Instagram Reel script
script template

A Reel has no thumbnail and no run-up. The first line does the entire job of the first ten seconds, so it is the only sentence worth writing word for word. Everything after it should be loose enough to sound like you.

97 words as written 24 places to fill in 3 versions

Opens the free teleprompter with the script already loaded. Nothing is uploaded, and your camera never leaves your device.

THE PROBLEM OPENER, ABOUT 30 SECONDS

If you [THE SPECIFIC SITUATION YOUR VIEWER IS IN], this is for you.[THE MISTAKE THEY ARE MAKING, IN ONE SENTENCE.]I did that for [HOW LONG], and what actually changed it was [THE ONE THING].[WHY IT WORKS, ONE SENTENCE.][WHAT TO DO FIRST, CONCRETE ENOUGH TO DO TODAY.]So if you [THE SPECIFIC SITUATION AGAIN], start there.

THE STORY OPENER, ABOUT 30 SECONDS

[NUMBER] [WEEKS / MONTHS] ago I [THE SITUATION].[WHAT WENT WRONG, ONE SENTENCE. NO BUILD-UP.]Here is what I would do differently.[THE FIRST THING.][THE SECOND THING.]And the part nobody tells you: [THE UNEXPECTED ONE].[NUMBER] [WEEKS / MONTHS] ago I would have needed to hear that.

THE CONTRARIAN OPENER, ABOUT 30 SECONDS

Stop [THE COMMON ADVICE]. It is costing you [WHAT IT COSTS].Everyone says [THE ADVICE] because [WHY IT SOUNDS RIGHT].But if you [THE SITUATION IT DOES NOT SUIT], it does the opposite.Do this instead: [THE ALTERNATIVE, IN ONE SENTENCE].[ONE SPECIFIC EXAMPLE OR NUMBER.]That is why I stopped [THE COMMON ADVICE].

Why it is built this way

One line, one job

The opening is not an introduction, it is a reason to stay. Nobody scrolling needs your name first, and four seconds of "hi everyone" is the most expensive mistake in short form.

Name the person, not the topic

A Reel that opens on a subject competes with everything else about that subject. One that opens by describing a specific person in a specific situation makes the right viewer stop, because they recognise themselves.

Say the thing, do not tease it

Withholding the answer to keep people watching worked when feeds were slower. Now it reads as bait and people leave. Give the answer early and earn the rest of the watch time with detail.

One idea, not three

Thirty seconds holds a single point properly or three points badly. The discipline of the format is choosing which one, and letting the other two become their own Reels.

End where you started

Closing on the words you opened with makes the loop feel deliberate rather than truncated, which is what buys the replay this format is scored on.

Leave the call to action out of the video

Put it in the caption. A spoken "follow for more" costs you two seconds of the twenty eight you have and dates the video the moment your ask changes.

Delivering it

·Film it on the phone you are posting from, with the script over the camera view. Anything that makes you look away from the lens shows up in your eyes.
·Use cue lines rather than the full sentences once you have said it twice. The templates are written out so you can find your version, not so you can read them aloud.
·Seventy five to ninety words is thirty seconds at short-form pace, which is faster than normal speech. Time it rather than guessing.
·Keep the first take. Energy drops with every retake and viewers notice flatness far more than a fluffed word.
·Write the caption before you film. If the point does not survive being written in one line, the Reel will not survive being watched.

Frequently asked questions

How long should an Instagram Reel script be?

About 75 to 90 words for thirty seconds, because short-form delivery runs faster than ordinary speech. For a sixty second Reel, 150 to 180 words.

Should I script a Reel word for word?

Script the first line and the last line exactly, and keep the middle as cue lines. Fully scripted Reels sound read, and this is the format that punishes that hardest.

What makes a good Reel hook?

Naming the specific person and situation rather than the topic. "If you have rewritten the same email four times" stops the right viewer. "Here are some email tips" competes with everything.

Do I need to say follow for more?

No. Put the ask in the caption. Spoken calls to action cost seconds you do not have and date the video as soon as your ask changes.

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