From Script to Sale: Scriptwriting for Retail Media Ads

Start with a strong hook

Shoppers scroll fast. You only have a few seconds to grab their attention, making your video’s opening arguably the most important part. Some might even say that it’s everything. 

While you might want to lead with your brand’s name, it’s better to make it about your viewers right from the start. An effective formula for writing video ad hooks is to start with your target audience’s problem first. You can, for example, present a relatable problem in question format and ask a question or lead with a benefit and tie it to your audience’s pain point as these examples show:

Feature the product early and often

If your brand waits too long to show the product, you’ve likely already lost your audience’s attention. The product should feature within the first few seconds and be supported by verbal cues, like “My personal favourite is [product name]. It can be a great solution for [the pain point referenced in the hook]”. 

For this key part, you can, for example, check out myAthena. With myAthena’s digital studio, the AI-director provides helpful instructions and suggestions in real time for the person creating the content. If it recognizes that the product name has not been used early, the creator will see a notification on the screen reminding them to mention the product name.

Highlight 3-5 benefits

After you’ve hooked viewers and introduced your product, highlight three to five core benefits of your product. To illustrate these benefits, you can, for example, show the product in use or in context. 

While your product’s key benefits will get the most airtime, you still only have between 10 and 20 seconds for this part. 

Inside myAthena’s digital studio, there’s an AI agent that scans the product page, reviews, etc. Based on this analysis, the AI agent will come up with five product benefits to highlight which the creator can see inside the studio while recording the ad. 

What’s more, as each product benefit gets mentioned in the video, our software will automatically tick off that benefit from the list. This avoids repetition, ensuring that your limited time is used strategically. 

Share a call to action

Similarly to other written marketing assets like a blog post or email, you need to conclude with a call to action (CTA) that tells them what they need to do next. Even if you have minutes instead of seconds to spare, keep your CTA concise. 

You don’t need 10 words to share a clear message. CTAs like “add to cart” or “find it in aisle 5” are fewer than five words but shoppers have no doubts as to what their next action should be. 

Plus, as your ad will appear on eCommerce platforms, often alongside product listings, your CTAs can be more conversion-driven. Shoppers are already in a buying mindset. Vague CTAs like “learn more” or “discover today” will have little impact. 

Edit, test, and optimize

The actual recording isn’t the only part of creating retail media video ads that will require a few takes. You’ll also need one to two rounds of revisions and ideally get another team member’s take on it too. 

However, if you use a tool like myAthena, all that’s needed will be one take since its AI editor will then take it and edit out any unnecessary parts. This also means that you’ll need fewer revisions. 

Keep in mind that as it’s best to have multiple script variations, that hook, product benefit, or CTA that you choose to scrap can feature in another ad. By changing up your script slightly and testing these different versions, you can access valuable data that will help you to refine your scripts over time. 

Aside from editing your message so that it resonates better with a specific segment, you might also need to tailor it to the platform. 

For example, Amazon shoppers like to compare products. In this case, you can shift your focus to show what makes your product stand out. 

For Walmart, you might require a more value-driven message, while Instacart shoppers prioritize convenience and speed which will make sense for your script to lead with how the product fits into a fast lifestyle. 

Add directions for visuals

Double-check that your script includes direction for visuals like product close-ups, benefit demonstrations, and lifestyle shots. Video ads’ biggest strength is their visual nature and you’ll want to ensure you write for visuals too.

Then, to maximize your visuals’ impact, check that they’re aligned with your verbal message. For example, if your script focuses on the product’s quality, a close-up will make more sense than a lifestyle shot.  

Write text overlays

It’s also a good idea to see where you can add text overlays. This is especially helpful if the ad plays without sound. 

Accessibility aside, text overlays also serve as an effective tool to emphasize key messages. Instead of providing word-for-word captions, you can use it to highlight your value proposition, product benefits, and, of course, the CTA. 

As a matter of fact, this is another task with which myAthena can help. Its built-in AI-editor will add these text overlays (called Highlights) automatically. 

Let AI help with writing

As you’ll be doing rounds of editing after you’ve written the first draft, you can use AI to speed up ideation. 

Alternatively, it can be a useful tool to create the multiple versions that you’ll need for testing. You can, for instance, write your own hook and ask AI to suggest a few variations of your opening line. 

Another use case you can explore is to create a feedback loop. This way, you’ll use scripts that performed well and ask AI to mirror the tone, style, or structure.