{ "slug": "why-your-fresh-herbs-die-in-the-fridge", "edition": "dtc", "angle": "problem-solution", "vertical": "home-kitchen", "title": "Why your fresh herbs die in the fridge", "summary": "A home cook pulls a slimy bag of cilantro from the fridge, explains herbs need water at the stems and air at the top, and shows a bunch still green days later in a herb keeper.", "example": { "brand": "Verdell", "product": "A clear herb keeper with a water reservoir and vented lid that fits in a fridge door", "audience": "Home cooks 28–50 who waste fresh herbs every week" }, "creator": { "archetype": "Family home cook, late 30s", "look": "Woman, 39, Black, curly hair in a puff wrapped with a patterned headwrap, dark-brown skin, gold hoop earrings, mustard apron over a white tee", "setting": "Warm family kitchen with butcher-block counters, a fridge, potted basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light" }, "primaryModel": "gemini", "duration": 20, "variables": [ { "key": "PRODUCT_NAME", "example": "Verdell Herb Keeper", "note": "Your product's name" }, { "key": "DAYS", "example": "12", "note": "Honest days-fresh count" }, { "key": "PRICE", "example": "$24", "note": "Price" } ], "beats": [ { "stage": "hook", "start": 0, "end": 3, "title": "Slimy cilantro", "prompt": "Vertical 9:16 handheld selfie video in a warm family kitchen, butcher-block counters, fridge, basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light. A 39-year-old Black woman, curly hair under a patterned headwrap, gold hoops, mustard apron over a white tee, pulls a plastic bag of wilted, darkened, slimy cilantro out of the open fridge, holds it up to the lens between two fingers and makes a disgusted face. Slight handheld shake, cool fridge light on her face mixed with warm daylight, natural skin texture, shot on iPhone, handheld, unpolished, vertical 9:16. She says: \"Every time. Two days.\"", "dialogue": "Every time. Two days.", "onScreenText": "$4 of cilantro, dead in 2 days", "shots": [ { "t": "0.0–3.0", "framing": "MCU", "action": "Slimy herb bag held to lens, grimace" } ], "audio": "Fridge hum, squelchy plastic, no music", "references": [ "creator", "setting" ], "variants": { "seedance": "Slimy cilantro. Vertical 9:16 UGC clip, 3 seconds, one continuous handheld take unless timecodes say cut.\nReferences: @Image1 = creator reference; @Image2 = setting reference. Keep the person, wardrobe and room identical to the references.\n0–3s: MCU. Slimy herb bag held to lens, grimace.\nVertical 9:16 handheld selfie video in a warm family kitchen, butcher-block counters, fridge, basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light. A 39-year-old Black woman, curly hair under a patterned headwrap, gold hoops, mustard apron over a white tee, pulls a plastic bag of wilted, darkened, slimy cilantro out of the open fridge, holds it up to the lens between two fingers and makes a disgusted face. Slight handheld shake, cool fridge light on her face mixed with warm daylight, natural skin texture, shot on iPhone, handheld, unpolished, vertical 9:16.\nDialogue (Family home cook, late 30s): \"Every time. Two days.\"\nNo subtitles. No on-screen text. No logos. Natural voice, no background music.", "kling": "Subject: Woman, 39, Black, curly hair in a puff wrapped with a patterned headwrap, dark-brown skin, gold hoop earrings, mustard apron over a white tee.\nSetting: Warm family kitchen with butcher-block counters, a fridge, potted basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light.\nVertical 9:16 handheld selfie video in a warm family kitchen, butcher-block counters, fridge, basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light. A 39-year-old Black woman, curly hair under a patterned headwrap, gold hoops, mustard apron over a white tee, pulls a plastic bag of wilted, darkened, slimy cilantro out of the open fridge, holds it up to the lens between two fingers and makes a disgusted face. Slight handheld shake, cool fridge light on her face mixed with warm daylight, natural skin texture, shot on iPhone, handheld, unpolished, vertical 9:16.\n[Creator: Family home cook, late 30s, natural and conversational]: \"Every time. Two days.