✍️ How Much Should You Script Your Videos?

How to YouTube #13

Hey YouTubers,

As part of my job, I speak to a lot of people like you every week.

YouTubers trying to grow their channel and their business.

One of the most common questions I get asked is “How much should I script my videos?”

The answer is, as ever, it depends.

But today, I want to help you get closer to your answer to that question, and also share a personal recommendation.

Myths About Scripting

First, let’s just breakdown some myths about scripting.

The biggest myth about scripting is that “if I script my videos perfectly word for word, then I’ll get more views”.

Sadly, that’s not true.

Having a really tight script can definitely help make your video more watchable and enjoyable. And with educational channels, the more time you spend on the script the more reliably the viewer will get the information they want.

But sometimes, what you’re making isn’t want viewers want.

Scripting is not better, it’s different. It’d be like saying that a Netflix drama is better than a reality TV show because it’s scripted.

On YouTube, views have a lot more to do with how well the topic resonates with the audience than they do about how good your script was.

Ali has filmed many videos both scripted and unscripted. The views are correlated with how much the audience wants to hear about that topic, not with the videos being a highly crafted word for word script.

Your success on YouTube is down to finding a unique angle for your channel and standing out amongst your competitors. How much you script your videos is just one factor in that equation.

The Levels of Scripting

Scripting is really a spectrum from just pressing record and speaking your mind (i.e. no script at all), to meticulously planning every single word and then reading a script verbatim.

One can take hours, and one can take as long as it takes to film the video. Two very different approaches with two very different outcomes.

The Biggest Factor

So the main thing that should be on your mind is what is the kind of channel are you trying to build?

Project yourself 2 years ahead. You’ve built a nice returning audience and your channel is growing, what kind of channel is it?

Are you writing word for word scripts, using bullet points or just spending a minute beforehand thinking about what you’re going to say?

What is the goal for your channel?

This is the most important thing for you to figure out.

If you know what the goal is, start making videos like that now. There’s no point learning how to write a compelling word for word script if you’re never going to do that.

But if you don’t, that’s fine too. You just have to make lots of videos to figure it out.

The Other Factors

There are a few other things to consider when it comes to scripting.

How much time do you have to write your videos each week?

What’s sustainable for you and your business?

What does the audience expect for this type of content?

Will you enjoy it if you only have bullet points?

Will you enjoy it if you have to read from a teleprompter?

Does reading from a teleprompter make you sound robotic?

Does speaking from bullet points make you ramble?

How much money do you have to put towards outsourcing scriptwriting? Is it possible to outsource it for the type of channel you have?

All of these questions influence how much you should or shouldn’t script your videos.

No one can give you an answer. You have to figure this out for yourself.

Either way, the uncomfortable truth that most YouTubers don’t like hearing is you cannot expect to grow your channel if you’re not putting effort into making your videos better for your target audience.

In this community, we treat our channels like a business, not a hobby. That doesn’t mean we can’t have a great time doing YouTube, but it does mean that if something isn’t working, including your enjoyment, then we change something.

My Recommendation

Scripting is often where the rubber meets the road.

It’s when a lot of YouTubers realise that this whole thing is going to take a lot of effort.

YouTube is hard, and if you’re expecting outsized results from only putting a few hours of work in each week, then you’re misguided.

But, here’s a general recommendation that will apply to most of you.

Script the first 30-60 seconds word for word, and bullet point the rest.

This is the 20% of effort that’s going to get you 80% of the results.

Most educational channels lose 50% of the audience during this time. Scripting this part word for word, the “hook”, helps you think about what the value proposition for this video really is and then convey that persuasively to the viewer.

And if you can’t speak naturally to a camera, either learn to or spend the necessary time writing your whole script word for word.

The Takeaway

There’s no universal answer to this question. You have to iterate towards the answer for your channel and find a system that works.

But don’t spend hours building a channel you don’t like because you haven’t thought hard enough about what you want and why you’re actually doing this.

Have an epic week making videos!

Tintin 🧑‍💻

The YouTube Tin

🐦 X post: Ryan Hashemi, the creator of the Jubilee YouTube channel, wrote this mega thread on how he built his $50m business.

🎥 Video: Great interview with Paddy Galloway on YouTube strategy.

🚀 My own channel: I have a low lift YouTube channel so I can share more interesting things that I’m learning about YouTube to help you guys out. This latest video is about scripting as well.