Sign-In
Cart
Everything a Contractor Needs to Know About AI Generated Video
Paperback
Please select the version of book you would like to purchase.
ISBN13: 9798196520914
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: May 11 2026
Pages: 464
Weight: 1.36
Height: 0.94 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: May 11 2026
Pages: 464
Weight: 1.36
Height: 0.94 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
The honest, no-hype guide to using AI to make real video for your contracting business - written by a contractor for contractors. A year ago, producing a 30-second ad that didn't look terrible cost you somewhere between $500 and $5,000. Either you hired a videographer, you spent a Saturday learning a video editor, or you bought stock footage and stitched it together. Today, with the right AI tools, a contractor with no production background can produce a passable video ad in about an hour for less than the cost of a steak dinner. This book is the deep-dive companion to my earlier work on AI for contractors. It covers one topic - AI generated video - but it covers it the way a working contractor needs it covered: tool by tool, prompt by prompt, channel by channel, with the honest math on what it costs, what it does well, and where it still falls down. Inside, you'll learn: - The four categories of AI video (text-to-video, image-to-video, talking-head avatars, motion-from-still) - what each is good for, what each costs, where each one fails
- The current real state of the major platforms - Sora, Runway, Veo, Kling, Pika, HeyGen, Synthesia, Hedra - including which ones got shut down, which got bought, and which are actually worth your subscription dollar
- How to write video prompts that don't waste your generation credits - camera language, lighting language, shot composition language that AI tools actually respond to
- AI voiceover and voice cloning - when AI voice is good enough for a customer-facing ad, when it isn't, and what consent rules to know before cloning a voice
- AI music for commercial use - what's actually licensed for advertising, what isn't, and the mistake that's already cost contractors brand strikes on Meta
- Avatars - using your own face with AI lip-sync vs. building a synthetic presenter, with the disclosure norms that protect your reputation either way
- Channel-by-channel deep dives - Meta and Google paid ads, YouTube (long-form and Shorts), website hero video, Instagram Reels, TikTok, LinkedIn, and AI video for direct sales follow-up
- The full production pipeline - script → storyboard → generate → edit → publish - for a contractor who has thirty minutes, not a weekend
- A realistic video-a-week cadence built around what a small shop can actually sustain
- Where AI video still fails in 2026 (hands, on-screen text, complex physical actions, branded equipment) and the workarounds that experienced operators use
- The legal and compliance layer - likeness law, FTC requirements for AI-generated ads, platform labeling policies on Meta and YouTube, music licensing, and insurance considerations most contractors don't think about
- Cost realism - what AI video actually costs a small contractor monthly, with the math broken out per tool and per output
- A 30/60/90-day AI video rollout you can hand to your team Plus: a complete bonus chapter with copy-and-paste prompt sets for every common contractor video workflow - hero website loops, service-page demos, before-and-after, ad creative, social posts, sales follow-up videos, and more. Steal them. Use them this week. Who this book is for: Owners and operators of HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, garage door, pest control, restoration, landscaping, and adjacent home service businesses. Shop owners who know video matters and want to use AI to make it without becoming a videographer. Who this book is NOT for: Tech reviewers, marketing agencies, or anyone hoping to learn cinematic theory. This is a working operator's field manual, not a film school primer. The contractors winning at AI video in 2026 aren't the ones with the most subscriptions. They're the ones who picked two or three tools, learned to prompt them well, and started shipping. Read this book, pick the tool that fits, and start shipping.
