How to Write a Video Script (+ Free Tool)

As a creator or content marketer, you have plenty of great video ideas for your B2B brand. But translating those concepts into an effective video script can take tons of time, slowing your creative process.

To help you create better content faster, we've broken down how to write a video script into actionable steps. Improve your content creation workflow with our expert tips and free video script generator tool.

Why you need a script for video marketing

A script is essential for creating sales, customer support, or marketing video content. When you have a solid plan for video production, you create a better viewer experience and avoid missed opportunities for the business.

Deliver your message effectively

Whether you want viewers to get to know your brand, learn about a new product feature, or sign up for a trial, you need to clearly communicate the main message at key points in the video. Script writing helps you:

• Fine-tune your messaging before recording or going live
• Take advantage of opportunities to reinforce your message
• Ensure your message makes the desired impact and supports your B2B marketing strategy

Develop a coherent structure

From short-form social media content to long-form webinars, videos resonate with your target audience when they share a cohesive narrative. To do this, your video needs a logical structure.

Use this basic framework as a starting point for your video marketing efforts:

• Beginning that hooks viewers and captures your audience's attention
• Middle that explores the problem and walks through the process of finding a solution
• Ending that completes the transformation and shares next steps

Simplify recording and editing

Without a good script for a video, you'll likely have a number of mistakes and retakes during your recording session. While these errors can be great for a blooper reel, they're not ideal for efficient content creation.

When you take the time to write video scripts, you know what to say and do during production. This makes the recording process go more smoothly, which inevitably leads to fewer edits.

How to write a video script in 7 steps

Follow these steps to write a great video script, and see how to make the process more efficient with Livestorm's webinar toolbox.

1. Confirm the video format

First, decide on the format for your video. For example, are you scripting a short video for social media, a five-minute explainer video, or a 60-minute webinar?

No matter the format, you'll use the same basic script writing process. You'll just need to make a few important adjustments to account for timing and pacing.

However, if you're planning a live video, you'll want to take a different approach when writing your script.

"For a live webinar, don’t script everything," cautions Pauline Mura, Senior Marketing Partnerships Manager at Livestorm. "You need it to look natural and be ready to answer live questions or to react to what’s happening in the chat."

Pre-recorded webinars are a different story. "In a recorded webinar there won’t be live reactions, so it can be fully scripted. But it still needs to sound and look natural," Pauline explains. To maintain a conversational aspect in your webinars, write scripts that leave space for discussion with fellow speakers.

2. Decide on the topic

Next, clarify the main topic for the video. Aim to be as specific as possible.

For example, suppose you're preparing a webinar about remote work. You can zero in on the topic by clarifying:

• Who it's for (e.g., employers or employees)
• What kind of resources it will feature
• If it will include expert insights or real-life stories

3. Highlight the problem

Identify the problem your video will explore, making sure it aligns with your target audience's pain points.

As an example, a webinar about remote work might focus on challenges related to the job hunt.

With Livestorm's webinar title generator, you can quickly get angles for framing your idea. Just plug in the topic and a short description (including the problem), and click to generate a title.

You'll get three versions to consider. Click to copy the best one and add it to your video script template in Google Docs.

4. Outline the main takeaways

Once you've decided on an angle, create a list of the main takeaways to cover. Make note of the primary things you want people to learn or aha! moments you want them to have while watching your video.

With Livestorm's webinar outline generator, this step is simple. After reviewing the list of title ideas, click to generate an outline for the video.

Our tool breaks down the video topic and highlights takeaways for each section. All you have to do is expand the sections with your insights and expertise.

5. Tell a compelling story

Storytelling is important for every type of video because it helps you create an emotional connection with viewers and engage your audience. Plus, it develops an arc through the video, creating a beginning, middle, and end.

To craft your story, think about the journey you want viewers to experience. For example, your remote work webinar might weave a narrative that explores job market challenges before diving into actionable solutions.

