YouTube Video Script Writer

Why this prompt works

The two-column layout (spoken script on the left, B-roll notes on the right) is the format YouTube editors actually use, which makes this output usable by a team rather than just by the creator. The hook constraint (15 seconds, pattern interrupt, with worked example) is the single most important section because it's what determines whether the audience watches past the first 15 seconds, and YouTube's algorithm uses early retention as its primary ranking signal. The 'Hey guys' and 'In this video' bans are small but eliminate the openers that mark videos as amateur. The chapter timestamp suggestions are useful both for retention and for the platform's chapter-marker UX.

When to reach for it

• You're a creator scripting a video and want a structured first draft that includes B-roll planning, not just spoken words.
• You're a content team producing for an executive's channel and need scripts the executive can read without needing to ad-lib.
• You're testing a new video format and want a benchmark script in that format to react to.
• You're a podcaster moving into video and need to learn the specific shape of YouTube scripts versus podcast outlines.

How to customise it

The duration input matters more than people realise. A 5-minute video and a 15-minute video are structurally different, not just different lengths; the 5-minute version skips the deeper teaching, the 15-minute version needs more retention hooks. The video style input drives tone heavily: tutorials need precision, entertainment needs personality, reviews need a specific recommendation framework. For channels with a consistent intro (e.g. a music sting plus a tagline), tell the model so it doesn't replace your existing intro with a generic one.

What good output looks like

A two-column script document. Left column: spoken lines, broken into 3 to 5 chapters with chapter titles. Right column: B-roll suggestions in [B-ROLL: description] format, plus retention hooks before chapter transitions. Hook is in the first block, intro with subscribe CTA in the second. Word count per chapter is annotated (150 words ≈ 1 minute). Outro is the final block with end-screen CTA. Total script length scales with the requested duration, around 700 words for a 5-minute video.

Watch out for

The B-roll suggestions are generic by default ('shot of laptop', 'close-up of speaker'). Treat them as placeholders to brief your editor or DP rather than as final shot lists. The pattern-interrupt hook also tends toward formula ('Most people get this completely wrong') if the topic doesn't immediately suggest a fresh angle; ask the model for three hook variations and pick the one that genuinely surprises you, not the one that sounds most like a YouTube hook.