Practitioner pattern · Stav Zilbershtein (Co-founder and CEO of MaxFusion, the AI UGC tool recommended throughout; Cantina Labs results are from a MaxFusion customer)
Start AI video ads on cheaper models, not the most expensive one
Guest says top models burn credits fast; cheaper ones cover most hooks
Unknownpaid-social
What they did
Prerequisite: budget to test Meta ads, since each ad you can afford to run is an angle you can afford to test. Don't start on the top video model (transcribed 'Seedlings 2.5', likely Seedance), which burns credits fast. Use cheaper models such as Minimax or Kling 3 (Kling 4 is a bit expensive) to replicate a TikTok hook, show the problem quickly, then a CTA. Treat the start as data gathering: you only learn whether it stops the scroll and gets CTR by spending.
What happened
Guest calls starting on the most expensive model the mistake everybody makes
“If you do, don't start with the most expensive model. Maybe this is the mistake that everybody does.”
“So, start with the cheaper models, like Minimax, H3, or Kling 4 is a bit expensive, Kling 3, could cover most hooks.”
“The amount of ads I can afford running is the amount of angel- angles I can afford testing.”
Related topics
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More from this episode
- Cantina Labs: Make cheap AI ads: a scroll-stopping hook, the use case, a download askGuest says both ads worked; no numbers
- Cantina Labs: Remake your viral hook with different-looking actors, or in a cartoon styleOriginal hook went viral on TikTok; results of the remakes not shared
- Make AI ads look obviously AI instead of passing actors off as realGuest's platform view: much better response; fake before/after claims turn viewers off
- Ryze: Run AI-made singing drama ads that tell a story before showing the productOver half of the brand's live ads use the format; guest says people watch and buy
- Ryze: Run a mock apology ad that recaps your claims, then reveals a dealBrand runs several versions; guest expects high view time; no numbers
- Have AI write ad angles and scripts from real competitor ads, then generate videosAds made; not run yet, host will report numbers later
- Launch a $300/day trial-start campaign with 10+ creatives in one ad setPlanned; host's earlier campaign had too few creatives
- Drop the free-vs-paid feature table from your paywall; list benefits insteadHost says apps that removed it saw a lift; no numbers
- Give the weekly plan a 3-day free trial instead of 7 daysHost says it performs a bit better; fewer cancellations is his guess why
- MaxFusion: Open a shared Slack channel with each big customer and ship their asks fastFounder credits it for how the product looks; no numbers