For a quick tip, write a problem, one action, and a check. For a demonstration, add the steps viewers need to see. For an explanation, leave room for an example and its limit.
Below are filled scripts for all three formats, plus blank versions in the download. The 15-, 30-, and 60-second labels are planning targets; time your narration before editing.
If this is your first upload, the beginner's guide to making a Short covers the steps around the script, from choosing a question to checking the published video.
Download all three script templates as a text file. No account required.
Choose the structure before choosing the length
A short practical tip needs fewer beats than an explanation with a counterexample. Pick the structure that completes the viewer's task. Do not stretch a one-step answer to fill a minute.
| Item | Planning length | What fits |
|---|---|---|
| Quick tip | About 15 seconds | Problem, action, result |
| Demonstration | About 30 seconds | Problem, visible steps, check |
| Explanation | About 60 seconds | Claim, example, limit, takeaway |
Words alone do not determine runtime. A pause, a pronunciation change, or a demonstration can add time. Record or generate a draft narration and inspect it alongside the intended visual actions.
Template one: the roughly 15-second quick tip
Blank structure: “If [specific problem], try [one action]. Here is [visible result]. Before you finish, check [one condition].”
Filled script: “Keep unplugging the wrong cable? Label both ends before you route it behind the desk. Match the label at the device to the label at the plug. Test it once before you tidy the wires.”
The opening names a recognizable problem. The middle gives one action. The last line prevents the demonstration from ending before the viewer checks the result.
| Beat | Show | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Problem | Two similar loose cables | An unrelated desk montage |
| Action | A matching label on each end | Text too small to inspect |
| Check | Trace one cable to its device | A claim that errors are impossible |
Replace the problem and action when you reuse this structure. Do not publish five copies with different cable colors. The next episode needs a different useful task.
Template two: the roughly 30-second demonstration
Blank structure: “Here is [starting problem]. First [action]. Next [action]. Now [show the result]. If [exception], use [adjustment].”
Filled script: “This folder has source footage mixed with finished videos. Split it into Sources and Exports. Keep recordings in Sources. Put only checked, finished files in Exports. Give each export a date, a topic, and a version. Now choosing the next upload does not mean opening every file. If you revise a video, update the version and check the new export before replacing the old one.”
Show the folder changes as they happen. A viewer should be able to pause and reproduce the convention. If the screen recording needs longer, allow the extra time instead of racing through the steps.
The revision step earns its place: viewers will eventually need to replace a file. For a different tutorial, use the exception that would otherwise leave them stuck, such as a missing menu or a different device.
Do not copy real customer filenames into an example. Build a clean demonstration folder with invented project names.
Template three: the roughly 60-second explanation
Blank structure: “People confuse [A] with [B]. Here is the difference. In [concrete example], [explain the mechanism]. But [important limit]. So before [decision], check [actionable test].”
Filled script: “A saved link is not the same as a research note. A link tells you where a page lives. A research note tells you which claim you plan to use. Suppose you save a long article for a short video. Write the exact claim beside the link, add the section that supports it, and record when you checked it. Then write a separate sentence explaining the claim in your own words. If the page changes or disappears, your note still tells you what needs checking again. It does not prove the claim is true, and it does not give you permission to copy the article. It makes your next verification step visible. Before drafting, check that every factual claim has a supporting note.”
Show a research-note card filling up: claim, link, supporting section, check date. Keep that card on screen long enough to read it.
If your topic needs three separate distinctions, split it into episodes. A template is a container for one explanation, not permission to compress an entire course.
Adapt the template to your niche
Keep the structural job while changing the substance. A history explainer needs a source and a distinction between documented events and reconstruction. A product demonstration needs footage that matches the actual item. A fictional story needs a coherent setup and payoff.
- Keep: the viewer problem, the sequence of explanation, and a complete ending.
- Replace: every example, proof, scene, and claim with material suited to the episode.
- Remove: lines you cannot support or show.
- Check: whether someone unfamiliar with the topic can follow the result.
For opening lines, the hooks and retention guide covers a separate task. Use it to sharpen the promise without making it larger than the script can deliver.
Time and review the actual performance
- 1.DraftOne task and a complete ending
- 2.Read aloudMeasure your own delivery
- 3.Match scenesAllow time to inspect
- 4.Cut or extendPreserve the explanation
Listen for sentences that look concise but sound awkward. Replace abbreviations, split clauses, and remove a repeated point. Keep pauses that help the viewer inspect a diagram or action.
Move the final script into a scene-by-scene storyboard. Then review the rendered result using the complete production walkthrough.
ShortsFast's Shorts production workflow supports recurring generation for YouTube Shorts and TikTok. Use the script and scene notes to prepare an episode before generating it.
On the last listen, cut any sentence that repeats a point the viewer has already seen.