Storytelling Archetypes
Purpose: Pick a duration-locked story blueprint when planning a demo. Each archetype has a beat-by-beat structure, target channel, and hook template. Use this with scenario-guidelines.md (hook + pain + show-don't-tell) and playwright-config.md (aspect ratios).
When to Read
- The
scenariorecipe is selecting a duration / structure. - The user names a channel (TikTok, LinkedIn, Product Hunt, YouTube long-form) and you need the matching shape.
- A demo is creeping past 90 seconds and you must decide between trimming, chaptering, or splitting.
- The user requests "a series" (3×45s) — choose the series archetype.
Archetype Selection Matrix
| Channel / Goal | Recommended Archetype | Length | Aspect |
|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok / Reels / Shorts | 30s-social-hook |
21–34s | 9:16 |
| Product Hunt gallery | 60s-producthunt |
45–60s | 1:1 or 16:9 |
| LinkedIn feed (B2B) | 60s-linkedin |
15–60s | 4:5 |
| Hero film / sales site | 90s-hero |
60–90s | 16:9 |
| YouTube long / docs walkthrough | 180s-walkthrough |
90–180s, chaptered | 16:9 |
| Complex product / new category | 3x45s-series |
3 × 45s | 16:9 or 9:16 |
| Founder / investor narrative | 60s-founder-led |
60–90s | 16:9 |
| Agentic visual receipt | agent-receipt |
30–120s (no narrative) | 16:9 |
30s Social Hook (30s-social-hook)
Channel: TikTok, Reels, YouTube Shorts. Aspect: 9:16. Target completion: ≥ 70%.
Beat Sheet
| Time | Beat | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:03 | Hook (layered: visual + text + audio) | Show the broken state OR the impossible outcome |
| 0:03–0:10 | Pain | One concrete pain (number, screenshot, or reaction) |
| 0:10–0:24 | Solution | One Aha — the moment value reveals |
| 0:24–0:28 | Result | Visible outcome, no narration needed |
| 0:28–0:30 | CTA | Logo + handle / URL, 1.5s minimum |
Hook Template
"[Concrete Number] [Unexpected Outcome]." e.g., "5,000 rows → 5 milliseconds."
Layer with text reveal (jump-cut) + screen state change + optional whoosh SFX.
Anti-Patterns
- Greeting / intro of any kind.
- Voiceover before visual.
- Multi-feature dump — pick one Aha.
- 16:9 master cropped to 9:16 (sides lose UI).
60s Product Hunt (60s-producthunt)
Channel: Product Hunt gallery + LP embed. Aspect: 1:1 (gallery) or 16:9 (LP). Target: muted-autoplay-comprehensible.
Beat Sheet
| Time | Beat | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:05 | Hook | Layered hook + 1-line value prop |
| 0:05–0:15 | Pain | The legacy / manual workflow being replaced |
| 0:15–0:45 | Solution | "Dashboard → workflow → after-state" (2026 PH pattern) |
| 0:45–0:55 | Result | Outcome on screen + key metric overlay |
| 0:55–1:00 | CTA | Product name + visit / try-it URL |
Anti-Patterns
- Talking-head opener (PH 2026: demerit; product-first wins).
- Audio-only narration with no captions (PH plays muted in feed).
- Generic startup BGM under entire video — pick a hook moment for the BGM swell only.
60s LinkedIn (60s-linkedin)
Channel: LinkedIn feed. Aspect: 4:5 (1080×1350) — 2026 default. Target: 15–60s sweet spot.
Beat Sheet (45s reference)
| Time | Beat | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:03 | Hook | Layered hook addressing a workplace pain |
| 0:03–0:12 | Pain | "Most teams still do X manually. Here's the cost." |
| 0:12–0:36 | Solution | Show the new way with one Aha |
| 0:36–0:42 | Result | Quantified outcome (time saved, errors avoided) |
| 0:42–0:45 | CTA | Single next step ("Try it free" + URL) |
Anti-Patterns
- 16:9 reused on 4:5 — top/bottom UI lost.
- "Excited to share..." opener.
- Founder selfie with no product on screen.
90s Hero (90s-hero)
Channel: Sales site hero, LinkedIn ads, YouTube pre-roll. Aspect: 16:9 (1920×1080). Target: feature-rich without losing engagement.
