Creating quality video content can take a significant amount of time. Between writing a script, finding visuals, recording a voiceover, editing footage, adding captions, and formatting the final video for different platforms, even a short marketing video can become a time consuming project.
AI video tools are changing that process.
One platform worth exploring is Pictory, an AI powered video creation and editing platform that can help turn written content into videos using stock footage, narration, captions, music, and other visual elements.
At Momentum 360, we work with businesses that need professional visual content for marketing, websites, social media, and other digital channels. AI tools such as Pictory can be useful when a business needs additional content quickly, particularly when original video footage is not necessary for every project.
In this guide, we’ll walk through how Pictory works, how to create a video from a written script, and when AI generated video makes sense for a marketing campaign.
What Is Pictory?
Pictory is an AI video creation and editing platform designed to make video production more accessible.
Instead of starting with a traditional video editing timeline, users can begin with written content and let the platform help build a video around that material.
Depending on the current features available in your Pictory account, the platform can help with tasks such as:
- Creating videos from text
- Turning articles and other web content into videos
- Adding stock footage
- Generating voice narration
- Creating captions
- Removing filler words and silences
- Editing existing recordings
- Creating short video clips
- Combining images and video clips
- Creating videos from presentations
- Recording and editing screen content
AI platforms evolve quickly, so specific features and pricing can change over time. Always check the current platform before building a production workflow around a particular feature.
Why Use Pictory for Marketing?
The biggest advantage of an AI video platform is efficiency.
A business may have plenty of ideas for content but not enough time or resources to turn every idea into a professionally edited video.
For example, imagine a technology company wants to explain how its software helps SaaS businesses manage logistics. A short educational video could explain the problem, introduce the solution, and show how the technology works.
That type of concept can be a good fit for stock footage and AI assisted editing.
Pictory can be useful for:
- Social media videos
- Educational content
- Blog promotion
- Product explainers
- Short marketing videos
- YouTube content
- Training materials
- Internal presentations
- Content repurposing
However, AI video is not the best choice for every marketing project.
If you’re promoting a luxury home, hotel, restaurant, healthcare facility, retail store, or commercial property, customers generally benefit from seeing the actual location rather than generic stock footage.
In those situations, professional video production can create a much more authentic experience. Businesses interested in original visual content can explore our professional videography services.
Getting Started With Pictory
After logging into Pictory, you’ll arrive at the main dashboard.
The available options can vary as the platform develops, but the dashboard generally provides access to different ways of creating and editing videos.
You may see options for working with text, URLs, existing recordings, presentations, images, and video clips.
For this tutorial, we’re focusing on text to video.
This is particularly useful when you already have a script and want to quickly turn it into a finished video concept.
Step 1: Start With a Strong Script
Before creating the video, start with the content.
An AI writing assistant such as ChatGPT can help brainstorm ideas or create a first draft. For example, you might ask it to write a video script for a fictional technology company that provides logistics solutions for SaaS businesses.
The script could explain:
- What the company does
- Who it helps
- The problem it solves
- How its solution works
- Why the solution is valuable
AI can make the initial writing process much faster, but human review is essential.
Never assume an AI generated script is automatically accurate. Review facts, statistics, product claims, names, technical terminology, and other important information before publishing.
This is particularly important for industries such as healthcare, finance, legal services, technology, and other fields where inaccurate information can damage a company’s credibility.
Write for the Human Viewer
A video script should sound natural when spoken aloud.
Keep sentences relatively short and avoid unnecessarily complicated language.
Instead of writing like a formal article, imagine you’re explaining the subject to someone sitting across from you.
The goal is to make the viewer feel like a real person is communicating with them.
Step 2: Clean Up the Voiceover Script
Once the script is ready, copy the actual narration into Pictory.
Avoid including production instructions in the narration field.
For example, you don’t necessarily want to include:
Opening Scene
Background Music
Narrator
or other editing instructions if the platform is going to treat the entire text as narration.
Instead, provide the words you actually want the narrator to say.
For example:
“At Boil Technologies, we help SaaS companies simplify logistics so they can spend more time growing their businesses.”
This creates a cleaner starting point for the AI narration.
Step 3: Let Pictory Generate the Initial Video
Once your script is ready, proceed through the video creation workflow.
Pictory can analyze the text and help select visual material that relates to the subject of each section.
Depending on your settings, the generated video may include:
- Stock footage
- Images
- Text
- Transitions
- Music
- AI narration
- Captions
This can save considerable time compared with manually searching for every individual piece of stock footage.
However, the first version should be considered a draft.
Don’t publish it without reviewing the entire video.
Step 4: Review Every Scene
This is one of the most important parts of the process.
AI can identify keywords and concepts, but it does not always understand the complete context of your message.
For example, if your script discusses logistics technology, Pictory may select footage of warehouses, computers, delivery trucks, or office employees.
Some of those clips may work well.
Others may not.
Watch the video from beginning to end and replace visuals that feel irrelevant, misleading, repetitive, or overly generic.
Human judgment is still essential to good video editing.
Step 5: Add Your Brand
Brand consistency is important when creating marketing content.
If you’re producing videos for a business, consider adding the company’s:
- Logo
- Fonts
- Brand colors
- Visual style
- Other approved brand elements
Pictory’s brand kit features can make this process more efficient when you’re creating multiple videos for the same client.
For example, if a technology company were a real client, you could establish its branding once and then use those approved assets across future videos.
This is especially helpful for agencies and marketing teams that produce content on a regular basis.
Step 6: Add Captions
Captions are an important part of modern video marketing.
Many people watch videos without sound, particularly when using social media in public spaces.
Captions also make video content more accessible.
