Guide
Day in the life video format: one part of your working day, in 38 seconds
A short day in the life video shows one part of your working day: the time, two scenes, the hard part nobody sees and why you do it. Below you get the structure, an example script and hook lines.
In short
- A day in the life video shows one part of your working day, told by you over clips from that day.
- A short one runs 30 to 45 seconds. The example script below runs 38 seconds.
- The most important part is the hard work customers never see. It explains what your price pays for.
- It suits florists, bakers, potters, caterers, dog groomers and carers.
- Use your own clips from the day. Stock footage breaks the promise that this is your real day.
- length of the example script below
- 38 s
- scenes from the day
- 2
- parts, from the time of day to the next video
- 6
What is a day in the life video?
It is a short video showing one part of your working day, told in your own words.
- It opens with the time of day, like it is five in the morning.
- Then come two scenes, one hard part the customer never sees and why you do the work.
- You talk to the camera, and your clips from the day play over your voice. It runs 30 to 45 seconds in 9:16.
- A full day in the life vlog runs for minutes. The short version picks the part of the day with the most effort in it.
- Showing the hard part is how a viewer works out where your price goes.
How to structure a day in the life video
Each scene gets about 8 seconds, and the hard part gets 8 more.
- The time of day gets the first 3 seconds, and it is the first thing you say.
- Put a number in the second scene, like two hundred stems, forty loaves or six dogs.
- The reason gets about 7 seconds. It is the one moment that makes the day worth it.
- The last 4 seconds point to tomorrow's part of the day, so a viewer has a reason to follow you.
A day in the life video in 38 seconds
Two scenes, then the part of the job the customer never sees.
Time of day
0-3 s. The hour and where you are
Scene 1
3-11 s. The first job of the day
Scene 2
11-19 s. The work you do by hand, and how much
Hard part
19-27 s. What nobody sees or pays for
Reason
27-34 s. The moment that makes it worth it
Next
34-38 s. Tomorrow's part of the day
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Example script: a 38-second day in the life video
This made-up example is a florist. Each row is one part of the structure above.
Day in the life example script for a florist
93 words. Read at a calm, natural pace, it runs about 38 seconds.
| Part | Time | What you say |
|---|---|---|
| Time of day | 0-3 s | It is five in the morning, and I am already late. |
| Scene 1 | 3-11 s | The flower market opens at four. The good peonies are gone by half past five, so I drive in the dark. |
| Scene 2 | 11-19 s | By seven I am back at the shop, stripping leaves off two hundred stems for a Saturday wedding. |
| Hard part | 19-27 s | The part nobody sees is the waste. A third of what I buy never makes it into a bouquet. |
| Reason | 27-34 s | Then a bride walks in at ten and cries at the first arrangement. That is the job. |
| Next | 34-38 s | Tomorrow, how I price all of this. |
Part: Time of day
- Time
- 0-3 s
- What you say
- It is five in the morning, and I am already late.
Part: Scene 1
- Time
- 3-11 s
- What you say
- The flower market opens at four. The good peonies are gone by half past five, so I drive in the dark.
Part: Scene 2
- Time
- 11-19 s
- What you say
- By seven I am back at the shop, stripping leaves off two hundred stems for a Saturday wedding.
Part: Hard part
- Time
- 19-27 s
- What you say
- The part nobody sees is the waste. A third of what I buy never makes it into a bouquet.
Part: Reason
- Time
- 27-34 s
- What you say
- Then a bride walks in at ten and cries at the first arrangement. That is the job.
Part: Next
- Time
- 34-38 s
- What you say
- Tomorrow, how I price all of this.
Hook lines for a day in the life video
The hook is a time of day plus a small problem. Fill in the brackets with your own details.
- It is [early hour], and I am already [late, cold or behind].
- [Time]. This is the part of [job] nobody photographs.
- You see the [finished product]. Here is what happened at [hour] to make it.
- Example: It is five in the morning, and I am already late.
