HeyGen for Marketers: Your Comprehensive AI Video Quick-Start Guide

Welcome to Your AI Video Marketing Quick-Start Guide

Want to create more video content but feel held back by limited time, budget, or production resources? You’re not alone. Here’s the good news: with HeyGen, you can produce videos that look even better than traditional productions at a fraction of the cost and time.

This guide is designed for marketers who are ready to elevate their strategy with AI video. You will learn how to move from concept to campaign, creating high-quality, scalable content without needing cameras, studios, or on-screen talent.

Do not miss the practical video creation exercise in the Making Your First Video section. It is designed to help you learn by doing and get up to speed quickly!

Top Use Cases: How Marketers Are Using HeyGen

HeyGen is more than just a video tool. It is a creative engine built for marketers who need to move quickly, scale content, and drive results without compromising on quality. From influencer ads to onboarding journeys, here is how marketers across different functions are using HeyGen to create high-impact videos at scale.

Why Video is Crucial for Marketing Today

The Challenge

• Traditional production is costly, slow, and constrained by team size and budgets.
• Marketers must achieve more with fewer resources—tighter budgets, less time, and increasing pressure to outperform competitors.

Creating Your First AI Video

Introduction

New to video or trying out HeyGen for the first time? You’ve got this. This section will guide you through each step to help you create a great video, quickly.

Prefer learning by seeing things in action?

Choose a video type above to open a ready-made template in HeyGen and follow along as you proceed.

High performer?

We love it! Skip ahead to Step 4: Choose the Right AI Avatar Spokesperson and create your own AI avatar – your digital twin and future video star.

Not ready to dive in yet?

No worries. Glance through the steps now and return to the full how-to whenever you are ready.

→ HeyGen Academy: 101

broad overview of all HeyGen features

→ HeyGen Academy: AI Studio

explore video editing in greater depth

Step 1: Set up your HeyGen workspace for scale

Smart marketers do not start from scratch every time – they build systems that can scale.

With HeyGen, it’s easy to keep your videos on-brand by setting up a Brand Kit to use your fonts, colours, logos and assets automatically.

Simply paste your company’s URL to get started, or upload your brand elements manually.

In a hurry? No problem. You can always come back and complete this step later.

Pro tip

Once your Brand Kit is armed with your brand's colours, you can easily update most HeyGen Templates to match. Just swap in your colours so every video stays on-brand, or hit the Shuffle Colors button to have HeyGen swap them automatically.

Step 2: Set Your Strategy

Before you dive into video creation, be absolutely clear about your campaign strategy by defining your goal, target audience, distribution channels, and hook.

Campaign Objective

What do you want this video to achieve?

Examples: brand awareness, product launch, lead generation, sales conversion

Target Audience

Who are you creating this video for? What kind of customer are they? What stage in the funnel are they?

Examples: Gen Z cold prospects who have never heard of your brand, mid-funnel small business leads who are still evaluating their options

Primary Distribution Channel

Where will your video be hosted?

Examples: LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, paid ads, website, email campaign

Hook

What problem are you solving, and how will you capture attention in the first few seconds?

Pro Tip

Need a second opinion on your strategy? Go to ChatGPT, Claude, or any other tool you prefer and use the following prompt:

"I’m planning a marketing video campaign for [product/service]. My goal is [goal], my target audience is [audience], I’ll distribute it on [channel], and the core message or hook is: [hook]. Could you please share your feedback on how clear and effective this is, and suggest any improvements?"

Step 3: Write Your Script

Your script is the backbone of a great video. Here’s how to make it truly effective:

• Begin with a strong hook (the first 3–5 seconds matter the most)
• End with a clear CTA (call to action)
• Keep it simple, direct and jargon-free
  

Expert tip

Want to move faster? Have a look at the following Best Practices page for guidance on using tools like ChatGPT to write your script.

Still not sure where to begin? Here are a few sample outlines for inspiration.

If you’re following along in HeyGen, these scripts are already built into your template.

