2

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Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. All and any parts of this book that are reproduced
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system should
clearly state details of the author / publisher.
Copyright
2013 Ilya Spitalnik www.PowToon.com


!"# %&'#( &) *+(,&&- .+(/#,0-1
now to create an awesome an|mated v|deo c||p that w||| get you
not|ced and your message heard w|th zero pr|or know-how!

23456
7&&/
Ak1 1 Wn AkL CAk1CCNS SC CWLkIUL? 3
1he Speclal Sauce 3
CondlLloned slnce Chlldhood Lo Love CarLoons 4
Lowerlng ?our Cuard 4
Seelng Lhe 8lgger lcLure 7
1he ower of 1oon! 8
A Solid What does/doesn't work Formula 9
A lew undenlable lacLs 10
Pow Lo CreaLe an Awesome AnlmaLed vldeo 13

Ak1 2 nCW 1C CkLA1L A CCMLLLING SnCk1 S1Ck 16
1he SecreL 8eclpe 16
lrom 1heory Lo racLlce 20
llve Challenges 21

7&-89 :&(/;&&/
Ak1 3 nCW 1C CkLA1L AN AWLSCML ANIMA1LD VIDLC CLI:
AN LAS 6-S1L kCCLSS
SLep 1 - WrlLe an awesome ScrlpL or ShorL SLory
SLep 2 SLoryboard
SLep 3 - volceover Culde / 8ackground Muslc
SLep 4 - ulvldlng Lhe Slldes
SLep 3 - opulaLe Lhe Slldes wlLh vlsuals
SLep 6 1lmlng
A 8eal lnslder 1lp

IS 1nLkL A SnCk1CU1?

A LkSCNAL NC1L IkCM 1nL UNICCkN

ALNDIk
WorksheeL: Super Lasy 3-SLep ScrlpL WrlLlng 1emplaLe
Case Study: PowToons Script for Startups Table




3
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:=> ?@5 *?@!AA3B BA %A:5@CDE!


!"# BF#G0+H B+8G#
Pave you ever found yourself waLchlng a
carLoon where mlce Lalk, elephanLs fly or
pengulns bulld alrplanes and say Lo
yourself: Thats ridiculous! Whered they
come up wlLh such nonsense?"
Actually, no! The likelihood is youve
never been boLhered by how lmplauslble
a carLoon was...
Why? Its because something magical
happens when you waLch a carLoon.
sychologlsLs have a fancy name for lL:
The Suspension of Disbelief
Its the special sauce that stops you from
asklng crlLlcal quesLlons such as: Can Lhls
acLually happen? ls Lhls really posslble?
uoes Lhls make any sense?



4

*&-I0,0&-#I 90-G# *"0HI"&&I ,& E&J# *+(,&&-9
MosL of us waLched carLoons as chlldren and sLlll - Lo Lhls day -
assoclaLe Lhem wlLh chlldlsh, non-buslness, and (more
lmporLanLly) non-sales relaLed maLLers.
Basically, weve been conditioned to accept cartoons as a non-
LhreaLenlng form of communlcaLlon and we absorb Lhelr
messages in a very different way compared to the jaded keep
your guard up attitude we typically adopt.
E&'#(0-1 >&8( K8+(I
A carLoon encourages you Lo lower your guard and sLop asklng
grown-up quesLlons llke: uo l llke Lhls packaglng? Am l famlllar
wlLh Lhls brand? uo l have any prlor experlence wlLh Lhls
vendor?
1hls ls where carLoons become such a powerful markeLlng
Lool....
By eliminating the criticizing lnsLlncL for even [usL a few
momenLs, we open ourselves Lo new messages.
1o lllusLraLe whaL l mean, Lake a look aL Lhese nexL Lwo
lmages. WlLh each, be aware of Lhe flrsL LhoughLs LhaL cross
your mlnd:



S
2L+1# <







My thoughts:
"Ch, a camera - someones probably Laklng a plcLure."




6
2L+1# M





My thoughts:
"Wow, thats a bit of a monster. Must be really heavy. ?ou
probably need speclal gear for LhaL. l beL lL cosLs a Lon as well,
its probably lnLended more for professlonals Lhan for me."




7
B##0-1 ,"# 7011#( %0G,8(#
My "grown-up," deLall-orlenLed approach Lo lmage 2 makes lL
vlrLually lmposslble Lo see any klnd of greaLer message someone
may want to convey. Im too caught up with the deLalls Lo see Lhe
blgger plcLure (no pun lnLended).




