Lights, camera…PANIC: How to write video scripts that sound natural

Video has long been one of the most effective ways to share your message and boost the know, like, trust factor. 

A great video works a bit like magic to build your brand, but great videos don’t just happen – and without a script? It’s practically impossible to film anything worth watching. 

If you’re tired of umming and ahhing your way through videos (only to spend hours cutting down on your unscripted ramblings), this is for you. 

Check out these tips and get ready for panic-free videos in 3, 2, 1…

Get in touch with your target viewer 

Let’s be honest: if your videos were just for yourself, the process would be a whole lot faster. 

They’d all be perfectly targeted according to what you think is interesting, and you wouldn’t worry about how you looked on camera because pyjamas are comfortable…right?  

The challenge here is tapping into the mind of your ideal customer and targeting your content to their specific needs…

So the solution is to frame the specifics of their problem in your script, using their own words (and the word “you”) wherever you can. 

You don’t have to *actually* call them and ask (especially not while they’re in the middle of cooking dinner or watching Netflix – they’ll hate that). Just try to understand how the problem looks from their perspective, and show them that you can relate. 

The more your potential customers hear their own thoughts echoed by someone who has the ability to solve their problem – someone like you – the more likely they’ll be to take you up on your offer. 

Write how you speak

The rule of conversational copy applies pretty much any time you’re writing for conversions, but it’s never more important than when you actually need to speak. 

Filming yourself can be a little intimidating at first, especially if you’ve never done it before. Don’t make things harder on yourself with complex language. No one needs a tongue twister or a series of nervous giggles in the middle of their video script! 

Not sure whether your copy is too complex? Reading it aloud is the best way to work out whether you’ll be able to speak naturally without stumbling over your words. 

Then, get someone from your ideal target audience to read over it and highlight anything that leaves them scratching their head. 

You’re aiming to convert and convince, not to confuse – so if in doubt, take it out.  

Use your existing copy for inspo 

If you’ve been in business for a while, you’ve probably already established a particular tone for your writing – so don’t let it all go to waste! 

Consistency is the key to building a recognisable brand, and if you’re already a member of the conversational copy club*, you’ll have a growing bank of snippets to refer back to when you’re facing a copy block. 

Just reading over anything you’ve written in the past will help you settle into your tone of voice, and who knows? It might even give you a few ideas around content gaps you could address in the future. 

*if you’re not a member of the conversational copy club, you absolutely should be. Conversation converts like nothing else! 

Get to the point 

Time is of the essence these days – and in a world full of content and creators vying for your ideal customers’ attention, you have to learn how to use it well. 

That means centering your video content around the most important point you want to make.

Before you start your script, take a moment to channel your ideal customer and think about what they’re hoping to get out of your video. 

That’s your “why” – the reason they should watch – and if you can sum it up in just one sentence, you’ll have a much better shot at grabbing their attention. 

Do the dump and cut 

Have you ever watched a video that went on for several minutes too long and never quite made it to the point? 

Yep. There’s plenty of waffly content on the World Wide Web, and if you never get to the good bit (the salted caramel drizzle, obviously), your message will get lost in the crowd. 

When you’ve got something important to say, a “dump and cut” process will help you turn all of your ideas into a waffle-free video that’s actually worth watching. 

Instead of working to a time limit, dump everything you want to say into a document, and then cut down the bits that don’t translate well or add much value. 

This way, you can cherry-pick the most important parts of your message, condense it to fit your time frame, and still sound like yourself. 

And if you’ve tried everything and you’re still freaking out over a video script that doesn’t quite sound right, I’ve got good news: the help you need is just a click away… 

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