How to Write a Video Script for Shorts (With Examples)
A 45-second short is about 110 to 130 words. Here is how to structure them: hook, body and payoff, a two-column template, three full example scripts and how to turn a script into a video.
A video script is the written plan of what is said and shown in a video, line by line. For short vertical videos it matters even more than for long ones: there is no time to warm up, so every sentence has to earn the next second of attention.
The structure of a short
- Hook (0–3 s): one line that creates a question or promise. More in short-form video hooks.
- Body: the facts, steps or story, in short sentences, each moving forward.
- Payoff: the answer, twist or result the hook promised.
- Loop or call to action: a last line that sends viewers back to the start or to the next video.
How many words?
| Length | Approximate words (voiceover at a natural pace) |
|---|---|
| 15 seconds | 35–45 |
| 30 seconds | 70–85 |
| 45 seconds | 110–130 |
| 60 seconds | 140–170 |
Read it aloud with a timer before recording; most first drafts are too long.
Two-column template
| Visual | Audio (voiceover / on-screen text) |
|---|---|
| Close-up of the subject, bold caption | Hook line |
| B-roll shot 1 | Point 1 |
| B-roll shot 2, on-screen number | Point 2 |
| Reveal shot | Payoff |
| Return to first shot | Loop line |
Example 1: fact short (about 30 seconds)
Hook: "Octopuses have three hearts, and two of them stop when they swim."
Body: "Two hearts pump blood through the gills. The third pumps it to the rest of the body. When an octopus swims, that third heart stops beating. That's why octopuses prefer crawling: swimming tires them out fast."
Payoff and loop: "So next time you see one crawl instead of swim, now you know why it saves its heart."
Example 2: how-to short (about 45 seconds)
Hook: "Your phone can take sharper night photos. You just have to stop doing this."
Body: "First, wipe the lens: pocket lint is the number one cause of blurry photos. Second, tap to focus on the brightest part of the scene. Third, hold still for the full count of night mode, and brace your elbows on something."
Payoff: "Same phone, same street, completely different photo."
CTA: "Part two: the setting that fixes shaky video."
Example 3: story short (about 60 seconds)
Hook: "In 1928, a scientist came back from vacation to a moldy mess, and it changed medicine."
Body: "Alexander Fleming had left bacteria cultures out in his lab. One dish had grown mold, and around it the bacteria had died. Instead of throwing it away, he studied it. The mold produced a substance he called penicillin. It took more than a decade, and other scientists, to turn it into a medicine that could be made at scale."
Payoff: "By the end of the Second World War, it was saving countless lives. All from a dirty dish."
Script to video
Script-to-video tools take a finished script and assemble a draft: they split it into scenes, suggest stock or AI footage, add an AI voice and captions. They save hours, but the script still decides whether people watch, so write it first and edit the draft by hand. To pick a tool, see how to choose an AI video generator.
FAQ
How long should a script for a 60-second video be?
About 140 to 170 words at a natural speaking pace.
What is the structure of a short video script?
A hook in the first seconds, a body that delivers the content, a payoff and a loop or call to action.
Can AI turn a script into a video?
Yes. Script-to-video tools build a draft with footage, voice and captions, which you then edit.
Scripts