Video script template

Create great videos that hold viewers’ attention with this helpful video script template. (Available in Word, Google Docs and as a PDF.) Use this flexible template to shortcut your video production and make better videos. Whether for YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Vimeo or any other platform.

Download the video script template

Why use a video script template?

Videos are an incredibly powerful way to market a business or build an audience. In fact, a recent report showed that video accounts for over 60% of downstream internet traffic.

But for videos to be effective, people have to actually WATCH them. YouTube, Instagram, and other social networks favor videos that viewers watch all the way through. Rather than the ones people close right away.

In other words: the videos that keep people hooked, win.

And a good script is THE best way to keep viewers hooked. To keep them watching your videos. Taking action on them. And sharing them with other people afterward.

Shooting without a script makes for a rambling, unstructured, confusing video. And bad scripts are hardly any better. But good scripts lead to punchy, interesting and successful video content.

This script template for video will walk you through my exact process to help you start writing awesome scripts. Whether you’ve never written one before or you just want to save time.

What’s included

Here’s what’s included in this Video Script Template:

1. My 4-part formula: How to structure your video to keep people watching.
2. Step-by-step instructions: A fully guided approach for writing your script.
3. Proven examples: How a top-performing video is scripted.

How to use this template

1. Download the free Video Script Template on this page.
2. Follow the template instructions to fill out each section of your script.
3. Film your video, edit it, and create a video thumbnail.
4. Finally, upload your video to YouTube, IGTV, Vimeo or the platform of your choice.

How to get people to watch your entire video

Most people know Backlinko for its written content. My definitive guides, studies and other blog posts. But actually, my business relies just as much on video as with text-based content.

I’ve learned a lot of techniques to keep people watching my videos all the way to the end. Here are some of my favorites:

• Make the first 15 seconds AWESOME. That’s about how long it takes most viewers to judge a video. So it’s critical not to bore them in that time. One common mistake: having a long animated logo in the very beginning. Instead, start with a good hook as we cover in the template.
• Add pattern interrupts. One of the best ways to increase Audience retention is to add variety. This is especially important for informational, “talking head” videos. Some great Pattern Interrupts are camera angle changes and jump-cuts, B-rolls, different settings, humor, and on-screen graphics.
• Include open loops. An open loop is like a quick preview of what’s coming up in the video. For example, the phrase “I’ll show you exactly how to do that later in this video.” Or “we’ll come back to that in a minute.” Open Loops make people keep watching in order to get the rest of the story.
• Keep it moving. One surefire way to lose viewers: ramble on and on. It’s much better to be concise. Make your point. And quickly move on to the next thing.
• Optimize based on Peaks and Valleys. Most video platforms have analytics tools that show viewer retention by timestamp. This lets you see which parts of your video lose people (Valleys) and which parts people like (Peaks). So you can adjust future videos accordingly. On YouTube, you’ll find this data in the Audience Retention report. On IGTV, it’s under View Insights. And with Vimeo paid plans, it’s in the Analytics Dashboard.
• See our YouTube Marketing Hub for lots more video-production tips. Most of which apply to other video platforms too: not just YouTube.

Here is the template one more time

Now it’s your turn

You now have everything you need to start scripting videos that keep people watching.

Download the template. And film your first (or next) video with a script that’s actually built to hold attention.

Here’s the thing:

A great script doesn’t just help with one video. It changes how you approach every video after it.

Because once you see the difference in your retention numbers, you won’t want to go back to winging it.

And if you want to go deeper on YouTube and video strategy, these guides are a great next step:

• How to get more views on YouTube: Tactical playbook for growing your view count. Covers optimizing for suggested video, using cards to promote other videos, writing click worthy titles, creating standout thumbnails, publishing at the right times and ranking your videos on Google.
• YouTube for SEO: Boost rankings with video content: How to do keyword research for YouTube and Google, optimize your channel and individual videos, and use chapters, cards, end screens and playlists to keep people watching longer.
• YouTube Branding Watermark: Best practices: How to set up and optimize the small subscribe button that appears on every video. A quick win that converts viewers into subscribers while they watch.
• YouTube stats: How many people use YouTube?: The latest data on YouTube’s audience size, demographics, device usage and creator earnings. Useful for understanding the scale of the opportunity before you invest more time in video.