# A 5-slot prompt template for AI video ads

> Published 2026-10-21 · https://www.promptzone.com/kling4ai/a-5-slot-prompt-template-for-ai-video-ads-2o52

Most AI video prompts fail for the same reason: they describe a mood, not a shot. When I write prompts for short product ads, I break every clip into five slots and fill them in order.

## 1. Subject and action

One subject, one verb. "A ceramic coffee mug rotates slowly on a wooden table" works. "A cozy morning vibe with coffee" does not, because the model has to guess what moves.

## 2. Camera

Name the move and the lens: *slow dolly in, 35mm, eye level*. If you skip this, most models default to a gentle push-in, which makes every clip look the same.

## 3. Light and time

"Soft window light from the left, early morning" gives consistent shadows across several generations, which matters when you cut clips together.

## 4. Reference image

For ads, a reference frame is worth more than ten adjectives. I generate or pick one still of the product, then use it as the first frame so colors and logo placement stay stable. Tools such as the [AI video generator online](https://kling4ai.art/ai-video) on Kling 4.0 accept a reference image directly, which cuts down on re-rolls.

## 5. Duration and format

State the target: *5 seconds, 9:16, no text on screen*. Adding captions later in an editor is more reliable than asking the model to render text.

## Example

> A ceramic coffee mug rotates slowly on a wooden table, slow dolly in, 35mm, eye level, soft window light from the left, early morning, 5 seconds, vertical 9:16, no on-screen text.

## Checklist before you hit generate

- One subject, one action
- Camera move and lens named
- Light direction and time of day
- Reference image attached
- Length and aspect ratio stated

Keeping the same five slots for every clip in a campaign also makes it easy to change one variable at a time and see what actually improved the result.