How to build & scale high-performance video ad campaigns [Webinar recap]

If you’re not using video ads in your paid strategy, you’re likely already behind.

According to WordStream, marketers who include video in their campaigns achieve revenue growth 49% faster than those who don’t. But to get real results, you need more than just decent creative and a YouTube budget.

You need to know how to hook, scale, optimise, and measure video performance across every major platform.

To help marketers do just that, we spoke to Founder of AdConversion and one of the sharpest video ad minds in PPC, Silvio Perez in a recent webinar.

Silvio has worked with brands like ActiveCampaign, Mixpanel, and Checkr — and he was kind enough to share his playbook on building and scaling high-performance video campaigns.

Watch the full session with Silvio here, or keep reading for the key takeaways:

Webinar timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

04:55 - Video Action campaigns changing to Demand Gen (Icebreaker poll)

07:54 - Agenda

10:42 - Understanding the importance of video hooks

15:36 - Video hook examples & analysis

15:56 - Example 1 (Grind Coffee)

21:38 - Example 2 (Monday.com)

25:30 - Example 3 (AdConversion)

28:05 - ‘5-part video framework’ discussion

32:46 - Common pitfalls & mistakes (GoDaddy example)

41:10 - How to keep video production costs down

46:06 - Using AI in video ad production

50:04 - Keys to maximize YouTube campaign ROI

52:32 - Frequency capping YouTube campaigns

52:57 - Enhancing video assets for PMax & Demand Gen

55:07 - Helpful Demand Gen guides, resources & tools

56:48 - Helpful PMax guides, resources & tools

57:52 - Protecting PMax campaigns against invalid traffic

59:00 - How to scale video ads on LinkedIn & drive down CPL

01:00:16 - Optimizing video campaigns on Meta

01:02:13 - Measuring the ‘halo effect’ of video ads on conversions

01:04:20 - Live Q&A with Silvio

01:12:21 - Final thoughts / outro

Why video ads help you grow revenue faster

Video builds trust and recall in a way no other ad format can. Whether you’re introducing your brand to new audiences or re-engaging warm leads, it’s one of the most effective ways to drive real conversions — not just clicks.

But getting video right requires more than dropping your promo reel into a YouTube/Facebook campaign.

If you want to make video your highest-performing ad asset, you’ll need to start by creating the perfect hook:

Key tips when writing and testing video hooks

“Your hook is your headline. If you don’t get it right, nothing else matters.”

– Silvio Perez

Most users decide in the first few seconds whether to skip, scroll, or click. So your hook — the first 5 seconds — has to do a ton of work.

Common mistakes to avoid:

Wasting time on logo animations and slow intros
Being vague about who the ad is for
Trying to be clever instead of being clear

Better strategy:

Call out your ICP directly
Use strong pattern interrupts (visuals or bold statements)
Write 10+ hook variations for each video and test them head-to-head

Need inspiration? Start with your sales call transcripts and customer testimonials. Then ask your favourite LLM something like:

“Extract the pain points, objections, and key phrases our customers use when talking about our product.”

Use whatever it gives you as inspiration to craft language that engages your audience by solving key problems and creating authentic hooks.

During the session, Silvio commented on a few ad examples from Grind Coffee, Monday.com, AdConversion, and GoDaddy — giving us a good idea of what to learn (and what to avoid) from each:

Example 1: Grind Coffee

Ad summary:

The ad opens with a box of coffee pods being pushed through a letterbox, followed by a quick explanation: delivered-to-your-door, espresso-compatible, plastic-free coffee pods made in London.

Silvio’s analysis:

Strong visual start, but lacks clarity: The letterbox moment is eye-catching and taps into the psychology of unboxing and curiosity, but it doesn’t clearly convey what the product is right away.
Missed opportunity for relatability: The ad could’ve opened with a relatable moment, like someone in their pyjamas struggling to make coffee — immediately connecting with the viewer’s daily experience.
Too fast-paced without proper setup: While the ad had great pacing, the lack of clarity early on meant it came across as chaotic. There was no strong anchoring message.
Could improve with narrative and problem framing: Opening with a clear pain point (“You’re out of pods on a Monday morning…”) and then introducing Grind as the solution would’ve helped performance.

The good: Great pacing and aesthetics, engaging from the get-go

The not-so-good: Weak initial clarity and emotional connection

Example 2: Monday.com

Ad summary:

The speaker says, “I’m going to show you how monday.com can boost your team’s efficiency in 40 seconds.” The video then walks through integrations, automations, and team management — all with quick visuals and upbeat narration.

