Guide
60 second video script: about 150 words in four parts
Updated
A 60 second video fits about 150 spoken words. Split them into four parts, then film from a few bullet notes instead of a memorised script.
In short
- A 60 second video script is about 150 spoken words, at roughly 2.5 words a second.
- The four parts are the promise, the context, the main point and the takeaway.
- One video covers one idea. A second idea is your next video.
- Write the script out once, then film from five bullets on a card instead of reciting it.
- End with one next step or one real question, never a second summary.
- Spoken words that fit 60 seconds at a teaching pace
- 150
- Parts: promise, context, main point, takeaway
- 4
- Bullets on the card that replaces the script
- 5
- Idea per video. The second idea is the next video
- 1
How many words fit in 60 seconds?
At a relaxed explaining pace you say about 2.5 words a second. So one minute holds about 150 words.
- If your draft runs past 150 words, you have two videos, not one.
- Write more than that and you either rush or run long. Viewers notice both.
Video length and word count
At about 2.5 spoken words a second.
| Video length | Spoken words |
|---|---|
| 30 seconds | About 75 |
| 45 seconds | About 110 |
| 60 seconds | About 150 |
| 90 seconds | About 225 |
Video length: 30 seconds
- Spoken words
- About 75
Video length: 45 seconds
- Spoken words
- About 110
Video length: 60 seconds
- Spoken words
- About 150
Video length: 90 seconds
- Spoken words
- About 225
The 60 second script template
Use these four parts in order. The main point gets more than half the words, the promise gets the fewest.
- In the main point, say the figure rather than describing it: say it cost him 340, not that it cost him a lot.
- The main point gets about 80 of the 150 words. If it gets fewer, the video is mostly set-up.
- Give one next step at the end, not three.
60 second video script template
The times are a starting point, not a rule.
| Part | Time | Words | What to say |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Promise | 0 to 8 sec | About 20 | What the viewer will know by the end. No introducing yourself. |
| 2. Context | 8 to 20 sec | About 30 | Why it matters now, in the viewer's words |
| 3. Main point | 20 to 50 sec | About 80 | The one idea, plus one example with a number |
| 4. Takeaway | 50 to 60 sec | About 20 | The idea in fresh words, plus one next step |
Part: 1. Promise
- Time
- 0 to 8 sec
- Words
- About 20
- What to say
- What the viewer will know by the end. No introducing yourself.
Part: 2. Context
- Time
- 8 to 20 sec
- Words
- About 30
- What to say
- Why it matters now, in the viewer's words
Part: 3. Main point
- Time
- 20 to 50 sec
- Words
- About 80
- What to say
- The one idea, plus one example with a number
Part: 4. Takeaway
- Time
- 50 to 60 sec
- Words
- About 20
- What to say
- The idea in fresh words, plus one next step
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Teaching script vs ad script
This template is for videos that teach. An ad script has a different job and a different order.
- A teaching video succeeds if the viewer leaves less confused than they were a minute ago.
- Do not mix the two. Selling inside a teaching video breaks the promise that made the viewer stay.
Two kinds of short script
Goal
- Teaching script
- The viewer learns one thing
- Ad script
- The viewer buys
Parts
- Teaching script
- Promise, context, main point, takeaway
- Ad script
- Hook, problem, mechanism, proof, ask
Ending
- Teaching script
- One next step or a real question
- Ad script
- The ask
| Teaching script | Ad script | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | The viewer learns one thing | The viewer buys |
| Parts | Promise, context, main point, takeaway | Hook, problem, mechanism, proof, ask |
| Ending | One next step or a real question | The ask |
Write it once, then speak from 5 bullets
Writing all 150 words is useful once, to find your idea. Then you film from a short card.
- Write one bullet for the promise, one for the context, two for the main point and one for the takeaway.
- Write the example's number out in full on the card, so you never have to remember it.
- Glance at the card between sentences, never during one.
- A memorised script comes out flat, because you are remembering words instead of explaining an idea. Bullets keep you explaining.
- Write out regulated wording for advisers or clinicians exactly, and say those sentences as written.
From draft to camera
Write the full draft
About 150 words, to find the idea
Cut it to 5 bullets
Promise, context, 2 main points, takeaway
Film from the card
Glance between sentences
Example: a 60 second script on one card
A bookkeeper explains the tax date self-employed clients miss. These five bullets are the whole card, and the video runs about 55 seconds.
