How to use a teleprompter well: write short lines meant to be spoken, make the font big, keep the text close to the lens, and set the scroll a little slower than your natural pace. Then look at the lens, not the words, and record two takes. The second one is almost always better.
Learning how to use a teleprompter is a skill, but a small one. This guide covers setup, the right scroll speed for your pace, where to look, seven short drills, and what to do when you stumble.
Before you record: get the script right
Most "teleprompter problems" are script problems. If a sentence is hard to say, no scroll speed will fix it.
- Write for the ear. Short sentences, everyday words, one idea per line. Our video script template gives you the structure.
- Lay it out in short lines of 3 to 7 words, with a slash ( / ) where you'll breathe and the stressed word in bold.
- Check the length. At about 150 words per minute, 30 seconds is about 75 words. See the words per minute chart.
- Read it out loud once before recording, and rewrite any line you trip over.
How to use a teleprompter on your phone: the setup
Put the phone upright at eye level, about an arm's length away, with light in front of you. Make the font big enough to read without leaning in, and keep the text at the top of the screen, near the camera. Studio rigs work differently, reflecting the words onto glass in front of the lens (Wikipedia), but the reading technique is the same. If you're new to teleprompters, start with what a teleprompter is and how it works.
How fast should a teleprompter scroll?
A teleprompter should scroll at the speed you speak, so a new line reaches your eyes just as you finish the last one. To work it out, divide the words in one line by your words per second. At 150 words per minute you say 2.5 words a second, so a 5-word line needs about 2 seconds.
Count the words in one line on your screen, then find your row.
| Words per line | Slow (130 wpm) | Natural (150 wpm) | Fast (170 wpm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 words | 1.8 s per line | 1.6 s per line | 1.4 s per line |
| 5 words | 2.3 s per line | 2.0 s per line | 1.8 s per line |
| 6 words | 2.8 s per line | 2.4 s per line | 2.1 s per line |
The quick fix during a test take
- You're chasing the text as it disappears at the top: slow down one step.
- You're waiting for the next line to arrive: speed up one step.
- You're fine but tense: slow down one step anyway. Most people speak faster on camera than in real life.
In SpeakHead's speed settings
SpeakHead's teleprompter speed goes from 1 to 10, and each step scrolls about 0.11 lines per second faster, whatever font size you choose. So a line every 2 seconds is about speed 4 to 5. Start at 4, do a test take, and adjust one step at a time.
Where should you look when reading a teleprompter?
Look at the lens and let the line you're reading sit just below it. Don't follow the words down the screen with your eyes. Keep your gaze in one place and let the text come to you.
Eyes still, text moving. That's what reads as eye contact.
Want to practice this before you film? Our free online teleprompter runs in your browser and lets you set the speed in words per minute.
Seven teleprompter practice drills
You don't need hours of practice. These take about ten minutes in total, and you only need the full set the first few times.
Do them once this week. After that, just the last two.
- Cold read. Read the script out loud once without recording. Circle where you stumble.
- Tell a friend. Put the phone down and explain the point in your own words, as if to a friend. Then go back to the script and match that tone.
- Stress one word. In each sentence, lean on the one word that matters most.
- Smile on line one. Start with a small smile. It changes your voice before you've said anything.
- Eyes on the lens. Read one paragraph while keeping your eyes fixed at the top of the screen.
- Timed pass. Read with a timer and compare to your target length. Cut words, not speed, if you run long.
- Two-take rule. Always record twice. The first take warms you up. The second is usually the one you keep.
What to do when you stumble
Don't stop recording. Pause, take a breath, and restart the sentence from the beginning. The pause makes an easy place to cut later, and you keep one continuous take instead of starting over. You can also say a sentence slightly differently from the script if it sounds more like you. Nobody else has the script.
Common teleprompter mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Eyes moving left and right | Shorter lines and a bigger font, so a whole line fits in one glance. |
| Flat, monotone voice | Do the "tell a friend" drill, then stress one word per sentence. |
| Scroll too fast | Slow down one step. Then one more. |
| Text at the bottom of the screen | Keep the reading line at the top, close to the camera. |
| Restarting the whole video after a slip | Pause, restart the sentence, and cut the slip later. |
| Sentences written for reading, not saying | Rewrite them out loud. If you wouldn't say it, don't script it. |
The fastest way to read a script on your iPhone
With any phone: use a teleprompter app, keep the text at the top of the screen, and follow the speed table above.
With SpeakHead: your script scrolls right under the camera lens in a full-screen camera, with font size, speed and mirror mode. If you slip, pause, switch camera if you like, and resume: it's still one video. You can also test two hooks side by side and keep the better one. The teleprompter never appears in the exported video.
SpeakHead is an iPhone app for talking-head videos: it writes ideas and scripts, shows the script right under the camera lens while you record, and turns the raw take into a finished short with captions, cuts and zooms in one tap. Recording and the teleprompter are free, with no watermark.
Using a teleprompter: questions
Write short spoken lines, keep the text close to the lens, set the scroll slightly slower than your normal pace, and stress one word per sentence. Explain the point to a friend without the script first, then match that tone when you read.
Fast enough that a new line arrives as you finish the last one. Divide the words per line by your words per second: at 150 words per minute, a 5-word line needs about 2 seconds. Then adjust one step at a time during a test take.
At the lens. Keep the line you're reading just below the camera and hold your gaze there, letting the text come to you. Following the words down the screen is what makes it look like you're reading.
Most people sound noticeably more natural after a few sessions. Run the seven drills once, then for each video do a timed pass and record two takes. The second take is usually the keeper.
Keep recording. Pause, breathe, and restart the sentence from the beginning. You'll cut the slip in editing and keep one continuous take instead of starting over.
Last updated 13 October 2026 by Niko Julius, maker of SpeakHead. Seconds per line are calculated from words per line and speaking rate. SpeakHead's speed steps are taken from the app's teleprompter settings.
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