Every AI creator is chasing virality. I’m chasing money.
Let’s be real. AI tools aren’t cheap.
Even with platform discounts, my monthly AI costs rival rent in a developing country. For most creators, it’s even tougher, which is exactly why I make these guides for free.
If you’ve ever wondered how to actually profit from AI videos, this guide shows you the exact system I use to get real brands to pay for cinematic AI ads, and how you can do it too.
I’m not a film-school grad or ex-agency veteran. I started from nothing, learned fast, and landed projects with brands like Beardbrand, Pete & Pedro, and even real estate giant Hero Realty (agency work). If I can pull this off, so can you.
Why AI Ads Pay Most
I’ve made every kind of AI video imaginable — music videos, short films, viral clips. None of them pay like ads.
A 30-second “AI video” might get you $50. The same 30 seconds as an AI ad can pay you thousands (probably not on your first try).
That’s because ads actually make brands money (reason #1). And once a client sees that your work drives results, they’ll pay more — fast.
Reason # 2: Ads are traditionally expensive. Traditional ads require:
Copywriter
Director
Camera crew
Editor
Animator
Colorist
That means brands save up to hundreds of thousands thanks to US!
I know creators who charge up to $50,000 per minute for high-end AI commercials.
I’m not there yet, but the model has already been proven to work.
How the Money Flow Works
Before I show you my “secret workflow,” let’s go over how the money’s actually made — so you know this isn’t just another “guru gimmick.” The effort you’ll put in here can genuinely pay off.
The basic progression: Spec Ad → First Client → Premium Clients
Spec Ad: an unpaid ad you make to showcase your skill.
First Client: your first paid project.
Premium Clients: brands that pay what you’re worth so you can live the life you deserve.
1. Spec Ad
If you already know how to make AI videos or stitch visuals together, you may skip the spec ad stage. But if you’re starting out, build that first. It’s your portfolio piece and ticket to your first client. Crawl before you can walk
(I’ll show you how to make a spec ad in a bit.)
Pick a niche
Energy drinks. Luxury goods. Skincare. Anything visually appealing or story-driven works.
Pro tip: Find a real ad you like and remake it with your own creative twist.
2. First Client
Once your spec ad is done, use it to land your first paying client — that’s exactly how I started three months ago.
If you’d rather skip the spec ad, you can try what I call “the finger-pointing method.” Find an existing ad that matches a brand’s style and show it to them, saying:
“I can make something like this for you.”
I’ve used this approach many times, referencing creators like PJ Ace, who’s doing phenomenal work in the AI ad space. By pointing to proven styles, I’ve landed clients outside my usual niche.
But be careful — only use this method if you can actually deliver what you’re referencing. Don’t overpromise.
Now, how do you find clients? Ask ChatGPT for companies in your niche or do a quick Google search. Build a simple list — that’s your outreach base.
Then it’s time to turn those names into paying clients.
Cold Email (My Go-To Method)
I know it sounds old-school, but cold email works. Ninety percent of my clients came from it.
Here’s the formula:
Compliment them.
Explain why your AI ads stand out.
Show your spec ad (or a reference ad).
Offer to send them a free ad concept.
That last part — the free concept — is key. It’s an easy “yes” that gets your foot in the door.
Once they respond with interest, then you create and send the concept. Don’t make the concept beforehand.
Your ad concept should include:
A 2–4 line summary of what happens.
The tagline.
The visual style (described or shown with sample images).
If you prefer talking to people directly, you can DM them on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, or Instagram. Target brand managers, marketing heads, or social media leads — the people who make decisions.
And no, don’t slide into the DMs of sexy interns. They don’t sign checks. And no, I didn’t learn this the hard way. Stop assuming!
Keep your message short, personal, and focused — basically a trimmed version of your cold email.
Closing the Deal
When pricing your first project, always charge around $400-$800. Never fall below $300. If you do, you’ll come across as an amateur or unreliable. Now this, I learned the hard way.
3. Premium Clients
We all love them. These are the types of brands that can scale you to an agency. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Once you land a paid project:
Ask for a testimonial.
Use that project as a case study to pitch more clients.
Spend a small amount (around $50) on Fiverr to create a simple one-page site (like my homepage) showing your work, contact info, and proof of results.
That’s your foundation for attracting bigger brands and charging more.
My Secret AI Ad Workflow (The One That Wows Clients)
Here’s the process I use to create ads that look like they came straight out of Hollywood — all with AI tools you can access right now.
Idea → Storyboarding → Animation
To make your process 5X easier, download and use my AI Prompt Pack.
Just drop each PDF into any chat AI (e.g., ChatGPT) and describe what you want. The AI will enhance your prompt and format it accordingly.
Step 1: Idea
Start with a story. AI ads shine when they have emotion or humor, not just pretty visuals.
For example, let’s say we want to create an ad for toaster brand (like I did for Breville), don’t focus on just the features. Tell a freakin’ interesting story. Maybe the bread is the hero. Maybe it’s scared of the toaster. Make it funny, shocking, or weird enough to stop people from scrolling.
Then, use ChatGPT (or its equivalent) to convert that idea into a full script:
“Convert this draft into a 40-second ad script with camera angles, timestamps, and voiceovers: [insert your story draft here].”
That prompt will give you a full script, like this:
ChatGPT-refined script
Tweak it until it feels right. AI helps polish ideas, not create a brilliant script. But you can.
Step 2: Storyboarding
Before storyboarding, lock in your character design. Use Midjourney, Flux, or Nano Banana — whichever you prefer.
Upload my prompt template and describe the visuals:
“A realistic sliced bread with a cartoon face, looking shocked.”
Prompting on ChatGPT with Midjourney template
The goal: give AI the core information, but let it handle the rest. This way, we don’t need to over-describe everything. Save your brainpower. You’ll need it.
Once you generate all the images in your script, you now have a full storyboard ready for animation:
Toaster story Storyboard
Step 3: Animation
Now, it’s time to make things move.
My workflow revolves around image-to-video generation — taking stills from the storyboard and animating them with AI video generators like Kling AI, Veo 3, Sora, and many many others.
Just pick one and stick with it — that consistency will save your sanity.
For this demo, I’m using Kling, which currently ranks among the top 3 AI video generators (alongside Veo and Sora).
In case you missed it, my Kling prompt is in the AI Prompt Pack you can download for free.
Type into ChatGPT —
“Create a Kling animation prompt of [describe what happens in the scene].”
That’s it. ChatGPT structures the full prompt for you using the template, so you can plug it straight into Kling the same way as in Midjourney.
Once you’ve animated all your clips, it’s editing time.
If you’re new to editing, skip the complex stuff. Use CapCut or iMovie. They’re free, quick, and more than enough for short-form ads.
Add your clips, trim the rough parts, layer in music or sound effects, and experiment with pacing until it feels right.
Want audio or voiceovers? Try Suno for music and ElevenLabs for voices — both are free and AI-friendly.
You can even sprinkle in light effects or transitions for polish, but keep it simple.
And when it’s all stitched together…
Well, that’s where the fun part begins — getting paid.
