YouTube

YouTube script structure

T'Chaka Dev· 6 pages· 4 min read

A technical video fails in the first fifteen seconds or not at all. Everything below is about earning the next fifteen.

The hook

Open a gap between what the viewer knows and what they are about to know. State a consequence, not a topic.

B-ROLL fast cuts of the failure state you are about to fix

"Here's what a branch is" is a topic. "You have been using branches wrong and it costs you an hour every week" is a hook.

The promise

Immediately after the hook, say plainly what they will be able to do by the end. Keep it under twenty seconds — the promise buys patience, it does not spend it.

Teaching beats

Three to five beats, each one idea with its own visual cue.

DIAGRAM a timeline of beats, each with a visual cue marker underneath
  • Show the concept as a picture before naming it
  • Type commands live; mistakes are content
  • End each beat by closing the loop it opened

Recap and CTA

Restate the beats in one line each, then make a single ask. Two asks is zero asks.