Access templates, including these scripts, here:

Video Ad

Social Influencer Video

How-To Video

Explore script templates and more tips for popular marketing video types

→ Video Ads
→ Social Influencer Videos
→ How-to Videos
→ Product Explainer Videos

Best Practices: Write Scripts Better and Faster with AI

Want to work smarter, not harder? Here are some tips for leveraging tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or others to speed up script-writing.

Step 1: Start with a clear prompt

Give the AI a clear and detailed prompt that explains the video you are creating. Include important context, such as:

• What kind of video you’re creating (social ad, product tutorial, brand video)
• Who it’s for (intended audience)
• The goal of the video (drive clicks, explain a concept, educate viewers)
• Tone or voice you would like it to use (friendly, professional, conversational)

Sample prompt:

"Write a 60-second video script for a B2B HeyGen product explainer aimed at small business owners. The tone should be confident and clear. Conclude with a strong call to action.”

Step 2: Add key talking points

You can get more accurate results by adding a short bullet list of the points you want the video to cover.

Example:

• Product/service name
• Core value proposition
• Call to action

Sample prompt:

"Include the following points: HeyGen helps small businesses save time and money and is easy to use. CTA: Sign up for a free trial."

Step 3: Ask for the correct format

Let the AI know you need the script in a way that works well for a video.

Example:

• A spoken script delivered by our CEO’s avatar
• A casual, conversational tone

Example prompt:

"Write this as a spoken script to be read by HeyGen CEO’s avatar. Use natural, conversational language."

Step 4: Review and refine

Next, copy and paste the script into HeyGen and click the preview button to have your avatar read it aloud. Does it sound natural? Does it flow the way you want? If not, ask your AI tool to revise it with prompts such as:

• Make this more casual or more formal
• Add a more compelling hook at the beginning
• Include a line about [feature or benefit]
• Turn this into a 30-second version
• Give me three variations of the CTA

Explore scripting in more depth

→ How to craft high-impact video scripts with AI: A practical guide for modern marketers (eBook)

Step 4: Choose the right AI Avatar

Your spokesperson sets the tone. Choose a ready-made Public Avatar, create a Custom Avatar that suits your brand, or for the ultimate personal touch, create your digital twin in minutes with HeyGen’s Hyper Realistic Avatar feature!

HeyGen offers several options for creating Custom Avatars. Click the links below to explore the details further.

Best Practices: Creating the Ideal Custom Avatar

Ready to create a professional, lifelike avatar with extensive customisation options? Explore the resources below for tips, best practices, and a quick overview of what you will need to get started.

When creating a Custom Avatar, remember: quality in = quality out. The better your photos, videos, and written prompts, the more realistic and polished your avatar will look.

Whatever is in your Hyper Realistic Avatar training video, from gestures to facial expressions to vocal inflection, will be reflected in the final result.

Expert Tip

Use HeyGen’s Generating Looks feature to change your avatar’s pose, surroundings or attire using just a text prompt.

Want to explore this in more depth?

→ Step-by-step guide for creating Hyper-Realistic Avatars

Best Practices: Creating High-Quality Custom AI Voices

HeyGen has an extensive library of stock AI-generated voices in over 175 languages, dialects, and emotional tones, but sometimes the perfect video needs something custom. Below are three ways to create Custom Voices.

For the best voice quality, start with high-quality source audio. Here is how you can get a great recording:

• Use a high-quality mic or smartphone, held 6–8" away from your mouth

• Record in a quiet, noise-free space

• Speak clearly, with natural pauses and a slight touch of emotion

• Upload multiple samples with different emotional tones for greater versatility (for HeyGen Custom Voice Clones only)

Want to explore this in more depth?

→ Ultimate guide to hyper-realistic Custom Voice Cloning

→ Add emotions to your Custom Voice Clone

Best Practices: Prompting Like a Pro

Prompting is the practice of carefully crafting and refining text instructions (called prompts) that are used to guide AI tools to create content from scratch, such as images, motion, or audio.

