14 Tips For Writing Video Scripts – Researching, Editing & Recording
How to Write a Great Video Script – 14 Tips for Researching, Writing, Editing and Recording
Learn how to write scripts that improve the quality of your videos and keep your audience engaged. From YouTube to social media, we share tips on researching, writing, and recording better scripts for your videos.
Whether you’re a YouTuber, TikToker or online educator, odds are you’ll benefit from having a good script. From keeping you on track to helping you seem more confident, a solid script can improve the quality of your video and encourage audience engagement.
But what does a good script actually look like? Does every content creator need one? And how do you go about writing one?
If you’re new to video scriptwriting or you’re looking for tips to improve your current copy, keep reading. Below, we share our best tips on researching, writing, and recording better video scripts.
Is it essential to write a script for your video?
Most content creators will benefit from writing a script. In fact, many top YouTubers and TikTokers write scripts before recording their videos and voiceovers. Scripts are especially useful for videos that have to be planned entirely in advance, such as video essays.
Here are a few reasons why you might want to consider writing a script for your next video:
- It can help you come across as more confident in your delivery
- It will help mitigate any pauses or filler words which can slow your pacing
- It will help you get to the point (and get your point across)
- It can make your video seem more polished and professional
- You can rehearse your delivery to sound as natural and conversational as possible
- Seeing the script written down before recording can help ensure the video flows logically
- It can help you address all key points without having to rerecord later
- It enables you to ask for feedback before publishing
- It helps you clarify and focus on the value proposition of each video
- It can help ensure your information is accurate and mitigate mistakes (particularly important for educational videos)
- You can easily repurpose the content for another medium after recording i.e. a blog or social media caption
Not every kind of content creator will need a script though – at least, not a full, line-by-line copy of everything they’re going to say. For example, many vloggers or gaming content creators aren’t able to write a script before filming if they don’t know what’s going to happen. That said, even those kinds of content creators can still benefit from planning a loose outline of their video to help guide the narrative.
Also, while some creators like to prepare a full script, others prefer having just a few bullet points to work with. Everyone has a different approach to scriptwriting, and yours will depend on personal preference, level of speaking ability, and the type of content you’re creating.
Tips for researching your script
Research your audience to find video topics
Understanding your audience is so much more than just ‘knowing your niche’, because it helps you:
- Talk to them like a friend – speak to them how they want to be spoken to.
- Answer their questions – create content that genuinely provides value.
- Keep their attention – know how to pace and structure your video for maximum viewer retention.
Here are some easy ways to research your audience and video topics:
Check the comments of big creators:
One of the easiest ways to get to know your audience and come up with video ideas is to check the comments of big creators in your space. You may stumble across questions that haven’t been answered or controversial comments that you can make an engaging video about. You’ll also see how creators within your niche tend to communicate with their audience and vice versa – this will be really useful for making your script more engaging.
TikTok Creator Search Insights:
If you’re on TikTok, the Creator Search Insights tool is extremely useful to see what sort of content people are searching for in your niche. You can access the tool by typing ‘Creator Search Insights’ into the search bar and clicking on the first result. The ‘Content Gap’ tab is particularly useful, showing you popular search queries that have very few high-quality results.
Keyword research:
Use free SEO tools like Google Keyword Planner and TubeBuddy’s Keyword Explorer to brainstorm video ideas. Search for topics, questions, or keywords related to your niche, and choose those with high search volumes and low competition to boost your discoverability.
Consider the length of the script for your audience
Although there’s no definitive answer for how long your script should be, you can get a good idea of how your audience might react by:
- Researching other creators in your niche – how long are their videos? What is their pacing like? Do they use lots of aids like b-roll and sound effects to keep their audience engaged?
- Checking your stats – if you’ve already made some videos, you should check your audience retention analytics. Does your audience prefer your longer or shorter videos? Do they usually watch the full video or do they drop off before the end?
- Consider your platform – if you plan on posting your content to both YouTube and social media, you might want to rework your script to better suit each platform. Videos under 60 seconds are more likely to go viral on TikTok and Instagram Reels, whereas longform videos have a better chance of finding success on YouTube.
Once you know roughly how long you’d like your video to be, you can tailor your script with this in mind. A good rate of speech is 140-160 words per minute, so use this as a guideline when writing and editing your script.
Tips for writing your script
Lead with a solid hook or intro
The first few seconds of your video are crucial for viewer retention, which in turn is key to gaining momentum and going viral.
Of course, writing a hook for a TikTok video will be different to writing an intro for a YouTube video, but the purpose remains the same – convince your audience to stick around until the end.
On TikTok, you’ll want to get your audience invested within the first 3 seconds. This is known as the ‘hook’.
