How To Write A Script For A YouTube Video (5-Step Template!)

I'll show you how to write a script for a YouTube video that increases YouTube watch time, drives more viewer engagement, maximizes the value for your audience, and helps you make videos faster. It's a super simple YouTube video script template that we use here at Primal Video on every video. So you'll learn how to make YouTube videos using the exact same scripting process that I use. Plus, once we've covered how you can use the template, I'm gonna share with you an incredibly simple secret sauce that you can use in combination to dramatically improve your watch time on your videos.

 

Now, as we're getting into this, there's one really important thing that I want you to remember when you are scripting out and structuring out your videos and that is to remember the viewer. There is a real live person on the other end of your videos consuming them, so you wanna make sure that you're packing in as much value for them as possible, that you're keeping them in mind, that you're not dragging your video out unnecessarily to try and make a longer video to increase watch time. No. Make your videos as long as they need to be, and no longer.

 

That means that if it takes you five minutes to give your viewer everything they need, then make a five-minute video. If that's 20 minutes, then make it 20 minutes. But come from that place of what does the viewer need? What do they expect? What do they want from this content? And give them that. They're gonna see straight through it or they're gonna lose interest if you're just padding a video out unnecessarily. So this is our video script structure.

How To Hook Viewers At The Start Of A Video

The first thing you want to do, most important, is to hook the viewer in immediately. Don't worry about introducing yourself and who you are and about your channel or asking them to subscribe or any of that stuff. You need to hook the viewer in.

Let them know that your video is the one for them, that they're in the right place. And you want to do that immediately so that people will start to relax into your content and not wonder if they should have clicked one of the other videos that YouTube was presenting for them. And you can do that with an example like this.

In this video, I'm gonna share with you the top five video editing apps on iOS to help you decide which is the best one for you. That's it, short and sweet, just letting them know what the video is about.

How To Introduce Yourself & The Topic

Now, from there is when we move into our intro and this is where you can introduce yourself, introduce your channel, introduce more about the topic and how the video is going to be presented. So an example of an intro line that we've used a lot on this channel is, "Hey, it's Justin Brown here from Primal Video, where we help you grow an audience and scale your revenue with online video." So that's a quick introduction to me and to our channel.

 

Now, from there, that's where I will share a little bit more about the topic of the video and how the content is going to be presented. So that's where I'd say something like, "So if you've ever looked for video editing apps on iOS, you'll understand there's a lot of different options. So I've spent a ton of time trying and testing all the top options, and in this video, I'm gonna share with you my top five to help you decide which is the best one for you." So that's your intro section.

 

Now, in this section, this is where you'll see a lot of people out there throwing in a quick call to action, and it's not a bad idea, but again, I want you to think of the viewer. How many times have you just clicked on a video and very early on in the video, you're being told to smash the Like button, hit the Subscribe button, ring the notification bell so you don't miss anything? But the problem with that is that you haven't built up enough value for the viewer that why would they subscribe at that point if they've never heard of you before? They haven't even got to the content piece, the meat of the video, where that's where they'll decide if it's a good video or not.

 

That's really where they're gonna wanna subscribe if it's a fit for them. So I'm not saying don't do this, but I'm saying experiment to see what works for you. For us, we don't have a call to action very early on in our videos anymore. But if you are gonna have one, what did work well was asking for a thumbs-up. It is a lower commitment. Instead of getting someone to hit the Subscribe button and ring the notification bell, you could ask for something that's lower commitment, like, "If you're finding value in this video, give it a thumbs-up.

 

It really makes a huge difference." It does really make a huge difference and it's a low commitment from their end as well. But it still sends a positive indicator to YouTube that they liked your content, that they interacted with it. So whether they subscribe or not, they're gonna be more likely to see more of your videos on the platform later.

 

Now, this is where as well something that we are experimenting with right now in this intro section, and only now that we're past a million subscribers, is that we're actually shortening this piece down and I'm no longer introducing myself and the channel. I'm really just using this intro section now to give more context to the video and, again, let the viewer feel like they're in the right place and that I am actually gonna help them.

How To Structure Video Content

So that's the intro section, and once you've delivered that, we then move on to the content. Now, this one is pretty self-explanatory. This is where you want to deliver on what you promised in your hook and in your intro. And again, in this section, it's really important not to just drag things out. You want to keep it short, sharp, concise, to keep it engaging and to keep your viewers engaged.

 

So some good ideas for delivering this content piece of your video can be to use lists, like top five, top X videos. Those are really great for viewer engagement because people will inherently wanna stick around to hear out all the steps or all the options through to completion. So even if they knew step one, two, three, and four or options one, two, three, and four, option number five could be the game changer for them. So they'll likely want to stick around for that.

How & Why You Should Offer A ‘Bonus'

Now, from there we move into what we like to call the bonus, which is essentially an overdeliver. Based on the title, the topic of the video, you know what your viewers are there for. What else can you give them in this bonus section that you know they're gonna be interested in that you know that they'll wanna stick around to receive? So in the case of our video editing apps on iOS example that I'm sharing here, I would usually share some video editing tips that are going to be useful for anyone no matter which app they end up choosing.

