You need to write a video script for your business which you then can then record and put up o Youtube.
Relevant and engaging video content is crucial in the current digital marketing atmosphere. Consumers love engaging with short but informative video content, and marketing experts expect that trend to continue dominating well into 2022 and beyond.
When you take the time to step back and think about it, video scripts and platforms like YouTube and TikTok have changed the marketing game.
Videos have raised the bar content-wise for businesses worldwide, and if your business is putting off creating video content, it’s never too late to start.
The Importance of Video Content
As brand awareness grows and we face consistently oversaturated industry platforms, consumers are looking to video content to help them make decisions. Videos help people make decisions while keeping them engaged and informed.
Marketers love videos for apparent reasons; they can use photos, text, and music to convey messages.
This combination of media is much more interesting than reading a blog article about what’s happening behind the scenes of a particular brand or a product launch.
Videos Are Accessible
Video is incredibly accessible, and it covers a wide variety of topics, from promotions to how-tos.
The power of video is invaluable to those trying to learn a new skill or hobby, ranging from everything from knitting to changing the oil in your car.
Videos eliminate the need for interpretation. Where blog posts and other forms of written media may leave your client with more questions than they had to begin with, video is clear and compelling when created correctly.
Videos Tell Your Story
Your commercial business has a story to tell, and it’s your job to convey it as clearly as possible to your past, current, and potential customers.
Luckily, Animoto reports that 93% of marketing teams have reported gaining a new customer due to video content.
So, instead of writing your story down and providing your target audience with a book, show them through video.
There are far too many competitors in almost every industry for business owners and marketing teams to skip conveying emotion.
Your clients want to connect with you on an emotional level, and video content allows them to do that.
In short, you know that the people landing on your website or product page are likely in need of your services or products.
Convincing them to buy takes so much more than a need, however, because it’s possible they can get similarly priced products and services elsewhere. So, why should they choose you?
Your story needs to build empathy among your audience and help them understand the why behind your business.
When you let your audience take a peek behind the hypothetical curtain and explain why your product or service means what it does to you, you create customer loyalty through transparency.
Consumers are no longer interested in empty content and businesses without faces.
Share interesting pieces about you or your employees, and every time you create a video script, let it tell a story, no matter how brief.
Skipping Video Content is a Mistake
Choosing not to produce videos or reels is a mistake for every business owner with marketable content.
Not every business succeeds with a perfectly curated Instagram page, but most can create relatable video content, whether you’re selling pet toys or assistance with tax forms.
The bottom line here is that videos allow business owners from all industries and backgrounds to showcase the best of themselves. Video will enable you to assert a particular narrative around what you have to offer. You can boost leads through promotions or gain followers through an educational presentation, all while using video.
Combining video with great storytelling tactics is the perfect recipe for content your audience relates to on a personal level.
Video works with almost every business model to pull in a larger audience. All businesses should view their customer base as real people instead of getting caught up in the number game.
Now that you know why video content is so important and how to use it to appeal to your audience, you’ve got to find the right way to put your video content together.
Most companies hire a professional, but it is possible to write your video scripts and construct the videos yourself, depending on the tools you use and your budget.
Video Creation Tools
Because video content is in high demand, plenty of paid and free tools will help you put together your brand story in a way that your audience will love and relate to. Whether you’re live streaming or not, creating videos for your brand is easier now than it has ever been.
We know that video content increases conversion rates, click-through rates, and purchases. It’s important to note that video performs well on almost every social or communication-based platform, which touches back on the accessibility factor and, without question, improves your overall reach.
The tools you use are imperative to creating seamless content that makes sense. A poorly-equipped video platform lacking essential features will cause your content to fall flat, no matter how fantastic your end script turns out.
Animoto
Animoto has been at the top of the video creation industry for quite some time. The video creator is straightforward and user-friendly, and it works well for many businesses, from photographers to dog trainers.
Animoto has evolved, adding an exceptional video marketing component to the relatively glitch-free platform with rave reviews. If adding media and voice-overs are your favorite video marketing aspects, Animoto will work perfectly for you.
Animoto allows complete text optimization and control and split-screen and collage options. It might not be the most advanced video platform available, but it’s purposeful and makes it super simple to create professional video content.
Biteable
Biteable is a fun and revolutionary platform that lets users create animated videos that look incredible and genuine. Perfect for beginners or those with some animation knowledge, Biteable offers hundreds of templates, live scenes, and animated videos.
