Video content is the perfect way to keep the viewers engaged and drive more traffic. The popularity of videos is proven by the fact that 78% of people watch online videos every week, and 55% view online videos every day. However, to make a high-quality video you first need to write a good video script.

People’s expectations have reached a new level when it comes to videos. To avoid wasting time on poor quality videos, your video content should be planned and created from a well-written script. You don’t need a big budget, the script can be even created from a template.

Here’s all you need to make a video script your audience will love. 

{ The Basics }

Let’s start with the foundation of video script writing. These basics will show you where to start from and how to take your video scripting journey. 

1. Get to know your audience 

Personalized videos always perform best. That’s why you need to define your target audience. Use Google Analytics and other data gathering tools to collect information about your customers.

Find out their demographics, interests, likes, dislikes, etc. Based on that information you can figure out what type of video would they respond to. 

2. Define the goal of your video content 

Every video content has a purpose. That purpose can be to educate, persuade, inform, entertain, sell, etc. The goal affects the script. For example, if you want to get viewers to do something you’ll need to add a CTA in the video. If not, you don’t need it.

When you decide the goal or the purpose of the video, your actions will be focused and it will be easier to write a script. 

3. Choose a theme

The theme is what your video will be about. Developing a story needs to start with something. That start is choosing the theme of the video. Based on the goal and your target audience’s interest, you should brainstorm and consult with your team about a topic that would compel the viewers.

4. Choose central character/s

Interesting central character plays is crucial for a good video. If the character is relatable, charismatic, or funny it can make people fall in love with the video. Some brands create unique characters (somewhat as brand representatives) that appear in every video.

One example of that is M&M’s iconic duo – Red and Yellow M&M. After their success, M&Ms expanded the list of characters.

Image Credit: mms.com

The repetition of characters evokes a sense of familiarity in people and encourages them to track their stories. That’s why the characters that appear in the video must be appealing.  

5. Define a message you want the video to spread

Video script needs to have a strong message that will help you achieve the goal. The purpose of the video will be to deliver that message. You can form the message like an empowering sentence, phrase, or quote.

The message needs to be powerful and make a long-lasting impact. Take Nike’s famous Just do it slogan that sends the message to avoid hesitation and go straight for your goal. 

6. Write down the visual and audio aspect of the video

The visual and audio elements will give direction to your team. They signalize where the video happens, the scenes that are in it, the characters that appear, and the voiceovers that need to be done.

Kristin Savage a contributing writer at best essay writing service says: “Whether you’ll have different scenes or a single one, you should write it all down so that everyone has a clear idea of what they are trying to create.”

7. Create an outline

Outlines give you a general idea of what you plan to deliver. The way in which an outline can help you is that it can signal any inconsistencies. The outline can also help you assess if the length of the video is suitable.

8. Keep it short and sweet

Brand videos are usually under a minute. The reason for that is that people’s attention span is short and the chance that they’ll spend more than a minute watching a promotional video is very small. The length also depends on the channel.

If you create a video for social media, you can go even shorter. If you want to do a more elaborate video you have to have a great story that will retain the audience’s attention.

9. Use the language that the audience understands

Remember that this is the video for a wide audience. Meaning, that using technical jargon and complex wording isn’t the best choice. Use everyday language and if possible speak directly to the audience. Using “you” and talking to the viewers makes the video more personalized. 

10. Do a scrip reading

You’ll notice that once you read the script out loud it sounds different. When you read it to other people you will get a more objective perspective on it.

If you make changes, read it again. Don’t start shooting until your script sounds natural and satisfying.

{ Examples }

The best way to learn is from examples. To give you a better idea of what kind of brand video the audience loves, we have compiled a few great video examples by brands.

Bark Box

Bark Box did an amazing job presenting some of their best toys in this hilarious video. The humorous aspect of it along with emphasizing that the toys were tested “by dogs for your dog” they hit the right spot with the audience. It’s short, has upbeat music, and the whole concept just evokes joy.

Dove

Now, this is the perfect example of how to trigger emotion in viewers. Dove is famous for its Real Beauty campaign and this video attracted so much attention that it quickly went viral. The scrip is truly touching.

It emphasizes the distorted image women have about themselves. Even though it is a longer video, it has a compelling story with multiple characters that keeps you till the end of it.

NordicTrack

The dominant emotion in the video is motivation. NordicTrack focuses on its advanced equipment that comes with a personalized program. The video aims to convince viewers why to choose this brand over competitors.

That reason is an interactive training program that will motivate regular exercise.

{ Templates }

If you don’t want to start from scratch, you can always rely on video templates. They can be very helpful for all newcomers in the video community.

Here are a few templates that will help you get a better idea of how a video scrip should look like. 

• Video ad template example
• Promo video template example
• Social media video template example

Final Thoughts

Video content can help your brand create a closer connection with the audience. That connection leads to loyalty and more purchases. Isn’t that worthy of dedicating time to videos? With all this information you’ll be able to start working on an incredible video script.

Give yourself some time, dedicate yourself to this purpose, and you’ll be surprised with great ideas you come up with.

• Bio
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Bridgette Hernandes

Content Writer

She is a content specialist and a copywriter. She enjoys writing about complex apps and other digital products and making them easy to understand and use. According to Bridgette, UX writing is here to stay, so copywriters need to learn how to do research and write even more personalized texts for digital products.

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• Video Script Writing 101 – 10 Basics, Examples & Templates - August 5, 2020