\"", "gemini": "Vertical 9:16 handheld selfie video in a warm family kitchen, butcher-block counters, fridge, basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light. A 39-year-old Black woman, curly hair under a patterned headwrap, gold hoops, mustard apron over a white tee, pulls a plastic bag of wilted, darkened, slimy cilantro out of the open fridge, holds it up to the lens between two fingers and makes a disgusted face. Slight handheld shake, cool fridge light on her face mixed with warm daylight, natural skin texture, shot on iPhone, handheld, unpolished, vertical 9:16. She says: \"Every time. Two days.\" No captions or on-screen text." }, "settings": { "seedance": { "duration": "4 s", "aspect_ratio": "9:16", "resolution": "1080p (720p where the API caps it)", "generate_audio": "true", "references": "@Image1: creator, @Image2: setting", "first_frame": "creator reference" }, "kling": { "duration": "5 s (trim to 3 s)", "aspect_ratio": "9:16", "mode": "Pro / 1080p", "cfg_scale": "0.5", "negative_prompt": "subtitles, captions, on-screen text, watermark, logo, distorted hands, extra fingers, warped phone screen, morphing face, plastic skin, studio lighting", "elements": "creator, setting", "native_audio": "on (voice reference optional)" }, "gemini": { "duration": "3 s", "aspect_ratio": "9:16", "resolution": "720p · 24 fps", "audio": "always on — normalise to −14 LUFS in the edit", "image_urls": "creator, setting (guides look, doesn't lock frame 1)" } } }, { "stage": "demo", "start": 3, "end": 10, "title": "Water low, air high", "prompt": "Vertical 9:16 medium close-up handheld in a warm family kitchen, butcher-block counters, fridge, basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light. The same 39-year-old Black woman, curly hair under a patterned headwrap, gold hoops, mustard apron over a white tee, trims fresh cilantro stems, stands the bunch in a tall clear herb keeper with a little water at the base, clicks the vented lid on, and slides it into the fridge door, explaining to the lens like she's telling a friend. Handheld, warm late-afternoon light, natural skin texture, shot on iPhone, handheld, unpolished, vertical 9:16, talking to camera. She says: \"They need water at the stems and air at the top. This does both.\"", "dialogue": "They need water at the stems and air at the top. This does both.", "onScreenText": "Water at the stems. Air at the top.", "shots": [ { "t": "3.0–6.5", "framing": "CU", "action": "Stems trimmed, bunch into keeper with water" }, { "t": "6.5–10.0", "framing": "MCU", "action": "Lid clicks, slides into fridge door" } ], "audio": "Lid click, light acoustic beat", "references": [ "creator", "product", "setting" ], "variants": { "seedance": "Water low, air high. Vertical 9:16 UGC clip, 7 seconds, one continuous handheld take unless timecodes say cut.\nReferences: @Image1 = creator reference; @Image2 = product reference; @Image3 = setting reference. Keep the person, wardrobe and room identical to the references.\n0–4s: CU. Stems trimmed, bunch into keeper with water.\n4–7s: MCU. Lid clicks, slides into fridge door.\nVertical 9:16 medium close-up handheld in a warm family kitchen, butcher-block counters, fridge, basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light. The same 39-year-old Black woman, curly hair under a patterned headwrap, gold hoops, mustard apron over a white tee, trims fresh cilantro stems, stands the bunch in a tall clear herb keeper with a little water at the base, clicks the vented lid on, and slides it into the fridge door, explaining to the lens like she's telling a friend. Handheld, warm late-afternoon light, natural skin texture, shot on iPhone, handheld, unpolished, vertical 9:16, talking to camera.\nDialogue (Family home cook, late 30s): \"They need water at the stems and air at the top. This does both.\"\nNo subtitles. No on-screen text. No logos. Natural voice, no background music.", "kling": "Subject: Woman, 39, Black, curly hair in a puff wrapped with a patterned headwrap, dark-brown skin, gold hoop earrings, mustard apron over a white tee.\nSetting: Warm family kitchen with butcher-block counters, a fridge, potted basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light.\nVertical 9:16 medium close-up handheld in a warm family kitchen, butcher-block counters, fridge, basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light. The same 39-year-old Black woman, curly hair under a patterned headwrap, gold hoops, mustard apron over a white tee, trims fresh cilantro stems, stands the bunch in a tall clear herb keeper with a little water at the base, clicks the vented lid on, and slides it into the fridge door, explaining to the lens like she's telling a friend. Handheld, warm late-afternoon light, natural skin texture, shot on iPhone, handheld, unpolished, vertical 9:16, talking to camera.