Industry
Food and beverage video ads: someone tasting it and saying what it is like
The food and beverage video ads that work best show a real person tasting the product and describing it in everyday words. The pour or the first bite appears right as they describe it.
In short
- The best food and beverage video ads show a real person tasting the product and saying what it is like.
- Everyday words like "sour first, then sweet" say more about taste than "delicious" or "bold".
- The close-up of the pour or the bite should appear on the words that describe it, not a second later.
- Alcohol ads have age rules: 21 and over on Meta in the US, and nobody under 25 on screen on TikTok.
- Cutroom turns a phone video of you talking into a finished, captioned vertical ad. Your first video is free.
What makes a good food and beverage video ad
A good food ad tells the viewer exactly what it tastes like. These are the parts it needs.
- A real person tasting it on camera, such as the founder, a chef or a customer.
- The taste described in everyday words, like "thicker than you expect" or "the heat builds after a few seconds".
- A close-up of the pour, the steam or the first bite, shown on the words that describe it.
- When people eat or drink it, like an afternoon snack or a quick breakfast on the way out.
- Captions, because many people watch ads with the sound off.
Food and beverage video ad ideas
Each flavour and each time of day people have it can be its own ad.
- Film several of these, not just one. In Motion's study of 550,000+ Meta ads, only 5 to 8% of ads became winners, roughly one in every 13 to 20 ads.
Five food and drink ads you can film
| Ad | What the person says |
|---|---|
| First taste | What it tastes like, in the order the flavours arrive |
| How hot is it? | How hot it really is, in plain words, like "hot, but you can still taste the garlic" |
| When I have it | The moment of the day it is for, like the afternoon slump |
| Who it is for | One kind of buyer, like a fussy eater or a hot sauce fan |
| How we make it | One real detail from the kitchen, like how long it cooks |
Ad: First taste
- What the person says
- What it tastes like, in the order the flavours arrive
Ad: How hot is it?
- What the person says
- How hot it really is, in plain words, like "hot, but you can still taste the garlic"
Ad: When I have it
- What the person says
- The moment of the day it is for, like the afternoon slump
Ad: Who it is for
- What the person says
- One kind of buyer, like a fussy eater or a hot sauce fan
Ad: How we make it
- What the person says
- One real detail from the kitchen, like how long it cooks
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Food and drink ad rules
Ordinary food ads have few extra platform rules, but alcohol and some label words do. This is not legal advice, so check the current rules before you run an ad.
- On Meta, alcohol ads may not target anyone under 18, and in the US they must target people 21 and over.
- Where TikTok allows alcohol ads, the ad must state the drink's strength, carry a responsible-drinking message and show nobody under 25.
- In the US, words like "sugar free" and "healthy" have set meanings under FDA rules, so check your product meets them before you say them.
- A line that says a food treats or cures a disease makes it a drug claim in the US.
How to film a food and beverage video ad
Film on a phone, in daylight, in a real kitchen or at a real table.
- Film all the close-ups in one kitchen session, so you have pours, cuts and bites for many ads.
- Light the food well, because the colour of a sauce or a drink is part of what people buy.
- Keep talking through small mistakes. You can cut them out afterwards.
Filming a food or drink ad
Taste it on camera
In one go, describing it as you go
Film the close-ups
The pour, the steam, the first bite
Film the setting
The table, the kitchen, a hand reaching in
Edit and add captions
Vertical, for Reels, TikTok and Shorts
Making the ad in Cutroom
Cutroom does the editing. You upload the video of you tasting and talking, up to 3 minutes. A finished vertical ad comes back in about a minute.
- Cutroom adds captions timed to your voice and drafts a headline for the opening. On Punch and Native it also shortens the pauses.
- Upload your close-ups once. Pick the words where you describe the taste, and the close-up plays over exactly those words.
- Where you have no clip of your own, Cutroom adds free stock clips, such as kitchens, markets and set tables.
- You can give the taste words their own caption style, so they stand out even with the sound off.
- Your close-ups never take over the ad, so the person tasting stays on screen for about half the video or more.
- Cutroom does not colour-correct footage, so light the food before you film.
A clip over the words it belongs to
Pick a phrase, like "your coffee habit", and a clip like this fills the frame for exactly those words while you keep talking.
What a food and beverage video ad costs
In Cutroom, a 30-second ad costs 110 credits: 100 to edit it and 10 to export it.
- Twelve ads, one per flavour or occasion, cost 1,320 credits, which fits in one month of Basic.
- You pay Meta or TikTok separately to show the ad.
Cutroom plans
| Plan | Price | Credits | 30-second ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, no card | 600, for one video | 1, made within 7 days, with a watermark |
| Lite | $19.99 a month | 1,250 | About 11, no watermark |
| Basic | $39.99 a month | 2,500 | About 22, plus AI presenters and music |
| Premium | $79.99 a month | 5,000 | About 45 |
| Top-up | $39.99 once | 2,500 | About 22 more |
Plan: Free
- Price
- $0, no card
- Credits
- 600, for one video
- 30-second ads
- 1, made within 7 days, with a watermark
Plan: Lite
- Price
- $19.99 a month
- Credits
- 1,250
- 30-second ads
- About 11, no watermark
Plan: Basic
- Price
- $39.99 a month
- Credits
- 2,500
- 30-second ads
- About 22, plus AI presenters and music
Plan: Premium
- Price
- $79.99 a month
- Credits
- 5,000
- 30-second ads
- About 45
Plan: Top-up
- Price
- $39.99 once
- Credits
- 2,500
- 30-second ads
- About 22 more
Questions people ask
- What should a food video ad show?
- Someone tasting the product and describing it in everyday words, with a close-up of the pour or bite on the words that describe it.
- How do I describe taste in a video ad?
- Use the words people use at the table, like "sour first, then sweet" or "thicker than you expect". Words like "delicious" or "bold" tell the viewer nothing new.
- Can I use the food footage I already have?
- Yes. Upload your pours, cuts and close-ups to your Cutroom library, then pick the words where you describe them. The clip plays over exactly those words.
- Does Cutroom colour-correct food footage?
- No. There is no colour correction, so light the food before you film it.
- How many ads does a flavour range need?
- One per flavour and per occasion, rather than one for the whole brand. In Cutroom, twelve 30-second ads cost 1,320 credits, which fits in one month of Basic.
- Can I advertise alcohol on Facebook and TikTok?
- Yes, with limits. Meta requires US alcohol ads to target people 21 and over. Where TikTok allows alcohol ads, they must state the drink's strength, carry a responsible-drinking message and show nobody under 25.
- How much does it cost to make a food and beverage video ad?
- In Cutroom, 110 credits for a 30-second ad. Basic is $39.99 a month for 2,500 credits, about 22 ads. Your first video is free, with no card.
Taste it on camera, say what it is like, and get a finished ad back. Your first video is free.