Of course, you want your video and brand to remain unique, so you’ll want to add your animated content to your Biteable video, which you’re able to create on the Biteable platform. With this beginner-friendly video content creator, you can make infographics, animations, presentations, logos, and advertisements for your business.
Biteable is a great way to stand out among the crowd.
Wideo
Wideo is a stunning platform to assist marketing teams and business owners without much video content experience in creating compelling marketing videos. The video creator on Wideo is beyond easy to utilize, and the templates are clean, fun, and professional.
If templates aren’t your thing, you can drop whatever photos or video clips you want to include in your video and begin construction. Wideo offers suggestions along the way, ensuring that all creators get the most from the video in current production.
Wideo works for animations, though it doesn’t go into the same detail as other animation-focused video creation platforms. You won’t need any design experience, and Wideo has an extensive library that will leave you with original videos for quite a while.
RendrFX
One of the best video creation platforms for websites, RendrFX is extremely easy to implement. They have plenty of professionally designed templates. All you have to do is upload the content, such as photos, audio, text, colors, and graphics, to their platform to get started with your curated brand content.
RendrFX is fantastic for putting together many different kinds of videos, including:
- Promotional videos
- Video ads
- Logo reveals
- Slideshows
- Videos for social channels
- Explainer videos
- Demonstrative videos
There are dozens of suitable video content creators available to help you get started with communicating and regularly interacting with your audience. As more platforms explode onto the scene, the video creation options have become endless and undeniably affordable, especially when considering the return you receive from your investment.
Most media creation outlets offer a free trial, so make sure you take them up on their offer to ensure that specific platforms have the features you require and will use the most. You want to stand out from the crowd, and it’s possible with excellent video content, regardless of the type of products and services you sell.
Amazing videos will help your business kick off the new year in style. While plenty of options will help you in your videos’ actual construction and layout, writing a script is an entirely different story. No pun intended!
Artificial Intelligence and Video Script for Business
Artificial intelligence is tempting for writing scripts for business videos, but current advances have not allowed AI to replace content writers.
While AI is an excellent resource for speeding up the writing process, it’s merely a tool in the process, such as a grammar or plagiarism checker.
The truth is that while AI is doing plenty to streamline content marketing calendars and assign tasks, it is not coherent enough to engage appropriately with customers. We’ve seen it in the message customer service bots companies use, and we’ve seen it in the full articles written by a robot only.
The tangibility and emotion are not there, and both aspects are critical for marketing purposes.
Artificial intelligence cannot currently create a context that plays on emotion, especially regarding the personal reasons you have for standing by your business. Your video script, your story, has to come from you.
Don’t get it wrong. AI can help formulate ideas and concepts, but it can’t function on the emotive level you require for an audience connection. Use artificial intelligence as a tool, but don’t rely heavily on it. Only human beings can create an authentic human connection.
How to Write a Video Script for Business
Writing a video script for your business is easier than you think. For starters, this is your business. If anyone can put it into words that will connect with others on an empathetic level, it’s you.
There is no shame in hiring a professional content writer to work on your business script for you. Either way, you’ll want to be heavily involved with the process, so it’s a great idea to have a basic game plan for writing a video script for your business.
Beginning with an Outline
An outline is essential to achieving desired results with any written work of art, and a video script is no exception to this rule. Whether you’re working alone or with a team, an outline, or script brief, is a crucial part of establishing a direction.
You can’t determine an angle for your project if you neglect this step. Without a structured brief, the goals and points you wish to communicate via your video will become chaotic and lost in translation, even if you’re working alone.
An outline allows you to refer back to your original notes if anything stands in the way of your progress.
Having a concrete plan to refer to helps you remember why you chose to move in your current direction and provides reasons for getting lost within the project, which can happen quite quickly when the to-do lists get long.
Construct your brief in any way that you see fit. When it comes to your outline, you have to do what works for you. Perhaps you organize it within a Google document to share with your team members or upload it to Asana or Slack.
On the other hand, you could handwrite it on a piece of scrap paper and keep it tucked into your work bag for safekeeping.
Take whatever maintains your organization concerning your script and run with it. As you repeatedly refer back to your brief during the creative scriptwriting process, you’ll be thankful you’ve got it.
