Most business videos fail before filming, because nobody decided what the first second is. A script fixes that. Here’s the format, with four of our films broken down.
The template
| Part | What to write |
|---|---|
| Hook | The first second: the image or the line that stops the scroll. |
| Beats | Each shot in a few words, with who says what. |
| Payoff | The punchline, the first bite or the reveal. End on it. |
| On-screen text | What someone reads with the sound off. |
| Caption | One line for the post, in your own voice. |
Write it as shots, not paragraphs. If a line doesn’t change what the camera sees or what someone hears, cut it.
A skit: the tip screen
Seven seconds for Adobo Mexican Grill. Hook: the boss, behind the counter: “Great job today, you’re killing it!” Payoff: the answer is the tip screen, held up to the camera. Caption: Adobo’s own line, “Great job isn’t said enough… so here it is.” Two beats, and every worker who has heard that sentence gets it.
A whodunnit: who drank it?
Ten seconds for Azal Coffee. Hook: a Spanish latte comes back half empty. Beat: the barista asks the room, “What the heck? Who drank this?” Payoff: the answer walks in behind her, in an apron and a foam moustache. The drink is the punchline.
A list: wallet, keys, pita
For Shah’s Halal Food, a man in a suit lists what everyone keeps in their pocket: the wallet, the keys, “but not me”. Payoff: he pulls out a Shah’s pocket pita, sauce on. Lists work because the viewer knows the pattern and waits for the break.
A food film: no words at all
For Da.Si.Mar Shawarma, the script was the order of the shots: the bread warmed against the spit, the sauce, the beef, pickles and fries, pomegranate molasses, then rolled and pressed on the grill. Twenty-four seconds, no on-screen text, and it went viral. Even a film with no words needs a shot order.
Five rules we write by
- One idea per video.
- Decide the first second before anything else.
- End on the payoff. Nothing after it.
- Write the on-screen text for the sound off.
- Read it aloud. If it sounds written, rewrite it.
Want the scripts written for you?
DIY is our strategy and content plan for teams that film themselves: 20 complete post scripts, with references, captions and storyboard, for $1,750 a month. Or we write, film, edit and post it all, on any of our plans.
Questions owners ask
What is a hook in a short video?
The first second: the image or the line that makes someone stop scrolling. Write it before anything else.
How long is a script for a fifteen-second video?
A few lines: three to five shots and one or two spoken lines.
Do food videos need a script?
They need a shot order. Our viral wrap for Da.Si.Mar Shawarma had no words at all, but every shot was planned.
Can you write the scripts for my team?
Yes. DIY ($1,750 a month) gives your team our strategy and content plan, with 20 complete post scripts, with references, captions and storyboard.