Beat Sheet
| Time | Beat | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:05 | Hook | Visual + text + (optional) founder VO |
| 0:05–0:20 | Pain | Show the broken status quo, possibly via B-roll |
| 0:20–1:05 | Solution | 3 mini-Aha moments tied to one through-line |
| 1:05–1:20 | Result | Outcomes layered (number + emotion + customer logo) |
| 1:20–1:30 | CTA | URL + secondary action (docs / pricing) |
Notes
- Founder-led VO outperforms anonymous narration on LinkedIn / sales.
- B-roll overlays at 70–85% opacity hold visual interest during talk-heavy sections.
180s Walkthrough (180s-walkthrough)
Channel: YouTube long, docs page, internal training. Aspect: 16:9. Required: chapter markers (YouTube chapters or page.screencast.showChapter()).
Beat Sheet (3 minutes, 5 chapters)
| Time | Chapter | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:15 | Ch1: Pain | Hook + pain framing |
| 0:15–0:45 | Ch2: Setup | Account / data setup |
| 0:45–1:45 | Ch3: Aha | Main feature reveal, 1 Aha |
| 1:45–2:30 | Ch4: Detail | Power-user features, integrations |
| 2:30–3:00 | Ch5: Result + CTA | Outcome + next step |
Anti-Patterns
- No chapter markers — YouTube engagement penalty.
- Single Aha stretched across all 3 minutes — viewers leave at 90s.
- Past 2 minutes without chapter / scene change → -40% engagement.
3×45s Series (3x45s-series)
Channel: Complex products, new categories, technical deep-dives. Aspect: 16:9 or 9:16 per platform. Target: each ep stands alone AND chains.
Episode Structure
| Ep | Hook | Focus | CTA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ep 1: Pain | "Most teams fail at X" | Establish the category gap | "Watch how we fix it →" |
| Ep 2: Aha | "Here's the missing piece" | The core differentiator | "See it for your data →" |
| Ep 3: Outcome | "After 30 days with Acme..." | Customer outcome + numbers | "Start your trial" |
Production Notes
- Shoot all 3 in a single Playwright session if state allows; export per-ep.
- Maintain visual continuity (same brand palette, same on-screen actor / cursor style).
- Per-ep transcript + VideoObject JSON-LD; cross-link with
isPartOf.
60s Founder-Led (60s-founder-led)
Channel: LinkedIn, X, podcast clips. Aspect: 16:9 or 4:5. Target: trust building.
Beat Sheet
| Time | Beat | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:05 | Hook | Founder face + bold claim |
| 0:05–0:25 | Why | Why we built it (90% face, 10% screen) |
| 0:25–0:50 | Show | Screen takes over; founder voice continues |
| 0:50–1:00 | CTA | Founder asks for the click |
Notes
- Founder VO outperforms TTS for trust-driven contexts.
- This is the one archetype where talking-head is encouraged.
- Use Cue to capture the screen segments; mix in an externally recorded founder track at post-production.
Agent Receipt (agent-receipt)
Channel: PR comments, audit logs, Slack. Aspect: 16:9. Length: as long as the work takes (30–120s typical). No narrative arc — this is evidence.
Beat Sheet
| Time | Beat | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:03 | Task chapter | showChapter({ title: 'Task: <description>' }) |
| 0:03–end | Execution | Real agentic flow; showActions() annotates clicks |
| (end) | Result chapter | showChapter({ title: 'Done: <outcome>' }) |
Notes
- No music, no overlays beyond auto-action annotations.
- Pair with
browser.bind()so the agent and Cue share one browser. onFrameoptional — only enable for live Vision-Model audit.- Output naming:
agent_receipt_[task]_[date].webm.
Picking an Archetype: Quick Heuristics
- Channel is TikTok / Reels / Shorts →
30s-social-hook. - LinkedIn feed →
60s-linkedin(4:5). - Product Hunt →
60s-producthunt(1:1 or 16:9). - YouTube long or docs →
180s-walkthroughwith chapters. - Complex product launch →
3x45s-series. - Founder personal brand →
60s-founder-led. - Agentic CI / audit work →
agent-receipt. - Anything past 120s without chapters → re-pick an archetype that fits, or split into a series.
Cross-References
- Aspect ratios and viewport pairings →
playwright-config.md → Aspect Ratio Presets. - Hook design (layered hook, 3-sec rule) →
scenario-guidelines.md → 3-Second Layered Hook. - Quality verdict per archetype →
checklist.md → Quality Scorecard (/97). - Transcript + VideoObject for AI citation →
geo-packaging.md. - TTS narration per archetype →
voiceover-design.md → Voice Selection Matrix.