Scriptwriting is a critical aspect of pre-production because it sets the tone and informs the message and style of your video. To maximize the impact of your video marketing strategy, it's essential to know how to write a script for your animated video effectively. In this article, we'll go through six tips to help you write an effective script for your animated video.
Tip 1: Create a Project Brief
Before you start writing your script, create a project brief that outlines the purpose of your video, the problem your product solves, your target audience, and the tone you want to convey.
Answering the following questions can help you create a project brief:
- What is the purpose of this video?
- What problem does the product solve?
- What do you want viewers to do after watching the video?
- Who is your target audience?
- What tone do you want the video to have?
After answering these questions, you'll have a clear idea of what your animated video will look like and what direction it will take.
Tip 2: Tell a Story
Your script should tell a clear and concise story that connects with your audience. Introduce a common problem that your audience faces, demonstrate how your business, product, or service addresses that problem, and explain why you are the best option available.
This structure may vary depending on your goals, but your script should always be focused on appealing to customers through relatable scenarios.
Tip 3: Establish Your Tone
When writing a script, it's important to speak directly to your audience in a tone that resonates with them and their interests. Animated video scripts should generally be conversational in nature. Use short, concise sentences and simple vocabulary to achieve a more informal style.
Read your script out loud to adjust it for voice over. When rehearsing your script, you might notice that some of the phrasing sounds awkward or overly complex. Make sure your script still sounds natural and conversational when read aloud.
Tip 4: Keep it Brief
Animated videos need to be long enough to get your point across while being short enough to retain viewers' attention. An animated explainer video, for instance, should typically be two minutes or less to maximize its impact.
To ensure you maintain a reasonable runtime, keep in mind that it takes about one minute to read 100 to 150 words. Use this as a general rule of thumb when writing your script to avoid making your video too long. Once your script is finished, make sure to read through it out loud to see how long it takes to finish.
If it takes longer than two to three minutes, look for parts of your script that you can cut without sacrificing your core message.
Tip 5: Show, Don't Tell
Animation is incredibly versatile and flexible. Animated videos make it easy to create engaging visuals that effectively demonstrate and explain new products, services, and concepts. Use the visual tools you have at your disposal to convey information. Prioritizing visuals over narration helps keep viewers engaged throughout your video and makes information easier to process.
Tip 6: Include Call-to-Action
No marketing video is complete without a meaningful call-to-action (CTA). Your CTA can be anything from "Visit our website to learn more" alongside a URL to "Download our app for iOS or Android." Your CTA should be succinct and should provide a clear next step for viewers to take.
While CTAs are generally included at the end of videos to drive viewers down the sales funnel, they can also be included at the beginning or in the middle, during your video's most memorable moment. Consider where your CTA might be most impactful by watching your video from the perspective of your target audience's buyer persona.