video-script

/digital-marketing-pro:video-script

Purpose

Write a production-ready video marketing script with hook variants, timestamps, visual direction notes, CTA placement, and platform-specific formatting. Produces a complete script package ready for production with visual and audio columns, accessibility notes, and thumbnail concepts.

Input Required

The user must provide (or will be prompted for):

• Video type: The format of the video — ad spot, explainer, testimonial, product demo, social short, educational tutorial, brand story, or event recap
• Target platform: Where the video will be published — YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels, LinkedIn, YouTube Shorts, Facebook, or multi-platform
• Target length: Desired duration — 15s, 30s, 60s, 90s, 2-3 min, 5-10 min, or long-form 10+ min
• Key message or topic: The core idea, value proposition, or subject matter the video must communicate
• Call to action: What the viewer should do after watching — visit URL, subscribe, purchase, sign up, download, follow, etc.
• Target audience: Who the video is for — demographics, psychographics, awareness level, and platform behavior
• Brand tone: Desired tone and energy level — professional, casual, humorous, inspirational, educational, urgent, or conversational
• Available assets: What production resources are available — on-camera talent, b-roll footage, product samples, graphics/animation capability, studio vs. location, screen recordings
• Competitor video references: Optional — links or descriptions of competitor or aspirational videos to benchmark against
• Performance goals: What success looks like — views, watch-through rate, click-through rate, conversions, engagement, or brand lift

Process

1. Load brand context: Read ~/.claude-marketing/brands/_active-brand.json for the active slug, then load ~/.claude-marketing/brands/{slug}/profile.json. Apply brand voice, compliance rules for target markets (skills/context-engine/compliance-rules.md), and industry context. Also check for guidelines at ~/.claude-marketing/brands/{slug}/guidelines/_manifest.json — if present, load restrictions and relevant category files. Check for custom templates at ~/.claude-marketing/brands/{slug}/templates/. Check for agency SOPs at ~/.claude-marketing/sops/. If no brand exists, ask: "Set up a brand first (/digital-marketing-pro:brand-setup)?" — or proceed with defaults.
2. Determine platform specs and format constraints: Reference platform-specific requirements — aspect ratio (16:9, 9:16, 1:1), max duration, safe zones for text overlays, caption placement areas, and native content conventions. Apply platform algorithm preferences (e.g., TikTok favors native-feeling content, LinkedIn rewards professional storytelling, YouTube prioritizes watch time).

2.4. Identify the script class — organic or ad — and load campaign context: These are different disciplines with different physics. Organic content earns its audience (discovery intent, step 2.5). Ads buy theirs, so the craft is about what happens inside a paid, often skippable slot. If this script belongs to a campaign, read the campaign context first — ~/.claude-marketing/brands/{slug}/campaigns/ and any campaign-plan output — so the script inherits the campaign's objective, funnel stage, audience, and offer instead of inventing parallel ones. A mid-funnel retargeting ad and a cold-audience awareness ad are different scripts for the same product; the campaign brief decides which one this is.

For ad scripts, apply the format's structural rules:

• 6s bumper (unskippable): ONE message, no arc — there is no time to earn attention, only to land a single point. Brand visible by second 2. If the brief has two messages, that is two bumpers.
• 15s skippable: the skip button appears at 5s — the script's real deadline. The hook and the core message both land BEFORE it; everything after is for the viewers who chose to stay. A 15s script that saves its point for second 9 was, for most of its audience, a 5-second logo exposure.
• 30s spot: room for one arc (PAS or before/after), still front-loaded — assume drop-off at every second, pay off early and again late.
• UGC-style / native ad: reads as platform-native content, disclosed as an ad per FTC/ASA rules — native-feeling is a style, not a disclosure exemption. Hook physics match organic; compliance rules match ads.

2.5. Declare the discovery intent (organic scripts): State how this video gets found — Search (typed queries; ranks over months; the topic phrasing must match how people actually search — pull it from /digital-marketing-pro:keyword-research), Browse (suggested/home feeds; lives or dies on click-through and early retention), or Both. A video with no search or browse logic has no discovery reason, and no script fixes that — send the topic back to development rather than producing a well-made video nobody will be shown. The intent drives everything downstream: search videos front-load the query answer; browse videos spend more on the open. (Ad scripts skip this step — distribution is bought, and step 2.4's format rules govern instead.)

