On this page
- What structure does a 30-second business ad follow?
- What do the platforms publish for 9:16 and 1:1?
- Why do the first three seconds carry the hook?
- How are captions handled in English and Kiswahili?
- What does a 30-second script look like, second by second?
- What does Mark One cover?
- What the NEMBO desk prepares
- Sources and status
- Frequently asked questions
How should a 30-second business ad be structured for 9:16 and 1:1 video?
Four beats: a hook in seconds 0 to 3, one claim in seconds 3 to 10, proof in seconds 10 to 22 and a call to action in seconds 22 to 30. Captions burn in English and Kiswahili. YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok list 9:16 and 1:1; 1080 by 1920 and 1080 by 1080 meet the sizes read.
A marketing manager briefs an advert for a feed that plays on mute, in a vertical frame, beside content a viewer chose. The brief usually carries four messages and a logo. The platform gives the advert one claim's worth of attention, and the first three seconds decide whether the rest is seen.
This note sets out a four-beat structure for a 30-second advert in 9:16 and 1:1, what YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok publish about size and length, how burned-in captions in English and Kiswahili are handled, and a script timed second by second.
What structure does a 30-second business ad follow?
A 30-second ad runs in four beats: a hook in seconds 0 to 3, a single claim in seconds 3 to 10, proof in seconds 10 to 22 and a call to action in seconds 22 to 30. Each beat has one job, and the claim is stated once. The split is a planning choice, not a platform rule.
- Hook: the situation the buyer recognises, shown and read in the same three seconds.
- Single claim: one sentence the buyer can repeat, with a number or a time in it.
- Proof: three facts the company can document, one per four seconds.
- Call to action: one action, one channel, held on screen for four seconds.
What do the platforms publish for 9:16 and 1:1?
YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok all list 9:16 and 1:1 among their accepted ratios. The figures below are as printed on each page read on 17 October 2026. The TikTok page carries a July 2024 date, so its figures are minimums to confirm against the current Ads Manager before upload.
| Platform | Ratios listed | Vertical and square sizes | Length and other points |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube (Google Ads) | 9:16, 1:1, 16:9 recommended | 1080 x 1920 and 1080 x 1080 recommended; 720 x 1280 vertical minimum | Shorts ads up to 3 minutes, first 60 seconds play in the feed; 10 to 30 seconds suggested for action ads 34 |
| 4:5, 9:16, 16:9, 1:1 | 9:16 from 360 x 640 to 1080 x 1920; 1:1 from 360 x 360 to 1920 x 1920 | 3 seconds to 30 minutes; MP4; captions optional; 30 fps recommended 5 | |
| TikTok (page dated July 2024) | 9:16, 1:1, 16:9 | Suggested minimum 720 x 1280 and 640 x 640 | MP4, MOV, MPEG or AVI; bitrate at least 516 kbps; file within 500 MB 6 |
The Mark One masters are H.264 MP4 at 1080 by 1920 and 1080 by 1080, 25 frames a second, with 1920 by 1080 on request 2. Both sizes match the YouTube recommendation 3 and sit inside the LinkedIn range 5. LinkedIn recommends 30 frames a second, so a LinkedIn placement is confirmed in the written order.
Why do the first three seconds carry the hook?
On YouTube Shorts ads, the call-to-action button appears 3 seconds in for Performance Max, App and Demand Gen campaigns and 10 seconds in for Video View and Video Reach campaigns 4. A viewer can act from second 3 in the first case, so the hook must land by then, and from second 10 in the second, so the claim must be stated by then.
Source: NEMBO planning split for a 30-second advert, computed 17 October 2026; platform timings from Google Ads Help [4].
Note: illustrative split, not a platform rule. Hook 3 plus claim 7 is 10 seconds, proof 12, call to action 8, total 30. Nothing here is an offer or a guarantee.
How are captions handled in English and Kiswahili?
Captions are a text version of the speech and of the non-speech audio needed to follow the content, timed to the audio 7. The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative separates closed captions, which a viewer can switch off, from open captions, which always display 7. Burned-in captions are open captions, so they show on every placement whatever the player offers.
The same page uses "captions" for text in the language spoken and "subtitles" for translations, and states that automatic captions usually need significant editing, because one misrecognised word can reverse a meaning 7. Mark One writes the captions twice, once in English and once in Kiswahili, and supplies a separate .srt for each 2. For a Client's own website, WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.2.2 sets captions for prerecorded synchronised media at level A 8.