8
!"# %&'#( &) !&&-N
Parnesslng Lhe power of a carLoon can help you creaLe hlgh-
lmpacL messages LhaL speak Lo prospecLs ln ways vlrLually no
oLher medlum can, because:
1. Youre speaking to them via a channel theyre
condlLloned Lo assoclaLe wlLh fun and chlldhood (and
mosL deflnlLely !"# buslness and sales) - so Lhelr guard ls
down and theyre massively more receptive.
2. 1he added level of absLracLlon allows Lhem Lo focus on
Lhe message raLher Lhan peLLy deLalls, so Lhey can
acLually evaluaLe Lhe real beneflL.
If youd like your audience Lo Lake noLe of whaL you have Lo
say, Lhere are few beLLer ways Lhan creaLlng a carLoon Lo
convey your message!




9
CranLed, unLll recenLly, Lhls process was prohlblLlvely
expenslve, cosLlng a mlnlmum of $1,300 per mlnuLe and ofLen
reachlng $23,000+ wlLh professlonal anlmaLlon sLudlos.
1hls obsLacle lnsplred me Lo shape ow1oons vlslon of
creaLlng a Lool LhaL makes lL affordable for $!%"!& Lo creaLe
anlmaLed cllps for Lhelr buslness or servlce.

? Bolid What does/doesn't work C&(L8H+
In this short book, Im here to give you a solid What
does/doesn't work formula for anlmaLed vldeo cllps
(wheLher for your buslness or yourself), and provlde a slmple
and incredibly effective recipe that will capture viewers
lmaglnaLlon, engage Lhem, and lnsplre poslLlve acLlon Lowards
you or your producL.
ln case Lhe formula seems overly slmpllsLlc aL flrsL glance, leL
me emphaslze LhaL lL ls supporLed by a dlsLllled analysls of
261,2S4 anlmaLed presenLaLlons and carLoons, or ow1oons
as we llke Lo call Lhem, whlch we surveyed Lo come up wlLh
one easy-Lo-use yeL powerful reclpe...




10
? C#' D-I#-0+;H# C+G,9
8efore we sLarL wlLh Lhe formula, leL us revlew a few
undeniable facts weve come to understand through empirical
evldence and research:

<O B!A@25B B5EE
Its no big secret that stories sell!
CusLomers don'L wanL Lo be hlL over Lhe head wlLh producL
feaLures. 1hey wanL Lo be sold a vlslon of how a parLlcular
product or service will benefit me. They want to see
Lhemselves reaplng rewards... ldeally '"#( of Lhem. 1hlng ls, lL
can be dlfflculL Lo creaLe a "real llfe characLer" Lo convey a
vlslon because of all Lhe "grown-up" quesLlons we would ask
about this person. But its incredibly easy to achieve a vision
uslng a carLoon! 8emember, a carLoon ls all abouL Lhe blgger
plcLure and glosslng over Lhe deLalls...







11
MO PA23 !=5 *A3Q5@B?!2A3 23 !=5 Q25:5@RB =5?4
Lvery one of us has a conversaLlon golng on ln our head - ALL
1PL 1lML!
Whenever we see anyLhlng, a subllmlnal debaLe wages wlLhln
us, llke ln Lhe earller example of Lhe carLoon vs. Lhe real
camera. Cnce you recelve any sensory sLlmulus, your
subconsclous mlnd sLarLs dlscusslng lL.


1herefore, ln creaLlng
any sLory, we should
alm Lo Lap lnLo LhaL
conversaLlon golng on
in our prospects
head.
noL only LhaL, buL we
musL estab||sh a
d|a|ogue wlLh
prospecLs Lo make
Lhem pay aLLenLlon.
Ill illustrate this
prlnclple furLher as
we creaLe our sLory.







12
SO 2.?K5B QB !56!
WanL vlewers Lo pay aLLenLlon wlLh Lhe loglcal parL of Lhe
braln? use speech. 8uL lf you wanL Lhem Lo use Lhe emoLlonal
faculLy...use lmages! And lf you wanL Lo fully engage vlewers,
coord|nate |mages and speech w|th mus|c Lo geL Lhe full
lmpacL of Lhe loglcal and emoLlonal sldes.
8ecognlze LhaL Loo much LexL ln a presenLaLlon can be
dlsLracLlng. 1he human braln can process 273 words per
mlnuLe ln wrlLLen form, and lL can only hear 130 words per
mlnuLe. 1hls means LhaL puLLlng a loL of on-screen LexL can
cause a menLal dlsconnecL.
Instead, season your cartoon with short phrases or words Lo
emphaslze emoLlonal Lrlggers. 1hls can be a very powerful
way of maklng your vlewers pay aLLenLlon aL key momenLs ln
your presenLaLlon.