- How to write video prompts that don't waste your generation credits - camera language, lighting language, shot composition language that AI tools actually respond to
- AI voiceover and voice cloning - when AI voice is good enough for a customer-facing ad, when it isn't, and what consent rules to know before cloning a voice
- AI music for commercial use - what's actually licensed for advertising, what isn't, and the mistake that's already cost contractors brand strikes on Meta
- Avatars - using your own face with AI lip-sync vs. building a synthetic presenter, with the disclosure norms that protect your reputation either way
- Channel-by-channel deep dives - Meta and Google paid ads, YouTube (long-form and Shorts), website hero video, Instagram Reels, TikTok, LinkedIn, and AI video for direct sales follow-up
- The full production pipeline - script → storyboard → generate → edit → publish - for a contractor who has thirty minutes, not a weekend
- A realistic video-a-week cadence built around what a small shop can actually sustain
- Where AI video still fails in 2026 (hands, on-screen text, complex physical actions, branded equipment) and the workarounds that experienced operators use
- The legal and compliance layer - likeness law, FTC requirements for AI-generated ads, platform labeling policies on Meta and YouTube, music licensing, and insurance considerations most contractors don't think about
- Cost realism - what AI video actually costs a small contractor monthly, with the math broken out per tool and per output
- A 30/60/90-day AI video rollout you can hand to your team Plus: a complete bonus chapter with copy-and-paste prompt sets for every common contractor video workflow - hero website loops, service-page demos, before-and-after, ad creative, social posts, sales follow-up videos, and more. Steal them. Use them this week. Who this book is for: Owners and operators of HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, garage door, pest control, restoration, landscaping, and adjacent home service businesses. Shop owners who know video matters and want to use AI to make it without becoming a videographer. Who this book is NOT for: Tech reviewers, marketing agencies, or anyone hoping to learn cinematic theory. This is a working operator's field manual, not a film school primer. The contractors winning at AI video in 2026 aren't the ones with the most subscriptions. They're the ones who picked two or three tools, learned to prompt them well, and started shipping. Read this book, pick the tool that fits, and start shipping.
Also from
Smith, Christopher
Inspiring Stories of Airplanes for Young Readers: Soaring Through History and Innovation for Beginning Readers
Smith, Christopher
Paperback
$13.19
Ignite: A Strategic Guide to Solving Fire & Police Recruiting Challenges with Digital Solutions
Smith, Christopher
Paperback
$17.99
Atheist Awakening: Secular Activism and Community in America
Cimino, Richard
Smith, Christopher
Hardcover
$41.99
Fratricide in the Holy Land: A Psychoanalytic View of the Arab-Israeli Conflict
Falk, Avner
Hardcover
$35.00
Running of the Bulls: A gripping psychological thriller with stunning twists
Smith, Christopher
Paperback
$23.74
Criminal Justice in America, Loose-Leaf Version
Cole, George
Smith, Christopher
Dejong, Christina
Paperback
$208.73
Criminal Justice in America, Loose-Leaf Version
Dejong, Christina
Cole, George
Smith, Christopher
Paperback
$0.00
Badanie neurokognitywne dotyczące tendencji do wybierania natychmiastowej nagrody
Smith, Christopher
Paperback
$72.50
Indagine neurocognitiva sul bias di selezione della ricompensa immediata
Smith, Christopher
Paperback
$72.50
Also in
Business General
Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition
Switzler, Al
Grenny, Joseph
Patterson, Kerry
Paperback
$11.99
The Pig and I: The Tale of Our Relationship with a Beast We Eat
Endresen, Kristoffer Hattleland
Hardcover
From $10.99
Inspired: Understanding Creativity: A Journey Through Art, Science, and the Soul
Richtel, Matt
Hardcover
$28.49
Quiet Girls Can Run the World: Owning Your Power When You're Not the Alpha in the Room
Holman, Rebecca
Paperback
$27.00
Inclusive Conversations: Fostering Equity, Empathy, and Belonging Across Differences
Winters, Mary-Frances
Paperback
$22.75
Disney's Land: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World
Richard Snow
Hardcover
$10.99
Climb: Taking Every Step with Conviction, Courage, and Calculated Risk to Achieve a Thriving Career and a Successful Life
Brown, Carolyn M.
Gadsden-Williams, Michelle
Paperback
$15.15
The Token: Common Sense Ideas for Increasing Diversity in Your Organization
Farmer, Crystal Byrd
Paperback
$14.24
Paris Chic & Trendy: Designers' Studios, Hip Boutiques, Vintage Shops
Ribes-Tiphaine, Adrienne
Paperback
$6.99
The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI: How to Think about Artificial Intelligence--Before It's Too Late
Doctorow, Cory
Paperback
$16.20
The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking about
Robbins, Mel
Robbins, Sawyer
Hardcover
From $17.99
Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
Guidara, Will
Hardcover
From $11.99
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself, Updated and Expanded (Featuring How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen)
Review, Harvard Business
Drucker, Peter F.
