What does a video script template look like?
Two columns, as Vimeo and HubSpot both recommend: what the viewer sees on one side, what they hear on the other (Vimeo, HubSpot). Each row is one beat, with its timecode and a word budget at 150 words per minute. Copy the version for your length and replace the prompts.
30-second script template (75 words)
| Beat | Visual | Voiceover |
|---|---|---|
| Hook0:00–0:04 · up to 10 words | The pain moment, or the product's best result, full screen. | One line on the viewer's problem or the most striking result. No logo, no "Introducing". |
| Problem0:04–0:08 · up to 10 words | Today's workaround: the spreadsheet, the ten tabs, the late night. | Make it specific, in the viewer's words: who, what goes wrong, what it costs them. |
| Solution0:08–0:14 · up to 15 words | Name or logo reveal, then the main screen. | Name the product and say what it does in one sentence. |
| How it works0:14–0:22 · up to 20 words | Real product UI, one action per shot, with the important part highlighted. | Two or three steps, one sentence each. |
| Proof0:22–0:26 · up to 10 words | The number or quote large on screen, held for 3 seconds or more. | One reason to believe: a number, a customer, a result. |
| Call to action0:26–0:30 · up to 10 words | End card: name, URL and one action. Hold at least 3 seconds. | Product name and one next step. |
60-second (1 minute) script template (150 words)
| Beat | Visual | Voiceover |
|---|---|---|
| Hook0:00–0:06 · up to 15 words | The pain moment, or the product's best result, full screen. | One line on the viewer's problem or the most striking result. No logo, no "Introducing". |
| Problem0:06–0:16 · up to 25 words | Today's workaround: the spreadsheet, the ten tabs, the late night. | Make it specific, in the viewer's words: who, what goes wrong, what it costs them. |
| Solution0:16–0:26 · up to 25 words | Name or logo reveal, then the main screen. | Name the product and say what it does in one sentence. |
| How it works0:26–0:44 · up to 45 words | Real product UI, one action per shot, with the important part highlighted. | Two or three steps, one sentence each. |
| Proof0:44–0:52 · up to 20 words | The number or quote large on screen, held for 3 seconds or more. | One reason to believe: a number, a customer, a result. |
| Call to action0:52–1:00 · up to 20 words | End card: name, URL and one action. Hold at least 3 seconds. | Product name and one next step. |
90-second script template (225 words)
| Beat | Visual | Voiceover |
|---|---|---|
| Hook0:00–0:06 · up to 15 words | The pain moment, or the product's best result, full screen. | One line on the viewer's problem or the most striking result. No logo, no "Introducing". |
| Problem0:06–0:20 · up to 35 words | Today's workaround: the spreadsheet, the ten tabs, the late night. | Make it specific, in the viewer's words: who, what goes wrong, what it costs them. |
| Solution0:20–0:34 · up to 35 words | Name or logo reveal, then the main screen. | Name the product and say what it does in one sentence. |
| How it works0:34–1:02 · up to 70 words | Real product UI, one action per shot, with the important part highlighted. | Two or three steps, one sentence each. |
| Proof1:02–1:18 · up to 40 words | The number or quote large on screen, held for 3 seconds or more. | One reason to believe: a number, a customer, a result. |
| Call to action1:18–1:30 · up to 30 words | End card: name, URL and one action. Hold at least 3 seconds. | Product name and one next step. |
How many words go in each part of a 30, 60 or 90-second script?
| Beat | 30 seconds | 60 seconds | 90 seconds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hook | 10 words 0:00–0:04 | 15 words 0:00–0:06 | 15 words 0:00–0:06 |
| Problem | 10 words 0:04–0:08 | 25 words 0:06–0:16 | 35 words 0:06–0:20 |
| Solution | 15 words 0:08–0:14 | 25 words 0:16–0:26 | 35 words 0:20–0:34 |
| How it works | 20 words 0:14–0:22 | 45 words 0:26–0:44 | 70 words 0:34–1:02 |
| Proof | 10 words 0:22–0:26 | 20 words 0:44–0:52 | 40 words 1:02–1:18 |
| Call to action | 10 words 0:26–0:30 | 20 words 0:52–1:00 | 30 words 1:18–1:30 |
| Total | 75 words | 150 words | 225 words |
Budgets are seconds × 150 ÷ 60, the natural voiceover pace most studios plan for: VideoScribe writes 130 to 150 words per minute (VideoScribe), Descript suggests 150 to 160 (Descript), and a study of 862 online videos measured an average of 156 (Guo et al., 2014). Beat timings are our split; Stimme24 publishes a similar one (hook 0–5 s, problem 5–15 s, proof 45–55 s) for a 60-second explainer (Stimme24).
Budgets are a ceiling, not a target. The first second or two and the end card usually have no voiceover, so a 60-second launch video often lands nearer 120 to 130 spoken words. Check any draft in the script length calculator, or convert any word count with the words to minutes converter.
How do you write a video script?
- Pick the length and word budget. At 150 words per minute a 30-second video fits about 75 spoken words, 60 seconds about 150 and 90 seconds about 225. Write to roughly 85% of that so the opening and end card can breathe.
- Open with a hook. Start on the viewer's problem or the product's most striking result, not your logo. You have about 4 to 6 seconds.
- Name the problem in their words. Make it specific and familiar: who it happens to, what goes wrong and what it costs.
- Introduce the product in one sentence. Say the name and what it does. If it takes two sentences, the product idea is not sharp enough yet.
- Show how it works. Two or three steps, one sentence each, each matched to one shot of the real product.
- Add one piece of proof. A number, a customer or a result. One strong reason to believe beats three weak ones.
- End with one call to action. Product name, URL and a single next step, on screen long enough to read.
- Read it aloud with a timer. Fill the visual column for every line, then read the voiceover at your real pace and cut until it fits.
