3 Tips to Help You Script Your Company’s Next Marketing Video

All video production needs to have a plan, but not all successful videos need to be scripted.

Yes, we know that sounds a tad confusing so let me share my top 3 tips to help you script your company’s next marketing video production.

#1: Decide if you need a script

Planning is key to a successful video, so the first step is to determine if the video you are creating needs to be scripted or not!

More often than not I highly recommend taking the time to write a script because it ultimately saves time (which saves you money) and removes stress.

Writing a script allows you to make mistakes, restart and say exactly the same thing again. Removing the stress of “oh no I said it better last time” and “nope, that’s not what I mean” etc etc.

Using a script ensures that you get your message across in a succinct and authentic manner - and that you say the same thing on every take. It’ll also enable you to record multiple videos in one filming session which ultimately saves you both time and money during production!

I’d recommend using a script for all educational content, online courses and piece-to-camera updates. As a rule of thumb, consider the following things before starting to write your script.

Think about the following questions and jot down notes:

• What exact and specific content do you need included in your video?
• E.g. Do you have a set of guidelines or information that you need to tell your audience?
• What is the purpose and / or objectives of your video production?
• Do any graphics or specific footage need to be shown at any particular moment?
• What do you want your audience to do at the end of the video? What is the call-to-action?

#2: Structure your script correctly

The purpose of a script is to ensure you give your video the structure it needs to stay relevant for your audience and convey the correct brand message. There is nothing more tedious than watching a video of someone that never gets to the point! You are better off not creating any video content at all than creating boring or irrelevant content.

The two biggest mistakes I see people make are:

1. Making their script far too long – videos that are too long will bore your audience

2. Not making the content relevant – your audience is investing their time watching your content so make it useful to them and not all about how great you think you are.

Here are a few tips that will help you structure an engaging and successful script.

• Keep it short and sweet
  Think about how long you usually stay engaged with a video. Unless it is a thrilling murder doco on Netflix most promotional videos seen on social media have an engagement time of mere seconds before moving on to the next thing. To put things into perspective, a 250 word script will usually provide speaking content for a 90 second video.
• Start with an engaging opening sentence
  
  • Something that is going to grab attention. And make sure when it’s delivered, it’s done so in a way that will stick in your viewer’s mind. Some great examples can be an interesting fact (relevant to your content of course) or a rhetorical question. For example for our east-coast Australian readers, does the opening Hello! Frank Walker from National Tiles stick in your head today? Over 15 years since that campaign launched? It’s not because the sentence is profound, but because of the way it was delivered.
• Make the content of your script relevant!
  
  • Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and try to write it that way. What would they want to hear about? Is what you will be addressing in your script 100% necessary and does it flow in a logical way? Make sure what is being spoken about is easy to follow.
• Always finish with a call to action
  
  • Make sure you give your audience the next step to follow after watching the video. Whether it be ‘to find out more call…’ or ‘Tag a person who will like this video below.’

#3. Practice reading your script out loud!

Our final tip, is in my opinion the most important point of them all, and it’s often something people forget to do when writing a script.

A video script is not a piece of written marketing material, and as such needs to be written in a conversational tone. Regularly reading your script out loud as you’re writing it will enable you to hear whether the content flows and sounds correct in the spoken language.

Practicing your script also has other benefits, including reduced filming time (because you need less do-overs) and an overall calmer, more authentic presentation.

Remember:
You don’t need to memorise your script – ask your video production company for a teleprompter!

Now that you have a handle on scripting, if you’re still at a loss as to the video you need to create - download my newly created Business Video Checklist here to ensure you have video where it’s most needed in your business!

Stay Camera Confident

Rebecca x