Tutorial video script
script template

The hard part of a tutorial is never the steps. It is that you already know the thing, so you skip the bit that confused you when you learned it, and the viewer stops at exactly that point. This template forces in the two things experts leave out: the finished result at the start, and the mistake everybody makes in the middle.

185 words as written 34 places to fill in 2 versions

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

THE FULL TUTORIAL, SCREEN SHARE OR CAMERA

This is [THE END RESULT]. By the end of this you will have built it, and it takes about [TIME].[HOLD ON THE FINISHED THING FOR A FEW SECONDS BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING ELSE.]Before we start you need [PREREQUISITE ONE] and [PREREQUISITE TWO]. If you do not have [THE PAID OR AWKWARD ONE], [THE FREE ALTERNATIVE] works, and I will point out where it differs.There are [NUMBER] steps: [STEP ONE IN THREE WORDS], [STEP TWO IN THREE WORDS], [STEP THREE IN THREE WORDS].Step one. [THE ACTION, ONE SENTENCE.][WHERE TO CLICK OR WHAT TO TYPE, EXACTLY.]You know that worked when [THE VISIBLE CONFIRMATION].Step two. [THE ACTION.]This is the part people get wrong. [THE COMMON MISTAKE.] If you see [THE ERROR], that is what has happened, and the fix is [THE FIX].Step three. [THE ACTION.][PAUSE AND LET THE SCREEN CATCH UP.]That is it. Yours should now [THE FINAL CHECK]. If it does not, the usual cause is [THE MOST LIKELY CULPRIT].If you want to take it further, the obvious next thing is [THE NEXT THING], and I have covered that in [THE OTHER VIDEO].

THE QUICK FIX TUTORIAL, UNDER THREE MINUTES

If [THE SYMPTOM], this fixes it in about [TIME].The cause is [THE CAUSE, ONE SENTENCE].Do this. [ACTION ONE.]Then [ACTION TWO].Then [ACTION THREE].Check it worked: [THE CHECK].If it did not, then it is [THE SECOND MOST LIKELY CAUSE], and the fix for that one is [THE OTHER FIX].That is the whole thing. If you want to know why it happens in the first place, [WHERE THE LONGER VERSION IS].

Why it is built this way

Show the finished result in the first twenty seconds

Nobody follows instructions towards a destination they cannot see. Showing the end state also sends the wrong viewers away early, which is better for both of you than losing them at step four.

State the prerequisites out loud

Finding out at step four that you needed an account, a plugin or a paid tier is the most common reason a tutorial gets abandoned, and it produces the angriest comment you will get all month.

Number every step and say the number

A spoken number gives people something to scrub back to. Without it, anyone who falls behind has to hunt through the timeline, and most of them will simply leave instead.

One action per sentence

The viewer is doing this with their hands while you talk. Two instructions in one sentence means one gets missed, and it is always the second one.

Name the mistake before they make it

You know where this goes wrong because it went wrong for you. Saying "this is the part people get wrong" is the single line that turns a tutorial into a recommendation.

End on the check, not the sign-off

Tell them how to know it worked. A tutorial that ends on a verifiable result leaves people feeling competent, and that feeling is what they subscribe to.

Delivering it

·Do the whole thing once with the recording off. The second run is the one where you already know which bit is fiddly.
·Read the click half a second before you make it. Saying "now open settings" just ahead of the cursor keeps their eyes where you want them.
·Record the narration to a prompter and let the screen capture follow, rather than talking live and apologising for loading screens.
·Put the software version in the script and say it out loud. Interfaces move, and a tutorial that admits its date keeps its comments civil.
·Never say "simply" or "just". If it were simple they would not be watching a video about it.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a tutorial video be?

As long as the task and not a second longer. Cut the introduction, the story about why you made it, and every "before we get started". Most tutorials would be two minutes shorter with no content removed.

Should I script a tutorial or improvise it?

Script it. Improvised tutorials skip the step you find obvious, which is usually the step the viewer is stuck on. Write the steps, read them off a teleprompter, and keep your hands free for the demonstration.

How do I stop people dropping off halfway through a tutorial?

Show the finished result at the start, number the steps out loud, and name the common mistake before they hit it. Most drop-off in a tutorial is confusion, not boredom.

How do I use a teleprompter for a screen recording?

Record the narration in one pass reading the prompter, then capture the screen separately and lay it underneath. Trying to read, click and talk at once is what produces the long silences.

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