Free template
How to write a video script: a YouTube template
An 8:00 video is about 1,200 words at 150 words a minute: a 30-second hook, a one-minute setup, three points of just under two minutes, and a one-minute ending. Copy the template below and fill in each part to its word count.
Last updated 28 October 2026
How to write a video script in five steps
- Pick one question the video answers, and who is asking it.
- Choose the length and turn it into words: about 150 a minute read aloud.
- Split it into parts with a job and a word budget each, as in the template below.
- Write for the ear: short sentences, one idea each, examples a viewer can picture.
- Read it aloud and time it. Rewrite anything you stumble on.
The parts
| Part | Time | Words | Its job |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hook | 0:00–0:30 | 75 | Say what the video answers, and why it is surprising or useful, before anything else. |
| Setup | 0:30–1:30 | 150 | What the viewer needs to know to follow the rest: the situation, the stakes, one example. |
| Point 1 | 1:30–3:20 | 275 | The first answer or step, with a specific example a viewer can picture. |
| Point 2 | 3:20–5:10 | 275 | The second, building on the first. A good place for the first mid-roll break after it. |
| Point 3 | 5:10–7:00 | 275 | The strongest point last, so the video does not fade before the end. |
| Payoff and ending | 7:00–8:00 | 150 | Answer the hook's question in one line, then one next step for the viewer. |
Copy the template
FACELESS YOUTUBE SCRIPT: 8:00 at 150 words a minute (about 1,200 words) Title idea: Who it is for: HOOK (0:00–0:30, about 75 words) The question this video answers, and the one fact that makes it worth watching: SETUP (0:30–1:30, about 150 words) The situation, what is at stake, and one concrete example: POINT 1 (1:30–3:20, about 275 words) The first point, and the example that shows it: POINT 2 (3:20–5:10, about 275 words) The second point, and how it builds on the first: POINT 3 (5:10–7:00, about 275 words) The strongest point, kept for last: PAYOFF AND ENDING (7:00–8:00, about 150 words) The answer to the hook in one sentence, then what to watch or do next:
Using it
- Word counts assume 150 words a minute. If you read slower or faster, check your draft in the script length calculator.
- Eight minutes is the length from which YouTube allows mid-roll ads; what a channel earns from them is in the monetization calculator.
- Write for the ear: short sentences, one idea each, and examples a viewer can picture.
- Read the draft aloud once before recording. Anything you stumble on, rewrite.
Questions
- How do you write a script for a YouTube video?
- Pick the one question the video answers, set the length, split it into a hook, a setup, a few points and an ending with a word budget each, write it as you would say it, and read it aloud once before recording.
- How long should a faceless YouTube script be?
- For an 8-minute video, about 1,200 words read at 150 words a minute. Eight minutes is the length from which YouTube allows mid-roll ads. For any other length, use the script length calculator.
- How long should the hook be?
- Keep it to about 75 words (30 seconds): what the video answers and why it is worth watching. Viewers decide in the first seconds whether to stay.
- Can I use this template with ChatGPT or Claude?
- Yes. Copy it, fill in the title and who it is for, and ask the assistant to write each part to its word count. Then read it aloud once: it should sound like you talking.
Script written? Turn it into the video
Alpy draws a scene for everything you say, read in your own voice or an AI voice, and gives you a finished 16:9 video with a title, description and thumbnail. Setting up a video is free, and you see the price before you pay.
Make a video from your script →