Silvio’s analysis:

Excellent hook: Calling out the time (“in 40 seconds”) addresses the hidden viewer objection — “do I have time for this?” — and builds instant buy-in.
Clear structure & message: They effectively walk through the solution step-by-step, which helps viewers follow and absorb key benefits.
Opportunity to add more social proof: The ad makes strong claims but doesn’t back them up with real user testimonials or proof of impact.
Consider flipping the brand-first language: Instead of leading with “you can use monday.com,” smaller brands should lead with the user’s problem or a relatable story.

The good: Strong pacing, great hook, clear value

The not-so-good: Lacks social proof, a bit too brand-forward

Example 3: AdConversion

Ad summary:

This is a video ad Silvio made in the past, and in the webinar he spoke about what he learned and would do differently going forward.

In the ad, Silvio appears on screen and says, “Google Ads is a battleground. If your ad doesn’t reach the right searcher, it’s game over.”

Silvio’s takeaways, and what he’d do differently next time:

Conceptually strong but didn’t perform well: The “Google Ads is a battleground” analogy was meant to resonate with PPC marketers — and it did emotionally — but it lacked a clear next step or solution.
Hook wasn’t clearly tied to the offer: There was no immediate transition to how the AdConversion course solves this battleground problem, which hurt performance.
Better-performing variant: Simply screen-sharing the course and stating the value directly (“Here’s what you’ll learn…”) outperformed the clever metaphor.
Lesson learned: Emotional or metaphor-driven hooks must still clearly bridge to your solution. Without that, even compelling storytelling can fall flat.

The good: Relatable analogy, unique creative

The not-so-good: Didn’t clearly connect hook to solution or offer

Example 4: GoDaddy (What NOT to do)

Watch the ad & get Silvio’s full analysis here

Silvio gave this ad a failing grade — and for good reason. It’s a prime example of how not to structure a performance-focused video ad.

Why it missed the mark:

Weak, vague hook: Opening with a logo animation and the line “Do you have big plans for your small business?” wastes time and says nothing concrete.
Generic, buzzword-heavy script: Phrases like “unique, ambitious, and ever-changing business needs” sound robotic and don’t connect with real customer pain points.

(When we played this example, several members of the webinar livechat said the script sounded “pure ChatGPT” — an accurate testament to its inauthentic tone)

No clear transformation: The ad talks about hosting but doesn’t show the value it unlocks — like visibility, credibility, or growth.
Poor CTA execution: Ends with irrelevant b-roll and no clear prompt or narration, leaving viewers with nothing to act on.

Silvio’s advice:

Skip the fluff. Lead with a relatable problem, use real customer language, and focus on the transformation your product delivers. A great video starts with a great script, not a flashy edit.

Key lessons from all four examples:

Clarity > cleverness: Ads need to instantly communicate what they’re about — don’t rely on intrigue alone.
One clear message wins: Each ad should focus on one big idea or transformation, not try to do everything.
Stack emotional and rational triggers: Combine storytelling, strong visuals, and proof for the most impact.
Test hooks relentlessly: Hook testing with the same base video is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve performance.
Always anchor back to the user’s problem: If viewers can’t see themselves in the first few seconds, they’ll scroll past.

Lower video ad production costs without compromising quality

High-performance doesn’t have to mean high-budget.

Silvio’s advice: focus on the script first, not the visuals. A great script shot on an iPhone will beat a beautifully filmed ad with a weak message every time.

Cost-saving tips:

Film multiple hooks for the same video in one shoot
Record with two cameras: one for 16:9, one for 9:16 — makes repurposing easier
Use AI tools like Riverside to automate captions and edits
Hire freelancers via Upwork (expect solid results at ~$25/hour with the right brief)
Rent a studio space locally to batch-shoot high-quality content

You don’t need a Hollywood budget — you just need a clear message, a good plan, and the right format for each platform.

Maximise ROI on YouTube (and avoid the pitfalls)

YouTube is often underutilised in B2B because of misconceptions around targeting and cost.

But if you know how to work the system, it can be a low-cost, high-ROI channel — especially when paired with strong hooks and clear CTAs.

