SEO content for a video marketing agency. Client details removed.
Video marketing is a critical component of an overarching marketing strategy, and scriptwriting is essential. However, it’s not a skill set many marketers learn much about or have had to do that often. But It’s more important than ever.
Your video script will act as a blueprint for the video production team. It ensures your audio will align with your visuals in a way that hooks your viewer, advances your story and incentives your audience to think, feel, or take a specific action.
Here’s our advice for creating a good script.
Start with a Brief
Before you can start writing, you need to know the goal of your video. The brief should provide the important information you need to direct your writing.
A brief should include information about your audience, where they are in the marketing or sales funnel, which platforms you’ll show the video on, and what you want viewers to think, feel, or do after watching your video.
Armed with this information, you’re ready to begin writing.
Draft the Script, but First a Few Tips
- Plan for about two words per second of video, or about 125 to 150 words of dialogue per minute.
- For a script, you’ll want to write the way we speak. It’s good practice to read it out loud and see if it sounds the way you would say it—Time yourself while reading.
Write Your Script in Sections
Your video should follow some basic guidelines for best results. There are four parts that you should include in almost every script.
- The Opening
Your opening dialogue should be attention-getting. You’ll want to set up an emotional hook, a surprising fact,or a relatable story to engage your viewer and keep them watching.
Often, this when you want to introduce a problem, issue or need your viewer. Once you’ve grabbed their attention, your goal is to keep them engaged. Tell them exactly why they should care or how this problem impacts them.
- Present the Solution
Where there is a problem, there is also a solution, and you have it. Your product, service or offer needs to be presented as a solution for their issues. It’s also the only one they should consider for the reasons you’ll state next.
- Explain Why You, Why Now
In this section, you want to delve a bit deeper into why your viewer needs this solution, now, from you and only you. There is something unique about what you do, sell, or provide that nobody else has. Maybe it’s faster, more affordable, or exceptional. Tell them.
- The Call to Action
The call to action is a critical component of your video that many skip. And guess what? The viewer doesn’t take action because you didn’t ask them to! You want your viewer to do something after watching your video. Tell them what that is and how they can easily do it. You might even offer an incentive, if possible.
Script Formatting
Now that you know what you’re going to say pair it with your visuals. You can format your script in many ways, but the clearest can be a simple two-column table like the one below.
| Audio | Visual or B-roll |
| “There are 10 billion pounds of garbage dumped into the ocean every day.” | Beach landscape with plastic washing up on the shore as two adults and a child walk past. |
| “In 100 years, usable beaches will be a thing of the past.” | Family in a dim living room looking at old photos of bright days at the beach. |
Other options include putting visuals cues in parentheses or italics before or after the dialogue. Work with your production crew to see if they have a preferred format.
Once you pair the audio and visuals, you’ll have a good idea of what you’ll need to film, the props and set you’ll need, and other elements to support your script and video length.