Your Time in the Spotlight: 5 Tips for a Winning Video Script

Nobody disputes that content is king and will likely reign for a long time to come. But there’s a new knight at the roundtable: video. From new product rollouts to branding videos to how-tos and explainers, video content is making quite a splash:

• The average internet user is exposed to 32.2 videos each month.
• 45.4 percent watch at least one online video per month.
• 100 million people watch online video each day.
• 90 percent of those shopping at online stores say that videos help them make buying decisions.
• 64 percent of visitors to online retailers say they’re more likely to buy a product after watching a video. 
• 80 percent of internet users say that they can recall an online video ad they watched in the past month. And 46% of them say they went on to take some kind of action after watching it.
• According to an Australian real estate company, listings with videos get 403 percent more traffic than listings without. 
• The preference for video crosses demographic borders. In fact, 59 percent of senior executives -- you know, the people you picture reading the Wall Street Journal -- say they’d rather watch video than read text.

Convinced? We thought you would be. Video can play a vital role in your overall content strategy, from supporting a blog post to enhancing the impact of the product copy on your website. 

The best way to ensure your videos are dynamic, watchable and shareable? Starting with an expertly crafted script. Here are five tips that will help you create a video script that’s effective, engaging, and entertaining. 

1. Consider your goals 

A kitten on a Roomba can rack up millions of views globally. But for your marketing videos to get that kind of traction, they need a more strategic goal than “just because.” Start by asking yourself the following questions: 

• What is the purpose of this video? 
• Who is our audience?
• What’s the story we want to tell? 
• What do we want viewers to think, do, or feel after watching this video?
• What should our call-to-action be?

With these specific goals in mind, you’re more likely to come up with a tight, targeted, and effective script. 

2. Keep it short 

We’re all busier than ever these days, and your customers are no exception. They have dinner to eat and mail to read — and, hey, “Game of Thrones” is almost on. So, put a premium on their time. Your entire video should probably last somewhere around a minute. Moreover, try and compact your message into one sentence, and put that compacted message into the first 30 seconds of the video.

Short videos deliver a convincing story about your business without wasting the viewers’ time. Wherever they are — at work, at the gym, on their phones, on the go — they can click on these exciting nuggets, decide if you’ve got what they’re looking for, and take action. 

3. Don’t bury the bottom line

You might think you should wait until the end of the script to reveal your take-away message. Resist this impulse. You want to put your hook into the first 10 seconds of the script, in case viewers click away from your video before the end. Once you’ve got that key message delivered, you can use develop the story and support the messages with facts, statistics, and customer success stories.

4. Focus on product benefits, not features

Content marketing in general should never focus narrowly on the product. Gone are the days of simply listing product or service features. Instead, your video script should show how your product or service can make your customers’ lives better or fulfill their needs. For example, if you sell paint, you don’t want to describe how your paint is made; rather, you want to show how your ultra-durable paint means that customers won’t have to do the job again for years. 

5. Take your time in writing

Think of scriptwriting as the foundation of your video content production. A house is only as strong as the foundation is stands on. So, don’t rush the writing process. Read your script-in-progress out loud. Make sure your dialogue is spot-on and the language flows naturally. Check to see that the language is also as concise as possible. Remember — short equals success when it comes to video. Only when you think your script is perfect should you start filming. 

Still worried about creating a killer video? The folks here at Prose Media can help — sign up today to gain access to our free platform. We’re witty. We’re funny. We’re experts at creating compelling narratives. Good luck — and happy writing.