Not a storytelling expert? Livestorm's video script generator can handle this part of the process for you. To generate a script, input the topic, description, and video format and then toggle the audience knowledge level and tone of voice.

In just a few seconds, you'll get a complete script that you can use as a blueprint for your video. If you're producing a webinar, the script even includes separate sections for the host and speakers.

6. End with a call to action

At the end of your video, include a call to action (CTA) that suggests next steps for the viewer. Adding a CTA at the end helps you guide viewers to the next stage of their buyer's journey. For example:

• A webinar might encourage viewers to sign up for a free trial
• An explainer video might prompt viewers to try a product feature
• A short video for social media might encourage viewers to subscribe to the channel

7. Add visual direction

Once you've written and edited the video script, make a note of the visual elements you'll use throughout the video. This helps you clarify what you need to record the video, making production much more efficient.

• For a webinar, list the resources or files you and the speakers will share on your screens
• For a social media video, list the clips to display, including when to cut to the next scene
• For an explainer video, list the talking head content, testimonial, and b-roll footage to show

Tips to write a compelling script for video

Knowing the basics of how to write a script for video is just the first step. Use our expert tips to make a good script great.

Start with a hook

**To create the best videos, Pauline recommends that marketers "work on the intro and transitions specifically." **Capture viewers' attention from the very beginning of the video by starting with a compelling hook.

• Prompt viewers to imagine the solution to a pressing problem. Then show them how to achieve it.
• Pique viewers' curiosity by hinting at the secrets or surprising findings your video will share.
• Tell viewers that you'll walk them through how to do something in a specific number of steps.

Get to the point

Avoid creating unnecessarily long intros or adding lengthy pauses anywhere in the video. The more breaks you introduce, the more opportunities you create for viewers to become disengaged and click away from the video.

Instead, start telling the story as quickly as possible after capturing viewers' attention. Make the video worth your audience's time.

Keep the timing in mind

While the video script writing process is similar for every video format, the timing is completely different. For example, in a webinar, you can typically dedicate a few minutes to the introduction. But in a short-form video, you have to get through the intro in a few seconds.

Make sure your script takes both timing and pacing into account so you can include all the essential information and tell a coherent story without rushing through some sections and spending too much time on others.

Consider the audience

When scripting videos, keep your audience's knowledge level in mind. When you're speaking to an audience of newcomers, you'll typically need to include introductory information. But if you're making a video for an advanced audience, you may be able to assume that viewers already know the basic context.

Get clear on the tone of voice

Consider how you'll communicate the message to your audience. To create videos that truly connect with your audience, you have to get the tone of voice right.

Should your video script sound professional, casual, or somewhere in the middle? Let your brand standards and the nature of the content guide this decision.

Run through the script out loud

Once you've completed your draft, run through the script aloud. If you're hosting a live event, invite all of the speakers to the webinar dry run.

During this practice session, pay attention to the story arc, the timing, and the tone. For a webinar, run through the questions you plan to ask to make sure the speakers are prepared.

While Pauline doesn't recommend fully scripting live webinars, she does suggest that you "have the main questions drafted — at least the themes if it’s a panel or the main ideas per slide if it’s a presentation."

"Then, work on your transitions from slide to slide, or section to section," Pauline advises. "Decide which speaker does which transition and slide, and prepare a short conclusion."

Once you've done the dry run and finished refining your script, you're ready to go live or start recording your video.

Livestorm for script writing and video marketing

Whether you're planning to host a webinar or record video content for social media, Livestorm can help.

Our webinar toolbox has everything you need to generate webinar titles, outlines, and scripts, saving you time so you can produce video content more efficiently. And our webinar software makes it easy to:

• Host live events with multiple speakers
• Record videos for on-demand viewing
• Create email sequences and custom registration pages
• Integrate with 1,000+ tools

Curious to try Livestorm for yourself? Sign up for a free Livestorm account and set up your first video event in minutes.