Always review automatically generated captions before publishing. AI transcription can occasionally make mistakes with:
- Names
- Company names
- Locations
- Acronyms
- Technical terminology
- Industry specific language
Correcting these errors takes only a few minutes and can make a significant difference in the professionalism of the final video.
Step 7: Review the AI Voiceover
AI narration has become increasingly realistic, but it still requires review.
Listen carefully for awkward pronunciation, unnatural pauses, incorrect emphasis, and words that do not sound natural.
Company names, people’s names, locations, and technical terms deserve particular attention.
If something doesn’t sound right, adjust the script or narration settings where possible.
The objective is not simply to have an AI voice read the words. The objective is to create an experience that feels natural to the viewer.
Step 8: Choose the Right Video Format
The ideal video dimensions depend on where the content will be published.
For example:
Landscape: YouTube and many website video placements
Portrait: Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts
Square: Certain social media placements
Instead of creating one video and forcing it onto every platform, consider adapting the content to the way people actually consume it on each channel.
A vertical video designed for short form social media should generally be edited differently from a longer landscape video intended for YouTube.
Step 9: Export and Repurpose the Content
Once the video has been reviewed and finalized, you can export it in the appropriate format.
One of the biggest advantages of AI assisted video production is the ability to repurpose content.
A single topic could potentially become:
- A long form video
- Several short clips
- A social media post
- A blog article
- An email marketing asset
- A short educational video
This approach allows businesses to get more value from the time they spend developing an idea.
AI Video vs. Professional Videography
AI generated video and professional videography serve different purposes.
AI video works particularly well when you need scalable content that can be produced quickly.
Professional videography is usually the better choice when the audience needs to see the real people, property, products, or environment behind a business.
Consider a Philadelphia restaurant as an example.
A stock video of people eating at a restaurant may look polished, but it doesn’t show customers what that particular restaurant actually looks like.
Professional footage can show the restaurant’s dining room, food, staff, atmosphere, and customer experience.
The same principle applies to real estate, hotels, medical facilities, commercial properties, and other location based businesses.
Authentic visuals build trust because they show customers what they can actually expect.
For businesses that need original footage, our videography services can help create professional content designed around the company’s brand and marketing goals.
How Businesses Can Use Pictory
Turn Articles Into Videos
Businesses that regularly publish educational content can repurpose written articles into videos.
This gives audiences another way to consume the same information and can help extend the reach of existing content.
Create Social Media Content
Short videos can be created around frequently asked questions, educational topics, product information, or industry news.
This can make it easier for businesses to maintain a consistent social media presence.
Create Educational Videos
Educational content can be especially valuable for demonstrating expertise.
A company can answer common customer questions, explain industry concepts, or provide practical advice.
The information should be accurate and reviewed by someone with appropriate knowledge of the subject.
That human oversight is an important part of demonstrating experience and expertise.
Repurpose Presentations
If your company already has a PowerPoint presentation, training material, or internal educational content, an AI video platform may provide a way to transform that information into a more engaging video format.
Again, the final video should be reviewed by a human editor before it is published.
Best Practices for AI Video Creation
Start With Accurate Information
AI can help with production, but it should not replace subject matter expertise.
Make sure the information in your script is accurate before creating the video.
Keep the Language Natural
Write the script the way people actually speak.
Avoid unnecessary jargon and overly complicated sentences.
Review the Visuals
Never assume the AI has selected the perfect footage.
Review every scene and replace anything that doesn’t support the message.
Maintain Brand Consistency
Use approved logos, colors, fonts, messaging, and visual styles.
Keep a Human Editor Involved
AI can speed up production, but a human should make the final editorial decisions.
Use Original Footage When It Matters
If you’re trying to sell an experience, location, property, or physical product, authentic video can often be far more persuasive than stock footage.
Local Marketing Considerations
For businesses in Philadelphia and other competitive local markets, video can be an important part of a broader digital marketing strategy.
Local businesses should think beyond simply creating a video.
Consider where the video will appear and how it fits into the customer journey.
A business could use video on its website, social media profiles, YouTube channel, email campaigns, landing pages, and other relevant marketing channels.
Location specific content can also help businesses communicate what makes their local operation different.
However, avoid forcing geographic keywords into every video or script. Local content should sound natural and provide genuine value to people in the community.
Final Thoughts
Pictory can make video production considerably more accessible for businesses and content creators.
Starting with a written script, you can use AI to help assemble stock footage, narration, captions, music, and other visual elements into a finished video.
The technology can save time, but it doesn’t eliminate the need for human creativity and judgment.
The strongest marketing strategy is often a combination of AI assisted content and authentic professional production.
Use AI when you need scalable educational or promotional content. Use professional videography when your audience needs to see the real business, people, products, or locations behind the brand.
When used thoughtfully, both approaches can play an important role in a modern content marketing strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pictory good for beginners?
Pictory is designed to simplify several parts of the video creation process, making it accessible to people who may not have extensive video editing experience. However, beginners should still review AI generated scripts, visuals, captions, and narration before publishing.
Can Pictory turn text into a video?
Yes. Its text based video workflow allows users to start with written content and create a video using visual and audio elements. Available features can change as the platform is updated.
Can AI generated videos replace professional videography?
Not in every situation. AI generated stock footage can be useful for educational and informational content, while professional videography is generally better for showcasing real businesses, properties, people, products, and customer experiences.
Can businesses use Pictory for social media?
Yes. AI generated videos can be adapted for different social platforms and formats. Always check the current platform requirements before exporting.
Should AI generated videos be reviewed by a human?
Absolutely. Human review is important for factual accuracy, visual relevance, brand consistency, pronunciation, captions, and overall quality.