When drafting the outline for your video, you’ll want to consider the following:
The Topic and Takeaways
The topic of your video is the most important aspect. The subject of the video is something that you and your team should be motivated to share with your audience in the most inventive yet straightforward way possible.
You’ll want your topic to be as specific as it can get, such as The Best Way to Wear Flared Jeans in 2022 or The Top Three Motivators Behind Our Mission Statement. Whatever your business does, share it with the public.
Once you’ve decided what you want to talk about, ponder what you want your audience to take away from your video.
Do you want viewers to sign up for your newsletter, message for more information about a specific product or service, or create awareness surrounding an impending launch?
The information you want your audience to take away from your video will form your main talking points.
Your Audience
A significant component of your original outline is your audience. You’ll want to pinpoint the audience you’d like to target with your video, which should be relatively simple if your business has previously advertised online, and speak for that particular audience.
Most businesses have a pretty firm grasp on who makes up their audience.
This information comes from analytics tracking, ranging from website conversions to Facebook ad results.
If you’re new to the game and entirely unsure who your audience might be, you can start by tracking your website visitors and those who engage with your posts on social media.
When establishing an audience for targeted reach, it’s best to consult with a professional marketing team, but you can do it yourself with a bit of time and research if it’s not in the budget.
Once you’ve nailed down what you want to talk about and who your video will target, it’s time to create a call to action.
Call to Action
Your call to action will come at the end of your video script, just like it would at the end of a landing page or sales-focused blog post. Your call to action is whatever you want your viewers to do once they’ve completed your video and sit pondering the content they just took in, no matter how briefly.
You might ask them to visit your website for more information or pop-up contact information, so they know how to reach you. Regardless of what your call to action is asking, make it strong and make it creative. The end of your video is where you’ll convince your audience that they need your product and services to solve whatever pain point they’re currently suffering.
For example, let us say you run a home maintenance company, and you create a video instructing your audience on how to clean out their gutters. Obviously, this is a task the homeowner can tackle on their own, but it’s messy, wet, cold, tedious, and overall unpleasant.
At the end of your instructional video, you’d let your potential clients know that they don’t have to clean out their gutters themselves because you’ll do it for them! Even better, they can contact you today for a free consultation. A good call to action inspires the actual movement.
Embrace Revisions
While an outline makes a great reference point concerning your original plan, it doesn’t have to be rigid.
Embrace any script revisions along the way, and accept input from your team and the fact that you might change your mind with grace. As long as you meet your original goal, it’s okay to take detours along the way, as long as they make your video content better.
Detailing Your Brief or Outline
Once your general outline or brief is complete, you’ll want to begin constructing the actual script in the form of a first draft. You may have many drafts that follow, and there is no right or wrong way to go about this process.
Consider Subtopics
You came up with the topic and main talking points you want your video to cover during your outline or brief development. Now it’s time to get detailed. Sit down with your team and consider the subtopics you’d like your video to communicate to your viewers.
Let’s go back to The Best Way to Wear Flared Jeans in 2022 for a moment. You could place so many subtopics within this video, covering shoes, tops, and even accessories that go well with flared jeans in the upcoming year.
It’s possible to cover quite a bit in a short amount of time, and when writing your video script, you’ll want to keep length in mind.
The average consumer attention span is not long by any means. Depending on the length of your video, each subtopic should last between twenty to thirty seconds.
Base it on a Blog Post
An effective way to firm up and get detailed with your outline is to take information from a blog post that you’ve already written.
Many businesses and blogs create videos based on blog posts, and while it’s a great way to communicate information, even short posts are often too long to turn word for word into a video script.
By condensing the crucial points within your blog post and eliminating the pieces meant to sound conversational, you can create some fantastic talking points or subtopics for your video without coming up with entirely new content.
Keep Transitions Natural
Your video script will likely contain a talking point transition or two. These transitions are excellent as long as you keep them natural. Your video script should flow, as this will keep your audience’s attention and eliminate choppy language.
You never want your viewers to wonder where your video is going. There should be a clear direction from the open to close.
Introductions
If you’ve followed along so far, then you likely have a firm grasp on the content you want to include in your video, and it’s time to take all of that brainstorming and begin the construction of your official script. The beginning of your video should include an introduction and a hook.
There is no other time to draw your viewers into watching your entire video than your opening comments. Even if you’ve released video content in the past, you’ll want to ensure that you include an introduction. Some of your audience members could be new to your brand page, and you want to include them by introducing yourself.