Prompting is a powerful skill for any AI marketer. When combined with HeyGen, prompting opens up countless ways to create high-impact videos where your imagination is your only limitation! Get ready to experiment, iterate, and use prompts in HeyGen for:

Prompting Best Practices

Be Specific

The more clearly you describe what you want (tone, look, gesture, emotion), the better the AI can match your vision.

Start with Structure

Use a consistent structure: what, who, where, how. This applies to visuals, tone of voice, and motion direction.

Include Context & Intent

Let the AI know the purpose: Is it for a product demo, a social media ad, or a tutorial? Giving clear context helps tailor the result.

Use Descriptive Language

Use adjectives that express emotion, style, or clarity (for example, “confident”, “minimalist”, “high energy”, “calm pace”).

Iterate & Refine

Do not settle for your first attempt. Small prompt tweaks can lead to dramatically better results across all media types!

Prompting best practices can vary slightly depending on what you are creating

Explore the resources below to understand each type in more depth and get the maximum value from your prompts!

• Prompting best practices, common issues, and practical solutions
• Prompting best practices for generating looks
• Prompting best practices for adding motion

Step 5: Create and refine your scenes in AI Studio

Now that your script and avatar are ready, it’s time to bring your message to life in HeyGen’s AI Studio editor, where it’s easy to customise, enhance, and polish every part of your video – no editing experience required!

• Design your scenes in minutes using the Brand Kit or Templates you created in Step 1.
• Strengthen your message with on-screen text or visuals and set them to appear or disappear using Animations.
• Browse HeyGen’s stock media library for high-quality royalty-free b-roll video.
• Use Premium Scene Transitions to give your video a smooth, professional finish.
• Add and customise Captions to make your videos more engaging and accessible.

Expert Tip

Create and A/B test multiple versions of your videos to enhance performance, drive results, and increase conversions.

Ready to edit like a professional?

→ HeyGen Academy: AI Studio, a detailed video course covering HeyGen's editing features

Best Practices: Adjust Pronunciation, Emotions, and Intonations

Need your avatar to sound just right? HeyGen gives you powerful tools to fine-tune voiceovers for natural, accurate delivery that feels true to real life.

Want to see it in action?

→ HeyGen Academy: AI Studio - Pronunciation module

Strategies to Scale Your Impact

Whether you are reaching new markets, testing what works, or tailoring content to different audiences, these advanced best practices and tools will help you scale your impact with precision.

Optimise and iterate like a performance marketing expert

With HeyGen, creating multiple versions of your videos for A/B testing has never been easier, faster, or more affordable. Learn how to run A/B tests like a performance marketing expert and start increasing conversions, optimising performance, and building campaigns with data-driven confidence!

Go Global with Translation

Learn how to translate and localise your videos into 175+ languages and dialects, with no dubbing or voice actors required.

Use HeyGen’s Brand Voice feature to maintain consistency in translated videos by customising how certain words are handled (for example, brand name pronunciations, and forcing or blocking translation for specific terms).

Enterprise and Team plan users can also edit translated scripts directly by using our Proofread feature.

Looking for some ideas? Have a look at how Trivago used HeyGen to simultaneously localise TV ads in 30 markets.

Personalize At Scale

Add a personal touch to your email campaigns, sales outreach, or customer support with Personalised Videos. By using dynamic elements, such as the viewer’s name or details tailored to their interests, you can create a unique, more engaging experience for each person.

Interactive Avatar

Whether for sales, customer support, or education, Interactive Avatars transform one-way videos into dynamic, two-way conversations. It is a powerful way to boost engagement, personalise experiences, and drive action.

Looking for ideas? Have a look at how getitAI increases e-commerce sales with live, personalised shopping experiences.

Use Case #1: Video Advertisements

Customer Stories & Examples

Ideal For

Growth Marketers, Demand Generation Marketers, Performance Marketers, and more!

