So you want to make a video but you don’t know where to start? OK not to worry, I’ve got your back.
This article ‘How to write a video script – 15 Top Tips‘ will help you get going on your script and give you some great tips to make it more engaging and effective.
How to write a video script – tips 1 – 5
Tip #1
First off when writing your video script you need to think ‘who is your video aimed at‘? Write your script with this person in mind.
Tip #2
In your script, talk to that one person (your target person and viewer). It’s easy to think you’re talking to a mass of people, the viewers, when making your video but really you should always think of just one person and write as if you’re taking to them. It will feel more personal and engaging.
Tip #3
Be “YOU” focused. By that I mean make the video about your viewer and how you or your company, product or service can help them or fix their pain point or problem. So you will be using the word YOU a lot more than the WE.
For example… YOU’LL find our software so simple to use, that it will save YOU masses of time…
I’m writing this article in a YOU focused way. Just re-read the opening paragraph and you’ll see what I mean.
When people watch videos they are constantly thinking “What’s in it for me?”
So by being ‘YOU’ focused and by providing a fix to their pain point or issue you’ll make your viewer feel more included in your video.
Tip #4
Think about the purpose of your video. What action do you want the person watching to take after watching your video? Then make sure you add a good call to action at the end. In your call to action make sure you tell your viewer what to do at the end of your video, in clear language and show your contact details on screen too.
Tip #5
A good place to start, when writing your video script, is to touch on a pain point, poke around the wound a bit, then offer the solution (your business, product or service). A good way to do this is to start with a questions. I used this techniques at the beginning of this article.
How to write a video script – tips 6 – 10
Tip #6
If presenting a pain point doesn’t work for you and your subject matter, try thinking of the main 3 to 5 points you want to get across. And cover them off one-by-one.
Tip #7
Make sure you tell your viewer the main unique selling point of your business, product or service. You can go on to explain the benefit of using your company.
Tip #8
Keep your script conversational, write how you talk i.e. using words like ‘You’ll’ rather than ‘You will’. And you can start sentences with ‘And’ or ‘OK then’.
Tip #9
Use positive language rather than double negatives. You won’t believe how many people talk in double negatives when you bother to listen out for it. For example: “I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them”…is a very common way people recommend people. It’s much more powerful is someone says: I would highly recommend them!
Tip #10
Explain the benefits as well as features. So a feature is something being easy to use, a benefit is that it saves you time.
How to write a video script – tips 11 – 15
Tip #11
Use emotional words. Apparently we’re programmed to buy on emotion and although information helps to change that emotional state, it’s the emotion that drives the sale. You can use emotional words as opposed to logical words to help you create that buying state. Google emotion words to see a list…
Tip #12
Keep your video script short and snappy. The average watch time on my YouTube channel is 1:47 seconds. That means people are turning off the videos at that point (on average). So if you make a 5 minute masterpiece most people won’t be watching the last 3:13 of it and they’ll turn off before getting to your all important call to action!
Tip #13
If your video is a how-to style video, you can open a loop at the start to keep the viewer watching. So how do you do that? Well you need to tell them that coming up you are going to reveal a valuable piece of information which they need to keep watching to find out what it is. Then later in the video you can close that loop by revealing the information and satisfying their curiosity. You can use this techniques several times within the same video.
Tip #14
If you are teaching something in your video you can use the steps method. An example of this would be:
“So there are 5 basic steps to writing your script….Step 1 is blah blah blah”.
The good thing about this method is that it breaks your content up into nice bite sized chunks. Your viewer knows where they are in the learning process and knows how much is still to come, meaning they don’t get easily distracted or frustrated and are more likely to watch the whole of your video.
Tip #14
Just do it! Stop procrastinating by reading every article under the sun and just start writing it! You’re ready!
So hopefully now you have a few ideas on how to write a video script or at least you know a few tips to get you started towards script writing success! If you need help writing your video script get in contact.