Vlog Script Writing Basics: How to Make Your Vlog More Engaging

If you’ve been in the vlogging sphere for a while, you’re probably familiar with the challenges associated with maintaining top-tier content. Whether you’re sorting through the hardware of vlog lighting or looking for the best vlogging cameras for beginners, the technical demands alone can cause a headache. But, equipment aside, most vloggers today struggle with a more fundamental problem of clarity, structure and tempo in their videos. All these issues can be improved with the right vlog script.

A vlog script is more than a beat sheet of content to go over. It is a way to make sure you add your own personality and structure to your presentation and engage your viewers without rambling or leaving information out. In this post, we’ll go over the basics of vlog scriptwriting, learn how to write vlogs and get tips for making them as engaging as possible.

What is a vlog?

If you’re thinking of starting a vlog or just getting into content creation, you may be wondering what it actually is. A “vlog” stands for a “video log,” a blog post in video form. These can take the form of tutorials or how-to videos that are information-driven. They can also be travel videos if you’re on vacation or promoting your work as an influencer. You’ve most likely seen many vlogs if you’ve looked up information online and perhaps wondered about becoming a YouTuber yourself.

Are you saying to yourself, “All I have to do is film myself sharing information or going places? Sign me up!” Not so fast.

The most successful YouTube vloggers aren’t the most stylish or have the best cameras, but those who understand storytelling and how to create engagement with their viewers. Whether you notice it or not, the most popular videos all follow a specific structure that hooks eyeballs and generates interest. To make sure your videos have those elements, it’s crucial you use a vlog script.

The importance of writing a vlog script

If you’ve been wondering how to write a YouTube script, rest assured the format hasn’t changed since the time of Aristotle. There is a neat 3-act structure to almost all successful stories: setup, conflict, and resolution. So, practically speaking, how might we incorporate such a structure in, say, an informational video?

Your viewer has something they’re trying to figure out that they haven’t quite solved, a pain point. This is the setup. You, because of your expertise, are able to address their questions and concerns. Through the process of sharing your knowledge and engaging the specifics of the problem, you are engaging in conflict with the lack of information. Finally, you send the viewer into action to incorporate their newfound knowledge, and this is the resolution.

Let’s say you’re creating a script for vlog that is less of a tutorial and more where you are showcasing your life. You nevertheless want to give a good vlog introduction script that sets your viewer’s expectations, get to the meat of the video where you’re showing your audience what you told them you would, and reach a conclusion where they feel a sense of conclusion from your vlog.

You will achieve this structure in the script breakdown phase of building your vlog introduction script. Start by asking what your topic will be and let that be your center of gravity. Don’t be pulled in a million directions because your viewers will get confused quickly. Then begin outlining your script around several key structural points that are necessary:

1. Start with a hook that introduces and connects you to your viewer.
2. Identify the problem or situation you want to address and give your proper setup of what you’ll cover during the vlog.
3. Go over your solution to the problem using relatable and precise language. Try and use as few sentences as possible.
4. Summarize your main points, so the substance of your message is retained.

While I keep referring to this as your vlog script, gauge for yourself if sticking to a verbatim sheet is most useful. If you tend to ramble or easily lose focus, you may want to keep a prompter behind the camera and keep to your prepared dialogue. On the other hand, if you are confident that you’ll be concise and not stray off-topic, you can have a bulleted list of points to go over and flow from there.

The thing to look out for is sounding robotic (which can come from the first approach) or going on for too long (which can happen with the second). Practice a couple takes off-camera and time yourself beforehand so you can keep on schedule while sounding natural.

3 tips for writing an engaging vlog script

1. Make your vlog uniquely yours

Finding your style as a content creator is crucial if you want to avoid becoming another face in the crowd. With each new year, the number of new influencers entering the marketplace is intense. The impulse for many people is to try and be interesting in themselves. This could be a big mistake, as you may be better off showing interest in certain subjects and letting your unbridled enthusiasm carry you. Take Casey Neistat, for instance. His YouTube channel is enormously popular, and this is largely due to him being excited about his videos and letting his charisma carry the vlog. Making sure you have as much interest will drive your script for vlog each and every time.

2. Get to the point

Making sure you are as concise as possible is difficult for some people. You have so many ideas and want people to see all your creative potential. Keeping the objective at hand will allow you to make a greater impact, though, and will enable you to create within well-defined constraints, which often helps increase creativity. Check out the channel Howcast for a great example of clarity and brevity.

The videos are instructional tutorials that have racked up millions of views. They are clear, engaging, humorous and educational. They don’t sacrifice quality with shorter run times.

Call your viewers to action

Give your viewers tasks at the end to create engagement and help bring your information full circle. For instance, if you just made an editing tutorial, try having a link in the comment section where they can download a plug-in to try out on their own. And tell them to watch related videos. Noah Kagan, with his investment and business videos will challenge viewers to try his advice through links he posts.

Having this final step in your videos is a chance for the narrative structure of your videos to have a satisfying conclusion. When people are given an off-ramp to test your ideas in the real world, that will create the type of engagement that will bring them wanting more.

Wrap up

Knowing how to write vlogs is vital for ensuring you have narrative structure and stay on track. You start out with a precise topic and then break your script into the main sections. Give an initial setup with the content to review, go over the material succinctly and clearly, and then review the content with a clear direction for your viewers after the video is over. Make sure that you bring your enthusiasm to the writing process and get to your information quickly. Before you know it, your work into a scripted vlog will pay off with repeat views and active viewer engagement.