You don't need a "TV budget" to start testing TV. You just need your best performing Meta assets and a smart editing strategy.
For many performance agencies, the biggest barrier to entering Connected TV isn't media cost—CPMs are coming down. The barrier is production cost.
Clients are used to the scrappy, low cost world of TikTok and Meta creative. When agencies suggest CTV, clients imagine five figure budgets for "broadcast quality" commercials. This stalls the conversation.
But here is the reality: High gloss TV commercials often fail at driving performance.
In 2024, authenticity converts. The same UGC (User Generated Content), product demos, and direct response hooks that dominate your Facebook Ads Manager are often the best performing assets on CTV—if they are adapted correctly.
You are sitting on a goldmine of proven creative concepts. Here is the playbook for repurposing social assets into high performing CTV spots.
1. The Mindset Shift: "Lean Forward" vs. "Lean Back"
Before you edit anything, understand the difference in the environment.
Social is a "Lean Forward" medium. The user is impatient, thumb hovering, ready to scroll. You have 1.5 seconds to hook them. Audio is often off.
CTV is a "Lean Back" medium. The user is sitting on a couch. They cannot skip the ad. Audio is almost always ON.
The Implication: When moving social to TV, you don't need the frantic pacing of a TikTok trend. You have their attention. You need to slow down slightly and ensure your audio narrative is compelling enough to hold attention for 15 or 30 seconds.
2. The Selection Process: What Translates?
Not every winning Instagram Reel should be on TV. A shaky, low light video filmed in a bathroom will look horrific on a 65 inch 4K OLED screen.
The Criteria for Selection:
High Quality UGC: Creator content filmed in good lighting with decent cameras translates very well. It feels authentic on the big screen without looking cheap.
Product Focused Demos: Clean shots of the product in action are platform agnostic.
Strong Hooks: The script is more important than the visuals. If the first 3 seconds of audio grab attention on Meta, it will grab attention on TV.
What to Avoid: Text heavy overlays designed for mobile screens. Viewers are 10 feet away from the TV; they cannot read small white text rapidly flashing on screen.
3. The Adaptation: Solving the Aspect Ratio Crisis
This is where most agencies fail. You cannot just throw a 9:16 vertical video onto a 16:9 horizontal screen. It looks lazy and leaves massive black bars on the sides.
You must actively design the horizontal canvas.
Option A: The Branded Split Screen (Best for Performance)
Don't try to hide the vertical video. Frame it.
Place the 9:16 video on one side of the screen. On the other side, create a static branded panel. This panel should contain:
The brand logo (top corner).
The main value proposition in large, clear text.
A persistent URL or QR code.
This turns a vertical video into a professional "direct response wrapper."
Option B: The "Blurred Wings" (The Quickest Fix)
Place the vertical video in the center. Duplicate the video, blow it up to fill the background, and add a heavy Gaussian blur.
This is acceptable for a very fast test, but it often looks dated. If you use this, ensure you add a prominent logo overlay in the corner to ground it.
Option C: The "Super Crop" (Risky)
Cropping a vertical video into a horizontal one usually sacrifices too much visual information (cutting off heads or products). Only do this if the original video was shot in 4K with the subject perfectly centered and far away.
4. The CTA Upgrade: Fixing the End Card
On TikTok, creators point down and say "Link in bio." If you run that on TV, you look incompetent. There is no bio to click.
You must edit the final 5 seconds of the video.
The Voiceover Override: If the creator says "click the link below," you must dub over it or cut it. Replace it with a professional voiceover saying, "Visit [Brand].com today."
The Persistent URL: Unlike social, where the CTA appears at the end, on CTV, your URL should be visible in the corner for at least the last half of the ad. Give them time to read it.
The QR Code Debate: QR codes can work on CTV, but they must be on screen for at least 10 to 15 seconds and be large enough to scan from across the room. Do not flash a tiny QR code for 3 seconds at the end; it useless.
5. The Agency Pitch
How do you sell this to a client who expects a Super Bowl ad?
Do not call it "recycling old ads." Frame it as Agile Speed to Market.
"We know this creative concept already converts at a high ROAS on Meta. Rather than spending four weeks and $20k shooting a new TV concept from scratch, we are going to perform an 'Agile CTV Test.' We will adapt this winning concept for the big screen to validate the channel immediately. If CTV performs, then we invest in bespoke production."
This approach lowers the risk for the client and gets the agency running CTV campaigns faster.