vldeo 1lp: More Llps on how Lo use lMACLS ln your anlmaLed vldeo
vldeo 1lp: More Llps on how Lo use 1Lx1 ln your anlmaLed vldeo



13
TO 75B! E53K!= CA@ ?3 ?32.?!54 Q245A *E2%
1he average aLLenLlon span of Lhe lacebook generaLlon ls 90
seconds. 1hls ls Lhe Llme you have Lo geL your message
acrossand the first 7 seconds are the most crucial! Thats
when you have Lo convlnce vlewers Lo acLually conLlnue
waLchlng.
Cur research lndlcaLes
8esL carLoon lengLh: 63-92 seconds
CrlLlcal sLarL: 7-10 seconds
now many words shou|d your scr|pt have?
C||p Length Number of Words
30 seconds 83
60 seconds 160
90 seconds 230

So Lhe maxlmum opLlmal lengLh for an anlmaLed vldeo ls
around 90 seconds, and you should aim to get viewers
aLLenLlon - hook Lhem - wlLhln Lhe flrsL 7 seconds. (As Lhls ls
when Lhey declde wheLher Lo conLlnue llsLenlng or noL).




14
UO B=A@! V B=A@!5@ V B=A@!5B!
It isnt easy to write a compelling short story. So its okay to
sLarL ouL wlLh a longer presenLaLlon, and Lhen cuLLlng lL down.
urafL your sLory, Lhen read lL Lhrough and edlL ouL Lhe non-
essenLlals. 1hen read lL Lhrough agaln, and cuL lL down some
more, Lhen rlnse and repeaL, unLll lL ls really, really shorL! (?ou
can always add Lhlngs back laLer).





1S
=&' ,& *(#+,# +- ?'#9&L# ?-0L+,#I Q0I#&
1o create a short, punchy an|mated v|deo, we need two
th|ngs:
1. CreaLe a compelllng shorL sLory abouL Lhe producL or
servlceLhls serves as our anlmaLlon scrlpL.
2. 1urn Lhls sLory lnLo an awesome anlmaLed vldeo cllp uslng
ow1oon!

In Part 2 of this book, Ill lead you step-by-sLep Lhrough Lhe
creaLlve process of drafLlng a slmple, powerful scrlpL.
Then, in Part 3, Ill guide you through the actual anlmaLed
vldeo creaLlon uslng Lhe ow1oon sofLware.







16
%?@! M
=A: !A *@5?!5 ? *A.%5EE23K B=A@! B!A@>


!=5 B5*@5! @5*2%5
*+F,0J+,# V 5-1+1# V *+HH ,& ?G,0&-
?our ob[ecLlve ls Lo creaLe a sLory LhaL leads vlewers Lhrough
Lhe followlng 3 sLages:
Stage 1: CAPTURE VIEWERS ATTENTION
SLage 2: LnCACL 1PLM LCnC LnCuCP 1C PLA8 ?Cu Cu1
SLage 3: lnSl8L CSl1lvL AC1lCn 1CWA8uS ?Cu, ?Cu8
88Anu or ?Cu8 8CuuC1
LeL's sLarL creaLlng a compelllng sLory by asklng Lhree
quesLlons:
1. How do I capture viewers attenLlon ln only 7 seconds?
2. How do I engage viewers so theyll want to hear us out?
3. Pow do l make Lhem Lake acLlon rlghL here and now?
To make sure were on the same page, let's clarify where your
vlewers wlll encounLer your vldeo: Cn Lhe web? AL a
Lradeshow? ln your shop? AcLually, lL doesn'L really maLLer!
What matters is what theyre thinking as they view your
maLerlal. ?ou have Lo enLer Lhe conversaLlon ln Lhelr heads...





