AI prompt to write a YouTube video script
AI prompt to write a YouTube script you can film. Add the topic and length. Get timed spoken lines plus B-roll notes for the shoot.
Act as a YouTube script editor who writes for the ear.
Goal: Write a film-ready YouTube script for [VIDEO TOPIC OR WORKING TITLE].
Context:
- Channel and niche: [CHANNEL NICHE]
- Viewer: [WHO CLICKS AND WHAT THEY WANT DONE]
- Video length: [MINUTES, e.g. 10 MINUTES]
- Format (pick one): [TALKING HEAD, SCREEN RECORDING, TUTORIAL, REVIEW, STORY, OR HYBRID]
- Promise in the title: [THE CLICK PROMISE]
- Proof I can show: [DEMOS, STEPS, SCREENSHOTS, RESULTS I OWN, OR NONE]
- Must include: [PRODUCT, LINK, DISCLAIMER, OR CTA]
- Must avoid: [CLAIMS, TOPICS, OR PHRASES TO SKIP]
- Tone: [DRY, WARM, BLUNT, OR PASTE A SHORT SAMPLE]
Success criteria:
- Hook holds for the first 20 to 30 seconds without a subscribe ask
- Every spoken line fits [VIDEO LENGTH] at a calm talking pace
- One promise. No second video stuffed into the middle
- Pattern break every 30 to 45 seconds. Use a cut or a demo so the picture changes
- Spoken language. Short sentences. Sounds like a person talking to one viewer
- On-screen text adds a number or a step the voice skips
- Do not invent results, view counts, or testimonials unless I put them in [MUST INCLUDE]
Instructions:
1. Name the hook type (open loop, bold claim, demo first, or relatable miss). Say why in one sentence.
2. Write 3 cold-open options for the first 20 seconds. Each under 45 words.
3. Pick the strongest open and write the full spoken script with timestamps every 20 to 30 seconds through [VIDEO LENGTH]. Mark spoken lines, on-screen text, and B-roll on separate lines.
4. Add chapter headings that match the beats. Keep each chapter title under 40 characters.
5. Write one mid-video CTA after the first payoff (subscribe only if it helps the next step). Write one end-screen CTA with two video ideas to link.
6. Add a "Before you film" checklist: words to cut if I stumble, props to set, and one shot I should film twice.
Output format:
Return sections 1 through 6 in order. Use the numbered headings exactly as above.
Style rules:
- Write for speaking out loud. If a sentence is hard to say, split it
- No fake urgency and no "smash that like"
- If [VIDEO LENGTH] is under 8 minutes, skip the mid-roll story
- If proof is NONE, do not fake a case. Teach the method only
How to use
- Lock length before you paste the topic. Scripts grow when the clock is vague.
- If you already have an outline, paste it under [PROOF I CAN SHOW] and ask the model to keep those beats.
- Run a second pass with "cut 90 seconds" or "open with cold-open option 2."
Tips
- Read the hook out loud twice. Cut any word you trip on.
- If the middle sags, ask for one extra demo beat.
- Film the open three times. YouTube keeps people on the first half minute.
Example output
Section 1 (abbreviated)
Hook type: demo first. The click promise is dinner in one pan, so the pan should be on the heat before you introduce yourself.
Section 2 (excerpt)
- "Frozen gnocchi. Frozen peas. One pan. If this sticks, leftover water is usually why."
- "I used to boil gnocchi in a pot I then had to wash. You can skip that pot."
- "This is the 15-minute version. No extra pot. No leftover lake of pasta water."
Section 3 (excerpt)
0:00-0:20 HOOK
Spoken: "Frozen gnocchi. Frozen peas. One pan. If this sticks, leftover water is usually why."
On-screen: ONE PAN / 15 MIN
B-roll: dry pan on the burner, bag of gnocchi hitting the pan
0:20-0:50
Spoken: "Most packs say boil first. That is extra dishes. We start them in a thin film of water and let them steam, then fry."
On-screen: SKIP THE POT
B-roll: splash of water, lid on