How to Write a YouTube Video Script
Do you believe YouTube videos aren’t scripted? You may have to rethink you decision if you do!
Sure, you’ll need the correct YouTube vlogging equipment, a banging soundtrack, and high-quality cinematography to create fascinating videos, but a well-written and well-executed screenplay may make or break your YouTube video in terms of exposure and interaction.
If you’re just getting started as a YouTuber, or if you’re having trouble keeping your viewers engaged on your channel, this article will point you in the right direction on how to write a great YouTube video script.
How to Write a YouTube Video Script - 7+ Proven Techniques to Get It Right Every Time
What Is A Video Script?
A video script is a written document that outlines the dialogue, actions, and visual elements of a video. It serves as a roadmap for the video production process, helping to ensure that the final product is clear, cohesive, and effective.
A video script for a YouTube video typically includes the following elements:
- Introduction: This section should grab the viewer’s attention and set the tone for the rest of the video. It could include an attention-grabbing headline, a teaser of what’s to come, or a brief overview of the topic.
- Body: The body of the script should present the main content of the video, including any key points or arguments you want to make. This section should be organized and easy to follow, using transitional phrases or headings to help guide the viewer through the content.
- Conclusion: The conclusion of the video should summarize the main points of the video and encourage the viewer to take some sort of action, such as subscribing to the channel or visiting a website.
- Visual elements: The script should also include any visual elements that will be used in the video, such as graphics, images, or on-screen text. These should be described in detail and placed in the script at the appropriate points in the video.
Overall, a video script is a crucial tool for creating a successful YouTube video. It helps to ensure that the final product is well-organized, engaging, and effective at conveying your message to the viewer.
Below are some tips to help you in creating and delivering the best video script for your next social media video content.
What Is Your Objective?
Video Script How To Write – To be a successful YouTuber, you must first identify your video’s goal or objective. The goal of your video should be able to be described in a single sentence.
Is it for the purpose of publicizing your skills, business, or talent? Is it to keep current viewers or clients interested, or to attract new ones? Do you want to monetize the video with advertisements? Is it your intention to both entertain and gain more subscribers?
After you’ve defined your goals or objectives, spend time researching other popular YouTubers in your niche, as well as the components that make them engaging.
You might even find a sample or template script that you can use to make your own video. Take inspiration from others, but don’t plagiarise or steal content. Check out this link for some pre-writing strategies.
Who Is Your Audience?
Learn How To Write A Video Script – Your audience is important, and you must understand them — their goals, desires, questions, and preferences. A clear demographic will assist you in determining the voice, approach, presentation, material, and call-to-action. What you say depends on who you’re talking to.
Is your audience interested in your knowledge? What useful information can you provide to help them solve a problem? People watch tutorials to learn how you can assist them. Be specific and get right to the point.
Always keep in mind who you’re speaking with, including their age, interests, location, language background, education level, and even gender.
Take note of any previous comments or suggestions from your audience. What would they like to see more of? What are their preferences and dislikes? Investigate your most popular videos and most active followers before creating your next video.
If you want to speak to a completely different group of people, you must assert your authority right away. This is your opportunity to tell others about yourself!
Highlight your experience, skills, work, and client list at the top of the video, or direct viewers to your portfolio, reel, or another video that tells them who you are and why you are an expert on this subject.
What Is The Tone Of Your Video?
What Is Video Script – Tone is crucial. Will you take a serious, comedic, experimental, professional, or wacky approach? Your tone is determined by your objectives and audience. Maintain a consistent tone throughout your presentation to ensure your audience is engaged from start to finish.
Consider the emotional response you want your viewers to have and modify the tone of your YouTube video script accordingly. Your chosen tone will influence the narration, music or soundtrack, and visuals you use.
If you’re going to give a great deal of information verbally, make it conversational but insightful. If humour is your preferred mode of delivery, practise your jokes in front of an audience first! To establish a clear brand style, the tone should be consistent with your previous (and future) work.
What Is Your Strategy?
What Is A Video Script – To put your vision into action, you’ll need a strategy. Is it your intention to keep the audience engaged with visuals?
If this is the case, you should devote a majority of your time to pre-production and focus on storyboarding your shots to make the story flow.
You may want to hire a motion graphics artist to create slick and relevant animation for explainer videos. Check out this link to the 7 important steps of low budget filmmaking if you want to improve your filmmaking skills.
Do you want to elicit an emotional response from your audience? Then speak to them rather than at them. Make it your own. Use anecdotes or stories from your own life. Be open and honest.
Is it your intention to impress your audience with your knowledge and experience? Then you could be more professional while still being entertaining.
What role does storytelling play? Can you use a character to lead your audience through a question-and-answer session? Maintain a clear focus and resist from using too many characters or plotlines. Always keep your theme and plan of action in mind.
What's Your Delivery?
Video Script Writing – How will the information be relayed? What is the most appropriate structure and length? For instance, if you’re creating an explainer video, you might want to divide it into sections to whet your audience’s desire and keep them coming back for much more.
Can you enlist the assistance of a professional to talk in your video? All of this can be scripted, including talking heads and discussions with powerful b-roll to back it up. Make sure to direct your person being interviewed to give sound bites that strengthen your video’s theme and final call to action.
Will you speak directly to the camera or will you use voiceover? Then you might want to include lines that will be read aloud by a teleprompter (which can be a smartphone, computer, or tablet).
Even if the script isn’t exactly followed, your host should have enough beats to cover the key points of the video subject matter. For some, key points may be more efficient than a script reading. Perform an off-camera read-through of the script before you start filming.
