A strong video script is more than just dialogue. Whether it’s for a product launch, an explainer animation, or just a splashy brand video on social media, the script shapes your story and keeps your audience watching (and acting).
From the first line to the final frame, your script sets the tone for everything that follows.
So if you’re wondering how to write a video script that’s engaging, effective and on-brand, here’s what you need to know.
1. Start with ONE goal
First things first, what’s the point of this video? What do you want your audience to think, feel, or do?
Maybe you want them to:
- sign up for something
- buy a product
- book a demo
- learn a skill
- remember your brand
Whatever your goal, choose one. Seriously, just one! This isn’t the director’s cut of Once Upon a Time in America: you don’t need multiple concurrent plot threads. And trying to do too much in one video weakens your message. A focused script will always do better.
2. Kill your darlings
As you sit down to start writing a video script, note what you want to include and then whittle it down to what you HAVE to include.
Maybe you’ve got an excellent “how we met” story about you and your business partner. Maybe the idea for your product came to you in a fit of Archimedean bathtub inspiration. Maybe you have an irresistible compulsion to itemise every feature of your product in list form. Your target audience doesn’t care.
Desperately trying to cram stuff in: it’s the first sign of bad writing.
3. Keep it short
Short and sweet > long and dull.
4. Identify key stakeholders
…and then tell them to go away. When it comes to writing a video script, everyone from the CEO to the dinner lady wants to have their say. This is a one-way-ticket to Bad Video Town, population: you (and all the other people who have made crap videos).
Have you seen “Too Many Cooks”? It’s a short black comedy film produced by Adult Swim, in which a family sitcom is infested with a gross excess of character types – eventually including serial killers. The whole thing eventually devolves into a nightmare carnival of depravity, murder, and bad ideas.
Expect similar if you try to make EVERYONE in your company happy.
5. Make it timeless
Don’t make your audience cringe with outdated humour. If, when writing your script, you’re referencing trending topics like ‘brat summer’ or ‘Moo Deng’, stop — you instantly put an expiry date on your video. Trends from 2024? They were interesting…in 2024.
Of course, referencing trends is fair game in quick-turn social videos, if they’re right for your brand. But if you’re investing real budget in a video, you don’t want it to have a 12-month shelf life.
Also, saying “we were founded in [Year X]” instead of “we’ve been doing this for ten years”, keeps your content timeless.
6. Write like you speak
It’s always important to remember that an actual human being will have to read these words.
Harrison Ford, on reading the script for Star Wars, famously remarked: “You can type this shit, George, but you can’t say it.” George Lucas got away with it. You probably won’t be so lucky.
Avoid specialist jargon. Avoid long words where short ones will do. Make sure whatever you write is comprehensible to your target audience. Finally, don’t be married to awkward phrasing. What reads well on paper won’t always translate to video; if you can’t make it work, come up with something else.
Need inspiration? Search for video script examples with a friendly, down-to-earth tone. You’ll quickly spot what works—and what doesn’t.
7. Visualise it
The relationship between the words and the visuals is naturally one of the most important things to get right.
While you’re writing your script, think about how you’re communicating your information. Ask yourself: can some of this information be shown instead of said? Adding text on screen, product demos, animations or visual metaphors can reinforce your message while keeping your script clean.
A well-planned script works hand-in-hand with the visuals, letting each element do the job it’s best at.
Written and updated on 02/07/2025 by our video and language team:
Ashleigh Thompson, Writer
Sian Evans, Head of Video