17
W8#9,0&- <
How do I capture the viewers attention in only 7 seconds?

1he flrsL quesLlon vlewers wlll be asklng ls: "ls Lhls
vendor Lalklng Lo me? ls Lhls conLenL dlrecLed aL
me?"
So your first objective is to grab the viewers attention and
convlnce Lhem LhaL you're Lalklng Lo Lhem.
Pow do you do LhaL?
Well, Lhere are several ways. ?ou can...
shock Lhem
upseL Lhem
make Lhem laugh
gross Lhem ouL
say someLhlng Lhey really care abouL
eLc...
Cne of Lhe more effecLlve meLhods (and, lncldenLally, one LhaL
helps you quallfy Lhls person as a poLenLlal cusLomer) ls
stating a problem that theyre currently struggling with...i.e. a
sub[ecL Lhey really care abouL.
1hls wlll make Lhem look up and pay aLLenLlon!
?ou know your servlce or producL besL, and you know whaL
problem(s) lL solves. So sLaLe Lhe blggesL problem or
frusLraLlon ln order Lo snag vlewers and make lL clear LhaL
youre specifically addressing them.
vldeo 1lp: More Llps Lo grab your vlewer's aLLenLlon






18
W8#9,0&- M
=&' I& 2 engage viewers so theyll want to hear me out?

Heres a bit of sales psychology: as soon as a person crosses
Lhe lnlLlal 7 second marker and makes Lhe declslon Lo llsLen,
youve bought yourself a further 30 seconds of attention. This
ls when you musL convlnce Lhem LhaL you have someLhlng
relevanL Lo Lhem, elLher by reveallng a soluLlon or by dazzllng
Lhem wlLh your knowledge of Lhe problem.

Cary PalberL, Lhe legendary copywrlLer, once sald LhaL lf you
can descrlbe a cusLomer's problem beLLer Lhan he can
describe it himself, hell immediately accept you as an
auLhorlLy and hang onLo your every word.

W8#9,0&- S
=&' I& 2 L+/# ,"#L ,+/# +G,0&- (01", ,"#(# +-I ,"#-X

AL Lhls sLage, Lhe vlewer wlll reallze LhaL:
?ou are speclflcally addresslng Lhem
?ou acLually have someLhlng relevanL Lo say and
1here could be beneflLs Lo followlng your advlce
now you need Lo presenL Lhe soluLlon and focus on Lhe
beneflLsafLer all, Lhe vlewer needs a vlslon of how Lhls
producL or servlce wlll proflL Lhem. As we esLabllshed earller, a
carLoon ls Lhe perfecL medlum Lo convey a vlslon as opposed
to a detailed grown-up picture.




19

Once youve given Lhe vlewer a vlslon of how Lhey can use
your producL or servlce Lo Lhelr beneflL, you musL c|ar|fy the
act|on you want them to take. 1hls ls referred Lo as Lhe Call-
1o-AcLlon.
This may seem simplistic, but youd be surprised how many
people overlook Lhls crlLlcal elemenL! 1he easlesL way Lo
achleve Lhls ls by [usL sLaLlng whaL vlewers should do nexL:
cllck Lhls buLLon, search Wlklpedla, Lake ouL your credlL card,
eLc

vldeo 1lp: More Llps on how Lo sLrucLure your call-Lo-acLlon







20
C@A. !=5A@> !A %@?*!2*5
Lets turn the above theory into action using a script I wrote to
promoLe ow1oon Lo sLarLup companles.

1he prlnclples are 100 Lransferable Lo any oLher buslness,
and you can follow Lhe sLeps Lo creaLe a scrlpL for your
producL or servlce uslng Lhe same guldellnes.

Cur evaluaLlon of Lhe scrlpL should be sLrucLured as a
conversaLlon beLween you and the viewers subconscious:


1o lllusLraLe whaL l mean, Lhls lcon wlll be used Lo
represenL my volce

and Lhls lcon wlll represenL Lhe conversaLlon ln Lhe
viewers head.



21
*"+HH#-1# Y<
Convince the viewer youre talking to him



B!5% < V 5B!?7E2B= !=?! >AD ?@5 !?EZ23K !A [.5[

The viewer must be convinced that hes actually Lhe one
youre speaking to. In my case I am speaking to an
enLrepreneur who ls Lrylng Lo geL hls SLarLup off Lhe ground:
ow1oon for Startups Scr|pt: So youve got this
amazing idea thats going to make you the next Bill
CaLes...
Conversation in viewers head: ?eah, you know
what, I do have an awesome idea that Im trying to
geL off Lhe ground. l'll glve you 30 seconds Lo
convlnce me LhaL you have someLhlng LhaL could
work for me.
We now have the viewers attention and he's given us a shot
aL convlnclng hlm...



22
Now the conversat|on |n h|s head moves on:
Why should l llsLen Lo you as opposed Lo any of
Lhe hundred or Lhousand oLhers vylng for my
aLLenLlon?
1o convlnce hlm LhaL we offer someLhlng relevanL, we need Lo
elLher demonsLraLe LhaL we have a greaL deal of experlence ln
Lhe sub[ecL maLLer or show a clear beneflL of Lhe producL or
servlce.
Lxample:
- A nuLrlLlon experL "lsn'L lL Lough Lo sLlck Lo your dleL when
you see all Lhese dellclous Lhlngs around you?"
- A laundry servlce "?our washlng machlne Lakes ages and ls
nolsy..."
- A hearLburn medlcaLlon "Couldn'L sleep agaln lasL nlghL
because of hearLburn?"