Video content has just as much, if not more, competition than written content. You’ve got to make your audience feel engaged right from the start, so take care to craft an introduction with a hook that will reel them in and keep them interested.
This introduction should be short and to the point. Switch up your hook and intro for every piece of video content you create. Let your audience know what they can expect to learn from your video content right from the start. This practice not only keeps viewers interested by letting them know right away what they’re in for, but it also assists in weeding out audience members that aren’t interested.
While turning people off at the beginning of your video content seems counterintuitive, even your loyal followers will appreciate your straightforward approach. You cannot possibly release content that resonates with every person all the time.
Give your audience a heads up and help them decide right off the bat if they want to stick around. If your hook is written correctly, they’ll stay to see what you’ve got to say.
Piece by Piece
Writing your script piece by piece or in sections will make it easier for you to develop the details of your big picture. As you begin the writing process, remember that your goal is to sound natural. Try to write in a way that conveys a relaxed conversation instead of a structured outline.
To clarify, the outline of your script should absolutely ooze organization and structure. However, the language you use when speaking on camera does not have to do the same. Teach as naturally as possible.
Conversational Writing
Speaking naturally from a script begins with the ability to write in a conversational tone. Not everyone can do this, and this is why so many business owners and marketing teams hire content writers.
For social content purposes, it’s crucial to write scripts as though we’re talking to friends and family.
It can get tempting to try and sound as professional as possible, mainly because you’re talking about your business.
It only makes sense that you want to remain professional in front of those who wish to use your products and services. However, they want to see a side of you, and therefore a side of your business, that they can understand from an empathetic perspective.
By talking to your audience like you’ve been friends with them for years, you can begin conveying a certain level of relatability. This connection is what consumers are looking for on a global scale.
Leave Nothing Out
Stop and think of a movie script for a moment. Scriptwriters leave nothing out. While actors improvise and spin on the dialogue and actions, the script contains original instructions based on how the scriptwriters see the scene unfolding in their minds. Your three-minute social media video requires the same amount of dedication.
Precisely how detailed you get with your writing is up to you and depends heavily on the content in the video. If you’re considering adding different camera angles and shots, new characters, or showing how a product or service works, you’ll have to note all of this in the script.
Does your video include scenes or a wardrobe change? While this concept might seem silly if you own an accounting company, those that teach acting classes or execute birthday parties for children will likely include scene changes and character clothing.
The details of your script are up to you, but be thorough for your team. If it’s just you, be specific for yourself. Heading into the video shoot knowing exactly how you’d like to proceed will save you the headache of reshoots and discontent with the final product.
Consider Your Platform
It’s impossible to stress this enough. You’ll write about your business in your script, but you also write for your audience. So, who is your audience, and how do they speak naturally?
Children have a different way of communicating than account executives. While this is an extreme example, it effectively shows how careful you have to be with your tone and phrasing. Write your script as if you were speaking to a room full of your customers directly because technically, you are.
In addition to your audience, you’ve got to write for the platform on which you intend to host your video. If you’re posting to social channels, a shorter video is in order, or else you will not keep the attention of your ever-scrolling audience.
On the other hand, if you’re writing a video for your website, explaining a service or product in detail, or discussing your company mission, a longer video will work well. The platform in which you post has plenty to do with the length of your sentences and how much you can discuss while keeping video length in mind.
Social spaces like Tik Tok, Instagram, and Facebook Reels allow for shorter videos that force you to get to the point. Your website will enable you to be as thorough as possible. You may have trouble deciding the best place to post your video, unsure how much info you want to include.
When this indecisiveness happens, consider writing and filming a long video for your website, failing to leave out any valuable information, and then a shorter version for your social channels. Let your viewers know that if they want more on the topic, they can see the longer video on your website.
Not only will this method please your audience, but it will drive traffic to your website. Be sure to link the website version on all your social platforms for easy access.
Script it All
Writing a script successfully means writing down every word, even if it seems tedious and unnecessary. While bullet points are great for your outline or brief, the actual script itself has to contain every word you want to say, primarily if you’re doing two videos on the same topic, such as one for your website and one for your social networks.
Having every word in front of you means staying organized during the filming process and avoiding flying by the seat of your pants. In the long run, scripting every word will keep you from reshooting and getting lost in your talking points.
Utilizing a Template
These days, there are templates for everything, and scriptwriting is no exception.
