AI video for a small business promo: cap each Sume run's spend
Small Business Saturday is Nov 28, 2026. Set generation_spend_cap_usd on each Sume Format run so a promo cannot overspend, and read the receipt.
For a small-business promo, the Sume control that matters most is generation_spend_cap_usd on the run. It caps what the run's generation tools may spend, and a run that tries to spend past the cap ends failed, not with a surprise bill. Small Business Saturday falls on November 28 this year, so a short test now is cheap insurance.
What the cap does
The docs set the rules: the field accepts a value up to 500, null means 500, 0 is rejected, and if you leave it out the run inherits the Format's cap, which is $400 when the Format never set one. That is a ceiling for a large team, so for a small promo set your own number.
| Control | Setting | Why it helps a small shop |
|---|---|---|
generation_spend_cap_usd | Up to 500; 0 rejected | Stops a run that loops on a hard brief |
Idempotency-Key | Same key, same body replays | A retry does not pay twice |
usage.debited_usd_micros | On the receipt | The real cost; use it for your books |
usage.billable_amount_usd_micros | Excludes the LLM turn | Not the full cost |
Set it and read it back
Pick a cap from what one good output is worth to you, run one item, and compare the cap with debited_usd_micros. Raise the cap only if the receipt shows the run needed it. The cap is not a quote: a low cap can end a run early as failed.
curl -sS -X POST https://api.sume.com/v1/formats/sume/sume-product-commercial/runs \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $SUME_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Idempotency-Key: sbs-bakery-v1" \
-d '{
"instruction": "Vertical 9:16 promo for a neighborhood bakery, Small Business Saturday",
"generation_spend_cap_usd": 15
}'Check the failure path before the day
Run once with a cap you expect to be too low, and see what comes back. Read status, outcome and any output_error, since the docs say a completed run can still carry an error. A promo you tested yesterday is easier to trust than one you first run on the morning of the sale.
The $15 above is an example, not a price. Sume does not publish a fixed cost for this Format in these docs, so learn it from your own receipt.
Keep the promo small and specific
A small shop does not need a long film. One short vertical clip of the product, one still for the storefront banner and one caption cover most promos. Give each its own run and its own cap so one expensive result cannot eat the budget for the others.
Write the offer into the instruction in plain words, such as the date, the discount and the street name, and review the clip for any text the model spelled wrong before you post it. Generated video text can come out garbled, so check every word on screen.
Sources
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