12 Prompting Tips for Dramatically Better AI Video

The single biggest lever on AI video quality isn’t the model — it’s the prompt. A pipeline like Wavemaker turns your brief into a strategy, script, storyboard, and finished video, so the brief sets the ceiling on everything downstream. Here are twelve techniques that consistently move results from “obviously AI” to “did a person make this?“

1. Write a brief, not a keyword

“Coffee ad” gives the model nothing to execute. Name four things: the subject (and its one differentiator), the audience, the action you want, and the tone. The more intent you encode, the tighter the script and the more relevant the visuals.

2. Lead with the hook

The first two seconds decide whether anyone watches the rest. Tell the pipeline how to earn attention: “Open on the problem — a cluttered desk at 11pm — before the product appears.” A strong hook instruction pays off more than any other single sentence.

3. Use concrete, filmable detail

Models render things, not concepts. “Innovation” is unfilmable; “a founder sketching on a glass wall at dusk” is a shot. Translate every abstraction into something a camera could capture.

4. Put exact on-screen text in quotes

Generative models mangle text. The reliable pattern: keep readable copy out of generated frames (it rides a clean overlay layer), and when a word genuinely must appear in-frame — a sign, a mug, a logo — specify it in quotes: the sign reads "OPEN 24/7". That signals designed, proofread copy rather than improvised letters.

5. Name what to avoid

A short “avoid” clause steers away from the generic AI look: “No stock-photo gloss, no plastic skin, no fake corporate smiles.” You’re pushing the model off its lazy default.

6. Specify duration and energy together

“15-second fast-cut teaser” and “60-second calm explainer” produce completely different plans. The duration plus the energy word drives scene count and cut rhythm. For broadcast, ask for an exact slot (:15, :30, :60).

7. Pick a style instead of over-describing

A video style encodes pacing, look, voice, and structure — so your prompt can focus on substance instead of re-specifying the format every time. Browse the catalog and start from the closest match.

8. Ground it in your brand

The fastest path to a non-generic result is to give the pipeline your real assets: paste your website URL (it pulls your colors, logo, and product photos) or upload a hero image. See Turn a Website URL Into a Branded Video.

9. Direct the camera and motion

You can ask for shot language: “slow push-in on the product,” “handheld, energetic,” “locked-off wide establishing shot.” Motion intent shapes both the storyboard and the clip generation.

10. Keep one idea per scene (and per short video)

A 15-second ad holds one idea and one CTA — not five features. Over-stuffing forces the pipeline to rush each beat. If you have five points, that’s a 60-second explainer or five short clips, not one crammed teaser.

11. Name recurring subjects explicitly

If the same character or product appears across scenes, name it consistently (“Maya, the barista”) so the pipeline can lock its identity across shots. More on this in How to Keep Characters Consistent Across Scenes.

12. Treat the first cut as a draft

The highest-leverage habit is iteration. Generate, watch, then refine in plain language: “punch up the hook,” “warmer grade,” “swap the music,” “cut scene 3.” Refinement edits the existing video, so your good scenes survive.

A template you can steal

“A [length] [format] for [audience] about [subject]. [Tone] tone. Open on [hook]. Show [concrete moment 1] and [concrete moment 2]. End on [CTA + URL]. Avoid [generic tells]. [Aspect ratio].”

Fill the brackets and you’ve already beaten 90% of prompts. Then generate it free and refine from there.