A complete tutorial on creating AI short video scripts, 7 steps to write explosive scripts from scratch in 2026

A complete tutorial on creating AI short video scripts, 7 steps to write explosive scripts from scratch in 2026

When many people watch short videos, they feel that someone else can just take a photo and it will get hundreds of thousands of views. But when it is their turn to pick up the phone, they don’t know what to say or what to take. The problem is often not with the filming, but with the script. The script is the skeleton of the short video, which determines whether the audience is willing to watch it after clicking in, and whether they are willing to like and forward it after watching it. In 2026, writing scripts with the help of AI tools has become a daily routine for many content creators. Even a novice with zero foundation can use a clear process to turn vague ideas in his mind into text that can be directly photographed. This tutorial will take you through the complete seven steps from topic selection to iterative optimization, breaking down each link and explaining it clearly.

Why short video scripts are so important

The competition for short videos is essentially a competition for attention. The viewer's fingers are always ready to slide away, and there are usually only a few seconds left for a video to prove its value. If you don’t catch people at the beginning, it will be meaningless no matter how exquisite the subsequent shots are. The role of the script is to think clearly about how to retain the audience, how to convey information, and how to guide interaction in this video before shooting.

Filming without a script is often improvised, going off topic while talking, or the foreshadowing is too long and the audience is exhausted. With a script, you can control the rhythm, arrange the order in which information appears, design interactive hooks, and the shooting efficiency will be much higher. Many popular videos that look natural and colloquial actually have a carefully polished script behind them. AI here can help you quickly produce a first draft, provide topic selection from multiple angles, and even simulate different starting methods, so that you don’t have to worry about a blank document, but start revising from a basic version.

The basic structure of a good script: hook, body, and ending

No matter what the subject matter is, the short video script can basically be split into three paragraphs. The first paragraph is the hook, which is the first few seconds. It has only one task, which is to make the audience stop. The hook can be a counter-intuitive point of view, a specific pain point, a suspense, or a promise that makes people want to keep reading. For example, tell a fact that everyone generally misunderstands, or directly raise a problem that the audience is having a headache.

The second paragraph is the main text, which is responsible for fulfilling the promise given in the hook and making the information clear. The main text should avoid too much foreshadowing at the beginning. It is best to advance layer by layer in the order that the audience understands, with each sentence serving the next sentence. If some small twists or progressions can be buried in the middle, the audience's attention will be more stable.

The third paragraph is the ending, wrapping up and guiding the action. You don’t have to shout a slogan at the end to get people to like it. A more natural approach is to give a summary, leave a suspense to guide the next article, or ask a question to encourage comments. After thinking clearly about the logic of these three paragraphs, the script has a skeleton. The next thing to do is to fill it with flesh and blood.

Step 1: Determine the topic, starting from needs rather than inspiration

Many novices get stuck on the first step and feel unable to start without inspiration. In fact, choosing a topic should not wait for inspiration, but should be based on the real needs of the audience. You can observe the questions that people ask repeatedly, the pitfalls that are often encountered, and the concepts that are easily confused in your field. These are all natural topic choices. You can also look at content with good data performance in the same field and analyze what problems they solve for the audience.

Be as specific as possible when choosing your topic. Rather than making a general topic, it is better to cut into a small and clear angle. Small angles are easier to explain and are easier for specific groups of people to resonate with. It's a good idea to use AI as a brainstorming partner. You can describe the field and audience clearly, let it give you a dozen candidate topics at a time, and then pick the one you are most confident about and the one that is closest to the audience's needs. There is no need to pursue perfection in the topic selection stage. It is enough to first determine a worthy direction.

Step 2: Find references and disassemble the verified content

After deciding on the topic, don’t rush to write it yourself. First, look for excellent content of the same type for reference. Looking for references is not to copy, but to understand what expressions in this subject have been proven to be effective. Watch a few related popular videos and focus on how they hook people at the beginning, how they organize their information, how they control their rhythm, and how they end.

When disassembling, you can recite their script logic in words, and you will find that many seemingly random videos are actually very structured. By comparing multiple references together, you can see the common patterns of this subject, and you can also find blank spots that no one has explained well. That is often your opportunity. In this step, you can also use AI to give it the text content of several references you have found, and let it help you summarize the common structural features and differences. This can help you establish a judgment on the subject matter faster, instead of groping based on your feelings.