\n[Creator: Family home cook, late 30s, natural and conversational]: \"They need water at the stems and air at the top. This does both.\"", "gemini": "Vertical 9:16 medium close-up handheld in a warm family kitchen, butcher-block counters, fridge, basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light. The same 39-year-old Black woman, curly hair under a patterned headwrap, gold hoops, mustard apron over a white tee, trims fresh cilantro stems, stands the bunch in a tall clear herb keeper with a little water at the base, clicks the vented lid on, and slides it into the fridge door, explaining to the lens like she's telling a friend. Handheld, warm late-afternoon light, natural skin texture, shot on iPhone, handheld, unpolished, vertical 9:16, talking to camera. She says: \"They need water at the stems and air at the top. This does both.\" No captions or on-screen text. (Generates 10 s — trim to 7 s in the edit.)" }, "settings": { "seedance": { "duration": "7 s", "aspect_ratio": "9:16", "resolution": "1080p (720p where the API caps it)", "generate_audio": "true", "references": "@Image1: creator, @Image2: product, @Image3: setting", "first_frame": "—" }, "kling": { "duration": "10 s (trim to 7 s)", "aspect_ratio": "9:16", "mode": "Pro / 1080p", "cfg_scale": "0.5", "negative_prompt": "subtitles, captions, on-screen text, watermark, logo, distorted hands, extra fingers, warped phone screen, morphing face, plastic skin, studio lighting", "elements": "creator, product, setting", "native_audio": "on (voice reference optional)" }, "gemini": { "duration": "10 s (trim to 7 s)", "aspect_ratio": "9:16", "resolution": "720p · 24 fps", "audio": "always on — normalise to −14 LUFS in the edit", "image_urls": "creator, product, setting (guides look, doesn't lock frame 1)" } } }, { "stage": "proof", "start": 10, "end": 16, "title": "Still green", "prompt": "Vertical 9:16 close-up handheld selfie in a warm family kitchen, butcher-block counters, fridge, basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light. The same 39-year-old Black woman, curly hair under a patterned headwrap, gold hoops, mustard apron over a white tee, opens the fridge, pulls out the clear herb keeper and lifts the lid: the cilantro inside is bright green and perky. She pulls a sprig, snaps it to show it's crisp, and holds it to the lens, impressed. Handheld, warm daylight, natural skin texture, shot on iPhone, handheld, unpolished, vertical 9:16. She says: \"This bunch is {{DAYS}} days old. Still green.\"", "dialogue": "This bunch is {{DAYS}} days old. Still green.", "onScreenText": "Day {{DAYS}} 🌿", "shots": [ { "t": "10.0–13.0", "framing": "CU", "action": "Keeper out, lid off, bright cilantro" }, { "t": "13.0–16.0", "framing": "CU", "action": "Sprig snapped, held to lens" } ], "audio": "Crisp snap of the stem, beat continues", "references": [ "creator", "product" ], "variants": { "seedance": "Still green. Vertical 9:16 UGC clip, 6 seconds, one continuous handheld take unless timecodes say cut.\nReferences: @Image1 = creator reference; @Image2 = product reference. Keep the person, wardrobe and room identical to the references.\n0–3s: CU. Keeper out, lid off, bright cilantro.\n3–6s: CU. Sprig snapped, held to lens.\nVertical 9:16 close-up handheld selfie in a warm family kitchen, butcher-block counters, fridge, basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light. The same 39-year-old Black woman, curly hair under a patterned headwrap, gold hoops, mustard apron over a white tee, opens the fridge, pulls out the clear herb keeper and lifts the lid: the cilantro inside is bright green and perky. She pulls a sprig, snaps it to show it's crisp, and holds it to the lens, impressed. Handheld, warm daylight, natural skin texture, shot on iPhone, handheld, unpolished, vertical 9:16.\nDialogue (Family home cook, late 30s): \"This bunch is {{DAYS}} days old. Still green.\"\nNo subtitles. No on-screen text. No logos. Natural voice, no background music.", "kling": "Subject: Woman, 39, Black, curly hair in a puff wrapped with a patterned headwrap, dark-brown skin, gold hoop earrings, mustard apron over a white tee.