1. Select script structure: Choose the optimal narrative framework based on video type and goals — AIDA (Attention-Interest-Desire-Action), PAS (Problem-Agitate-Solution), problem-solve-CTA, storytelling arc (setup-tension-resolution), listicle, before/after, or direct response. Justify the choice based on audience awareness level and platform norms. For long-form: every body section must carry its own payoff — a point delivered, not just promised. No section ends on setup; a section that only sets up the next one is where viewers leave, so either give it a payoff or fold it into the section that has one.
2. Write 3 hook variants: Craft three distinct opening hooks for the first 3 seconds — each using a different hook technique (bold claim, question, visual shock, pattern interrupt, relatable pain point, or curiosity gap). Provide rationale for why each hook works for the target audience and platform.
3. Draft full script with timestamps: Write the complete script with second-by-second or scene-by-scene timestamps. Include speaker dialogue or voiceover lines, pause beats, transition cues, and pacing notes. Ensure the script hits the target duration within a 10% margin.
4. Add visual direction notes: Create a visual column alongside the script specifying camera angles (wide, medium, close-up, overhead), b-roll suggestions, graphics and text overlay placements, transitions (cut, dissolve, swipe), product shots, and screen recordings where applicable.
5. Place CTAs at optimal points: Position call-to-action moments at strategically timed intervals based on video length — verbal CTA, on-screen CTA overlay, end card CTA, and pinned comment CTA. For shorter videos, place a single CTA at the natural climax; for longer videos, use a soft mid-roll CTA and a strong end CTA.
6. Add accessibility notes: Write a closed caption script ensuring all spoken content and meaningful sound effects are transcribed. Include audio description notes for key visual-only moments. Specify caption styling (font size, positioning, background contrast) per platform requirements.
7. Create thumbnail and cover frame concept: Design a thumbnail concept for YouTube or a cover frame for Reels/TikTok — specify text overlay (1-3 words; 7 absolute max), facial expression or product shot, color treatment, and contrast elements that drive click-through. Include 2 thumbnail variant ideas for A/B testing. Apply the pairing rule: the title carries context and keywords for the platform's systems; the thumbnail text carries the tension a human reacts to — they never say the same thing, and any thumb word that already appears in the title is rejected as wasted real estate. For dedicated packaging work or a critique of an underperforming video, use /digital-marketing-pro:video-packaging.
8. Review against brand voice and platform best practices: Audit the complete script against brand voice settings, compliance requirements, and platform content policies. Flag any potential issues with claims, disclosures, music licensing, or platform-specific restrictions. Verify pacing matches platform consumption patterns.
9. Run the unified quality gate before delivery: Route the finished script's narration and on-screen text through /digital-marketing-pro:check — the same hallucination + brand-voice + claims gate every other deliverable passes. A spoken statistic is the same liability as a printed one, and a rendered video is harder to correct than any page. For ad scripts this gate is non-negotiable: paid distribution multiplies whatever the script gets wrong, and ad platforms adjudicate claims complaints against the advertiser, not the agency.

Output

A structured video script package containing:

• 3 hook variants with rationale explaining the technique used and expected audience response for each
• Full script with timestamps — second-by-second or scene-by-scene timing from open to end card
• Visual direction column specifying what the viewer sees at each timestamp — camera angles, b-roll, graphics, text overlays, transitions, and product shots
• Audio direction column covering voiceover delivery notes, background music cues (genre, energy, licensing notes), sound effects, and silence beats
• On-screen text callouts with exact copy, timing, positioning, font size guidance, and animation style
• CTA placement map with timing rationale — why each CTA appears where it does based on viewer retention curves
• Retention notes — for long-form: the 2-3 points where viewers are most likely to drop (the setup stretch, the mid-video sag, the pre-CTA fade) and the specific hold at each — a re-hook, an open loop paid off later, a pattern interrupt. Naming the sag points is the difference between a script that reads well and one that retains; a script with no identified risk points has not been read as a viewer.
• Platform-specific formatting notes — aspect ratio, duration compliance, safe zones, caption areas, and algorithm optimization tips
• Accessibility package — closed caption script, audio description notes, and caption styling specifications
• Thumbnail/cover frame concept — 2 variant ideas with text overlay, imagery, color treatment, and click-through optimization rationale
• Production notes — talent requirements, location suggestions, props and wardrobe, equipment recommendations, and lighting direction
• Estimated production complexity rating (low/medium/high) with justification based on required assets, talent, locations, and post-production
• Alternative cut guidance — how to create a shorter or longer version from the same shoot, specifying which sections to cut or expand

Agents Used

• content-creator — Script writing, hook development, narrative structure, visual and audio direction, CTA placement, accessibility scripting, thumbnail concept, brand voice alignment, and platform-specific formatting