The Workflow Edit | Practical AI Tool Tutorial
How to Use Pika Without Generic AI Instructions
Pika turns a text prompt into a short video clip. It works best when the motion is built around one clear message and the right platform size, not a vague mood.
Dear Suzannah
Dear Suzannah, my team keeps asking for short video clips for social posts and the pitch deck, but every clip I make looks cool and explains absolutely nothing. How do I turn one real message into a clip people can actually understand?
Write the motion around one message, not a mood.
The real use case
You need a 5-to-10 second clip for a launch post or a short internal explainer. The clip has to carry one specific message — a number, a feature, a deadline — not just motion for motion’s sake.
The tool-specific prompt to use
This prompt is specific to Pika and this use case. Paste it into the chat box, then replace the bracketed notes with your real project details.
Create a 6-second video clip for [platform, e.g. LinkedIn]. The single message the clip must land: [one sentence with the key number or feature]. Audience: [who watches this]. Opening visual: [one concrete subject, e.g. a laptop on a desk]. Camera motion: [slow push-in / pan / hold]. On-screen text: [3-6 words max]. Text hold time: [seconds, long enough to read aloud]. Aspect ratio: [16:9 / 9:16 / 1:1]. Background tone: [calm office / bold / neutral]. Keep one focal subject only — no busy background. Make sure the key text stays readable the whole time it is on screen. Do not add motion that distracts from the message. End with a still frame of the text for the last second. Give me: a one-line shot description, the exact on-screen text, the camera motion, and the clip length. Then give two alternate hooks that keep the same message. No filler, no generic visual adjectives, no music cues.
Prompt length: about 200 words.
Make the result less generic
- Name the exact aspect ratio for the platform — 9:16 for Reels, 16:9 for a deck.
- Keep on-screen text under 6 words and hold it long enough to read aloud.
- Use one focal subject so the eye knows where to look.
- Match the motion to the message — a slow push-in for emphasis, a hold for a deadline.
- End on a still frame of the key text so it lands.
Quick human check
- Does the message survive with the sound off?
- Is the on-screen text readable for its full time on screen?
- Is the aspect ratio right for where it will post?
- Is there one clear focal subject?
- Is the next step obvious from the clip?
