Stop writing 500-word AI prompts. Use these 7 prompt types to create emotionally rich, on-brand AI videos in minutes that actually perform for your marketing.

Why smart brands are ditching 500‑word AI prompts
Most teams get AI video wrong.
They paste a 400–600 word "master prompt" into Veo, Sora, Runway, Pika, or Kling, cross their fingers, and hope something magical appears. The result? Random shots, awkward pacing, and videos that feel more like tech demos than brand stories.
Here’s the thing about AI video creation: you don’t need more words, you need better structure. A small set of prompt styles, used consistently, will give you more control, more emotion, and way better output than any bloated paragraph ever will.
This is where Vibe Marketing comes in. If your goal is to create emotionally charged, data-informed content at scale, then these 7 prompt types are your shortcut. They turn AI from a novelty into a reliable creative partner.
In this guide, we’ll break down those 7 prompt styles, how they work across major tools like Veo 3, Sora 2, Kling, Runway, and Pika, and how brands can use them to create personalized videos that actually move people.
The 7‑Prompt Framework for Any AI Video
The answer to “How do I control AI video?” is simple: think like a director, not a user.
Instead of one giant text blob, you structure your vision into seven modular prompt types:
- Cinematic prompts
- Timestamp prompts
- Cutscene prompts
- Anchor prompts
- Character prompts
- Style prompts
- Call‑to‑action prompts
Most AI video tools understand all of these patterns, even if they don’t advertise it. Once your team standardizes around them, your output becomes consistent, on‑brand, and testable.
Let’s walk through each.
1. Cinematic Prompts: Direct emotion, not just visuals
Cinematic prompts describe how the camera behaves to create a specific emotional vibe. You stop acting like a cameraman describing objects, and start acting like a director shaping feeling.
Core idea: Use shot types and movement to control emotion.
Examples of cinematic prompt language:
- "Slow tracking shot pushing in toward the founder's face as she smiles"
- "Circular dolly around the product on a table, shallow depth of field, soft bokeh"
- "Handheld, slightly shaky shot in a crowded street to feel raw and urgent"
For Vibe Marketing, this matters because emotion is the product. The same product demo can feel:
- Aspirational with a smooth crane shot and warm lighting
- Urgent with a tight handheld close‑up and fast cuts
- Intimate with a static, locked‑off camera and soft focus
How to apply cinematic prompts in your next AI video
For each scene, write one line that answers:
- What does the viewer feel here? (calm, excited, curious, confident)
- What shot matches that feeling? (close‑up, wide, tracking, dolly, overhead)
Then express it as:
[Emotion] through [shot type + movement + speed]
Example for a SaaS launch video:
- "Confident through slow tracking shot of a business owner closing her laptop, subtle smile, golden-hour light through the window"
Once your team learns to think this way, every AI video starts feeling intentional instead of random.
2. Timestamp Prompts: Fix chaos with clear timing
Timestamp prompts give AI a timeline, instead of hoping it guesses your pacing.
Core idea: Break the video into tiny time blocks (often 1–2 seconds) and tell the model what happens in each block.
Example structure:
0–2s: Wide city skyline at sunrise, calm music energy2–4s: Close‑up of phone screen showing your app interface4–6s: Tracking shot of user walking confidently into an office
Why this works:
- AI tools are great at within‑shot detail but bad at long‑term structure
- Timestamps convert “vibes” into controllable beats you can A/B test
- Marketing teams get repeatable structures: 5‑second hooks, 3‑second product reveals, 2‑second CTAs, etc.
A practical timestamp template for marketers
For a 15‑second ad, you might use:
- 0–3s (Hook): Visually arresting moment + problem setup
- 3–7s (Context): Show who this is for + emotional tension
- 7–11s (Solution): Product in action, clear benefit
- 11–15s (CTA): Simple action, strong visual anchor
Write it as a mini script with timestamps and feed it into Veo, Runway, or Pika. You’ve just turned AI from a random generator into a junior editor that follows your timing.
3. Cutscene Prompts: Multiple angles in one generation
Cutscene prompts mimic how a real editor works: one scene, several angles, fast storytelling.
Instead of asking for “a person talking to camera,” you ask for:
- "Medium shot: founder speaking to camera"
- "Cut to: close‑up on hands tapping product"
- "Cut to: over‑the‑shoulder of dashboard on laptop"
Many newer AI video models handle these “cut to” or “then show” transitions in a single generation.
Why cutscene prompts matter for Vibe Marketing:
They let you compress story and emotion into a few seconds, which is exactly how people consume content on social platforms now.
Example cutscene pattern for a 10s social clip
Prompt something like:
- "0–2s: Wide shot, creator sitting on couch, frustrated, messy desk"
- "Cut to 2–4s: Close‑up of notifications piling up on phone, dramatic lighting"
- "Cut to 4–7s: Smooth shot of your app interface organizing everything, bright clean UI"
- "Cut to 7–10s: Smiling creator, relaxed posture, room looks tidier, soft warm light"
Same idea works for product launches, testimonials, event recaps—anything where a before/after transformation is the emotional core.
4. Anchor Prompts: Keep your brand consistent
Anchor prompts define non‑negotiables that must appear consistently across versions: logos, colors, locations, key objects, signature motions.
Core idea: Use repeated, precise language to “anchor” your brand identity.
