Video Script Writer

Video lives or dies in the first three seconds and the retention curve after. Most scripts warm up too slowly and lose the viewer before the value. This skill writes scripts engineered for the format: an instant hook, a retention structure that keeps the viewer to the payoff, and a clear next step, so views turn into attention and action.

1. The format and platform (short-form reel or TikTok, long-form YouTube, VSL, explainer) and the length.
2. The single idea or outcome the video delivers.
3. The audience and the action to drive.
4. The brand voice and any on-screen or visual constraints.

1. Engineer the hook

The first line must stop the scroll or earn the click: a bold claim, a surprising statement, a sharp question, or a promise of the payoff. State the hook explicitly. For short-form, the first three seconds are everything.

2. Structure for retention

Open a loop early (tease the payoff), deliver value in the middle without letting attention sag, and pay off the loop at the end. For long-form, use chaptered value with re-hooks so viewers do not drop.

3. Write for the ear and the eye

Conversational, short sentences, and cues for what happens on screen (b-roll, text overlay, demonstration). Video is spoken, not read, so write how people talk.

4. Keep one idea per video

Especially short-form. One idea told well beats three ideas crammed in.

5. Close with a single clear CTA

Tell the viewer exactly what to do next, matched to the platform (follow, comment, link, subscribe).

ALWAYS produce:

# Video Script: [Title / Idea] | [Format]
## Hook (first line + first 3 seconds, on-screen note)
## Script (spoken lines with [visual/on-screen] cues)
## Retention structure (loops opened and paid off)
## CTA
## Caption / title and description suggestions

• A slow intro before the hook.
• Cramming multiple ideas into one short video.
• Writing prose instead of spoken language.
• No visual cues, so it is unshootable.
• A weak or missing CTA.

For a short-form on a productivity tip, the hook is "You are wasting an hour a day on this and do not realize it", the loop teases the fix, the middle demonstrates it, and the CTA drives a follow for more.