The order is a version of problem, agitate, solve (Copyblogger) with proof and a call to action added, the same shape VideoScribe uses for explainers (VideoScribe). Keep on-screen text up for at least three seconds (TechSmith) and make every line work with the sound off, since social feeds autoplay muted. More on length, styles and structure in the explainer video guide and how to make a launch video.
What does a good video script look like?
Illustrative examples. Rotaroo, Tallyfox and Loopnote are made-up products, not real companies; any resemblance is coincidental. Their figures and quotes are invented to show the shape of a proof line. Use your own real numbers.
30-second example: Rotaroo, a shift-scheduling app for café managers
| Beat | Visual | Voiceover |
|---|---|---|
| Hook0:00–0:04 · 9 / 10 words | Back room of a café at night. A laptop shows a spreadsheet full of crossed-out names. | Sunday night, and next week's rota still isn't done. |
| Problem0:04–0:08 · 10 / 10 words | A phone on the desk keeps lighting up with shift-swap messages. | Three swaps, two sick days, one very long group chat. |
| Solution0:08–0:14 · 10 / 15 words | Rotaroo logo, then an empty week view that fills itself in. | Rotaroo builds your week from everyone's availability in one tap. |
| How it works0:14–0:22 · 18 / 20 words | Shot 1: a barista sets their hours in the app. Shot 2: the manager approves a swap. Shot 3: the published rota on three phones. | Staff set their hours in the app. Swaps need one tap from you. Everyone sees the rota instantly. |
| Proof0:22–0:26 · 9 / 10 words | "20 minutes" in large type over the finished week. | Pilot cafés now plan the week in twenty minutes. |
| Call to action0:26–0:30 · 6 / 10 words | End card: Rotaroo · rotaroo.example · Start free. | Rotaroo. Free for your first café. |
62 spoken words of a 75-word budget, about 0:25 of voiceover at 150 wpm in a 30-second video.
60-second example: Tallyfox, invoicing and payment reminders for freelancers
| Beat | Visual | Voiceover |
|---|---|---|
| Hook0:00–0:06 · 12 / 15 words | A freelance designer checks a banking app. A calendar behind them shows an invoice six weeks overdue. | You finished the job six weeks ago. You still haven't been paid. |
| Problem0:06–0:16 · 22 / 25 words | Split screen: an awkward "just following up" email draft, a folder of PDFs, a spreadsheet at 11:58 pm. | Chasing invoices means awkward emails, lost PDFs and a spreadsheet you update at midnight. For most freelancers, it's a second unpaid job. |
| Solution0:16–0:26 · 16 / 25 words | Tallyfox logo. An invoice card slides into a client inbox. | Tallyfox sends the invoice, tracks it, and follows up for you, politely, until the money lands. |
| How it works0:26–0:44 · 41 / 45 words | Shot 1: a finished project turns into an invoice with two clicks. Shot 2: the client pays by card on a phone. Shot 3: a reminder timeline with marks at day 3, 7 and 14. | Turn a finished project into an invoice in two clicks. Clients pay by card or bank transfer from the link. If a payment is late, Tallyfox sends a friendly reminder on day three, day seven and day fourteen, in your voice. |
| Proof0:44–0:52 · 11 / 20 words | "Paid 11 days sooner" in large type, with a small caption: beta users, average. | Freelancers in the beta got paid eleven days sooner on average. |
| Call to action0:52–1:00 · 7 / 20 words | End card: Tallyfox · tallyfox.example · Send an invoice free. | Tallyfox. Send your first three invoices free. |
109 spoken words of a 150-word budget, about 0:44 of voiceover at 150 wpm in a 60-second video.
90-second example: Loopnote, meeting notes that turn decisions into tasks, for product teams
| Beat | Visual | Voiceover |
|---|---|---|
| Hook0:00–0:06 · 13 / 15 words | A video-call grid closes. A "Meeting ended" notice, then an empty notes document. | Your team made eleven decisions in this morning's meeting. Nobody wrote them down. |
| Problem0:06–0:20 · 32 / 35 words | Someone types half-remembered bullet points into a team chat. A ticket board with nothing new on it. The same meeting invite, next week. | So someone pastes half-remembered notes into the team chat, the tickets never get made, and next week you have the same meeting again. Product teams lose hours to work they've already discussed. |
| Solution0:20–0:34 · 26 / 35 words | Loopnote logo. Loopnote joins a call as a quiet participant tile. | Loopnote joins your calls, writes the notes, and turns every decision and action item into a task in the tracker you already use. You just talk. |
| How it works0:34–1:02 · 58 / 70 words | Shot 1: a calendar connects with one toggle. Shot 2: a live transcript scrolls beside the call. Shot 3: a one-page summary with Decisions, Owners and Due dates. Shot 4: Approve, and tasks drop into a tracker board, each with a timestamp link. | Connect your calendar once. Loopnote joins the meetings you choose and transcribes them as you go. When the call ends, you get a one-page summary: what was decided, who owns what, and by when. Approve the action items and they land in your tracker, assigned and linked back to the moment in the call where they were agreed. |
| Proof1:02–1:18 · 36 / 40 words | "90% same-day follow-up" stat card, then a quote card with a product lead's name and photo placeholder. | In a twelve-week pilot with four product teams, follow-up tasks were created the same day ninety percent of the time, up from about a third. "We stopped having the same meeting twice," says one product lead. |
| Call to action1:18–1:30 · 20 / 30 words | End card: Loopnote · loopnote.example · Try it on your next call. Hold 4 seconds. | Loopnote. Free for your next ten meetings. Connect your calendar and let your next call write its own to-do list. |
185 spoken words of a 225-word budget, about 1:14 of voiceover at 150 wpm in a 90-second video.