For performance marketing agencies
Know what three new video ad variations will cost before you quote your client.
Your client wants fresh video ads this week, on a retainer with no shoot budget. Send one brief. Within 1 working day you get a free written estimate: what it needs, what it will take, and whether AI is the right way to make it.
Free. Within 1 working day. A rough brief is fine, and you can take the client’s name out.
AI video should solve this. Then you try to put it in a quote.
Your client’s best ad is tiring and they want new versions this week.
- A take that renders fine and gets rejected costs the same as the one you keep.
- The advertised rate may not be the rate you pay. I was billed $4.75 for 8 seconds at an advertised $0.134 per second.
- Vendors do not publish how many takes a shot needs.
So you pad the quote, eat the overrun, or leave AI video off the proposal.
Already have a quote from a creator? Send the brief anyway and compare the numbers.
What an estimate looks like
Layout only, for three variations of one idea: one set of approved shots, each cut with a different hook and first three seconds.
| Shots and takes budgeted | Stated in your estimate |
|---|---|
| Footage generation | Stated in your estimate. My One Prompt Studio film, 30 seconds at 1080p, cost $13.05 |
| Character pictures, voice, captions | Stated in your estimate |
| Direction and edit | Stated in your estimate |
| Total | The number you can quote against. It only moves if you approve more in writing. |
The bills, including the takes I threw away
None of the AI video tools I compared shows you its rejected takes. I publish mine.
- $7.05 + $6.00 = $13.05 of footage. One Prompt Studio, 30 seconds at 1080p, my own concept and not a client job. A Kling 4.0 take was rejected and a Wan 3.0 take accepted. Leaves out character pictures, voice, captions and human time. See the breakdown ↗
Questions you will ask
Who pays if the takes run over?
A good shot normally takes two takes. The estimate states the takes budgeted before any work starts. If a shot runs past that budget, I stop and ask you first. Nothing is added to your bill without your written OK.
Will it look good enough for a paying client?
The esim.dog ad is at the top of this page. Watch it and judge it yourself. You review the direction and key scenes before the final edit.
Can my client’s real product be in it?
Yes, using real product photography as the reference. Fine product lettering is still unreliable, so the estimate will tell you if your brief depends on it.
Will these ads perform?
I report no campaign results, because I have none to report. What you get is the production and the numbers behind it. The test is yours to run.
Is this another tool to learn?
No. It is a production service. You work directly with the person making the film.
Send one brief. Know the number before you say the number.
- Free written estimate
- Within 1 working day
- Three variations of one idea
- You can take the client’s name out