Gallo, Amy
Paperback
$25.60
The Risk Worth Taking: A Story of Breaking Free and Trading for a Life You Love
Ijeoma, Teri
Hardcover
$23.75
Focused & Fearless Leadership: Preventing the Crisis Before It Starts
Overton, Melissa Godwin
Paperback
$18.95
The Retire Sooner Method: The 5 Secrets Behind America's Happiest (and Unhappiest) Retirees
Moss, Wes
Hardcover
$21.80
1873: The Rothschilds, the First Great Depression, and the Making of the Modern World
Ahamed, Liaquat
Hardcover
$28.80
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Mental Toughness, Updated and Expanded (Featuring How to Stop Worrying about What Other People Think of You by Michael Gervais)
Review, Harvard Business
Gervais, Michael
Duckworth, Angela L.
Paperback
$25.60
The Goal: 40th Anniversary Edition: A Process of Ongoing Improvement
Cox, Jeff
Goldratt, Eliyahu M.
Paperback
$23.70
Take Breaks, Work Better: Measure Impact, Not Hours, and Transform Your Profitability
Briggs, John
Paperback
$19.90
How to Be a Rich Old Lady: Your Guide to Easy Investing, Building Wealth, and Creating the Wild, Beautiful Life You Want
Holden, Amanda
Hardcover
$27.00
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
Grenny, Joseph
McMillan, Ron
Patterson, Kerry
Paperback
$22.80
How We Could: The Framework to Lead Without Drama, Build Alignment, and Call Teams to Greatness
Dorr, Alex
Hardcover
$26.55
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Leadership, Updated and Expanded (Featuring Begin with Trust by Frances X. Frei and Anne Morriss)
Review, Harvard Business
Edmondson, Amy C.
Ibarra, Herminia
Paperback
$25.60
The Everywhere Millionaire: Who Is Really Rich in America and How They Got There
Zidar, Owen
Zwick, Eric
Hardcover
$31.34
Money Unlocked: How to Make It, Keep It and Multiply It: The New York Times Bestseller
Lee, John
Paperback
$18.04
The Freedom-Based Business Method: Reset, Systemize, and Realign Your Business to Live a Life of Harmony
Ellis, Natalie
Hardcover
$26.59
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
Holiday, Ryan
Hanselman, Stephen
Hardcover
From $12.99
Surrender to Lead: The Counterintuitive Approach to Driving Extraordinary Results
Kriegel, Jessica
Terry, Joe
Hardcover
$28.49
The Courage to Commit: Embrace the Radical Power of Sticking with Something
East, Andrew
Johnson, Shawn
Hardcover
$30.40
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (Pmbok(r) Guide) -- Eighth Edition and the Standard for Project Management
Project Management Institute
Paperback
$113.05
Who Moved My Cheese?: An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life
Johnson, Spencer
Hardcover
$26.60
The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, Deepmind, and the Quest for Superintelligence
Mallaby, Sebastian
Hardcover
$28.80
Conversation: How to Connect with Anyone & Make Every Interaction Count
Van Edwards, Vanessa
Hardcover
$30.40
The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you
Fitzpatrick, Rob
Paperback
$23.99
The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy
Danko, William D., PH. D.
Stanley, Thomas J., PH. D.
