Go back to your Whamore studio and click the “+” icon.

Go to “Add Images” and add the product images from your device or Instagram account.

Click on the “Next” button once you’re done.

Step 3: Dropshipping Video Ad Captions

Next, we need to add text/caption that supports our video hooks and product images.

To do this, go to the “Text and Graphics” tab and type your captions here one after another. 

Whatmore AI will automatically sequence them according to the videos and images you’ve added.

You can also adjust the text colour, text templates, and font to improve readability.

Whatmore AI lets you add the current trending music from different platforms and integrate it within your dropshipping video ad. The music and the beats are synced automatically according to the product videos and images.

Select the vibe and type of trending songs suitable for your product niche. Take reference from the trending content that we had previously researched.

It will automatically suggest trending songs from your niche. For example:

If you can’t find the song here, you can upload your own audio from the “My songs list” section.

Finally, click the “Generate with Whatmore AI” button.

Whatmore AI will generate video ads for your dropshipping product based on what’s trending and sync them according to the song or trend used.

That’s all! It’ll give you 4 videos to choose from. You can download all of them for free and start using them for your dropshipping product!