What does a 30-second script look like, second by second?
| Seconds | Beat | Voice-over line | Words | Frames |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 3 | Hook | Cold fish at Kariakoo by 6 a.m. | 7 | 75 |
| 3 to 10 | Single claim | Pwani Fresh delivers chilled fish within four hours of landing. | 10 | 175 |
| 10 to 14 | Proof 1 | Twelve refrigerated trucks. | 3 | 100 |
| 14 to 18 | Proof 2 | Temperature logged every ten minutes. | 5 | 100 |
| 18 to 22 | Proof 3 | 1,900 deliveries since January. | 4 | 100 |
| 22 to 26 | Call to action | Order on WhatsApp today. | 4 | 100 |
| 26 to 30 | End card | No voice-over: logo, number, page | 0 | 100 |
What does Mark One cover?
Mark One is one animated advert of 30 seconds, TZS 350,000 or USD 500, delivered in five working days from a cleared deposit and a locked brief 2. The studio writes the script from the Client's single proposition, with one round of changes before animation starts, and one review on the cut. Fifty per cent starts the work, which is TZS 175,000 for Mark One 2.
What the NEMBO desk prepares
- A script on the four-beat structure, written from one proposition and one destination.
- Animation, voice and sound design, with audio at minus 14 LUFS integrated 1.
- Burned captions in English and Kiswahili, with a separate .srt for each 2.
- Masters in 9:16 and 1:1, with 1920 by 1080 on request 2.
The desk supplies the work. It does not decide any platform's approval of an advert, the result of paid media or the Client's media spend, which runs on the Client's own card.
Order a 30-second advert
The motion desk scripts, animates, voices and captions one 30-second advert in English and Kiswahili, in 9:16 and 1:1.
See the motion deskSources and status
Accurate as at 17 October 2026. Every figure below was read at the source named, on the date shown.
- 1Motion: business video with a five-day clockNEMBO, undated. Accessed 17 October 2026.
- 2Mark One: one animated advert, in five working daysNEMBO, undated. Accessed 17 October 2026.
- 3About video ad specsGoogle Ads Help, undated. Accessed 17 October 2026.
- 4Guide to YouTube Shorts adsGoogle Ads Help, undated. Accessed 17 October 2026.
- 5Video Ads SpecificationsLinkedIn, undated. Accessed 17 October 2026.
- 6Global App Bundle video ad specificationsTikTok Ads, July 2024. Accessed 17 October 2026.
- 7Captions/SubtitlesW3C Web Accessibility Initiative, undated. Accessed 17 October 2026.
- 8Understanding Success Criterion 1.2.2: Captions (Prerecorded)W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, WCAG 2.2. Accessed 17 October 2026.
Figures to confirm before you act
- The current video specification for each placement booked, with the platform's own ad-creation page, since the TikTok page read is dated July 2024.
- The frame rate for a LinkedIn placement, with LinkedIn, since its page recommends 30 frames a second and the Mark One masters are 25.
- The size and length for a Meta placement, with Meta's own ad-creation page.
- The content rules that apply to an online campaign, with the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority.
- The VAT treatment and the invoice name for the order, with the Tanzania Revenue Authority and in the written order.
This article is general information based on official sources available at the date of publication. It is not legal, tax, valuation or financial advice. Laws and notices change. Verify with the issuing authority or consult Zatra Consultants Limited before acting.
Frequently asked questions
How long should the hook of a 30-second ad be?
Three seconds is the planning figure used here. YouTube's Shorts guidance places the call-to-action button at 3 seconds for some campaign types and at 10 seconds for others, so the hook and the claim are complete before a viewer can act.
Which sizes does a 9:16 and 1:1 advert need?
The common masters are 1080 by 1920 for 9:16 and 1080 by 1080 for 1:1. YouTube lists both as recommended, LinkedIn accepts both up to 1080 by 1920 and 1920 by 1920, and TikTok lists suggested minimums of 720 by 1280 and 640 by 640.
Are burned-in captions better than a caption file?
Burned-in captions are open captions that always display, while a caption file is closed and a viewer can switch it off. Mark One delivers both: captions burned in English and Kiswahili, and a separate .srt for each language.
Why write captions in two languages?
The W3C separates captions in the spoken language from subtitles that translate it. Mark One writes the captions twice, once per language, so each version is timed to its own wording and delivered with its own .srt.
Can one advert hold more than one claim?
A 30-second advert can hold two, but the second claim takes seconds from the proof. With 12 seconds of proof, three facts get four seconds each. Moving 4 seconds to a second claim leaves 8 seconds, so two facts at four seconds each. Mark One starts from one proposition.
What does Mark One cost and when does it arrive?
Mark One is TZS 350,000 or USD 500, with 50 per cent starting the work. Delivery is five working days from a cleared deposit and a locked brief, and the studio flags any slip on day two.
Does NEMBO buy the media?
No. Media spend runs on the Client's own card and sits outside the fee. The studio controls the work, not the result of paid advertising, and no platform's approval of an advert is guaranteed.
