Video Marketing is powerful and essential to growing your business. If you want to better understand the importance of videos in marketing, check out this infographic.
“Relax! You can do this. And if you can’t, you can always hire someone to do it.”
You need a video and therefore you need a script. So, now what?
First, you need a script. It is the foundation of the whole project.
- Prewrite
You need to get your thoughts and ideas down on paper. There are various types of prewriting strategies that you can use. Jotting down my ideas, either in list form or clustering, works best for me. I get out everything I want to say and every point I want to make.
- Target Audience
The target audience is who you are trying to reach with your video message. This is important to know so that you can create content that caters to your audience. For instance, if your customer demographic is mainly females between the ages of 25-34, then you certainly aren’t going to create a Michael Bay inspired video (think lots of unnecessary explosions).
- Establish a Goal
What is the reason you are writing this script? There are many reasons to use videos, you just need to decide which ones are best for your brand.
These could include explainer videos where you demonstrate how to use your product or explain a service you provide.
Maybe your video is for promotional purposes where you would like to show the benefit of your product or service, tell people why your brand is better, or how your product is going to improve their life.
Need help answering some of these questions? Then check out this customer avatar worksheet.
- Decide on a Platform
Where is the video going to be used? Will it be on a company website? Shared on social media? If so, which social media platform. It is acceptable to put a two-minute video on Youtube, but Instagram videos should be about thirty seconds. Deciding on your platform will determine how long your video will last.
- What is your key message?
This is where you go back to your brainstorming list and see what main points you can use from that. You might say, wait a minute, shouldn’t I know my audience and the goal of my video first? I say no. It is so much easier to brainstorm your ideas about your product/service with no filters or restrictions. Just free write and then come back to your ideas and edit to see what fits with your goals.
Based on what you wrote pick out several key messages that you want to include. This will help focus your script on exactly what you want to convey to customers.
- Style
Decide on a style for your video. What is the visual and storytelling style going to be?
Will it be narrated? Will you have one main character?
Animated or live-action? What will the visuals look like?
Deciding on the style will also help you write your script more easily and stay focused on what you want the final outcome to look like.
- Call to Action
What do you want viewers to do at the end of your video? You can’t possibly fit everything you want to say about your brand into two minutes or less. So, you need to coax viewers into taking further action. It could be a subtle request like visiting your website. Maybe you want to be bold and say, “Save 20% now” which sets a time limit and pushes viewers to act immediately. The call to action will be based on the goal and type of video you create.
- Writing Time
You’ve made it to the fun part-writing. If you have followed steps 1-6, then you should have a good idea of what type of video you are creating, who your video will target, what the purpose is, and what the key message will be.
Remember to keep it simple. You’re not the next Spielberg. You’re shooting a quick video most likely from your iPhone or from some digital camera you picked up at Costco. And that’s OK!! That’s the awesome thing about the internet and technology. We can still create great things without expensive equipment.
Focus. Think about your video.
Close your eyes and try to envision your video masterpiece. Where is it taking place? Who is speaking? What are they saying? What kinds of visuals/graphics do you see?
Once you have a good idea of what it looks like, start writing NOW! Write down what you envisioned- the dialogue, visuals, locations.
One way to keep it all straight is to use a basic template that separates the audio and the action on screen. Here’s a video script example:
| Audio | Action on Screen |
| Ex. Soft elevator music is playing | Close-up shot of the product |
| Deep manly voice: Our product is the best on the market. | Shot of male actor using the product. |
Just keep adding to the template until your script is completed. I bet you have a lot of pages!
- Editing
Now it is time to whittle down all the great things you have said into a concise script. Depending on your platform, you will want to be under two minutes. Data shows that after two minutes viewer engagement significantly drops off.
However, if it is a how-to or tutorial video then it is understandable that it would be longer than two minutes. The viewer would be aware of this from the start. Kind of like when I googled how to change my oil. I knew that I would be watching a video for longer than two minutes.
How will you know how long your video will be?
You can easily calculate this by the number of words in the script. Based on how fast the voiceover/actor speaks, 125-150 words is equivalent to about one minute of video.
Read it out loud, please. Make sure it sounds how you want it to sound. That it conveys your brand and includes your key message.
- Subtitles
You need subtitles for your videos. I rarely watch videos WITH sound. I am either in a public place where I can’t turn the sound on or I’m in front of the tv with my family and don’t want to disturb them.
Let’s face it, I’m not the only one who lives like this. You are definitely going to reach a wider viewership with subtitles.
That said, make sure your video works well without sound. How do you do that? Visuals.
- Visuals
Relevant visuals that support the style and dialogue are great additions to your video. There are tons of programs that will help you design them. I create all my visuals in Canva. It is so easy-to-use and free.
- Your Opinion
You could sit on the internet all day and find thousands of differing opinions on how to write, what to include, and best practices for scriptwriting. You need to do what you feel is best for your brand and create something that you like. You may not be a marketing expert, but this is your company, and your opinion matters most.
Next Steps
I’m proud of you for taking on the task of writing your own script. Maybe you’re thinking, “Ok, I have a script, but how do I shoot my own video?”
If you’re feeling unsure about yourself, read Why Anyone Can Shoot a Video.
Be sure to follow me on social media for more video inspiration.
