• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Social Media Examiner

Your Guide to the Marketing Jungle

  • 🔥 Free Newsletter
  • 🎙️ Podcasts
    • Social Media Marketing Podcast
    • AI Explored Podcast
    • Social Media Marketing Talk Show
    • Our YouTube Channel
  • 🌟 AI Society
  • 🗓️ Marketing Conference
  • 👋 About Us
    • Marketing Events
  • Search
  • Embrace AI & MarketingGet Ongoing Training & SupportBEGIN YOUR JOURNEY NOW

    How to Make Low-Cost Video Ads That Convert

    by Matt Johnston / January 25, 2021

    Want to easily create video ads that convert? Worried you need special skills or a big budget?

    In this article, you'll discover how to create high-converting ads without outsourcing to pros. You'll find four tools to easily create video ads and get a step-by-step walkthrough to produce a video ad from start to finish.

    How to Make Low-Cost Video Ads That Convert by Matt Johnston on Social Media Examiner.

    To learn how to create low-cost video ads that convert, read the article below for an easy-to-follow walkthrough or watch this video:

    #1: Choose a Video Creation Tool

    A lot of people are intimidated by the prospect of creating video to use in their social media ads. They think it's too expensive and requires a skillset they don't have. The good news is that with the video creation tools currently available, you don't need to have any experience to make a video that converts.

    “Text on screen” storytelling videos cost almost nothing to produce but can generate thousands of dollars when used in the right social media ad. In this kind of video, you talk about the problem that's solved by your product or service and show potential customers how it could change their life. The video should be about 1 minute long and in a 1:1 (square) or 4:5 format so it takes up a lot of space in the news feed.

    To get the best results for a text on screen video, you should follow a very specific scripting formula, as outlined in this article on scripting videos for social media.

    You can create a text on screen video with a variety of tools—including Vimeo, Storyblocks, Promo, and Wave—without needing to have any prior video experience. I'm going to walk through an example of how to put text on some video footage using Wave but the process should be similar for other video editors as well.

    #2: Add Text to Your Video Footage

    When you first open Wave, you'll see a variety of templates to choose from. If you have an existing script to work from, go with the Blank Video option.

    ALT

    On the next page, choose Square as the video format.

    ALT

    Now select the media you want to use in your video.

    In this case, we'll be using our own video footage so select Upload Media. Note that Wave also offers a library of stock video and images you can use.

    AI Business Society

    Ready to Unlock AI Marketing Breakthroughs?

    If you’re like most of us, you are trying to figure out how to use AI in your marketing. Here's the solution: The AI Business Society—a new AI marketing community from your friends at Social Media Examiner.

    The AI Business Society is the place to discover how to apply AI in your work. When you join, you'll boost your productivity, unlock your creativity, and make connections with other marketers on a similar journey.

    I'M READY TO BECOME AN AI-POWERED MARKETER

    ALT

    After you add your media, it will appear on the screen with a text box on it.

    ALT

    Copy the first snippet of text from your script and paste it into the text box.

    Keep in mind that with these types of videos, viewers will spend most of their time looking at the text so make the text pop on the screen.

    Start by clicking the Uppercase button above the text box to change the text to all capital letters. Then drag the corner handles of the text box to expand it as needed.

    ALT

    On the right side of the screen, you'll see options to style the text you just added. You can change the font, point size, text color, and alignment to better fit your brand.

    ALT

    Let's go with black text over white for this example.

    ALT

    Once you've finished styling your text, you need to decide how long the text will stay on the screen. Click away from the text box to reveal the video options on the right side of the screen. Click the Trim button.

    ALT

    When the Trim Video window opens, drag the left and right handles on the timeline to adjust the amount of time the text will stay on the screen. Typically, you'll want to go with 3.5 to 5 seconds. For the headline, I usually leave the text on the screen for about 4.5 seconds.

    Discover Proven Marketing Strategies and Tips

    Want to go even deeper with your marketing? Check out the Social Media Marketing Podcast! Publishing weekly since 2012, the Social Media Marketing Podcast helps you navigate the constantly changing marketing jungle, with expert interviews from marketing pros.

    But don’t let the name fool you. This show is about a lot more than just social media marketing. With over 600 episodes and millions of downloads each year, this show has been a trusted source for marketers for well over a decade.

    CHECK OUT THE SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING PODCAST NOW

    ALT

    After you set the amount of time, drag the black box along the timeline to choose the piece of footage you want to use. When you're done, click Trim.