What Is the Message/Content?
Writing A Script For A Video – Make an effort to be simple and clear right from the start. The first ten seconds of your youtube clip are crucial. The first one to two sentences are crucial. That’s where scripting comes in handy. Throughout the video, keep hammering home your focused message.
Consider your YouTube video script to be a three-act play, with an intro, body, and conclusion that are all separate but necessary parts. Make sure to weave your theme throughout each one.
Make a point of reading all of the speaking parts aloud. Trim for clarity as well as to reduce the overall length of the video. All of the featured components and discussion should feel natural, so read it out loud to friends, family, or coworkers and solicit feedback.
You should also double-check whatever information you share and possibly include links in the YouTube description area.
Action Is Needed
A call to action (CTA) in a YouTube video is a statement or request that prompts the viewer to take a specific action. This could be anything from subscribing to the channel, visiting a website, or purchasing a product.
The purpose of a CTA is to encourage the viewer to engage with the content and take the next step in the conversion process.
Some examples of CTAs in YouTube videos might include:
- “Like and subscribe to our channel for more great content.”
- “Visit our website to learn more about our products.”
- “Leave a comment and let us know what you think.”
- “Click the link in the description to get your special offer.”
CTAs can be effective at driving engagement and converting viewers into customers or subscribers. However, it’s important to use them sparingly and make sure they are relevant to the content of the video.
Overuse of CTAs can be off-putting to viewers and may negatively impact the effectiveness of the video.
Script Formatting
Script formatting is important in YouTube videos because it helps to organize your thoughts and make it easier for your audience to follow along. It also helps to improve the overall look and feel of your video and make it more professional.
Some key benefits of script formatting include:
- Improved readability: Proper script formatting makes it easier for you and your team to read and understand the script. This can help to identify any issues or problems with the content and ensure that it is clear and concise.
- Enhanced visual appeal: Script formatting helps to break up large blocks of text and make the script more visually appealing. This can help to keep your audience engaged and make the video more enjoyable to watch.
- Increased efficiency: Proper script formatting can help you save time and effort during the production process. By following a consistent format, you can more easily find and reference specific sections of the script, which can save time when rehearsing or shooting the video.
In summary, script formatting is important in YouTube videos because it helps to improve the readability, visual appeal, and efficiency of the production process. By formatting your script correctly, you can create a more professional and engaging video that resonates with your audience.
Click here for an example of a video script and find a free video script template as well.
Related Article: Making How-To Videos: 10+ Best Tips & Tricks
SEO
SEO, or search engine optimization, is the practice of optimizing your content to rank higher in search engine results and attract more organic traffic. This is important for YouTube videos because it can help you reach a wider audience and get more views on your videos.
Several factors can impact the SEO of your YouTube videos, including:
- Video title: The title of your video should be descriptive and contain relevant keywords.
- Video description: The description of your video should provide more information about the content of the video and include relevant keywords. Use keyword research tools such as KWFinder and SEMrush, as well as the video-specific VidIQ. These tools will help your video score higher in search rankings, boost sales and lead generation, and expand the exposure of your brand.
- Tags: Adding relevant tags to your video can help it show up in search results for those terms.
- Thumbnail: The thumbnail of your video should be eye-catching and relevant to the content of the video.
- Video length: Shorter videos tend to perform better in search results, so try to keep your videos under 10 minutes if possible.
- Video engagement: Videos that receive a lot of likes, comments, and shares are more likely to rank higher in search results.
By optimizing your YouTube videos for SEO, you can increase their visibility and reach a wider audience.
I am not an SEO expert, but there are many great YouTube clips that can help you improve the SEO of your YouTube clips like the video below.
Summary
Pre-production time spent composing your YouTube video script template can save you time, money, and big mistakes during production and editing.
Just remember the following key points for Youtube content success:
- Start with an outline: Before you start writing your script, it’s a good idea to create an outline of the key points you want to cover. This will help you stay organized and ensure that you don’t forget any important details.
- Hook your audience: The first few seconds of your video are crucial for grabbing your audience’s attention. Start with a strong opening that will make them want to keep watching.
- Identify your target audience: Think about who you are making the video for and what they are interested in. This will help you tailor your script to their needs and keep them engaged.
- Keep it simple: Your script should be easy to understand and follow. Avoid using technical language or jargon that your audience may not be familiar with.
- Use natural language: Write your script in a way that sounds natural and conversational. This will make it more engaging and relatable for your audience.
- Use visual language: In addition to the words you use, think about how you can use visual elements to help tell your story. This could include using graphics, images, or even on-screen text to reinforce your message.
- Practice and rehearse: Once you have your script written, take some time to practice and rehearse. This will help you get comfortable with the material and ensure that you can deliver it smoothly and confidently.
Bonus tip: Consider using scriptwriting software or a template to help you organize your thoughts and create a professional-looking script. This can be especially helpful if you are new to scriptwriting or if you are creating a longer, more complex video.
Want to Learn More About Photography?
Become a better photographer with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by photography masters, including Jimmy Chin, Annie Leibovitz, Tyler Mitchell, and more.
Disclaimer: Peekatthis.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
If you found this post useful, please do consider sharing it or letting your friends know via social media. Have something to add? Please feel free to do so in the comments section below. I really appreciate it!
📌 Don’t forget to save the blog for later, pin the image below!
About the author: Trent (IMDB | Youtube) has spent 10+ years working on an assortment of film and television projects. He writes about his experiences to help (and amuse) others. If he’s not working, he’s either traveling, reading or writing about travel/film, or planning travel/film projects.
