When you watch a marketing or promotional video you may not immediately think of the written word.

But for sure.

Without the words (and the way they are expressed)

People won’t pay full attention.

Viewers of the video may marvel at any visual wizardry that’s on the screen but that won’t be enough for them to respond, interact and take action.

It’s not uncommon for me to be asked to write or critique video scripts these days.

And it can be a lot of fun (as you’ll see towards the end of this piece).

If you’re looking to create a marketing video, or promotional video, you could wing it.

But in my experience only a few people are THAT good to do it that way successfully.

For most people it’s a case of plan and write what you’re going to say (even if it’s a set of notes and not a full script).

Here are a few thoughts to help you get it right.

Remember that writing a script for video is different to writing a sales letter or a web page.

Of course, you’re trying to persuade and influence.

Naturally, you’ll want the viewer to take action after watching your video.

And, for sure, you’ll use a similar approach and copywriting techniques to the ones you use for any piece of copy.

But video is a different medium to the printed page.

So you need to adjust.

A client recently sent me some draft video scripts to look at. They wanted to promote a health booklet.

The copy was reasonably good but it was set out in long paragraphs and there were a lot of references to “I” and not so much to “you” (the viewer).

When I read the script out loud and timed it, the timing was very good (under two minutes) but it was clear that the words did not flow smoothly.

So, to summarise:

• Plan what you want to say
• Use short sentences and short paragraphs
• Say what you want to say in as short a time as possible
• Read your script out loud several times before you hit record
• Work out where you want to add drama and emphasis to your words
• Write it how you would speak, not how you would write
• It doesn’t have to be slick but you should look and sound confident
• Write it, review it, record it, run it, test it, review it… and repeat!

Now, as promised, you can see an example that I wrote.

This video was for a business event where multi-millionaire entrepreneurs would be among the speakers. The theme was “Superheroes”.

Being a fan of Batman, it was great fun doing the research and playing creatively with the words.

Be warned, it is corny and littered with puns.

And for those who know me, you wouldn’t have expected anything else.

In fact, it’s one of the reasons I was asked to write the video script.

It’s meant to be fun and a little different to the norm for the often very serious business world.

Click here to watch the video.

(And don’t write in about the typo’s. They weren’t down to me. Don’t let them spoil your “enjoyment” of the short video).

If you need a video script written for your business or would like a professional eye glanced over yours, just contact me.