Video Script Free Template and 7 Tips To BREAK IT DOWN FOR YOU
1- write a brief about your youtube video outline
In order towrite a script that drives the results you want you’ll definitely need to write a video brief. Not only does this help you understand your objectives, but it also helps you understand your audience and the value you want to demonstrate to them. These insights help you craft the perfect script.- What is the purpose of your video?
- What action would you like your viewers to take?
- Who is your audience and what are their habits online?
- What value is your video bringing to your audience?
- What distribution channels are you going to use?
2- Turn your message into a story.
For any piece of video content, you create, you’ll have one or several core messages you want to communicate (your brief will help you identify these). The trick is translating these core messages into a simple story for your script to follow. Everything you decide will depend on the objective your video needs to achieve, and what your audience finds valuable and engaging. It’s not just about what you want to say to your audience: it’s also about saying it in a way that resonates with them. Your story doesn’t need to be epic or complicated. All it actually needs to be is a logical progression from one point to another, where the start is things as they currently are and the end is things as you want them to be. A good story should grab hold of your audience and tell your message in such an engaging way that it guides them to a Call-to-Action for the desired action.3- Speak in a language everyone understands.
When writing your script, always talk in your audience’s language rather than your own. Try to get outside of your own head. Remember: your video script needs to appeal to your target audience, not you, your boss, or your stakeholders. [Tweet this] Generally, you should keep the tone simple and conversational. The only excuse for breaking this rule is if you’re a bank or a hospital (and even then a relaxed tone can work wonders). It doesn’t matter if you’re B2C or B2B, internal or external — your audience wants to hear you speaking like a human, not a robot. That means cutting jargon, buzzwords, and meaningless waffle. It means speaking on a level that your audience will understand, with concepts and vocabulary they’re already familiar with. Your script should be in line with your brand voice, but never to the detriment of viewers. If you can include real words and phrases that your audience themselves use, you’re well on your way to a great video script.4- Keep it sweet and short outline.
When it comes to scriptwriting, less is always more. Say what you need to say and keep it as short and succinct as possible. We generally try to keep videos to between 2-3 minutes. (This isn’t to say every video you make will be super-short. A good training video can easily be 30 minutes long. But none of that time should be wasted, and every part of the script should be concise, precise, and necessary to the video as a whole.) In a great script, every word earns its place. The shorter your video, the more punch each sentence, phrase, and word must-have. Here are our top tips for keeping your script as lean and impactful as possible:- Say something unique, not what everyone else says
- Use simple, everyday language over unnecessarily complicated words
- Cut the flab, fluff, and superfluous information
- Never repeat yourself unless it’s for dramatic effect
- Be prepared to make sacrifices (what’s most important to communicate?)
5- Video scriptwriting isn’t just about words.
You’re making a video, not writing a novel. You’ve got more than just words to play within your script. The story in video content is told through editing, motion graphics, music, sound effects, and voice over — so don’t feel like you need to communicate everything through dialogue. Sound and visuals should work seamlessly together to bring your story and message to life, and that means including all the relevant elements in your script. Note down the action that will be happening on the screen, what sounds should be heard, and any accompanying voice over.6- Read the video script several times.
Once you’ve got a workable draft of your video script, you should start reading it out. Until you’ve done readings, you won’t be able to tell how your script sounds when spoken aloud. You want your video script to flow smoothly from line to line, rather than sounding stilted. If you can read the script naturally, without sounding forced, that’s a good sign. Pay attention to:- How long it takes to read your script,
- Where inflection and emphasis falls, and
- Any awkward phrases that get stuck in the mouth.
7- Finally check your video outline more than once.
You’ll undoubtedly have several rounds of revisions to go through with any video script. That’s just the nature of making corporate videos where lots of stakeholders like to get involved. Before you sign everything off, double check your script against the video brief you wrote in step 1. Ask yourself these questions:- Is this script likely to achieve its objectives?
- Is it written in a way that will resonate with my audience?
- Does it communicate the core message(s)?
- Does it tell an engaging story with a logical flow?
- Does it use an effective mix of sound and visuals?
- Does it include a compelling Call-to-Action?
- Is it no longer or more complex than it needs to be?
- Is it the optimum length for the intended distribution channels?
