Video Script Writing – Everything You Need to Know

Videos are considered the most powerful marketing tool in digital marketing. Various studies have stated that video engages more attention and enhances growth more than any other media type.

If you produce a video with the correct techniques, you will enjoy the benefits, but if you accidentally miss or skip any vital step, you might fail.

That isn’t to say that every video requires a Hollywood budget, but you should devote some time to planning and producing a video script.

Nobody will ever know unless you tell them. The best thing is that while producing a video script isn’t as difficult as it might appear. If you don’t have the time to write an excellent script, you can use one of the ready-to-use video script templates to create a fantastic video.

It is not necessary to use video script templates, of course. We’ll go over the fundamentals and provide examples to help you create good video scripts.

The Basic of How to Write a Video Script

Let’s be clear about something before we get started with video: make it essential. It’s all too tempting to start throwing out all kinds of unique ideas as you design your video and create your script. After all, with a video, you can do anything, right?

Sure, if you had an infinite budget. You’d be shocked how much effort is required to create even the most basic on-screen effects. However, we’re ready to guess that your funds are limited. As a result, keep your videos as straightforward as feasible.

Start writing your script with all of this in mind. This practice is referred to as “prewriting” by many content and scriptwriters.

1. Know Your Audience

Knowing your audience is a must in any marketing or copywriting project. Otherwise, your content will not resonate if it is not tailored to a specific buyer or audience.

It doesn’t need to be tempting enough to make it as broad as possible to reach out to every prospect. Try to avoid this temptation. Nobody is interested in something that is for everyone. People prefer the content that talks about them only.

Note: If you want your video to be funny, make sure you thoroughly evaluate your target audience and product. Some people don’t like humor or kidding-tone while learning about a company or product.

If you want to try the humor and your joke falls flat, it will be the total turn-off for your audience. However, if you go for the straightforward approach, no one expects to be entertained and will not be disappointed if they don’t laugh.

2. Set A Goal

The next step is to figure out the purpose of your video and what it means to deliver to your audience. This can only be determined by:

• Where your audience will see the video (the platform you will post your content)
• Where will the video be used in the marketing funnel (the video is for awareness, interest, or sales)
• What desirable action do you want your viewers to make after watching the video (they purchase, subscribe, or contact)
• The KPIs you use to track your success.

However, if you want viewers to take action after watching the video, you will need to add a call to action. And make sure that the added call to action aligns with the video’s goal.

Take a look at this FreshBooks video. Even if it isn’t mentioned clearly, the video’s objective is quite evident.

3. Pick a Mascot/Character

We have seen many companies using unique animated characters or human hosts for their marketing videos to distinguish them from others and help the audience focus better on the subject.

It will be challenging to follow the subject if there are too many characters inside the video, and the focus will automatically shift away from the core goal of the video. Identifying the main character accomplishes two goals:

• It streamlines and helps the audience concentrate on your video
• It encourages you to write a story (if your video needs it)

Some videos, such as a product overview, contain a little story. However, it’s preferable if one individual does the most of the talking. It’s essential to focus on the primary character to make a video with a narrative arc.

In either situation, you must know who will be on screen most of the time. Choose one person to show on the screen most or the majority of the time if your video requires two or more hosts.

Like Progressive Insurance, brands frequently create characters that nearly serve as mascots. If at all possible, employ the same speaker in all of your videos. This gives your video content a sense of consistency and familiarity. Take a look at this video.

4. Know the Topic of Your Video

Knowing what you are making and what topic you are going to cover will make the production easier and more effective. Keep a point in your mind that how you are going to convince your audience to watch your videos through your content and topic.

While composing the script, start with the solution to the problem you are going to cover in your video. You’ll retain more viewers if you let viewers know what they will get and how your video will be fruitful to them.

In addition, knowing the topic & purpose of the video will help you select the appropriate video style for your video.

P.S: If you want some help selecting a video style for your video, you can take references from inspiring video styles that suit your brand’s niche.

Writing the Video Script

You’ve already started working on the mind-mapping and have planned enough for the production phase. Simply follow it! The writing will become quite simple if your planning is accurate.

1. Write the Video and Audio Elements

This is crucial if you’re doing any kind of narration with visuals that cut to different shots. Write your video’s visual and auditory features into your script, even if it’s just a single shot of someone talking.

The screenplay is a set of instructions for whoever is shooting the video. And if you want the video crew to know exactly what’s going on with both the camera and the actors, it will become much easier to produce something magnificent.

