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Film Your First Sample Tonight

Pick one product you already own and one angle. Write five to eight spoken lines. Face a window, shoot vertical, keep the room quiet, and film three different opening hooks. Cut every pause, burn in captions, export 9:16 MP4. One product, one concept, one afternoon is the whole job.

By Andrew, Founder, Plug Pro··2 min read

Brands don't ask what gear you own. They ask to see examples. So the first thing I'd make is an example, for a product you already have, before anyone hires you.

One product, one angle, one afternoon

A creator holding a serum dropper to her cheek by a bathroom window, product in her other hand
The demo account’s first sample: “Morning serum, no filter.” One product, one angle, window light. Lumen Skin is a demo brand.

Pick one product from your own cupboard and one thing to say about it: a problem it solves, a detail that surprised you, a moment it fits into your day. Three selling points is what makes a video look like a commercial.

Then pick a shape. Talk to the camera like you're telling a friend. Or show the problem first and the product as the fix. Or just show it working in your hands.

Write five to eight spoken lines for thirty seconds, the way you actually talk. Read them out loud. If it sounds like ad copy, loosen it.

Shoot it on your phone

Face a window, never with the light behind you. Shoot vertical, prop the phone so it doesn't drift, and find somewhere quiet, because clean audio matters more than resolution. Grab a few cutaways: the product up close, your hands opening it.

Film three different opening lines over the same footage. Hook options are the most useful thing you can hand a brand.

Then cut it tight. Every pause, every "um". Burn in captions, because most people watch muted. Export 9:16 and stop. Don't polish it until it looks like an ad.

Where it goes

The Best work card on the portfolio page, with a pinned sample at the top
The demo account’s pinned samples, the first thing a brand sees.

Pin it at the top of your page, next to one line about who you are and what you make. That's the step done. Don't buy gear first. A paid deal pays for the gear.

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