Video script template for short videos (fill in the blanks)

A short video script template needs four parts: a hook that names your viewer's problem, one point that tells them what to do, one piece of proof, and one ask. For a 30-second video that's about 75 words: roughly 10 for the hook, 40 for the point, 15 for the proof and 10 for the ask.

This video script template is for people who explain things for a living and now have to do it on camera: coaches, agents, advisors, shop owners and founders. You'll get the template, word budgets for 15, 30 and 60 seconds, a fully worked example, three more you can adapt, and a way to lay out your script so it reads naturally off a teleprompter.

The video script template (copy this)

Every short talking-head video can follow the same four-part shape. Fill in one line at a time, top to bottom.

Four parts, about 75 words: a 30-second video.

HOOK (≈10 words)
Name the problem your viewer has, in their words.
→

POINT (≈40 words)
One idea. Say exactly what to do.
→

PROOF (≈15 words)
One example or number you can back up.
→

ASK (≈10 words)
One next step. Just one.
→

Why this shape works: the hook earns the next five seconds, the point is the reason anyone watches, the proof makes it believable, and the ask tells people what to do with what they just learned. Leave any one out and the video feels unfinished.

How many words is a 15, 30 or 60-second script?

At a natural speaking pace of about 150 words per minute, a 15-second script is about 38 words, a 30-second script about 75, and a 60-second script about 150. Speak slower or faster and the numbers move, so use the table, then check your own pace.

Plan with the middle column, then adjust to your own pace.

150 words per minute is the pace SpeakHead uses to time English scripts. Real speakers vary a lot: one study of radio news found English BBC bulletins averaged 168 words per minute (speech tempo, Wikipedia). That's why your own number matters more than any average.

The 60-second pace test

1. Open any article and start a 60-second timer on your phone.
2. Read out loud at the pace you'd use talking to one person across a table. Not a presentation pace.
3. When the timer ends, mark where you stopped and count the words. That's your words per minute.
4. Divide by 2 for a 30-second budget, by 4 for 15 seconds.

Do it once and you never have to guess again.

Word budget for each part

Notice what stays the same: the hook and the ask barely grow. A longer video means a longer point, not a longer introduction.

How to fill in each part

Hook: what's the problem, in their words?

Your first sentence should be something your viewer has thought or said. Not your name, not "hey everyone", not "in this video". Three patterns that work for experts:

• The worried question: "Rates went up. Should you still buy your first home?"
• The common mistake: "Most people stretch before a run. You don't need to."
• The surprising fact you can back up: "Our sourdough takes two days. Here's why."

Write three hooks, read them out loud, and keep the one you'd stop scrolling for.

Point: one idea, said as an instruction

Pick one thing the viewer should do or understand. If you have three tips, you have three videos. Say it as steps a person could follow tonight: "Pick the price, ask for the payment, check it against your budget."

Proof: one thing that makes it believable

Use one specific example from your own work, or one number you can show where it came from. If you can't back it up, leave it out. A vague claim does more harm than no claim.

Ask: one next step

Choose the single action that fits the video's goal: comment a word, send a message, book a call, come to the shop. Asking for three things gets you none of them.

Worked example: a 30-second script for a mortgage broker

This is an example we wrote to show the video script template in use. It isn't a real client's script.

81 words, about 32 seconds at a natural pace.

At 81 words it runs about 32 seconds. That's close enough. If it had come in at 95, the fix would be cutting the point, never the hook or the ask.

Three more video script template examples to adapt

Swap in your own subject. The parts in [brackets] are where your real details go. Don't invent them.

Fitness coach: 15 seconds

HOOK   No time for the gym? You need 20 minutes.
POINT  Three times a week, do three moves: squat, push-up, row.
       Add one rep each session.
PROOF  [One real result: what a client of yours managed in a month.]
ASK    Comment "plan" and I'll send you the moves.

Software founder: 20 to 30 seconds

HOOK   Still sending invoices by hand at 11 pm?
POINT  Set them up once. Add the client, the amount and the date,
       and the invoice goes out on its own every month.
       You only look at it if someone's late.
PROOF  [One real number: how long setup takes in your product.]
ASK    Link's in my profile. Try it with your next client.

Local bakery: under a minute (about 125 words)

HOOK   Why does a loaf of our sourdough take two whole days?
POINT  On day one we mix flour, water, salt and our starter.
       Then we leave it alone. The dough rests in the fridge
       overnight, and that slow rest is where the flavor comes from.
       It's also what makes the crust crackle when you squeeze it.
       On day two we shape every loaf by hand, let it rise one more
       time, and bake it before sunrise. You can't rush any of it.
       If you do, it tastes like ordinary bread.
PROOF  [Your real detail: what time the first loaves come out,
       or how many you bake on a Saturday.]
ASK    Come by this Saturday morning and ask for a warm one.
       We'll cut it for you.

A 60-second slot fits about 150 words, but 125 leaves room to pause and smile. Short videos rarely suffer from being a little shorter.

How to lay out a script for a teleprompter

Write the script as short lines, one thought per line, not as a paragraph. Your eyes can then take in a whole line at a glance and come straight back to the lens.

Same words. The layout on the right is much easier to read aloud.

1. One thought per line, about 3 to 7 words. Break at commas and full stops.
2. Bold the one word you stress in each sentence ("Watch the monthly payment").
3. Mark a breath with a slash ( / ) where you'll pause. Pauses can be cut later.
4. Write numbers the way you'll say them if they trip you up: "four hundred thousand" instead of "$400,000".
5. Leave a blank line between parts so you can feel the change from point to proof.

The read-aloud edit: 5 checks before you record

A script that reads well on paper can still trip you up out loud. Run these five checks first.

1. Read it out loud once, at camera pace. Circle every spot where you stumble, then rewrite those lines.
2. Split any sentence over about 15 words. Long sentences are where you lose your place.
3. Swap written words for spoken ones: "use", not "utilize". "About", not "approximately". "To", not "in order to".
4. Check every number. Can you show where it came from? If not, cut it.
5. Time it. More than 10% over budget? Cut from the point.

Common video script mistakes (and the fix)

The fastest way to write and record it on your phone

With any phone: write the four parts in your notes app, time yourself with the stopwatch, then prop your phone up and record. YouTube Shorts can now be up to 3 minutes long (YouTube Help), but a tight 30 to 60 seconds is still the easiest length to get right in one take.

With SpeakHead: tell it what you do and who you help, and it writes a spoken script with a hook, a point and a call to action, timed for 15, 30 or 60 seconds. You can swap the hook in one tap, or test two hooks and keep the better one. When you record, the script scrolls right under the camera lens, so your eyes stay on the viewer instead of on your notes.

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.

What costs what: recording, the teleprompter and the hand-editing tools are free forever. Writing scripts with AI needs a free sign-in. Free gives you a taste, and Pro adds a monthly allowance of 30 scripts.

For the first line of your script, see 40 video hooks that work for experts. More guides on writing scripts are in Scripts.

Last updated 13 October 2026 by Niko Julius, maker of SpeakHead. Word counts in this guide were counted by hand. Timings use 150 words per minute, the pace SpeakHead uses for English scripts. Mortgage payments use the standard 30-year fixed-rate formula.