Product review script
script template

Reviews fail in two ways. Either they read the box out loud, or they hold the verdict back for eight minutes as though it were a twist. Nobody clicked a review for suspense. They clicked for an answer, so give it in the first fifteen seconds and spend the rest of the video proving you are allowed to say it.

226 words as written 52 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 FULL REVIEW, ABOUT TWO MINUTES OF TALKING HEAD

[PRODUCT NAME], [PRICE]. The verdict up front: [BUY IT / SKIP IT / BUY IT ONLY IF].I [BOUGHT IT / WAS SENT IT / BORROWED IT], and I have used it for [HOW LONG] doing [THE REAL TASK].[IF IT WAS GIFTED, PAID FOR OR AFFILIATE LINKED, SAY SO HERE, PLAINLY.]What it is meant to do is [THE PROMISE ON THE BOX].What it actually did: [THE SPECIFIC TEST YOU RAN], and [WHAT HAPPENED, WITH A NUMBER IF YOU HAVE ONE].The best thing about it is [THE ONE STANDOUT]. That matters if you [THE SITUATION WHERE IT MATTERS].The worst thing about it is [THE REAL FLAW, NAMED SPECIFICALLY]. It shows up when [WHEN IT BITES].[PAUSE]Two things nobody else mentions: [SMALL DETAIL ONE], and [SMALL DETAIL TWO].Buy it if you [THE BUYER IT SUITS]. Do not buy it if you [THE BUYER IT DOES NOT SUIT], because [THE REASON].At [PRICE], the thing I would look at instead is [THE ALTERNATIVE], and the choice between them comes down to [THE DECIDING FACTOR].Both are linked below.

THE SIXTY SECOND VERDICT VERSION

[PRODUCT NAME], [PRICE]. [BUY IT / SKIP IT].I have used it for [HOW LONG]. [HOW YOU GOT IT.]It is good at [THE ONE THING].It is bad at [THE ONE THING], and that is the part that would stop me.If you [THE SITUATION], it is worth the money. If you [THE OTHER SITUATION], buy [THE ALTERNATIVE] and save [THE DIFFERENCE].That is the whole review.

THE COMPARISON REVIEW, ABOUT NINETY SECONDS

[PRODUCT A] at [PRICE] against [PRODUCT B] at [PRICE]. I have used both for [HOW LONG].The same test on both: [THE TASK].[PRODUCT A] did [THE RESULT]. [PRODUCT B] did [THE RESULT].They are genuinely the same on [WHAT DOES NOT DIFFER]. Ignore anyone who tells you otherwise.The real difference is [THE ONE THING THAT ACTUALLY SEPARATES THEM].So: [PRODUCT A] if you [THE CONDITION]. [PRODUCT B] if you [THE OTHER CONDITION].If the price gap is under [AMOUNT] when you watch this, [WHICH ONE, AND WHY].

Why it is built this way

Verdict in the first fifteen seconds

Withholding the answer does not build tension, it builds exits. Say buy it, skip it, or buy it only if, and then spend the video showing your working.

Say how you got it and how long you used it

Bought, borrowed or sent, plus the number of weeks you actually used it. Gifted and paid items have to be declared under UK and US advertising rules anyway, and saying it early is the cheapest credibility in the video.

Test it against a real job, not the spec sheet

Anyone can read the specifications off the manufacturer website. What nobody else has is the thing you tried to do with it and what happened. That is the entire reason your review exists.

Name one real flaw, specifically

A review with no criticism reads as an advert, and then everything positive in it stops counting. One precise flaw, named early, is what makes the praise believable.

Say who should not buy it

Exclusion is what makes a recommendation land. Telling the wrong buyer to walk away is the line that tells the right buyer they are in the right place.

Compare with the one real alternative at that price

The decision is never "is this good", it is "is this better than the other thing I was about to buy". Name that other thing, or the viewer opens a second tab and finds someone who did.

Delivering it

·Film the criticism section first, while you are still annoyed about it. Anything recorded at the end of a long shoot comes out softer than you meant it.
·Use the product on camera rather than showing it sitting on a desk. A static shot of an object looks like a photograph of an object.
·Put the disclosure in the spoken script, not only in the description. It costs four seconds and it settles the question before anyone raises it in the comments.
·Say the price out loud and say the date. Reviews get watched a year later and a spoken price at least dates itself honestly.
·If you never actually tested it, do not review it. Read the script back and delete every line you could have written without opening the box. If nothing is left, there is no video.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a product review video be?

Sixty seconds if the answer is simple, two to five minutes for something people spend real money on. Length is not the problem, delay is. Get to the verdict inside fifteen seconds either way.

Do I have to say if a product was sent to me for free?

Yes. Gifted items, paid placements and affiliate links have to be declared under UK and US advertising rules, and the declaration belongs in the video itself, not only in the description.

How do I review a product without sounding like an advert?

Name one specific flaw early, say who should not buy it, and describe a real task you did with it. An advert cannot do any of those three, which is exactly why they read as honest.

What should a product review script include?

The verdict, how you got the product, how long you used it, one real test, the best thing, the worst thing, who it is not for, and the alternative at the same price.

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