Worked example: the deadline self-employed people miss
The five lines exactly as they are written on the card.
| Part | What is written on the card |
|---|---|
| Promise | The tax date people miss is not the filing date |
| Context | The letters about it arrive after it has passed |
| Main point 1 | It is part of next year's bill, paid up front, in two goes |
| Main point 2 | [Client] missed it by [number] days and paid [amount] in interest |
| Takeaway | Check the date in your tax account today, set two reminders |
Part: Promise
- What is written on the card
- The tax date people miss is not the filing date
Part: Context
- What is written on the card
- The letters about it arrive after it has passed
Part: Main point 1
- What is written on the card
- It is part of next year's bill, paid up front, in two goes
Part: Main point 2
- What is written on the card
- [Client] missed it by [number] days and paid [amount] in interest
Part: Takeaway
- What is written on the card
- Check the date in your tax account today, set two reminders
The same script, written out in full
This is what those five bullets sound like spoken: 145 words, about 55 seconds. Change the words in brackets and say the rest as written.
The bookkeeper's 60 second script, word for word
Read at about 2.5 words a second.
| Time | What you say |
|---|---|
| 0 to 8 sec | There is one tax date self-employed people miss every year, and it is not the filing deadline. Missing it costs you interest. |
| 8 to 20 sec | It is the payment on account date. The letters about it tend to turn up after it has gone, so people find out when they are already late. |
| 20 to 35 sec | A payment on account is the tax office asking you to pay part of next year's bill up front, in two goes: one in January and one in July. |
| 35 to 50 sec | [A client of mine] missed the July one by [number] days and paid [amount] in interest. Nothing about the work changed. They just paid more than they had to. |
| 50 to 60 sec | Open your tax account today, find your next payment date, and set two reminders: one a month before and one a week before. |
Time: 0 to 8 sec
- What you say
- There is one tax date self-employed people miss every year, and it is not the filing deadline. Missing it costs you interest.
Time: 8 to 20 sec
- What you say
- It is the payment on account date. The letters about it tend to turn up after it has gone, so people find out when they are already late.
Time: 20 to 35 sec
- What you say
- A payment on account is the tax office asking you to pay part of next year's bill up front, in two goes: one in January and one in July.
Time: 35 to 50 sec
- What you say
- [A client of mine] missed the July one by [number] days and paid [amount] in interest. Nothing about the work changed. They just paid more than they had to.
Time: 50 to 60 sec
- What you say
- Open your tax account today, find your next payment date, and set two reminders: one a month before and one a week before.
How to end a 60 second video
The last five seconds decide what the viewer does next.
- Give one next step, said as a plain instruction.
- Or ask one real question you want answered. Those comments can turn into client conversations.
- Do not summarise again. The takeaway already did that.
- Do not ask people to like and follow. Viewers have heard it so often they tune it out.
Where Cutroom fits
A video filmed from notes has ums, false starts and pauses in it. On Punch and Native, Cutroom removes the ums that show up in your transcript and shortens the pauses, but a false start stays in.
- You upload one clip of yourself talking, up to 3 minutes long.
- Cutroom turns your promise into the opening headline, times the captions and adds b-roll, and on Punch and Native it also removes the ums that show up in your transcript and shortens the pauses.
- If Cutroom mishears a word, you fix it in the transcript and the caption follows.
- A caption tool inside the app you post to costs nothing, and it is fine for an occasional post.
What a one-minute video costs in Cutroom
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| One-minute video | 120 credits: 100 to edit, 20 to export |
| First video | Free within 7 days, no card, Cutroom mark across the middle |
| Lite plan | $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 10 one-minute videos |
| Cancel | One click |
Item: One-minute video
- Cost
- 120 credits: 100 to edit, 20 to export
Item: First video
- Cost
- Free within 7 days, no card, Cutroom mark across the middle
Item: Lite plan
- Cost
- $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 10 one-minute videos
Item: Cancel
- Cost
- One click
Questions people ask
- How many words is a 60 second video script?
- About 150, at a relaxed explaining pace of roughly 2.5 words a second. Ads are read faster, but an explainer at that speed sounds rushed. If your draft is 250 words, it is two videos.
- Should I write the script word for word?
- Write it once to find the idea, then cut it down to five bullets and speak from those. Word-for-word delivery sounds read out. The exception is regulated wording, which you should write exactly and practise.
- How is this different from an ad script?
- An ad script moves a stranger to buy: hook, problem, mechanism, proof, ask. A teaching script gives value right away: promise, context, main point, takeaway. Selling inside a teaching video breaks the promise that made the viewer stay.
- How should I end a 60 second video?
- With one next step, said plainly, or one question you really want answered in the comments. Skip a second summary and skip the like-and-follow request.
- What if my video runs to 90 seconds?
- There is usually a 60 second video inside it, plus a second idea. Cut the second idea out and film it tomorrow. Cutroom keeps the lines you say, so film video one again without the second idea before you upload.
- Where does the hook go in this structure?
- The promise is the hook. It names what the viewer gets for staying. Overpromising buys a few seconds of watch time and costs you trust. Ad hooks are a different skill with their own structure.
Write the 150 words once, cut them down to five bullets, and film from the card. Your first video is free.