A simple two-column table is a straightforward approach to format your script. It’s simple to read and visualize the video’s appearance and sound. This is an example of a column video script:

You can simply increase the number of boxes according to the number of shots. And cover everything adequately.

2. Write the Script and Trim it to Fit

You may need to cover everything in 15 or 30 seconds, or you may have three minutes or more to work with, depending on the type of video you’re making. Plan on 125 to 150 words of dialogue each minute in either case.

When you begin with the scriptwriting, concentrate on conveying whatever you want to say or teach to your audience. Check your word count after you’ve written all of the dialogue, then start axing and rewording until it matches your time restriction.

This strategy allows you to write a screenplay that is both clear and concise. It forces you to keep only the conversations that need to be delivered.

Here are some pointers that you must keep in your mind on how to write dialogue:

• Try to address the audience directly. Use the pronoun “you” and address your viewers. It’s more approachable, and people feel more valued if you directly address them.
• Write it in the manner in which you would speak it. Your target audience is unlikely to read your script. So write what you’d genuinely want or going to say, not what you think will appear good on paper.
• Read your script aloud to yourself. This is the only way to determine whether or not your dialogue is natural or understandable. If you make any modifications, read it aloud again. Keep this practice until you get the perfect piece of script.

After you’ve cleaned up the dialogue, you’ll have a good idea of how many videos you will need to capture and what exact shots will be required to complete the video. If you are utilizing a voice-over, make sure to shoot some extra video to account for dialogue pauses and visuals that don’t make the final cut.

3. Shoot the Video According to the Script

Shooting a video according to your script is not necessary for the scriptwriting process. However, it has something to do with the drafting of your script.

As soon as you begin recording, stick as closely to your script as possible. Minor alterations are OK, and experienced actors or voice actors can add some flair or improvise accordingly.

Alternatively, if you discover you don’t have the resources to carry out your plans, you may need to revise or rewrite the script.

Explosions are fantastic but don’t blow everything up just for the sake of having a good time. But don’t make huge modifications to the script on the eleventh hour just because you have an idea. Ad hoc modifications and improvising rarely work out well.

Write the Script

Two things happen when you make a marketing video:

• They provide information to the audience.
• They influence the audience.

Some videos just do one of the two, while some do both, and to keep things easy and digestible, we have grouped them into one of these two categories.

1. Educational Video

Educational videos include presentation and explainer videos. Typically, these videos are used for:

• Demonstrating how to perform a task.
• Explicitly describing the operation of your product or service.
• Describe what your company does.
• Brevity and images are the keys to educational video success.

Concise information is easier to recall. It’s for this reason that phone numbers are seven digits long. To help viewers remember what you have shown them, keep your video short and split it up into small bits of information.

Include pertinent graphics to demonstrate and tell the viewer what you’re explaining, which will help them remember it better. Mint has created a tremendous explanatory video:

This Dollar Shave Club explanatory video is also legendary:

This one is hilarious, so watch it more than time. However, once you’ve stopped spitting coffee, take note of how the dialogue is divided up into 10-15 second chunks, with funny images in between. Blocks of information that are distinct and remembered.

2. Influential Videos

Promotional and commercial videos are used to persuade viewers to take action. The action you’re looking for isn’t necessarily a buy. You may utilize a compelling video to convince viewers to watch more advertising content.

However, most promotional and commercial videos are made for the following purposes:

• Explicitly demonstrate the advantages and qualities of your product or service.
• Demonstrating how your brand differs from the competitors.
• Demonstrating how your brand, product, or service will improve the lives of your customers.

Customers will frequently see these videos on social media or a website’s landing page. It’s impossible to avoid getting to the point and keeping it short. A call to action is also required.

Because these videos are typically seen without sound, compose your script and plan your graphics to work without it. It’s a great idea to include subtitles in your video.

Here is a commercial video sample that functions across several platforms and is quite interesting to watch.

Observe and note that how short but detailed (informative) it is. But the most important conclusion from this video is that you need to grab the viewer’s attention, convey your message, and get out before they leave the page.

The Editor’s Choice

To perform and apply effects to your video and make it glamourous to watch, you will need some professional help. BuzzFlick – an award-winning video animation studio in NYC – is here at your service.

The studio is an expert in video production and animation and has a team of skilled artists who put their heart and soul while creating a project.

You can avail their services of explainer videos, whiteboard animation, corporate videos, training videos, educational videos, animated video commercials, video ads, 2D & 3D animation, 3D modeling, and video editing services.