7 Steps To a Showstopping Brand Video Script

Wondering how to create a brand video? We’ve got just what you need—in seven steps—starting with how to create a video script.

You’ve decided that you want to make a brand video. That’s great. The importance of brand video has been well documented. And a well thought out video can lead to greater engagement, reach and, importantly, impact.

But it’s one thing to know what you want, and another thing to get it done. You need to be able to get those ideas from your mind and onto paper. That’s where a video script comes into play.

There are a lot of bad videos out there (you’ve seen them), with bland dialogue, glacial pacing and utterly forgettable imagery. And you don’t want that to be you. So, here are seven steps to creating a brand video script for showstopping results.

How to Create a Video Script: 7 Steps

Step 1: Understand Your Goals

When it comes to how to create a video script, the first thing you need to do, before ever putting pen to paper, is to understand what you are trying to achieve. Ask yourself, who are you trying to reach? What are you trying to tell them? Why are they interested (or if they aren’t, how can you get them interested)? What outcomes are you looking to achieve? And, most importantly, what value do you give?

4Ocean has a very clear message, a very clear audience and a very clear goal in mind. And their brand video certainly sets that out. If you can answer the above questions before you do anything else, you’ll also start to get a sense of the kinds of things that you will need to include in your video script in order for it to achieve the outcomes you’re looking for.

Step 2: Write an Outline

Sometimes people feel that writing an outline is a waste of time. It’s just an extra step that you have to take before you do the actual script writing. But an outline is a very important step because it helps you see if you have an actual story.

When you create a video you must be telling a story. You need a beginning, a middle and an end. And there must be some conflict or problem to make it interesting. That’s what makes 4Ocean a great story. There is a beginning (in the beginning there were two boys who loved the ocean), a middle (but the ocean was being trashed), a solution (they created 4Ocean to clean up trash!) and an ending (they’ll go for 10 million, 100 million pounds of trash). 

Your video script needs enough of a story that people are interested and are driven to know what will happen next. An outline will help you see if you have hit those points well.

Step 3: Bash Out a First Draft

When you’re stuck on how to create a video script the best thing is just to get started. Your first draft is just that – a draft. Don’t worry about it too much. Just sit down and write it. At this stage done is better than perfect, and having something down on paper means you have something to work with. This isn’t the time to second guess every word. It’s just the time to get the words on paper.

Step 4: Craft Your Intro

Once you have a rough draft, go back to the start and work on your intro. With video you have to get your audience interested right from the start. That means you don’t want to start with a recitation of you are, why you are speaking today and what you’ll be covering. Instead, get right into the meat of your topic.

This might be a powerful or emotional story, a brand new or controversial perspective or an interesting, surprising or even humorous anecdote. It can even just be a situation. Imagine you’re writing the video script for a pet grooming company. Their initial ‘situation’ might just be that you have a dirty dog that needs a grooming. But whatever it is, it must give your viewer a reason to stay. 

Step 5: Review, Rewrite, Rejig

Once you have an emotive introduction, you’re ready to review and rewrite the rest of your script. First, focus on a single message. Where your video script copy doesn’t work to further that message, cut it out. Second, provide backing data (research, statistics and quotes that show that you’re an authority) and put this into context (explain why it matters to your viewer). 

Third, read it out loud. Where it sounds awkward or feels awkward to say, rewrite it. Then read it out loud again. If it still sounds awkward, rewrite it again. Rewrite it until reading it feels good and natural.

Fourth, cut, cut, cut. And then cut some more. Your video script needs to be punchy, effective and impactful. And it has to do so in a very short amount of time. You don’t want to waste time waffling or meandering on about something that isn’t going to get you the outcomes you want.

Step 6: Consider Your Closing

When it comes to creating a showstopping video script, it needs to end just as strongly as it began. Of course you want to include a call to action—in other words, you’ll want to tell the reader what you want them to do. But you don’t want to come across as salesy. 

The best closings are natural climaxes of an excellent story. They are the ultimate end. They say what’s happened, why it matters and what action the reader should take now. 

Step 7: Get Feedback

Once you have a final draft written, send it off to your family, friends, trusted colleagues and, of course, your producer. Ask for their feedback. And then take that on board. A fresh set of eyes, and a fresh perspective can make all the difference in creating something that is showstopping and something that is not.

Takeaway

People will spend more daily minutes watching video over the next few years than ever before. A fantastic brand video drives engagement and creates an opportunity for impact. But you have to create a great video script first. 

If you need a bit of help, get in touch. We’re here to chat, anytime.