How to Write a YouTube Script: Step-by-Step Guide [2024]

Learning how to write a YouTube Script has never been easier.

Believe it or not, so much goes into creating amazing YouTube videos—and it all starts with a great script.

After all, it takes more than pointing a camera and shooting to take your clients’ YouTube channels from zero to hero.

Before you start shooting, you need a YouTube script to plan your clients’ videos, from the layout to the storyline.

That’s what this guide is all about.

We’re pulling the curtain on the tips and steps to write winning YouTube scripts and create compelling content that boosts your clients’ audience engagement and channel subscriptions.

Let’s jump into it.

What you will learn

• What is a YouTube Script?

• Why write a YouTube video script?

• 4 Steps to write a YouTube script

• 7 Tips to write a YouTube script 

• Publish YouTube videos seamlessly with Vista Social

• FAQs on writing a YouTube script

• Write a YouTube script to create engaging videos

What is a YouTube Script?

Generally, a YouTube script is a written outline for your clients’ videos.

The script includes the visual cues, specific dialog, and Calls-to-Action (CTAs) in your clients’ videos.

A YouTube script is crucial to ensure a clear structure and focus for target audiences to follow, enticing viewers to watch to the end.

It can simplify planning and executing your video production process. 

Why write a YouTube video script?

Putting everything on paper before creating your clients’ videos has the following perks.

• Give your storytelling a glow-up. With a killer YouTube script, you can get rid of those awkward Hellos, long pauses, and filler words. You can nail the video’s narrative and tell the story like a pro.

• Organize the storyline easily. Organize those thoughts and have a superhero script on hand so your clients can translate them easily on camera.

• Keep everything consistent. Writing video scripts helps your clients’ YouTube videos hit that sweet spot when everything from the dialogue and sound effects to the visuals is doing the perfect tango.

• Save time and energy. Planning and creating your clients’ videos can be a breeze with a YouTube script.

Essentially, you need a script to ensure you create top-quality, engaging content for viewers, especially if you monetize YouTube videos.  

4 Steps to write a YouTube script

Start writing scripts with these time-tested tips.

1. Come up with a main idea or title

The video title or main idea is your script’s jumping-off point.

Identifying this from the get-go guides your scriptwriting.

It keeps you on the topic while ensuring your client’s video turns heads and provides audiences with the information they want or need.

Start by including the keywords in the title.

For example, if your content idea is about making exotic street food at home, your client’s video title can be “Street Food Adventure: Exotic Eats Right From Your Kitchen.”

You can also get inspiration from other creators and YouTube Shorts ideas.

Remember, don’t copy another creator’s YouTube script, or your clients could face potential copyright violations.

Get ideas and build from that.

2. Determine your target audience 

Identify your clients’ target audiences to determine what they need or want from the video.

Knowing what target audiences want can inform your video scriptwriting process.

Identifying your clients’ ideal audiences helps you create a script that conveys the video’s value to intended viewers.

Know your client’s target audience and research their common interests, pain points, and needs.

Start by finding keywords your client’s audiences search for on YouTube.

Leverage the information to build out your client’s script and, in turn, YouTube video.

A winning script helps you produce high-quality videos that can even end up on the target audience’s recommended videos list.

Plus, creating video content based on search terms with tons of engagement can get your clients’ videos some algorithm love.

Must read: How the YouTube Shorts Algorithm Works [2023]: w/ Tips & FAQs

3. Identify the voice of the channel

Establishing a YouTube channel voice helps your client’s brand stand out from other creators.

For example, your client’s voice can be fun, creative, professional, or adventurous. 

Whatever your client’s voice, weave it into your client’s YouTube video script.

It can help draw the right viewers to your client’s video and bring their YouTube channel ideas to life, enticing audiences to hit that subscribe button.

4. Outline the YouTube script

Once you have the basics (topic or title, target audience, and voice) down, start outlining your script.

For instance, your YouTube script outline can include the following.

1st section: Introduction and hook

The hook is a video’s opening line (or lines) to catch the viewers’ attention.

Effective hooks are informative, emotional, or entertaining. You have a winning combo if you use all three in one hook.

Besides your hook, consider presenting the main problem your client’s video solves in the introduction.

It’s a great opportunity to speak to the viewers’ pain points and reel them in.

As Larry Weber, entrepreneur, founder, chairman, and CEO of Racepoint Global, once said…

“As you’ve noticed, people don’t want to be sold. What people do want is news and information about the things they care about.”

Let’s say your script’s title is “Win Over Anyone to Watch Your Videos.”

Your video hook should introduce the problem (lack of viewers), promise an answer while entertaining viewers, and speak to the audience’s emotions like this:

“Caution! This video helps you unlock the Jedi mind tricks and secrets to reel viewers in based on proven facts and the power of science.”

The hook is short, sweet, engaging, and convinces viewers to keep watching.

2nd section: Main content

The main points your clients want to highlight are the bulk of the YouTube video.

For example, if your clients have five to ten main points they want to discuss, you can write a subheader for each point in the script.

Include other relevant details, such as research and statistics, to support the information’s validity and credibility.

3rd section: CTA

Every script and video should have a clear CTA at the end.

This way, your clients can lead people to specific next steps, such as providing feedback, commenting, sharing the video, or subscribing to the channel.

Create compelling CTAs that entice viewers to act.

4th section: Ending and end screen elements

The endscreen is an interactive outro that displays within the last five to 20 seconds of your client’s YouTube video.

Specify the end screen elements in your script, such as clickable website links, related videos, and a subscribe button.

Design your client’s end screen to go seamlessly with the CTA to get the viewer’s attention while encouraging them to act on the CTA.