\nSetting: Warm family kitchen with butcher-block counters, a fridge, potted basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light.\nVertical 9:16 close-up handheld selfie in a warm family kitchen, butcher-block counters, fridge, basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light. The same 39-year-old Black woman, curly hair under a patterned headwrap, gold hoops, mustard apron over a white tee, opens the fridge, pulls out the clear herb keeper and lifts the lid: the cilantro inside is bright green and perky. She pulls a sprig, snaps it to show it's crisp, and holds it to the lens, impressed. Handheld, warm daylight, natural skin texture, shot on iPhone, handheld, unpolished, vertical 9:16.\n[Creator: Family home cook, late 30s, natural and conversational]: \"This bunch is {{DAYS}} days old. Still green.\"", "gemini": "Vertical 9:16 close-up handheld selfie in a warm family kitchen, butcher-block counters, fridge, basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light. The same 39-year-old Black woman, curly hair under a patterned headwrap, gold hoops, mustard apron over a white tee, opens the fridge, pulls out the clear herb keeper and lifts the lid: the cilantro inside is bright green and perky. She pulls a sprig, snaps it to show it's crisp, and holds it to the lens, impressed. Handheld, warm daylight, natural skin texture, shot on iPhone, handheld, unpolished, vertical 9:16. She says: \"This bunch is {{DAYS}} days old. Still green.\" No captions or on-screen text. (Generates 10 s — trim to 6 s in the edit.)" }, "settings": { "seedance": { "duration": "6 s", "aspect_ratio": "9:16", "resolution": "1080p (720p where the API caps it)", "generate_audio": "true", "references": "@Image1: creator, @Image2: product", "first_frame": "—" }, "kling": { "duration": "10 s (trim to 6 s)", "aspect_ratio": "9:16", "mode": "Pro / 1080p", "cfg_scale": "0.5", "negative_prompt": "subtitles, captions, on-screen text, watermark, logo, distorted hands, extra fingers, warped phone screen, morphing face, plastic skin, studio lighting", "elements": "creator, product", "native_audio": "on (voice reference optional)" }, "gemini": { "duration": "10 s (trim to 6 s)", "aspect_ratio": "9:16", "resolution": "720p · 24 fps", "audio": "always on — normalise to −14 LUFS in the edit", "image_urls": "creator, product (guides look, doesn't lock frame 1)" } } }, { "stage": "cta", "start": 16, "end": 20, "title": "Stop binning herbs", "prompt": "Vertical 9:16 handheld medium close-up in a warm family kitchen, butcher-block counters, fridge, basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light. The same 39-year-old Black woman, curly hair under a patterned headwrap, gold hoops, mustard apron over a white tee, sprinkles chopped cilantro over a bowl of rice and beans, puts the herb keeper back in the fridge door and closes it with her hip, smiling at the lens. Handheld, warm late-afternoon light, natural skin texture, shot on iPhone, handheld, unpolished, vertical 9:16, relaxed. She says: \"{{PRODUCT_NAME}}. Stop binning herbs.\"", "dialogue": "{{PRODUCT_NAME}}. Stop binning herbs.", "onScreenText": "{{PRODUCT_NAME}} · {{PRICE}}", "shots": [ { "t": "16.0–20.0", "framing": "MCU", "action": "Garnishes bowl, hip-closes fridge, smiles; end card" } ], "audio": "Fridge door thud, beat ends", "references": [ "creator", "product", "endcard" ], "variants": { "seedance": "Stop binning herbs. Vertical 9:16 UGC clip, 4 seconds, one continuous handheld take unless timecodes say cut.\nReferences: @Image1 = creator reference; @Image2 = product reference. Keep the person, wardrobe and room identical to the references.\n0–4s: MCU. Garnishes bowl, hip-closes fridge, smiles; end card.\nVertical 9:16 handheld medium close-up in a warm family kitchen, butcher-block counters, fridge, basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light. The same 39-year-old Black woman, curly hair under a patterned headwrap, gold hoops, mustard apron over a white tee, sprinkles chopped cilantro over a bowl of rice and beans, puts the herb keeper back in the fridge door and closes it with her hip, smiling at the lens. Handheld, warm late-afternoon light, natural skin texture, shot on iPhone, handheld, unpolished, vertical 9:16, relaxed.\nDialogue (Family home cook, late 30s): \"{{PRODUCT_NAME}}. Stop binning herbs.