Your next high-performing ad might be 26 seconds 🤯

With YouTube Shorts gaining traction and attention spans getting shorter, knowing how to deliver a compelling message in under 30 seconds is becoming essential. This ad shows exactly how to do it.

Let's break down what makes this work:

The hook is immediate and action-oriented: "Stop taking meeting notes and let ClickUp AI notetaker do it for you." Right away, they're identifying a pain point and offering a solution. No preamble, no setup - just straight to the point.

What follows is a rapid-fire list of benefits, each one building on the last. They're hitting the key selling points in quick succession.

1. Immediate problem-solution

They don't spend time establishing the problem. They assume you already know that taking meeting notes is a hassle and jump straight to the solution.

2. Clear benefits

"Focus on your meetings, not your notes" - that's the core benefit stated clearly. Then they layer on additional features: capture action items, provide summaries, and connect to your workflow.

3. Differentiation

"It's the only AI notetaker that connects your meetings to the rest of your work" - this is their unique selling proposition, delivered in one clear sentence.

4. Simple CTA

"Get ClickUp AI notetaker for your next meeting" - straightforward, actionable, and creates a sense of immediacy.

What's particularly smart about this ad is how it structures information. They follow a clear pattern:

• Stop doing X (the problem)

• Let our product do it (the solution)

• Here's what it does (the features)

• Here's what makes it unique (the differentiation)

• Get it now (the call to action)

All of this in 26 seconds.

The pacing is crucial here. There's no dead air, no pauses for dramatic effect. Every second delivers information. This is what short-form advertising demands - ruthless efficiency. Some would say that this is what long-form advertising demands as well, it's just maybe even more demanding and difficult to achieve, though.

Notice also what they don't include. No testimonials, no pricing information, no lengthy feature lists. They've stripped the message down to its absolute essentials, which are backed up by interesting, captivating visuals. And it is a product whose benefits you can demonstrate quite easily, so that always helps.

Here's what you can learn from this ad:

1. Start with the action: "Stop taking meeting notes" immediately tells viewers what problem you're solving.

2. Layer benefits quickly: Don't dwell on one point. Hit multiple benefits back-to-back.

3. State your differentiation clearly: One sentence is enough if it's the right sentence.

4. Keep the CTA simple: Tell people exactly what to do next.

5. Cut everything non-essential: If it doesn't directly support your core message, it doesn't belong in a short ad.

For those of you creating short-form ads, this is a solid template. The structure is clear, the pacing is tight, and every word earns its place.

The beauty of this format is that it forces clarity. You can't hide behind elaborate storytelling. You have to know exactly what you're selling and why it matters. And in the end, you know what will make your audience ‘tick'.

This ad also works well because the product itself is simple to understand. AI notetaker for meetings - you get it immediately. If your product requires more explanation, you might need a different approach or a shift in focus, but for straightforward solutions, this format is gold.

The shift toward shorter content is a fundamental change in how people consume content online. Platforms are favoring it, audiences are responding to it, and advertisers need to adapt.

But here's the thing - creating effective short-form ads isn't just about cutting down your longer ads. It requires a different approach entirely. You have to distil your message to its ‘purest’ form.

This ClickUp ad demonstrates that perfectly. They're not trying to cram everything about their product into 26 seconds. They're focusing on one core benefit (stop taking notes manually) and one key differentiator (connects to your workflow). That's it.

For those of you transitioning from longer ad formats, here's what you need to rethink:

1. Forget the setup: You don't have time to ease viewers into your message. Start with the payoff.

2. One benefit, not five: Pick your strongest selling point and hammer it home.

3. Visual simplicity: With less time, your visuals need to support the message instantly, not distract from it.

4. Assume knowledge: You can't educate viewers on the problem. Assume they already know it exists.

5. Direct language: Every word needs to pull its weight. No fluff, no filler.

The challenge with short-form ads is maintaining impact while reducing length. It's easy to create a short ad that feels rushed or incomplete. The trick is making it feel complete despite its brevity.

ClickUp manages this by following a logical flow that feels satisfying even at high speed. Problem → Solution → Benefits → Differentiation → Action. It's a complete argument in miniature.

Another advantage of short-form ads? Lower production costs and faster iteration. You can test multiple versions quickly, see what resonates, and refine your approach. With a 26-second ad, you're not locked into a massive production investment.

This also opens up opportunities for testing different hooks, different benefit statements, different CTAs - all without the time and cost associated with longer formats.

So, what's the bottom line here? Short-form ads aren't just a nice-to-have anymore. They're becoming essential for reaching audiences where they are and how they want to consume content.

But don't mistake short for simple. Creating an effective 30 or 60-second ad requires just as much strategic thinking as a 2-minute ad - maybe more, because you have less room for error.

If you're looking to create short-form ads that can make a difference, start by identifying your absolute core message. What's the one thing you need viewers to understand? Build from there, cutting ruthlessly until every second counts.

And hey, if you're struggling to distill your message down to its essence, that's where we come in. At Inceptly, we're always excited to help businesses adapt their messaging for whatever format works best - whether that's 30 seconds or 3 minutes.

The key is knowing what format serves your message best and executing it flawlessly. Sometimes that's a longer, story-driven ad. Sometimes it's a quick, punchy message like this ClickUp ad.

Until next time, keep testing, keep refining, and remember - in short-form advertising, every second is precious. Make them count.

Cheers,

Alex and the Inceptly Team

P.S. Working on short-form ads and struggling to cut down your message without losing impact? Let's talk. We love helping businesses find the perfect balance.

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