 

But what you wanna do here is tease out that bonus a little earlier in the video. So where I like to do that is at the end of the intro section just before we move into the content and I'll say something like, "Make sure you stick around to the end 'cause I'm also gonna share with you my top video editing tips to help you edit faster in any iOS app," or something similar like that. So they know that then after the content piece, there's something else to stick around. So then after we've delivered that content section, then that's when we're gonna deliver that bonus.

 

So I would say something like, "Earlier in the video, I said I'm gonna share with you my top video editing tips to help you edit faster in any iOS app. So tip number one is," and I would share some amazing tip to help them. So again, this piece is so powerful because it's coming from that place of adding value. It wasn't expected from the viewers that you're gonna help them with their editing tips as well as their editing apps, in this case.

 

So what can you add in as quick bonus value designed to help your viewers based on the topic or the title of the video that they're watching? What else can you give them? So this is something that really helps with your watch time because people wanna stick around to hear this out, but also, it helps with the great experience you're giving the viewers and the goodwill and the reciprocity that you're building up from adding so much value for them.

How To Include An Effective Call To Action

Now, after that bonus section is where we move into our call to action. This is the last piece of your video for the action takers that have made it to the very end of your video. This is where you tell them what you want them to do next now that they've consumed this content. Is it to subscribe to your channel? To go and check out the resources that you've linked in the description? To go over to your website? To subscribe to your email list? To download one of your free PDF guides? To watch another video that's linked onscreen? What is the best next step for your viewer now that they've made it to the end of your video? And again, you're coming from that place of how do I add value to the viewer? If they like this video, what is the next best thing for them to do or the next best video for them to watch? Even if you don't have the next best video for them to watch, then link them to another channel that does.

 

It's obviously got to be a good video that you're linking them to, but this can help your channel grow because you're creating these ties between your video and another video and YouTube's gonna see that, that if people do make it to the end of your video, they click on what you've recommended, they go over and watch another video, that YouTube's gonna see that the audience is similar. So it could be that your video might start to show up off the back of their videos and vice versa. It's more information that you're providing YouTube about the types of content that your channel is producing, but also the types of audience that would like it.

Our TOP Tips For Writing A Script

Now, earlier in the video, I said I'd also share with you the incredibly simple secret source that you can use in combination with this template to dramatically improve your watch time on your videos. And what this is is opening loops, and I've actually been doing it throughout this video as well. So an open loop is essentially a statement or a promise or when you're teasing something out that's going to happen a little later. So we're opening that loop.

 

We're saying something is going to happen. When that thing happens is when the loop is closed. Now, this isn't just something to keep people engaged for videos, this works for stories and for written content as well. And this is where the most engaging stories are really opening some big loops towards the start that you want to hear closed out towards the end. You just gotta know what happens in the end of that story, in the end of that movie. Is the main character okay? That's the concept of opening and closing loops.

 

Now, if you do these in your YouTube videos from that perspective of adding value, what value can you add to your viewers that you know they will be interested in a little later in the video? So teasing out that bonus section in our video is a great example of opening the loop. So back in the start of the video, I said make sure you stick around to the end 'cause I'm also gonna share with you the secret source, right? That was opening a loop until now in the video, I'm closing that loop. So it's coming from that place of adding value. It's something that's going to help you with your video creation, but it's also something that can keep people watching or consuming your content as well. But we're also not doing this with the primary piece of content. We're not holding anything back.

 

We're not delaying the answer for people. The content piece is the content piece and that's delivered in a fast, efficient way. It's this bonus or an overdeliver is where we're adding extra value to people and it just so happens it also keeps them watching the video longer because it's not what they came for, but it's something else that they're going to be interested in. But this is where you're also able to open and close much smaller, more subtle loops inside your videos as well. If you're structuring your videos using lists or top X, top five tips, people will wanna stick around for that entire list. But by saying that you're gonna break this down and share the top five tips, then people will wanna stick around for number five because that's the complete loop.

 

So they will want to watch that video through to completion to hear out all five of them. If you stopped at number four and didn't close out the loop by promising five and delivering five, the viewer's gonna feel like you ripped them off, that you've left them hanging. So this is where it's really important that if you open a loop, it's really important that you close it. And again, it's not just about dragging things out unnecessarily. It's all about keeping the viewer in mind, being respectful of their time, but also pack in as much value as you can.

Now, for a bit of fun, why don't you go back and start this video again from the beginning and you'll be able to pull apart exactly what I've just taught you? When I'm in the hook, the intro, when I'm opening loops, when I'm teasing out the bonus, when I'm delivering the bonus. And I can't stress this enough. This stuff really works to make it easy for your viewers to follow along, to watch, to consume your content, but it also helps them be more engaged in it as well.

Why You NEED A Script For YouTube Videos

Now, having this structure all thought out and in place before you get in front of the camera is actually gonna make the filming process easier as well because there's less mistakes when you're filming because you know what you want to say and when you wanna say it, which means that there's less footage to edit, which means faster editing, which means faster video creation. So by following this, you're actually gonna speed up your video creation time as well.