Silvio’s top tips for YouTube:

Use manual CPV bidding to maintain control and stay YouTube-only (skip Gmail/Discovery if you want tighter targeting)
Leverage Custom Intent Audiences based on search terms — reach users based on what they Googled, not just what they’re watching
Set frequency caps to avoid overserving and wasting budget
Keep your outro live for at least 5–10 seconds to give users time to click
Include social proof that addresses your biggest objections

Pro tip: Even if you’re getting a great CTR, don’t ignore the “halo effect” of your YouTube campaigns. More on that below.

Enhance video for Performance Max & Demand Gen

With the recent shift from Video Action Campaigns to Demand Gen, YouTube is becoming more intertwined with Google’s broader automated ecosystem.

Silvio calls it the “PMaxification of YouTube.”

In other words: less manual control, more algorithmic blending.

Now, if you want to run conversion-focused video campaigns on Google, you’re steered into using Demand Gen (which serves across YouTube, Discovery, and Gmail), or plugging video assets into Performance Max.

While that may sound like a loss of control (and in many ways, it is), Silvio emphasised that it doesn’t have to mean a drop in performance — if you know how to adapt your strategy.

Here’s what to focus on to keep your video campaigns effective across PMax and DG:

1. Build for YouTube, then adapt

YouTube remains the core placement. Create video assets with YouTube-first best practices:

Strong hook in the first 5 seconds
Sound-on experience with clear narration
Visible, extended CTAs in the outro (5–10 seconds)

Then repurpose for Demand Gen or PMax as needed.

2. Focus on one idea per ad

Clarity drives conversions. Structure each video around a single problem-solution message. Keep it simple, relatable, and avoid cramming in too many value props. Test multiple hook variations to see what resonates.

3. Exclude low-quality placements

PMax and Demand Gen often serve ads on poor-performing inventory. Use tools like Lunio’s PMax Junk Placement List to block junk placements that drain ad budget without results.

4. Monitor for phantom conversions

Silvio flagged that many PMax conversions in B2B accounts are unqualified or fake. Check for:

No session data or page views
Invalid lead info
Spikes in low-quality form submissions

Run traffic audits to spot bot activity and ensure reported conversions are real.

Bottom line

Performance Max and Demand Gen can deliver decent video results — but only if you:

Optimise for YouTube’s strengths
Simplify your messaging
Clean up placements
Validate performance beyond the ad platform

Get these right, and automation has the potential to become an advantage, not a liability.

Scale LinkedIn video ads & cut down your CPL

LinkedIn is the most powerful B2B targeting platform — but it’s also one of the most expensive.

Silvio’s experiments with the Thought Leader ad format have shown big performance uplifts over standard company page ads.

Results from his test:

49% higher view rate
75% lower CPL
42% lower CPM
27% higher engagement rate

The key is using personal profiles to run ads, not just brand accounts. Combine that with niche audience targeting and native-feeling video content, and you can crush performance benchmarks.

Optimise video on Meta without burning budget

Meta can be a goldmine for B2B ads — if you get your targeting and creative right.

Silvio’s best practices:

Start with manual placement selection (don’t default to automatic)
Turn off Meta’s “automatic video trimming” — it can butcher your creative
Create platform-native formats (e.g. vertical for Stories, square or landscape for Feed)
Build custom audiences or use third-party tools to enrich targeting
Repurpose video across placements, but always respect the format and UX

Don’t just crop your YouTube ad into 9:16 and hope for the best — tailor it properly.

Measuring the “halo effect” of your video ads

Not every conversion is click-based. Video ads often drive incremental conversions via direct traffic, branded search, and organic lift.

Silvio recommends tracking:

Direct traffic lift
Branded search volume (via Google Trends)
View-through conversions across platforms

This holistic view gives a better sense of how video supports your wider funnel — even if it doesn’t show up in last-click attribution.

Final thoughts & key resources

Video isn’t just another ad format. It’s the most powerful tool you have to educate, engage, and convert at scale.

But to make it work, you need the right creative strategy, platform playbook, and measurement framework. Whether you’re using YouTube, LinkedIn, Meta, or PMax — start with a killer script, test your hooks relentlessly, and measure what truly matters.

Big thanks again to Silvio for sharing so much tactical gold in the session. Make sure you’re following Silvio on LinkedIn to gain his in-depth insights on all things paid media, and watch the full webinar to get Silvio’s full list of tips & tricks and the full context on everything we’ve discussed here.

Want to audit your traffic and see how much budget could be saved on invalid clicks? Get a free traffic audit with Lunio to uncover the whole picture on who’s clicking your ads.