\"\nNo subtitles. No on-screen text. No logos. Natural voice, no background music.", "kling": "Subject: Woman, 39, Black, curly hair in a puff wrapped with a patterned headwrap, dark-brown skin, gold hoop earrings, mustard apron over a white tee.\nSetting: Warm family kitchen with butcher-block counters, a fridge, potted basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light.\nVertical 9:16 handheld medium close-up in a warm family kitchen, butcher-block counters, fridge, basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light. The same 39-year-old Black woman, curly hair under a patterned headwrap, gold hoops, mustard apron over a white tee, sprinkles chopped cilantro over a bowl of rice and beans, puts the herb keeper back in the fridge door and closes it with her hip, smiling at the lens. Handheld, warm late-afternoon light, natural skin texture, shot on iPhone, handheld, unpolished, vertical 9:16, relaxed.\n[Creator: Family home cook, late 30s, natural and conversational]: \"{{PRODUCT_NAME}}. Stop binning herbs.\"", "gemini": "Vertical 9:16 handheld medium close-up in a warm family kitchen, butcher-block counters, fridge, basil on the windowsill, late-afternoon light. The same 39-year-old Black woman, curly hair under a patterned headwrap, gold hoops, mustard apron over a white tee, sprinkles chopped cilantro over a bowl of rice and beans, puts the herb keeper back in the fridge door and closes it with her hip, smiling at the lens. Handheld, warm late-afternoon light, natural skin texture, shot on iPhone, handheld, unpolished, vertical 9:16, relaxed. She says: \"{{PRODUCT_NAME}}. Stop binning herbs.\" No captions or on-screen text. (Generates 5 s — trim to 4 s in the edit.)" }, "settings": { "seedance": { "duration": "4 s", "aspect_ratio": "9:16", "resolution": "1080p (720p where the API caps it)", "generate_audio": "true", "references": "@Image1: creator, @Image2: product", "first_frame": "—" }, "kling": { "duration": "5 s (trim to 4 s)", "aspect_ratio": "9:16", "mode": "Pro / 1080p", "cfg_scale": "0.5", "negative_prompt": "subtitles, captions, on-screen text, watermark, logo, distorted hands, extra fingers, warped phone screen, morphing face, plastic skin, studio lighting", "elements": "creator, product", "native_audio": "on (voice reference optional)" }, "gemini": { "duration": "5 s (trim to 4 s)", "aspect_ratio": "9:16", "resolution": "720p · 24 fps", "audio": "always on — normalise to −14 LUFS in the edit", "image_urls": "creator, product (guides look, doesn't lock frame 1)" } } } ], "hookVariants": [ "I was throwing away $15 of herbs a week.", "Your fridge is killing your basil.", "Cilantro lasts 12 days if you do this." ], "referenceImages": [ { "id": "creator", "what": "Front-facing photo of the creator, shoulders up, neutral expression, even daylight: Woman, 39, Black, curly hair in a puff wrapped with a patterned headwrap, dark-brown skin, gold hoop earrings, mustard apron over a white tee", "how": "Generate once with your image model (or shoot your real creator) and attach as the subject/character reference on every beat; use it as the first frame of the hook." }, { "id": "product", "what": "Tall clear herb keeper with water reservoir and vented lid, empty and filled with fresh cilantro", "how": "Photograph the real product on a plain background in daylight (front, side and one close detail) and attach it as the product/object reference on every beat that shows it. Keep the product large in frame so the model holds its colour and shape." }, { "id": "setting", "what": "Warm family kitchen with butcher-block counters, a fridge and basil on the windowsill in late-afternoon light", "how": "Attach as a scene/background reference on every beat so all four clips share one place and one light." }, { "id": "endcard", "what": "Product packshot, brand name and offer on a plain background in your brand colours", "how": "Overlay in the editor for the final 1–1.5 s; don't ask the video model to render logos, prices or small text." } ], "whyItWorks": "The slimy-bag shot is gross enough to stop a scroll and specific enough to trigger 'that's me'. Explaining the simple reason (water low, air high) makes the product feel logical rather than gimmicky, and day-count proof is easy to believe.", "tips": [ "Shoot the 'day 12' proof for real; it's what comments will question.", "Swap cilantro for basil or mint depending on season.", "The 'why' line works as a standalone hook variant." ], "captionStyle": "Dark-green bold sans on white pill, upper third" }