How to write a script for videos and presentations (with a free template)

A script isn't an essay you read out loud. It's a plan for what you'll say, written so it's easy to say. Whether you're recording a YouTube video, a product demo, a course lesson or a talk over video, the same approach works: decide what you want people to do, give it a simple shape, and write it for the ear.

Start with one sentence

Before you write a line of the script, finish this sentence: “After watching this, my viewer will…” Maybe they'll understand an idea, try a feature, book a call or approve a plan. That sentence is your filter. Anything that doesn't help get them there can go.

Then write down who the viewer is and what they already know. A script for new customers explains more than one for your own team. Knowing this early saves rewrites later.

Use a simple structure: hook, problem, points, close

Most short videos and presentations work well in four parts. You can stretch or shrink each one, but keep the order.

• Hook. The first 10 to 15 seconds. Name the problem or promise the result, in your viewer's words. Skip the long introduction. Say who you are in one line, or save it for later.
• Problem. Why this matters. What's going wrong, what it costs, or what people usually try that doesn't work. Keep it short and specific.
• Points. The main content, usually three points or steps. Three is easy to follow and easy to remember. Give each point one idea, one example and one line that ties it back.
• Close. Recap the points in a sentence, then ask for one clear action. One, not three.

If you're presenting with slides, the same structure applies. Each point usually maps to a slide or two, and the script is what you say while they're on screen.

Add cue headings with #

Mark the start of each section with a heading line that begins with #, such as # Hook or # Point 2. Cues make the structure visible while you edit, and they help you find your place if you lose it on camera.

In Lenslines, a teleprompter for Windows, lines that start with # become cues. You can jump to the next or previous one with Ctrl+Alt+PgDn and Ctrl+Alt+PgUp, or pick one from the cue list in the notch. That helps when someone asks a question and you want to skip ahead or go back. The built-in editor highlights cues and notes, and it shows the word count and estimated reading time as you write.

A free script template you can copy

Here is a short presentation script template in that structure, filled in with a real example so you can hear the rhythm. The bold lines are the cue headings, exactly as you would type them. Words in square brackets are notes to yourself. Replace the content under each cue with your own and keep the shape.

# Hook

Ever leave a meeting and realize nobody knows who's doing what? [pause] Here's a fix that takes two minutes at the end of every meeting.

# Problem

Most meetings end with “Let's follow up on that.” Then the week gets busy, and nothing moves. [slow down] It's not a people problem. It's a process problem.

# Point 1: Name an owner

Every action gets one name next to it. Not a team. A person. [look up] If two people own it, nobody does.

# Point 2: Set a date

Next, give it a date. It doesn't have to be soon. It just has to be real, so you can check on it.

# Point 3: Write it where everyone looks

Last, put the list somewhere your team already checks every day, not in a doc nobody opens. [show slide 4]

# Close

So: an owner, a date, and one shared place. [pause] Try it at your next meeting. Two minutes at the end can save you a week of asking who was doing that. [smile]

Spoken at a relaxed pace, that example runs about a minute. For a longer video, add points or give each point a second example, but keep the hook and the close short.

How long should your script be?

A common rule of thumb is about 130 to 150 words for each minute of finished video at a natural speaking pace. Fast talkers fit more, and presentations with slides or demos often fit fewer, because of the pauses between them.

If you're over your target, cut rather than speed up. Reading faster to fit a time limit is one of the quickest ways to sound like you're reading. The usual cuts are the long introduction, the second example for an easy point, and anything you've already said once.

Edit out tongue-twisters

Some sentences look fine on the page and trip you every time you say them. Read the script out loud and listen for these:

• Runs of similar sounds. A phrase like “six simple steps to success” is a trap. Swap one word to break the pattern.
• Long words in a row. Strings like “specifically, particularly” are hard to say cleanly. Use shorter words.
• Number strings. Round them and write them the way you'd say them, like “about twelve hundred” instead of an exact figure.
• Acronyms you have to decode. Write them the way you'll say them, or say the full name once.
• Lines you stumble on twice. If you trip on the same line in two rehearsals, rewrite it. Don't drill it until it works.
• Sentences with no place to breathe. Split them, or add a [breathe] note.

Final read-through checklist

Before you record or present, check the script against this list:

• The first line is the hook, not a greeting or a long introduction.
• Every section starts with a # cue.
• Each sentence has one idea and is easy to say out loud.
• You've used contractions and plain words.
• Pauses are marked with notes like [pause], and only key words are bold.
• Numbers are rounded and written the way you'll say them.
• The length fits your time slot at a relaxed pace.
• The close asks for one action.
• You've read the whole thing out loud at least once.

When it passes, load it into your prompter and set it up for the camera. The guides on teleprompter settings for webcam recording and reading a script without sounding robotic cover what comes next.