Best Practices

• Keep videos short.Aim for under 30 seconds to maintain viewer attention and improve completion rates.
• Lead with the value. Ensure your core message or value proposition is communicated within the first few seconds.
• Match the format to the funnel.Customise the ad length, style, and CTA based on where it will appear and what action you want people to take.
• Design for mobile-first viewing.Optimise framing and pacing for small-screen consumption.
• Make your edits pop. Use b-roll, animated text and motion to keep visual energy high and engagement steady.
• Test like a performance marketing expert. A/B test different hooks, visuals, avatars, and CTAs to find what drives conversions.

Key Features

• Product Placement: add physical products to your videos with a single click.
• Generate Looks: Make your avatar more dynamic by changing their pose, surroundings or attire using just a text prompt.

Expert tip

Here’s a reliable, time-tested script structure from social media producer George “GG” Gossland of Favoured:

• Hook – Something visually unusual or unexpected.
• Problem – What challenges is your viewer facing?
• Solution – How does the product or service address those challenges?
• USPs – aka “unique selling point.” Show the features that stand out!
• CTA – Always give viewers a clear next step to take.

Ready to take things to the next level?

→ Watch a detailed, step-by-step tutorial on creating video ads

→ Explore HeyGen’s 5 ways to improve your video ads and performance ebook

Use Case #2: Social Influencer Video

Customer Stories & Examples

Ideal For

Content marketers, performance marketers, demand generation marketers, growth marketers, and more who are ready to turn their brief into a UGC ad

Best practices

• Hook viewers quickly. Try to capture attention in the first 1–2 seconds with movement, bold text, or a strong visual.
• Optimise for silent autoplay. Use captions, text overlays, and visual storytelling, as many users watch without sound.
• Keep it short. Less is more. Aim for around 15–30 seconds on TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts. Adjust your script speed using advanced voice settings.
• Frame it for the feed. Use vertical (9:16) or square formats depending on the platform. Avoid landscape orientation unless you are posting to YouTube.
• Lead with the “aha.” Highlight the transformation, benefit, or emotional payoff early, not just the product features.
• Make it look native.Use platform trends, quicker-paced creator-style edits, or UGC avatars so your content blends naturally into the feed.

Key Features

• UGC avatars: browse hundreds of AI-generated stock avatars with an authentic content creator vibe.
• Captions: ensure your message gets across clearly, even when the sound is muted.

Expert tip

Here’s a high-performing content structure used by leading creators across TikTok, Reels and Shorts:

1. Attention-grabbing visuals: start with bold text, movement or an unexpected visual to make people stop scrolling
2. Relatable moment: reflect a real pain point or an “I’ve been there” situation to build an instant connection
3. Transformation or payoff: show the value of your product in action
4. Creator POV: use voiceover or on-screen text to narrate in a personal, authentic tone
5. Simple CTA: make the next step clear and easy to follow (“Try this”, “watch more”, or “visit website”).

Ready to dive in deeper?

→ Watch a detailed, step-by-step tutorial on creating social media influencer videos

→ Explore HeyGen’s ebook 5 ways to improve your video ads and performance

Use Case #3: How-to Video

Customer Stories & Examples

Ideal For

Product marketers, performance marketers, demand generation marketers, growth marketers

Top Features

• Animations: add animated text or visuals to highlight key steps, reinforce learning, and keep viewers engaged.
• Templates: streamline creation and keep things consistent. Don’t forget you can customize HeyGen’s stock templates with your brand’s colors!

Best Practices

• Keep it concise. Aim for 60–120 seconds for quick guides, and up to 5 minutes for detailed tutorials.Structure for clarity. Begin with a clear introduction, followed by step-by-step instructions, and conclude with a strong summary and clear call-to-action.
• Enhance with visuals. Use graphics, captions, and screen recordings to illustrate key points and improve understanding.Maintain consistency. Use consistent branding, tone, and style across all videos to strengthen brand identity.
• Optimise for accessibility. Include subtitles and ensure the content is mobile-friendly to reach a wider audience.

Expert tip

If your how-to video needs extra visuals like screen recordings, make sure they align with your script. Start by writing your script, then use the preview button to play the audio while recording your screen in sync with the narration for the best timing.

Ready to explore this in more depth?

→ Watch a step-by-step tutorial on creating how-to videos