Additional tip: Follow the required YouTube video size and specs to ensure everything is clear and visible on your clients’ videos.

7 Tips to write a YouTube script 

Writing an incredible YouTube script can be easier said than done, so we’re sharing the time-tested tips below to help simplify the process.

1. Keep your sentences short

Keep your client’s YouTube Scripts short and to the point.

Long sentences are hard to read, understand, and hear.

Be crisp and concise to keep the video’s flow going smoothly, allowing viewers to follow the storyline or narrative easily.

However, not every sentence has to be short.

You can vary the length of each sentence so everything flows like a casual, friendly conversation in the video.

Try reading the script aloud to omit running sentences.

Also, ditch scenes, sentences, and unnecessary words if they don’t add to your script’s Story.

You want to keep everything brief, especially if you share the video across other social media platforms, including your client’s blog post.

Must read: How to Share a YouTube Video on Instagram Story

2. Use present tense

Using the present tense in your clients’ YouTube scripts helps keep viewers in the moment.

It also creates a sense of urgency, which keeps viewers engaged and ready to act on your clients’ CTAs.

3. Adopt a conversational style

Use a conversational style to engage YouTube audiences.

So, use simple phrases and words in your script (unless your client’s video is about a research presentation or an academic speech).

But don’t be too casual, or your client’s video can sound unprofessional and suspicious.

Strike that perfect balance between conversational and professional.

4. Stick to active voice

Writing in an active voice means the sentence’s subject acts on an idea, person, or thing.

Using passive voice doesn’t directly reveal the subject, confusing readers and viewers.

For instance, a sentence in active voice would be, “Tom took a piece of the birthday cake home.”

Turn that into a passive voice, and you get, “A piece of the birthday cake was taken home by Tom.”

As you can see, the passive sentence sounds unclear and takes more brain power to understand—which isn’t exactly a great formula for an easy-to-read or follow script.

5. Throw in some humor  

Funny elements and a few jokes can help you create an entertaining YouTube video script.

But don’t go overboard and keep the jokes clean and above board, or your clients will be in trouble for violating the YouTube Community Guidelines.

Violations can lead to YouTube taking down the video or suspending your clients’ accounts.

6. Edit and polish the script

It can take a few editing and polishing before you get the perfect YouTube script, so keep at it until you’re satisfied.

Consider acting out scenarios and tweak them to see how they play out.

7. Write for the audience

You don’t need to be an expert to create incredible YouTube scripts and videos for your clients.

Your biggest chance for success is to write your script with your client’s audience in mind.

After all, your clients’ target audiences are the content consumers.

So, tailoring your script and content to your clients’ viewers makes sense.

Doing so ensures your client’s YouTube videos provide value to their audiences, boosting engagement and subscription opportunities.

Publish YouTube videos seamlessly with Vista Social

Achieving YouTube success doesn’t end with an excellent script.

You must optimize planning, managing, and publishing your clients’ videos for maximum engagement.

Enter Vista Social, a sophisticated Social Media Management (SMM) platform with robust features to streamline and supercharge your tasks.

One of the platform’s key features is the content publisher.

It lets you create and schedule your clients’ YouTube videos for auto-posting.

Select your client’s linked YouTube profile on the Vista Social platform and create a new post.

Upload your client’s video and customize the post by adding the video title, caption, hashtags, and more.

You can also enable the first comment to automatically add a comment once your client’s video is published.

Other options you can enable or select include the video’s privacy status, category, first like, and more.

You can save the post as a draft if it needs your client’s approval.

You can also set it to publish immediately or on your specified schedule or add it to a scheduled post queue.

Want to get more work off your hands? Leverage Vista Social’s optimization algorithms that automatically schedule posts based on optimal times and dates.

Besides regular channel videos, Vista Social lets you schedule your clients’ YouTube Shorts videos for auto-publishing.

Must read: Best Time to Post on YouTube Shorts [2023]

Important note: You can’t change the scheduled Shorts video thumbnails due to YouTube limitations.

Must read: YouTube Shorts Thumbnail Size: Best Practices + Tips & How-Tos

You can view and manage all your saved drafts, queued posts, already published content, and scheduled posts in the content calendar.

Another handy feature is the social inbox.

It helps you track and manage conversations, including your client’s YouTube comment history and replies from other users from a central location.

Stay on top of your clients’ YouTube post performances with Vista Social’s robust analytics feature.

It lets you track and measure audience growth, engagement, and views.

You’ll get valuable data insights to help improve your clients’ content and strategies.

FAQs on writing a YouTube script

Check out the frequently asked questions about writing a YouTube script.

What does a YouTube script look like?

A YouTube script should outline the main points your client wants to cover in the video.

The script should be specific enough to keep everything on track during filming yet be flexible to allow ad-libs to showcase your client’s unique style.

What is the ideal YouTube script?

How you write your client’s YouTube Scripts depends on the video’s goal, target audience, tone, and other factors.

Some YouTube scripts require heavy details, while others only need short sketches or notes of what you want to map out.

What tool can I use to write YouTube scripts?

Generally, you can use any writing tool that helps you outline, write, edit, and save your YouTube video scripts.

You can also use a YouTube script template or Artificial Intelligence or AI-powered YouTube script generators to help you kick things off.

Write a YouTube script to create engaging videos

YouTube scripts is key to making engaging, viral video content.

Don’t just put words on paper—create a script that connects your clients’ videos and audiences.

A well-written YouTube script can be your client’s ticket to fame and fortune on the platform.

Supercharge your clients’ YouTube content promotion and marketing with Vista Social.

Create a Vista Social account now to explore its awesome SMM features.