    On the right side of the screen, you'll notice that the Simple Appear text effect is selected by default. I prefer to go with No Effect so the video will look more native in the feed.

    ALT

    Voilà—you're finished with the first slide. Now you're ready to move on to the next one.

    One handy feature in video editors like Wave is that it's easy to duplicate a slide. Simply click the Copy This Scene icon in the video timeline to duplicate the slide you just created.

    ALT

    Next, click the Set Transition icon and take out the default transition.

    ALT

    Now replace the text with the next slide in your script.

    To replace the B roll, click Replace on the right side of the screen. Then either upload the video you want to use or choose a stock video or image from the library.

    ALT

    In this case, let's use stock video of someone playing the guitar. Simply find the clip you want to use and click Replace to add it to your timeline.

    ALT

    Follow the same process as before to trim your video and choose the amount of time the text will appear on screen.

    Pro Tip: If you're not sure how long to keep text on the screen, read it out loud to yourself and then add an extra second. I typically find 3.5 to be the sweet spot for non-headline slides.

    When you're done with the second slide, repeat these steps to create the rest of the slides based on your script.

    After you've designed all of your slides, I recommend adding a watermark (your logo) to your video. This not only lets you add your branding throughout the video but also protects your intellectual property.

    You can also add a soundtrack if you want. Most video editors will link to stock music services so you can just pick the audio clip you want to use.

    #3: Export Your Video

    When you're ready to export your finished video, click Publish in the left navigation. On the next page, select your resolution (720 is fine for social media) and click Render. Once the rendering process is complete, you can download your video.

    ALT

    If you want to resize your video for different platforms, it's really simple in Wave. Click Resize Video on the left to see the available formats to choose from.

    ALT

    For instance, choose 9:16 if you plan to share your video on TikTok or Instagram Stories. Once the video is resized, make sure that the text lines up correctly on each slide. You can resize the text box by dragging the corner handles.

    ALT

    Conclusion

    If you're intimidated by the prospect of creating video for social media ads or think it will be too expensive to do well, it doesn't have to be that way. You can make a high-converting video with almost no money at all and you don't need any video editing expertise.

    There's a variety of video editing tools that will take you through the process step by step and make it easy to reformat your videos for any platform, including TikTok, Instagram Stories, YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram.

    What do you think? Will you try this approach to create a “text on screen” video for social media? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

    More articles on social media video:

    • Explore three types of social video that will work for any business.
    • Discover practical tips to produce polished videos that perform well on social media.
    • Find out how to easily make organic video you can share on social media.
    AI EXPLORED

    Curious About How to Use AI?

    Our newest show, AI Explored, might be just what you're looking for. It's for marketers, creators, and entrepreneurs who want to understand how to use AI in their business.

    It's hosted by Michael Stelzner and explores this exciting new frontier in easy-to-understand terms.

    Pull up your favorite podcast app and search for AI Explored. Or click the button below for more information.

    I WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AI

    Tags: Social Media Video, video

    About the authorMatt Johnston

    Matt is COO of Get Hyped Media, a leading influencer marketing agency, author of Producing Empathy, and viral video pioneer in the publishing world having led teams at NY Magazine, Business Insider, NowThis, and Men’s Health.
    Other posts by Matt Johnston »

    Get Social Media Examiner’s Future Articles in Your Inbox!

    Get our latest articles delivered to your email inbox and get the FREE Social Media Marketing Industry Report (43 pages, 50+ charts)!

    Industry Report Cover

    Worth Exploring:

    Facebook

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Instagram

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    YouTube

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Linkedin

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    AI

    Next Frontier Explore More →

    Social Media Marketing Industry Report

    Get Free Report →

    Social Marketing Trends

    The data you've been missing!

    Need a new plan? Discover how marketers plan to change their social activities in the 17th annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report. It reveals what marketers have planned for their social activities, content marketing, and more! Get this free report now and never miss another great article from us. Join more than 385,000 marketers!

    Simply click the button below to get the free report:

    Footer

    Your Guide to the Marketing Jungle
    Copyright © 2025 Social Media Examiner®
    All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy.

    Helpful Links

    • About us
    • Our content via email
    • Our podcasts
    • Our YouTube channel
    • Our live show
    • Our social media marketing industry report
    • Our generative AI marketing industry report
    • Sponsorship opportunities
    • RSS