Paperback
From $11.99
Dummies Guide to Starting Your Own Business: Essential Steps to Launching and Scaling a Successful Small Business Venture
Press, Essywrites
Paperback
$15.59
7-Figure Educator: Turn Your Experience as an Educator Into Income, Impact, and Freedom
Jordan-Thomas, Erica
Paperback
$18.99
Get Scalable: The Operating System Your Business Needs To Run and Scale Without You
Deiss, Ryan
Paperback
$18.00
Confidence (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Review, Harvard Business
Kanter, Rosabeth Moss
Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas
Paperback
$18.99
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More, and Change the Way You Lead Forever
Stanier, Michael Bungay
Paperback
$16.10
What the Heck Is Eos?: A Complete Guide for Employees in Companies Running on EOS
Wickman, Gino
Bouwer, Tom
Hardcover
From $11.99
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It
Voss, Chris
Raz, Tahl
Hardcover
From $14.99
I Will Teach You to Be Rich: No Guilt. No Excuses. Just a 6-Week Program That Works (Second Edition)
Sethi, Ramit
Paperback
From $11.99
Twenty Minutes Is the New Hour: The Ambitious Woman's Guide to Doing Less and Achieving More
Hauser, Fran
Hardcover
$28.50
The Overthinker's Guide to Making Decisions: How to Make Decisions Without Losing Your Mind
Nguyen, Joseph
Hardcover
$20.90
Stop Asking for Referrals: Build a Magnetic Business Through Intentional Care & Real Relationships
McNally, Flor de Maria
Paperback
$18.99
Hábitos Atómicos: Cambios Pequeños, Resultados Extraordinarios / Atomic Habits
Clear, James
Paperback
$16.10
The Eureka Machine: Why AI Is the Key to Unlocking a New Era of Scientific Discoveries
Socher, Richard
Hardcover
$28.50
Mindful Listening (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Hougaard, Rasmus
Zenger, Jack
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
$18.99
Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong--and What You Really Need to Know
Oster, Emily
Paperback
$18.05
Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
Brown, Brené
Hardcover
From $14.99
Influence and Persuasion (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Review, Harvard Business
Morgan, Nick
Cialdini, Robert B.
Paperback
$18.99
A Little More Social: How Small Choices Create Unexpected Happiness, Health, and Connection
Epley, Nicholas
Hardcover
$30.40
Building Great Businesses: Create Momentum, Overcome Setbacks, and Scale with Confidence
Becker, Scott
Hardcover
$20.90
Money to Burn: The Unvarnished Truth about Leon Black, Apollo, and the Rise of a New Wall Street
Cohan, William D.
Hardcover
$38.00
Crucial Accountability: Proven Skills to Build Trust, Address Disappointment, and Get Results, Third Edition
Hale, Justin
Patterson, Kerry
Grenny, Joseph
Hardcover
$20.90
Happiness (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
McKee, Annie
Gilbert, Daniel
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
$18.99
Power and Impact (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Review, Harvard Business
Cable, Dan
Bregman, Peter
Paperback
$18.99
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving in
Fisher, Roger
Ury, William
Patton, Bruce
Paperback
From $11.99
Mindfulness (HBR Emotional Intelligence Series)
Review, Harvard Business
Langer, Ellen
Goleman, Daniel
Paperback
$18.99
The Algorithm: The Hypergrowth Formula That Transformed Tesla, Lululemon, General Motors, and Spacex
McNeill, Jon
Hardcover
$28.50
How to Work with Complicated People: Strategies for Effective Collaboration with (Nearly) Anyone
Leak, Ryan
Hardcover
$35.94
No Experience Necessary: Why Betting on Yourself in Your Twenties Is the Best Decision You'll Ever Make
Harary, Ronnen
Hardcover
$29.45
From Operator to Owner: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Running a Business That Doesn't Run You
Landry, Liz
Hardcover
$26.60
The Way of Excellence: A Guide to True Greatness and Deep Satisfaction in a Chaotic World
Stulberg, Brad
Hardcover
$26.99
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Strategy, Updated and Expanded (Featuring the Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy by Michael E. Porter)
Review, Harvard Business
Porter, Michael E.
Kim, W. Chan
Paperback
$25.60
Feedback That Works: How to Build and Deliver Your Message, Second Edition
Center for Creative Leadership
Paperback
$19.94
Take It Personal: How to Succeed by Building Relationships and Playing the Long Game
Grutman, David
Hardcover
$26.60
The Phoenix Project: A Novel about It, Devops, and Helping Your Business Win
Kim, Gene
Behr, Kevin
Spafford, George
Paperback
$22.80