---
name: create-a-3-minute-why-video
description: "Tell the true story behind your work in a short video. Help a new viewer see who you serve and why."
category: Content Factory — Produce
stage: Produce
definitive_article: /social-amplification
status: complete
---

# Create a 3-minute WHY video

People may know what you sell but not why you care. This guide helps an owner tell the true story behind the work. Start with one event that shaped your choice, then explain what it means for the people you serve.

**The path:** True origin story → Three speaking notes → Short video → Editor.

**Use this when:** The owner’s purpose and business goals are clear but there is no useful video that explains them.

## Inputs
- The owner’s stated purpose, current offer, and agreed business goals. Use the real source document, not an agent’s guessed memory.
- A true origin story the owner is willing to share and the facts needed to check it.
- The owner, a phone, and a real place connected to the story, with permission to film there.
- The approved raw folder, tracker access, and an editor. Record any people or details that must stay private.

## First-run prompt

> Help me shape my true origin story into three speaking notes for a three-minute video. Use my goals, offer, and facts. Flag anything you cannot verify. Give me a plain opening, a review checklist, and a file handoff; do not invent my biography or claim the video is ready for an ad.

## Steps
1. Read the agreed goals and offer with the owner. Write one plain sentence about who the business helps and why the owner does this work. If the purpose is not yet clear, draft that sentence for the owner to resolve before filming.
2. Choose one true moment that shows the purpose. Identify what happened, what the owner learned, and what changed in the work. Remove facts that cannot be confirmed; do not add drama to make the story stronger.
3. Make three speaking notes: the origin moment; who the owner serves and what they believe; what that means for a customer today. Practice saying the notes aloud without reading a script.
4. Set the phone in a real location linked to the story. Check the picture and microphone input. Keep private details out of the frame. The person, rather than a logo or stock scene, carries this story.
5. Record a take of about three minutes. Make the purpose clear in the first 30 seconds, then tell the example. This length is the source task’s format; it is not proof that the video fits a future ad placement.
6. Review the facts and meaning. Can a new viewer explain who this helps and why the owner cares? Keep a natural take; redo a failed recording or false claim. Use silent agent checks and name any remaining sound-review need.
7. Name the file YYYY-MM-DD-brandname-why-video with a take suffix if needed. Upload it, confirm the saved link, and log the source facts, purpose, length, rights, and next editor.
8. Queue it for [Upload the source to Drive and Descript](https://local-service-spotlight.github.io/task-library/?task=step-1-upload-video-to-google-drive-and-descript#task-step-1-upload-video-to-google-drive-and-descript). In the [Topic Wheel](https://blitzmetrics.com/topic-wheel/), this story belongs in WHY on the outside; the offer remains WHAT at the center. An About-page or ad version is a later editorial choice.

## Definition of done (QA checklist)

- [ ] The purpose is plain within the first 30 seconds, and a true origin moment supports it.
- [ ] The story names who the business serves and explains a useful customer meaning.
- [ ] The take is roughly three minutes; any format exception is stated and accepted.
- [ ] The raw file, facts, permissions, and review state are saved and handed to an editor.
- [ ] No later ad eligibility, performance, or public use is assumed from making the video.

## Example(s)

**Fictional teaching example — not a founder biography.** Alex, the made-up owner of Maple Cycle, uses these notes for a sample three-minute story:

| Part | Speaking note | What it teaches |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Opening | “I opened this shop so people can ask basic bike questions without feeling silly.” | Clear purpose |
| Origin | “When I first rode to work, I did not know how to ask for help at a repair shop.” | One specific moment, not a slogan |
| Customer meaning | “We explain the work and quote before you choose what to do.” | What the belief changes in the service |

The sample outline allows 30 seconds for the purpose, 90 for the story, and 60 for its meaning. Those are planning notes, not measured video times. A real recording must use the real owner’s story; never give Alex’s invented past to another person.