Step 3: Write the hook, the first three seconds determine life and death

The hook is the most worthy part of the entire script that deserves repeated polishing. A common misunderstanding is to introduce yourself at the beginning and lay out the background first. In these few seconds, the audience doesn't care who you are at all. They just want to know whether this video has anything to do with them. A good hook goes directly to the point where the audience cares.

When writing hooks, you might as well prepare a few more versions. You can try the pain point method, which directly points out the audience's troubles; you can try the contrast method, and state a conclusion that is contrary to common sense; you can try the results first, showing the most attractive results before talking about the process; you can also try the question method, using a question to arouse curiosity. It is an efficient way to let AI help you generate several different styles of openings at once. You tell it the topic and target audience, and it can give you hook drafts from multiple angles, and you can then select and rewrite them based on your understanding of the audience. Remember, the hook must be spoken naturally in your own words. AI gives you ideas, not copied lines.

Step 4: Use storyboards to turn words into pictures

After the talking-head script is written, you need to consider how the screen will be presented. Storyboarding is to break down the script according to the screen, and mark what shot, screen, subtitle or picture each sentence corresponds to. Even if it is a talking-head video featuring real people, appropriate screen switching and matching pictures can greatly improve the viewing experience and prevent the audience from being distracted by staring at an unchanged face.

When storyboarding, think about the corresponding visual expression for each key information point. When it comes to data, it can be paired with charts. When it comes to comparison, it can be paired with before and after pictures. When it comes to abstract concepts, it needs a picture that can be visualized. If you don’t have suitable materials at hand, you can use AI drawing tools to generate images based on the screen descriptions in the script. for exampleLingtu(App Store full name Lingtu-AI Drawing Design) combines a variety of style engines. The Midjourney style is more atmospheric, the Flux style is more realistic, and the Nano Banana style is more quick to produce pictures. You can describe the storyboard screen you want by writing prompt words in Chinese. List clearly what you want for each shot in advance so that you won't be blinded when shooting and editing.

Step 5: Add copywriting so that the screen words and talking-head complement each other.

The subtitles and screen copy in short videos are not simply copying the talking-head. Many viewers watch videos without sound, and the text on the screen is often responsible for conveying the core information. Therefore, when writing copy, you need to consider: which keywords must be printed on the screen, and which short sentences are used to emphasize and create rhythm.

Good screen copywriting is usually more concise than talking-head. Amplifying the most impactful words in a sentence can strengthen memory points. The cover copy and the first subtitle are particularly important. Together with the hook, they determine whether the audience will stay or not. When arranging copywriting, you should also pay attention to the coordination with the screen and pictures. The text should not block the key pictures, and the color and position should be easy to read at a glance. If a talking-head sentence is relatively long, it can be split into several screens of subtitles and presented in segments, following the rhythm of the tone, so that the audience will not be tired when reading and the information will be easier to absorb. If the copywriting, graphics, and talking-head work well together, the professional feel of the entire video will immediately rise to a higher level.

Step 6: Talking-head rhythm, read the script to life

For the same script, different reading methods have very different effects. Talking-head rhythm refers to the speed of speaking, the position of pauses, the arrangement of stress, and the ups and downs of emotions. If you read the manuscript in a straightforward manner, no matter how good the content is, it will appear boring; if you know how to pause at key points, emphasize key points, and change speed at turning points, ordinary content can also be told in an engaging way.

When writing a script, you can mark the talking-head, such as where to pause to create suspense, which sentence to slow down and emphasize, and which paragraph to speed up the progress. Try to write the sentences as colloquially and as short as possible. The written language will be very stiff when pronounced. You can read the script aloud several times and correct any parts that are awkward to read, because if you read awkward sentences, the audience will also feel awkward listening to them. If you are worried that you have a bad grasp, you can ask AI to help you rewrite the written sentences to make them more colloquial and suitable for reading aloud. In many cases, the sense of rhythm has to be slowly found by reading more and practicing more. There is no need to be demanding in the early stage, just make sure it flows naturally.

Step 7: Iterative optimization and let the data tell you the next step

The script is written and the video is sent out, but the work is not over yet. What really improves creative capabilities is the review after release. Focus on several indicators: retention in the first few seconds, which reflects whether the hook is effective; completion rate, which reflects the rhythm and information density of the text; interactive data, which reflects the ending guidance and topic selection. Which link has poor data, focus on improving that link next time.