Where your clips and captions go
Your own clips carry the two scenes and the hard part. The video claims this is your real day, so leave out stock footage.
- Film the scenes on your phone during the day, 5 to 10 seconds each, without talking.
- Film yourself talking afterwards, in one go, once you know which clips you have.
- Your face opens the video, so viewers know whose day it is.
- Come back to your face for the reason, the most personal part.
- Play each clip over the sentence that describes it, like the market clip over the sentence about the market.
- A quiet caption style suits the tone, because it sounds more like a diary than an ad.
Common day in the life mistakes
Most weak videos try to cover the whole day. Eight scenes of 3 seconds give viewers no reason to care about any of them.
- Covering the whole day in 40 seconds leaves no time for anything. Pick one part and give two scenes 8 seconds each.
- Leaving out the hard part makes the video pleasant but forgettable, and your price stays unexplained.
- A video with music and no voice could be anybody's day. Your own voice is what makes viewers believe it is yours.
- Staged clips give it away. A tidy bench filmed at noon does not pass for five in the morning.
When to use a day in the life video
It works when buyers cannot see the work behind the product, and would pay more if they did.
- Craft and food businesses with an early, physical working day use it most, like florists, bakers, potters and caterers.
- Dog groomers, carers and local services whose customers only see the last ten minutes of the job can use it too.
- Founders who are hiring can use it as a recruiting video.
- It works as an unpaid series on TikTok and Reels, one part of the day per video, with the time of day as the headline.
- On YouTube Shorts it suits local businesses, because the shop, the street and the market show where you are.
- It is a weak fit for desk jobs, where the footage is a person at a laptop. A behind the scenes video of one project works better.
Making a day in the life video with Cutroom
Cutroom edits the video for you. You film yourself talking about the day, upload your clips and get a finished vertical video back.
- You upload one video of yourself talking, up to 3 minutes long, plus your clips from the day.
- Cutroom uses your own clips before free stock clips, and you can swap any clip it placed.
- You highlight a sentence, like the one about the market, and your market clip plays over exactly those words.
- It adds captions timed to your voice and a headline at the start. You can write the time of day as the headline.
- You get a 9:16 MP4. A 30-second video costs 110 credits.
- Your first video is free, no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite at $19.99 a month removes it.
Quiet caption styles for a diary tone
Soft caption styles in the Cutroom editor that read clearly over your own footage.
Soft
Note
Drift
Plain
Questions people ask
- How long should a day in the life video be?
- 30 to 45 seconds for a short one. The example here runs 38 seconds and 93 words. A full day in the life vlog runs several minutes and is a different format. The short version shows one part of the day and leaves the rest for the next video.
- Do I have to talk to camera in a day in the life video?
- Yes, at least at the start and for the reason. Clips with only a voice over them work as a vlog, but this format is about trust. Viewers should see who is doing the five o'clock drive.
- What should I film during the day?
- Five or six clips of 5 to 10 seconds each, without talking: the first job, the work you do by hand, the mess, the waste, and one customer moment if they have said yes. Hold the phone upright. Film yourself talking afterwards, in one go.
- Can a day in the life video sell anything?
- Yes, indirectly. It explains your price by showing the hours behind it, which helps most with premium craft and food. Put the direct offer in a different video, and end this one on the next part of the day.
- Is there an app that edits day in the life videos for you?
- Yes. Cutroom works from one video of you talking, up to 3 minutes long, plus your clips from the day. It puts each clip on the sentence you highlight, adds captions and exports a 9:16 MP4. Your first video is free.
- Can I film customers, staff or children?
- Ask first, before you film. Most people say yes when you tell them where it will be posted. If someone says no, film their hands, the back of the room or the work itself. Where children are involved, get written permission from a parent or the manager.
- When should I skip the day in the life format?
- When your day is a desk and a screen, or when you cannot film at work. A behind the scenes video of one project, or a founder story, shows the care behind the product without footage of the day.
Film six clips today and talk them through tonight in one go. Cutroom puts each clip on its sentence. Your first video is free.