Examples:
- "Anchor: matte black bottle with copper lid on white marble surface"
- "Anchor: teal #1ABC9C gradient background with floating line art icons"
- "Anchor: same woman in her mid‑30s with curly hair, denim jacket, warm smile"
When you reuse these anchors across many prompts and tools, AI starts generating a recognizable world around your brand.
How anchors support Vibe Marketing
In vibe‑driven content, audiences respond to familiar cues:
- The same couch, same bar, or same studio space in multiple videos
- Repeated product hero shots with nearly identical framing
- Consistent color palettes across everything from Reels to landing pages
Practically, that means:
- Create a short anchor library: 4–10 lines describing your recurring elements.
- Paste those at the top or bottom of every AI video prompt.
- Treat them like brand guidelines for the model.
You’re not just personalizing messages—you’re building a visual universe viewers instantly recognize.
5. Character Prompts: Make your brand feel human
AI video becomes powerful when viewers feel they’re watching real people, not stock mannequins.
Character prompts define:
- Who’s on screen (age, style, energy)
- Their emotional journey across the video
- Their relationship to the viewer or product
Example character prompt:
"Main character: late‑20s designer, androgynous style, headphones around neck, expressive eyes, slightly anxious at start but visibly more confident by the end."
For Vibe Marketing, this is the bridge between data and emotion:
- You know your segments: “freelance creators,” “busy parents,” “ops leaders”
- You turn that into on‑screen characters that your audience recognizes instantly
Simple character prompt framework
Use this pattern:
[Role] + [Look] + [Energy at start] → [Energy at end]
Example:
- "Small business owner, mid‑40s, casual but polished, starts overwhelmed, ends calm and in control"
Now your AI video isn’t just “people using an app”—it’s a story about someone like your viewer changing state.
6. Style Prompts: Lock in your visual vibe
Style prompts define the overall aesthetic of the piece—your visual vibe.
They typically include:
- Color palette (muted pastels, neon, monochrome, brand colors)
- Lighting (harsh, soft, moody, high‑key)
- Texture (grainy, glossy, flat, analog)
- Reference genres (cinematic, documentary, TikTok native, lo‑fi vlog)
Examples:
- "Soft, natural light, muted earth tones, documentary feel, minimal text overlays"
- "High‑contrast neon colors, fast edits, glitch transitions, social‑first aesthetic"
Why style prompts matter for performance
From a marketing perspective, style is a testing variable:
- Run the same script through two different style prompts
- Compare watch time, click‑through, and saves
- Standardize on the looks that actually convert
Now you’re not arguing about taste—you’re running a visual A/B test.
For a Vibe Marketing program, I like to define 3–5 named styles, such as:
- "Warm founder docu‑style"
- "Hype product macro"
- "Lo‑fi screen capture explainer"
Then you tag each AI video brief with a style name and its corresponding prompt block.
7. Call‑to‑Action Prompts: Design the last 3 seconds on purpose
The final seconds of an AI video shouldn’t be an afterthought.
Call‑to‑action (CTA) prompts tell the model what the viewer should feel and see right as they decide whether to tap, click, or ignore.
Components of a strong CTA prompt:
- Clear desired action (sign up, save, reply, book, share)
- Visual anchor (button, logo, product, face, reaction)
- Emotional tone (urgent, reassuring, celebratory, grateful)
Examples:
- "End on: clean screen showing mobile app, thumb hovering over ‘Start free trial’ button, subtle confetti particles in background, hopeful energy"
- "End on: close‑up of creator laughing, pointing to camera, bold product logo in corner, playful vibe"
For Vibe Marketing, CTA moments are where emotion meets performance. If the whole video builds a feeling, the CTA prompt tells AI exactly how to convert that feeling into action.
How to turn this into a repeatable AI video workflow
The framework becomes powerful when you standardize it across your team.
Here’s a simple workflow you can implement this week:
- Create a prompt template with these headers:
- Cinematic
- Timestamps
- Cutscenes
- Anchors
- Characters
- Style
- CTA
- Limit yourself to one or two lines per section. If you’re writing more than ~120 words total, you’re probably compensating for unclear thinking.
- Save brand‑approved blocks for anchors, styles, and CTAs so junior creators can plug and play.
- Test across tools (Veo 3 vs Runway vs Pika) using the same prompt template to see which engine fits your brand vibe best.
- Review results like a director, not a critic: Is the emotion right? Is the pacing right? Are the anchors consistent? Adjust the specific section that’s failing instead of rewriting everything.
Once this template lives inside your creative stack, AI video stops being an experiment and starts being a channel.
Bringing it back to Vibe Marketing
Vibe Marketing is where emotion and intelligence work together. These 7 prompt types are the glue:
- Cinematic + style prompts shape the emotional vibe
- Timestamp + cutscene prompts create structure and clarity
- Anchor + character + CTA prompts personalize the experience and make it perform
If your brand wants AI video that feels human, consistent, and data‑driven, don’t start with a longer prompt. Start with a smarter framework.
Ask yourself:
- Which 3 anchor elements should appear in almost every video?
- What 1–2 visual styles actually match your brand’s emotional promise?
- Who are the 1–3 core characters your audience should keep seeing?
Answer those, plug them into this 7‑prompt framework, and your next AI video won’t just look better—it’ll feel like your brand.