Iteration is not about reinventing the wheel, but about running quickly in small steps. If you find that you can't retain people at the beginning, try a few more hooks; if it falls off badly in the middle, check whether the foreshadowing is too long or the information is too dense. Precipitate the structure of a well-performed video script into your own template. The next time you create, you can adjust it based on the proven framework, and the efficiency will become higher and higher. You can also submit the data performance and script to AI analysis, and let it help you find possible problem points. Creation is a process of constant trial and error. There is no shortcut to writing a hit, but every review will bring you closer to the next good work.

There are differences in scripts on different platforms, don’t use one set to conquer the world.

Although the underlying logic of the script is the same, the audience habits and content preferences of different platforms are actually different. Directly moving a script to all platforms may not be feasible. Some platforms have a fast pace, high information density, and emphasize strong hooks; some platform users are more patient and can accept content with a slightly longer foreshadowing and a more complete narrative; some platforms are more life-oriented and realistic, and excessive packaging will make people feel distant.

For different platforms, the opening method, duration, and tone of the script can be adjusted appropriately. For the same topic, you can make a short version with a tight rhythm and put it on a fast-paced platform, and then make a long version with a more complete narrative and put it on a platform that is more in-depth. The style of screen copywriting and the tonality of accompanying images can also be fine-tuned according to the aesthetics of platform users. Understanding the characteristics of your main platforms is more important than blindly pursuing a one-size-fits-all approach. It is usually recommended to delve deeply into a platform first and understand the scripting routines of this platform before considering cross-platform distribution of content.

Some of the most common misunderstandings for novices

The first misunderstanding is that the beginning is too long. Novices often want to explain the background clearly before getting to the point. As a result, the audience leaves without waiting for the point. The correct approach is to get straight to the point. The second misunderstanding is that there is too much information. A short video is enough to explain one point clearly. Too much will make people forget it. It is better to explain one point thoroughly.

The third misconception is to rely too much on AI and lose your own voice. AI is suitable for brainstorming, producing first drafts, and revising and polishing. However, if the content it generates is copied directly, the script will often appear routine and lack personal characteristics, and the audience will actually feel the sameness. The fourth misunderstanding is to only care about what you want to say, regardless of what the audience wants to hear. The script must always be organized around the needs of the audience. The fifth misunderstanding is that you don’t review the writing after writing it, and forget about it after sending it. This makes it difficult to make real progress. Avoid these pitfalls, and the quality of your scripts will be much more stable than that of most novices who are still exploring.

FAQ

I have never written a script with zero foundation. Can I directly use AI to help me write it?

Yes, but it is recommended to use AI as an assistant rather than a replacement. Novices can first let AI produce a first draft to familiarize themselves with the structure, and then modify it themselves according to the seven-step process in this article. Directly copying the generated content will easily appear routine, and your own judgment and language will be much more natural after you review it.

How many words does it take to write a short video script?

This depends on the video length and speaking speed, and there is no fixed standard. A rough reference is to talk-head what you want to say at your normal speaking speed, and you can finish it within the target duration. The focus is not on the number of words, but on whether the information is clearly stated and whether the rhythm is comfortable.

What should I do if I don’t have enough picture materials when writing a script?

You can use AI drawing tools to generate accompanying drawings based on the picture descriptions in the storyboard. Tools like Lingtu, which aggregate multiple style engines, support writing prompt words in Chinese to describe the scene, which is suitable for quickly filling in the missing visual materials in the storyboard. You can download it by searching the app name directly in the iOS region.

How to write a good hook

The criterion for a good hook is to make the audience feel that the video is relevant to them and worth watching. You can prepare several more versions from the perspectives of pain points, contrast, result pre-positioning, questions, etc., and then choose the one that best suits the audience. Don’t introduce yourself and set the stage too long in the first few seconds.

Can the same script be sent to all platforms?

The underlying logic is the same, but audience habits on different platforms are different. It is recommended to adjust the opening method, duration and tone according to the characteristics of the platform. Usually, you should delve deeply into a platform first, understand its routines, and then consider cross-platform distribution after adaptation. The effect will be better than publishing it all in one go.

Writing a script is, in the final analysis, a process of turning your understanding of the audience into words bit by bit. Tools will become more and more useful, and processes can be summarized into steps, but what really impresses people is whether you have seriously thought about what the person on the other side of the screen is thinking. Write slowly and review often, and you will eventually find your own rhythm of expression.