New Content Formats You Need to Learn in 2019: How to Write a Video Script

Writing a video script can be a scary prospect if it’s something you don’t have experience with. Copywriters frequently overlook the significance of the production planning stage, where one solidifies their goals, video concept, and script. Read on to find out how to write an effective video script, so the highest-quality service or product emerges from the production software.

Answer the Most Important Questions

Experts recommend starting with a brief, which documents the answers to frequently asked questions, so everybody working on the video is on the same page. The relevant platform and audience must be addressed and reflected. You need to show how your product or service solves a problem from the get-go.

Focus on the Subject and Target

Focus on your subject and goal when developing your brief. It doesn’t need to follow a specific formula or be fancy in the least, but there are a few major questions a writer needs to answer, such as why they’re making the video and who the audience is. This depends on the specific business. If you’re in the relocation business, you might choose a topic like “the best packaging for heavy items.”

Writing Effectively

After you’ve developed a brief and selected a topic, the actual writing begins. The best scripts are functional and effective. They send a clear message and always include a call to action, moving the viewer to act immediately after they have finished watching. A conversational tone is recommended so the script will sound natural. It must read in the way the actors speak. Compound and run-on sentences are to be avoided.

Script the Details

A video is never limited to just dialogue. Include multiple scenes, characters, or shots if the video features these details. Add any important information about the stage or set actions. Again, never lose sight of your platform and audience. If your audience is made up of millennials, for example, exclude references only Baby Boomers would be familiar with, and vice versa.

Consider the Platform

Do you plan on posting the video on YouTube, Facebook, or a company website? Short-form videos merit sentence fragments, but long-form tutorials need to be as detailed as possible.

If the video will transition from a close-up product shot to the subject speaking, this needs to be reflected in the script so everybody reading it knows what’s to be included in the editing process and what’s supposed to be read on-screen. For the purposes of marketing, shorter videos are more effective, so the script should be a maximum of three pages. If you’re struggling with this limit, try reading the script out loud to see if sentences can be shortened.

Don’t Try to Wing It

Excluding essential details can be just as detrimental to the outcome of your marketing initiative as including unimportant ones. Some writers will go to this extreme, jotting down the main bullet points and assuming the actor will “wing it” when they go on camera. This approach usually leads to a lot of re-dos because the message isn’t communicated very clearly. We recommend scripting every word to save yourself time and effort.

Practice Reading It

When you’re done writing, practice bringing the script to life. Sometimes words don’t sound as great when they are read out as they seem on paper. This final step of the process is where you omit anything that sounds fake, improper, or otherwise at odds with the message one wishes to send.

These are the rules of writing a video script that will move your viewer to act – sign up for a product trial, subscribe to your blog, or whatever else it is you hope they’ll do.