The short answer
Start with the reels one car’s photos can make: Just arrived, a walkaround, a price drop, Sold. Then add what only your team can film: a delivery, a staff intro, a customer’s first drive. Twenty ideas below, each with its length.
- US dealers say only 38% of their live listings have video (Phyron’s survey, September 2026).
- Twelve ideas need nothing but the photos you already took.
- Eight need your phone and your people.
Twelve from one car’s photos
1 · 8 to 10 s
Just arrived
The car the day it lands, with the price and km.
2 · 20 to 30 s
Walkaround
Outside, inside, the details, and the price at the end.
3 · 5 photos
Carousel
The front, side, back, seats and dash in one swipe.
4 · 10 to 15 s
Pick of the week
One car, featured right before the weekend.
5 · 10 to 20 s
New style, same car
The same photos in a new look, for everyone who scrolled past.
6 · 6 to 8 s
Sold
Proof your lot moves cars.
Coming soon
7 · 8 to 15 s
Coming soon
A car in the dark before it’s on the lot. StudioOS’s Coming Soon style traces its outline in light.
Price drop
8 · 6 to 10 s
Price drop
The old price and the new one, in the first second.
Three things it has
9 · 10 to 15 s
Three features
Three things this car has that the one down the road doesn’t.
Seats, screen, space
10 · 10 to 15 s
Inside the cabin
For buyers who already like the outside.
Winter ready
11 · 10 to 15 s
Winter ready
All-wheel drive, heated seats, remote start: what buyers check in November.
Good first car
12 · 10 to 15 s
Good first car
Easy to drive and easy to park, for new drivers and their parents.
Eight to film with your team
Delivery day
1 · 15 to 30 s
Delivery day
The keys, the handshake, the first drive off the lot. Ask before you film a customer.
Meet the team
2 · 15 to 20 s
Meet the team
One person, one line: who they are and what they do here.
Behind the detail
3 · 15 to 30 s
Behind the detail
A trade-in, from dusty to front-line ready.
Question of the week
4 · 20 to 40 s
Question of the week
Answer one thing buyers ask: trade-ins, warranties, what a fair price looks like.
A walk of the lot
5 · 20 to 30 s
A walk of the lot
What came in this week, one shot a car.
In their words
6 · 15 to 30 s
In their words
A happy buyer, in their own words, with their permission.
The inspection
7 · 20 to 30 s
The inspection
What your shop checks before a car goes on sale.
Your street
8 · 15 to 30 s
Your street
Your town, your block, the coffee place next door. People buy from people nearby.
Where each one goes
- Reels, TikTok and Shorts: vertical, 8 to 30 seconds.
- Facebook and Instagram feeds: square or 4:5.
- Your website and listings: 4:3 or wide.
The limits on every platform, and the right length for each kind of post: How long should a car reel be?
38%
Of live vehicle listings with video, on average, by US dealers’ own count.
Phyron’s survey of 250 US auto marketing leaders, September 2026.
3.7 min
Median time from tap to finished reel in StudioOS: 24 reels, September 30 to October 23, 2026. Half took between 2.6 and 6.1 minutes.
StudioOS’s own records. Most were test reels made by StudioOS.
Making the photo ideas in StudioOS
- Add a few photos of the car, or paste its listing link.
- Pick a style: Studio, Coming Soon, Comic, Off-Road, Knight, Industrial, Star or Nature.
- Pick the length and the shape; the price and km come from you.
- Every reel ends on your logo and dealer number.
Sources
- US auto retailers struggling to scale video across live vehicle listings (Phyron’s survey), Digital Dealer, September 3, 2026.
Try it on a car from your lot.
Add a few photos, or paste the listing link.
20 free credits. No card.
