Kim BrattainFounder/ CEO, Kim Brattain Media · Award-winning Corporate and Documentary Film Producer

What to Know Before You Produce Your Commercial

28 May 2026 · 2 min

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1:39

In this concise explainer, the speaker walks viewers through the essential steps for creating an effective commercial. The process begins with strategic planning: identifying the target audience, clarifying the campaign goal (brand awareness, product promotion, or sales), and choosing the distribution platform (TV, social media, YouTube) because each medium has unique requirements. Next, the speaker outlines creative fundamentals—crafting a strong hook in the opening seconds, delivering a clear and simple message, maintaining an engaging story, and ending with a direct call‑to‑action. The production phase follows, covering scene setup, talent coordination, footage capture, and post‑production editing that blends music, visuals, and polish. The overarching message is that a successful commercial blends strategic insight, compelling storytelling, and high‑quality production to drive real results.

Chapters

Do you ever wonder what goes into making a commercial? Well, it might look simple on the screen, but there's actually a lot that happens before you ever hit record. Here's a quick breakdown of the process. First, ask yourself several questions. Who are you trying to reach? Your commercial should speak directly to your audience. What they care about, what they need, and what'll grab their attention. Then ask yourself, what's the goal? Are you trying to build brand awareness? Promote a product, or drive sales? Knowing that upfront makes every other decision a lot easier. And of course, think about where that commercial will finally live— on TV, social media, YouTube— because each platform works a little differently. Now let's talk about what actually makes a commercial work. You need a strong hook in the first few seconds. People decide pretty quickly if they're going to keep watching or not. The message should also be clear and simple, and the story should keep viewers engaged. And most importantly, tell people what to do next— to visit your website, follow your brand, or make a purchase. Once everything is planned, it's time to shoot. You'll set up the scene, work with talent, capture the footage, and then move into editing where everything comes together with music, visuals, and finally a polish. At the end of the day, a great commercial is all about combining strategy, storytelling, and quality production. And when you get those right, you create something that doesn't just look good, it actually gets results.