If you have access to a solid template, use it, whether paid or free! Templates make everything more accessible, especially scriptwriting.
There are templates available that offer prompts, so if you get stuck regarding which order you’d like to talk about your product, your template can help. Many business owners faced with the task of writing their own video scripts use templates.
While it’s essential to be original, it can be challenging to be consistently inventive, especially when you’re pumping out larger batches of video content. Most brands with an online presence create more than one piece of content at once.
For example, you might write your blog posts for the month at one time or create your sales advertisements in advance all in one day. It’s easy to take this content creation approach with video content because you already have everything set up. You might as well go ahead!
The tricky part of shooting more than one video at a time is writing a script that doesn’t sound too redundant. This is where templates can help. Techsmith recommends the following formula when creating video content:
- Grab your audiences’ attention with the first line.
- Bring up the pain point.
- Show your viewers how your product or service eases the pain point.
- Use your call to action to encourage them to follow up.
This short but effective template will provide you with a relevant video script every time you sit down to write.
Don’t Be Afraid to Edit
When it comes to scriptwriting, edits are your best friend. Editing your script is crucial to helping it make sense to your viewers. If you’re creating a video for a social channel, you don’t have too much time, so make every word count.
After you’ve completed the first draft of your script, you’ll want to go through with your first round of edits. These edits can be as heavy or as light as you’d like.
Cut out any pieces that sound like you’re droning on or don’t lead you successfully toward your purpose. A good rule when writing a script is that you want the length long enough to cover your topic and answer potential audience questions effectively while still keeping your video short.
As viewer attention spans shorten and brands inundate them with content, it can be challenging to get your audience to stay throughout your video. Keep that in mind as the writing process unfolds.
Table Read
If you’re working with a team, post-editing is the perfect time for a table read. Sit down with everyone and read the script aloud. If there’s more than one person in the video, you’ll want each person to read their parts. If there are scenes, run through them.
One of the best ways to establish if your script is working is to read it aloud, and reading aloud catches mistakes that are missed by reading silently. When you can hear yourself, or someone else, speaking the words you’ve written, it’s easier to get a handle on whether or not the flow is correct.
It might seem like an extra, unnecessary step, but always take the time to read aloud. Making additional edits at this point is much easier than doing them when you’re trying to record. Lastly, ask for honest feedback from team members, family, or friends and take it to heart.
Writing Your Video Script: The Final Moments
You’ve completed and edited your script. You’ve done a table read and asked for team members, friends, and family feedback. Now it’s time to shoot your video.
Ensure that everyone on set has a copy of the completed script, trimmed to fit the desired video time, and stick to it. There will always be room for you and those in your video to wander off the script, as sometimes the shooting process brings out aspects that you wouldn’t see during the writing process.
There is no point in writing a script, which you’ve likely just spent a decent chunk of time doing if you’re not going to follow it. Avoid significant script changes, but do consider if the screen will change while you’re on camera.
For example, if you’re speaking about a graph or image, and you’ll be replaced on-screen with that graph or snap during the editing process, you’ll want to be careful with your wording. You don’t want to say, “take a look at the photo below”, but instead, “Let’s have a look at the image on the screen”.
These minor tweaks are common during shooting, but try not to overlook them while writing. If you stick to your script, you’re sure to spend less time shooting and more time appreciating the results of your efforts.
A Successful Business Video Script
By implementing the current tools available today, taking a step-by-step approach, and being utterly unafraid of edits, you’ll have zero problems writing a successful business video script.
Whether you’re on your own or working with a team, stick to your mission and message.
Always keep in mind who you’re writing for concerning the audience and platform.
Never be afraid to ask for feedback, and take that feedback seriously when given from people you trust that are not directly involved with the project.
If you’re new to scriptwriting, don’t worry about the number of rough drafts that pile up or how many rounds of edits you require.
There is no right or wrong amount of time to write a script. Follow your gut, know your audience, kick it off with a stellar hook, and your video is sure to bring leads, views, and conversions.
Further Reading
How To Pitch Your Book To Hollywood
Joel Mark Harris graduated from the Langara School of Journalism in 2007. Joel is an award-winning journalist, novelist, screenwriter and producer.
He has ghostwritten numerous books in all types of genres including true life crime, business, memoir, and self help. With over 1,000 blog posts to his name, he has helped hundreds of business owners scale their business and increase their visibility. You can email him at info@ghostwritersandco.com