Keep the speaker(s) on screen at all times, unless it's B-roll.
Visuals and animations preferences:
a)Behind the speaker or on screen with speaker (masked foreground)
b)In between speakers — best for animations or large visuals (Mark Brazil reference)
c)On screen with speaker — never full screen without the speaker's face
Don't place captions over the speaker's eyes or mouth.
Keep captions on screen for the full duration of what's being said.
Find the best hook in the clip — if it's in the middle or end, move it to the front.
All animations must be contextual to what's being said.
No crowded visuals — too much text, overlapping lines, hard-to-read graphics.
Don't fade to black — clips end abruptly so the viewer wants more.
Teasers
All clip rules above apply, plus:
Don't use the same SFX for captions throughout — vary the sound design.
Transitions should be varied and smooth — light, focus, movement, not the same cut on repeat.
Always select clips based on hooks — questions, bold statements, emotion, expressions, or slightly out-of-context clickbaity phrases.
Keep it dynamic — the flow can't feel static, it needs to hold attention start to finish.
Gradually speed up the edit cuts as the teaser progresses — build momentum.
Before Submitting
Speaker visible throughout?
Captions clear of face?
Strongest hook at the front?
Would this stop your scroll?
Clip References
How to add b-roll on screen
Tutorial · B-Roll
Note
B-roll slightly faded into background — keeping focus on speakers but letting the visual paint the picture.
Adding bespoke animations on screen
Tutorial · Bespoke Animations
Note
See how they use wide angle to get more space above speakers, then pan to individual speaker to keep the 2-second rule, then go back to wide angle. This is what we want to emulate.
How to add visual references like gameplay or footage
Tutorial · Visual References
Note
Particularly like the red highlight around the screen for added focus — we would use yellow for our branding. Great for moving references that aren't b-roll: gameplay, adverts, previous podcast clips, etc.