23
*"+HH#-1# YM
Fuel viewers interest



B!5% M %A23! AD! !=5 %@A7E5.

ow1oon for Startups Scr|pt: 8uL every lnvesLor
you plLch Lo falls Lo undersLand why your 8lg ldea
ls so unlque. ?ou Lry Lo explaln all Lhe lmporLanL
deLalls, buL Lhelr eyes [usL glaze over.

Conversation in viewers head: Well, l have Lo
explaln my producL somehow, and l have a preLLy
compelllng sLory...whaL do you wanL me Lo do?




24
*"+HH#-1# YS
*&-J0-G# ,"# J0#'#( ,"+, \&8 "+J# 9&L#,"0-1 (#H#J+-, ,& 9+\


B!5% S V 2342*?!5 !=?! >AD =?Q5 ? BAED!2A3 A@ !=?! >AD
D345@B!?34 !=5 %@A7E5. @5?EE> :5EE

ow1oon for Startups Scr|pt: Heres the thing: The
lnsLanL you sLarL Lalklng Lo an lnvesLor or cusLomer,
their inner stopwatch starts ticking... And youve
goL 90 seconds max before Lhey compleLely wrlLe
you off! ls Lhere some maglc way around Lhls
menLal roadblock?
Conversat|on |n viewers head: WhaL? 1hey wrlLe
me off after just 90 seconds? Surely youre
exaggeraLlng!
Weve now created curiosity...



2S
*"+HH#-1# YT
B"&' ,"# ;#-#)0,9 &) 890-1 \&8( F(&I8G, &( 9#(J0G#



B!5% T V %@5B53! >AD@ BAED!2A3 ?34 2!B 7535C2!B
ow1oon for Startups Scr|pt: ?ou beLLer belleve
there is! Because youre watching it right now! Its
called a ow1oon--a slmple, super engaglng way
to keep investors and customers attention
LhroughouL your enLlre plLch.
ow1oons LranslaLe your plLches lnLo dynamlc
shorL anlmaLlons LhaL easlly connecL wlLh your
audlence, showlng Lhem exacLly why your
buslness deserves Lhelr aLLenLlon--and Lhelr
money!



26
And if they want further proof that youre a savvy
buslness owner, [usL leL Lhem know you creaLed
an lncredlble vldeo plLch for 2 of Lhe cosL lL
wouldve run you to outsource to a professional
anlmaLor or sLudlo.
Conversation in viewers head: Sounds llke Lhls
could offer me someLhlng valuable. WhaL do you
wanL me Lo do now?
*"+HH#-1# YU
K#, ,"# J0#'#( ,& ,+/# + 9,#F 0- \&8( I0(#G,0&-








27
B!5% U] 2342*?!5 :=2*= ?*!2A3 >AD :?3! !=5 Q25:5@ !A !?Z5
ow1oon for Startups Scr|pt: So slgn up Loday
and brlng ouL Lhe awesomeness ln your buslness!

Conversation in viewers head: 8eLLer check Lhls
ouL! 1hls mlghL be [usL Lhe Lhlng l need Lo convey
my message ln a beLLer way.

Weve now told the viewer what he should do. Whether hell
follow-Lhrough ls up Lo hlm and depends on how compelllng
Lhe plLch was, buL aL leasL he heard us ouL...
1hls concludes our scrlpL!
We now have Lhe raw maLerlal Lo creaLe our anlmaLed cllp.
?ou can revlew Lhe enLlre scrlpL ln Lable-form ln Lhe Appendlx
Lo Lhe 8onus Workbook.




28
1he 8onus Workbook conLalns arL 3 of 1he ower of CarLoon
MarkeLlng, where we develop Lhls scrlpL lnLo an awesome
anlmaLed vldeo.
ln arL 3, l use Lhe ow1oon sofLware for Lhe purpose of
creaLlng my anlmaLed vldeo, buL please feel free Lo use any
anlmaLlon sofLware LhaL you feel comforLable wlLh, Lhe
prlnclples are 100 Lransferable.
Youll see the finished product (including voiceover) at the
end.

"#$$ %&'( ) *+* (&$,$-. /'00 (1 23(+14.5