The short answer
A 60-second film has room for a hook, who you are and where, three pieces of proof, one message and a clear call to action, and not much else. Write it the way you’d say it on the phone, in short sentences, without describing what’s already on screen. Then read it aloud and time it. If it runs over, cut words rather than speaking faster.
A minute sounds like a lot of words until you start writing. Then it isn’t. First drafts tend to run long, because they try to fit in everything the business does. This template keeps you to what fits, and works whether you’re recording the voice yourself, hiring a voice artist, or checking a script someone has written for you.
The template
Copy this, fill in the brackets, and cross out anything you don’t need.
| Part | Time | What it does | Fill in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hook | 0–6 s | Makes someone keep watching | [A problem your customer has, or a result they want, in one line] |
| Who and where | 6–14 s | Says who you are and where you work | [Business name] has been [what you do] in [town or area] for [how long, or since when]. |
| Proof 1 | 14–24 s | Shows, doesn’t claim | [A specific thing you do, shown on screen] |
| Proof 2 | 24–34 s | Adds a different strength | [Another specific thing] |
| Proof 3 | 34–44 s | Ends the proof on your best point | [A third, or a customer’s words, quoted exactly with permission] |
| The message | 44–52 s | The one thing to remember | [Your one message, in one sentence] |
| Call to action | 52–60 s | Says what to do next | Call [number] / visit [web address]. [Business name], [area covered]. |
The timings are a guide. Some films need a longer proof section and a shorter hook. What matters is the order.
Write for the ear
Words that read well on a page often sound stiff out loud. Some habits that help:
- One idea per sentence. “We fit kitchens. We also do bathrooms.” beats “As well as fitting kitchens, we also offer a full bathroom installation service.”
- Use the words your customers use. If they say “boiler service”, don’t say “heating system maintenance”.
- Say numbers the way you’d say them aloud. Write “twenty years”, not “20+ yrs”. Write phone numbers out the way they should be spoken, and show the digits on screen.
- Avoid brackets, abbreviations and slashes. A listener can’t hear them.
- Use “you” and “we”. It’s a conversation, not a brochure.
Make the words and pictures agree
The voice and the pictures should tell the same story at the same moment, but they shouldn’t repeat each other.
If the screen shows a finished patio, the voice doesn’t need to say “here’s a finished patio”. It can say who it was for, how long it took, or what was there before. The picture shows; the words explain.
A simple way to check: write the script in two columns, words on the left and what’s on screen on the right. If the two columns say the same thing, change the words.
The ending
Customers who’ve watched to the end are ready for the next step, so give them exactly one.
- Your name, exactly as it appears on your signs and your Google profile.
- One way to get in touch. A phone number or a web address. Not both, unless you have time to say them slowly.
- The area you cover. “Across Preston and South Ribble” saves a lot of out-of-area calls.
Show the details on screen while they’re being said, and leave them up for a few seconds. Check every digit, then ask someone else to check it.
Time it
Read the script aloud at the pace you’d use on the phone to a new customer: not rushed, with small pauses between sentences. Time it with your phone’s stopwatch.
- Over 60 seconds? Cut words. Start with adjectives, then the weakest of your three proofs.
- Under 50 seconds? Leave it. Silence over a good shot is fine, and the pictures need room.
- Need a 30-second version? Google Business Profile videos can be up to 30 seconds. Keep the hook, one proof, the message and the call to action.
Remember the captions. The words you write are what viewers will read with the sound off, and accessibility guidance asks for captions on video with sound. Short sentences make short, readable captions.
A worked example
This is a made-up business with an invented name, written fresh for this article: a plasterer in Lancashire.
| Part | Script |
|---|---|
| Hook | Cracked ceilings and blown plaster don’t fix themselves. |
| Who and where | Brookfold Plastering has been skimming walls and ceilings across Preston and South Ribble since 2009. |
| Proof 1 | We sheet every floor before we start, and we hoover up before we leave. |
| Proof 2 | We’ll give you a date, and we’ll turn up on it. |
| Proof 3 | And we’ll tell you the price in writing before we touch a wall. |
| The message | Smooth walls, no mess, no surprises. |
| Call to action | Call Brookfold Plastering on [number, written out as spoken]. Preston and South Ribble. |
Read it aloud. It’s short sentences, things a customer cares about, nothing the pictures could show better, and one clear way to get in touch.
Before you record
- Is there one message, and could you say it in a breath?
- Does the hook work without any pictures?
- Are the three proofs specific, and could the screen show each one?
- Does every sentence sound natural said aloud?
- Is the name, number and area exactly right?
- Does it fit the time, read at a natural pace?
If you’d rather not make it yourself, with VideoWorks we write the script, and you approve the script and storyboard before anything is made; how it works sets out the steps.