## Handoff and Content Factory context

The editor receives the raw story and fact notes through [Upload the source to Drive and Descript](https://local-service-spotlight.github.io/task-library/?task=step-1-upload-video-to-google-drive-and-descript#task-step-1-upload-video-to-google-drive-and-descript). [Create a 3×3 video grid](https://local-service-spotlight.github.io/task-library/?task=create-a-3x3-video-grid#task-create-a-3x3-video-grid) can use the story as planning context, but an existing WHY video does not fill all nine grid cells.

This task serves **Produce** in the [Content Factory](https://blitzmetrics.com/content-factory/). Produce makes or prepares source material. Process edits it, Post puts approved work on a channel, and Promote helps it reach people. Only the steps and handoff above are part of this task.

## When this runs

Make an initial version when the owner’s purpose is clear. Update when the true story, offer, or needed explanation changes. The source sets no routine replacement schedule.

## Run with an agent

The agent can prepare the plan, organize allowed files, and check the evidence it can actually access. A person records real stories, supplies permission, or resolves an account step when needed. Save the current state in the project files and tracker. A model name does not create memory, access, a scheduler, or permission to act.

For all agent media checks, keep the player muted and its volume at zero before playback. If that cannot be checked, use captions, metadata, or still frames. Do not claim sound quality was heard when it was not.

## Write up the real run

For every actual attempt, [write the run’s meta article](https://blitzmetrics.com/meta-article-prompt/). Link this exact task and its source revision. State the start, work done, evidence, result, gaps, and next owner. Keep failed, partial, and blocked work visible. Writing the record does not authorize publishing it.

Use one stable execution ID for this task’s actual run. Internal retries, checks, and new versions do not add runs. A separately scoped child task may have its own ID linked to the parent. A teaching example has no real execution ID and must not enter the run count. Follow the [recipe and meta-article guide](https://localservicespotlight.com/meta-articles/) for that distinction.


<!-- factory-layer:start -->

## Factory chain (do not treat this as isolated)

- **Phase:** Produce
- **Importance:** 3/5 `●●●○○` — frequency 3, revenue 3, gating 2 (supporting)
- **Suggested previous station:** `film-casual-team-conversations`
- **Suggested next station:** `create-a-3x3-video-grid`
These stations are generated neighbors, not verified prerequisites or handoffs. Follow the task’s actual Inputs and Handoff sections.
- **Handoff:** Raw files in Content Library `01-Raw/` plus a tracker row (question, date, speaker). Next skill never needs the chat — it needs the files.

## Model routing (same factory, any engine)

- **This task's lane:** `any` — Any capable chat model (Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini). SOP following, drafts, checklists.
- **Single-engine path:** Use the capable AI app you already have. Check its required tools and access before starting. Pass the actual result and proof to the next task.
- **Optional multi-engine:** A tested local model may draft; a stronger model may review facts and voice. Use supported tools for approved actions. Pick models from observed quality and cost; a model name does not prove it can run this task.
- **Never** store the working state in one vendor's memory. Files in the Content Library are the bridge.

<!-- factory-layer:end -->
## Definitive article & links

- Canonical article: https://blitzmetrics.com/social-amplification
- Exact task: [Create a 3-minute WHY video](https://local-service-spotlight.github.io/task-library/?task=create-a-3-minute-why-video#task-create-a-3-minute-why-video)
- Publishing standard: [Article Guidelines](https://localservicespotlight.com/article-guidelines/)
- [Topic Wheel: stories, topics, and offer](https://blitzmetrics.com/topic-wheel/)
- [Social Amplification operating context](https://blitzmetrics.com/social-amplification/)

## Review and evidence still needed

The contributor status in the source header is preserved. It is not a claim that this draft has been independently accepted or that a real run has passed. The worked example above is for teaching only.
- The current Social Amplification operating hub explains phase 3 generally; the exact three-minute format comes from this existing task source.
- A real owner’s story, recorded take and independent review remain required.