TikTok hook examples:
- “You won’t believe what happened when ______”
- “A lot of people don’t understand that ______”
- “This one hack will mean you never have to ______ again”
YouTube intros:
For YouTube videos, your introduction will be longer than 3 seconds – 8-20 seconds is a good intro length for videos under 10 minutes. Within this timeframe, you’ll want to explain to your audience why they should keep watching. That could include:
- A sneak peek of what’s coming up
- Stating your problem and teasing the solution
- Highlighting the best parts of your video
- Promising a surprise or gift at the end
Use storytelling techniques to help guide your video
Whatever kind of video you’re recording, you’ll want to use storytelling techniques to bring your audience on a journey with you. That means having a clear:
- Start (hook/intro)
- Middle (main points/journey/experience/problem and solution)
- End (conclusion/call to action)
While this is a very basic outline, thinking of your video with a progressive narrative like this can help you formulate a script and structure. We’ve written a whole other blog on how to use storytelling to improve your YouTube videos – check it out if you want to learn more.
Think about what’s happening onscreen for every sentence
One thing that sets pro content creators apart from beginners is their approach to scriptwriting. Many go beyond simply writing down what they’re going to say, and create a shot list to accompany each line.
While this won’t be possible for all kinds of content creators, it’s worthwhile for those who can plan their content in advance – like video essays or explainer videos.
You don’t have to write out a visual cue for every single part of your script, but doing so can make your video feel more professional. Having a good idea about what’s happening onscreen while you’re speaking will also make filming and sourcing b-roll more efficient.
Encourage audience participation
Optimising your script for viewer interaction can help increase your engagement and encourage the algorithm to boost your video. You could ask your viewers a question about the topic of your video or prompt them to leave a comment with their opinion.
Don’t rely fully on scriptwriting aids
While AI tools like ChatGPT can help you brainstorm topics and structure your script, you shouldn’t rely on them fully.
You’ll want to stand out as a content creator, and relying too heavily on AI to write your script can limit your creativity and uniqueness.
Be yourself
It sounds cliche, but one of the best approaches to writing scripts is to be yourself. That means letting your personality shine through, using the phrases you normally would, and not acting too formal.
Worried that you speak in a different way to most other creators in your niche? Don’t be. That could be the thing that resonates most with your audience. Embrace your accent and quirky phrases for the best chance of standing out online.
Tips for editing your script
Avoid jargon and unnecessary words
You’ll want your script to read as naturally as possible – like you’re explaining something to a friend. That means avoiding technical jargon that might confuse your audience or cause their attention to waver.
You should also avoid using unnecessary words, which can slow your delivery and drop audience engagement. The easiest way to do this is during the editing stage – after you’ve written the first draft of your script.
Websites like ProWritingAid’s Free Redundant Word Checker can help you do this quickly and easily. Just paste your script into the tool and it will flag any unnecessary words for you, or show you a more suitable alternative.
Avoid long or complex sentences
Studies show that the lengthier your sentences, the less people understand. That’s why you should aim to keep each sentence under 25 words, and never over 30. Avoiding complex sentences will make it easier for you to record your script and improve readability should you turn it into a blog.
Include punctuation in your script
It may seem pedantic, but including punctuation in your script can hugely improve your pacing and tone. Commas, full stops and even text styling like italics can be used as cues for when to pause, inflect, and slow down your speech. This will help prevent you from sounding robotic or monotonous when reading your script, and make it feel more like a conversation.
Break your script up into small paragraphs or sentences
In a similar way to punctuation, breaking your script up into small paragraphs or sentences can improve your pacing and delivery.
Having to read a huge paragraph of text out loud can be quite daunting, and you may end up rushing through it in a robotic tone. By breaking the text up into more manageable chunks – or even single sentences – you can maintain an enthusiastic tone (and your audience’s attention).
Get feedback on your script
Asking for a third party opinion before recording your script is always a good idea. It can alert you to any important points you might have missed and let you know where your script might be lacking.
Friends and family are a good choice if you know they’ll give you an honest opinion. There are also multiple subreddits where you can ask for feedback from experienced writers, such as r/copywriting and r/writers.
Tips for recording your script
Read your script from a teleprompter
Reading from a teleprompter is one of the easiest way to improve the delivery and pacing of your script. Choose a free teleprompter app like Teleprompter Pro, which allows you to easily import or paste your prewritten script.
Here’s why Teleprompter Pro is the perfect companion for video content creators:
- Customisable pacing – set your text to scroll at a pace that suits you
- Stylise your text – highlight, underline, italicise your text and more
- Adjustable line spacing – break up sentences and paragraphs
- Add timers and countdowns – stay in time with other elements in your video
- In-app camera – read your script and notes as you record
It’s a good idea to practise reading from your teleprompter app before hitting record. Keep adjusting the scroll time, font and line spacing until your script is comfortable to read and sounds natural.