YouTube video script with a hook, timing and B-roll notes
Most videos lose viewers in the first 30 seconds because the script wanders. This prompt has your todo.is agent research the topic, look at what similar videos promise, and write a timed script with a tight hook, clear sections and notes for what to show on screen.
The prompt
- Write a YouTube video script for my channel [CHANNEL NAME] about "[VIDEO TOPIC]". My viewers are [WHO WATCHES]. Target length: [VIDEO LENGTH] minutes. Search the web for facts and examples and note the sources. Structure: a hook in the first 15 seconds, a quick promise of what they’ll get, 3 to 5 main sections with timestamps, a mid-video call to [CALL TO ACTION], and a short ending. Write it the way I talk: [YOUR SPEAKING STYLE]. Add B-roll and on-screen text notes in brackets. Also give me 5 title ideas under 60 characters, 3 thumbnail text ideas, and a video description with chapters. Deliver it as a Word file.
What to change
- [CHANNEL NAME]: Your YouTube channel.
- [VIDEO TOPIC]: e.g. "I tried meal prepping for a month on $50 a week".
- [WHO WATCHES]: e.g. "students on a budget", "beginner woodworkers".
- [VIDEO LENGTH]: A number, e.g. 8. About 140 to 160 spoken words per minute.
- [CALL TO ACTION]: e.g. "subscribe", "download my free guide", "check the sponsor".
- [YOUR SPEAKING STYLE]: e.g. "casual, a bit sarcastic, short sentences" or paste a transcript of a past video.
Example result
- Titles
- • I Meal Prepped for a Month on $50 a Week
- • $50 a Week Meal Prep: What Actually Worked
- • Cheap Meal Prep for Students (30 Days, Real Receipts)
- Thumbnail text: "$50/WEEK?" · "30 DAYS" · "WORTH IT?"
- Script
- 0:00 · Hook
- "This is every meal I ate for 30 days. Total cost: $200. And honestly? Week two almost broke me."
- [B-roll: fast cuts of 20 containers in the fridge, receipt on the counter]
- 0:15 · Promise
- "By the end of this video you’ll have the exact shopping list, the 3 recipes that carried me, and the one mistake that cost me $18."
- 0:40 · Section 1 · The rules
- $50 a week, one shop on Sunday, no eating out. [On-screen text: "$50 / week · 1 shop · 0 takeout"]
- 2:00 · Section 2 · The shopping list
- Rice, dried lentils, eggs, frozen veg, chicken thighs, oats, bananas. Buying dried beans instead of canned saved me a few dollars a week. [B-roll: price tags close up]
- 3:45 · Mid-video CTA
- "I put the full list in a free PDF. Link is in the description."
- 4:00 · Section 3 · The 3 recipes that carried me
- Lentil curry, sheet-pan chicken and veg, overnight oats. [B-roll: each one cooked in under 20 seconds]
- 6:10 · Section 4 · What went wrong
- Week two: same curry 9 times. I threw out food and overspent. Fix: rotate two bases and two sauces.
- 7:30 · Ending
- "Would I do it again? Yes, with more sauces. Tell me what you’d cook for $50."
- Description chapters
- 0:00 Intro · 0:40 The rules · 2:00 Shopping list · 4:00 Recipes · 6:10 What went wrong · 7:30 Verdict
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and replace the [brackets] with your channel, topic and style.
- Paste it in todo.is from the web or Android app, or send it to your agent on Discord or Telegram.
- Your agent researches, writes the timed script with B-roll notes and gives you a Word file.
- Ask for changes like "make the hook more surprising" or "cut it to 5 minutes".
Tips
- Attach the transcript of your best-performing video and ask your agent to match its pacing.
- Ask for a 60-second Shorts version of the same script at the end of the to-do.
- Have your agent make a voice-over or thumbnail draft too; todo.is can create voice notes and images.
- Read the script out loud once before filming. Cut any line you stumble on.
FAQ
- How many words is a 10-minute YouTube script? Roughly 1,400 to 1,600 words at a normal speaking pace of about 140 to 160 words per minute. Faster talkers need more.
- Does it research facts for the video? Yes. Your agent searches the web and reads sources, and lists them so you can double-check facts before you film.
- Can it write in my style? Paste or attach a transcript of one of your videos. Your agent copies your phrasing and remembers it for later scripts.
- Can it upload the video to YouTube? No. Your agent writes the script, titles and description; you film and upload the video yourself.
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