How to generate video scripts using an AI script generator

Illustration by Kaylee Reynolds

By now, the importance of creating video content is clear. But content creation of all kinds can seem like a huge time investment, especially creating videos at scale. If you’re struggling to come up with what to say in your videos, you’re not alone, but you’re in the right place!

In this blog, we’ll explore the possibilities of AI for video scripting. We’ll break down the best practices for scripting a multitude of videos, help you feed AI the right prompts, and show you the easy way to turn your scripts into videos.

Who’s creating content with AI?

AI writing tools are in the news, but they’re hardly new. In fact, many businesses, including well-known publications, have been using it to churn out quality content for years! Take the Washington Post’s AI writer for example, that wrote more than 850 stories during the 2016 Rio Olympics.

It was only when free tools like Open AI’s ChatGPT became readily available that we started to realize the prevalence and possibilities of AI. Now, in 2023, content creators are using it in their favor.

Today, about 12% of businesses use AI for some form of content creation. Perhaps if more people knew that AI can increase productivity by upwards of 40%, even more marketers, salespeople, and HR teams would adopt it.

Now that you know, we’ll make it even easier for you to get started. Continue reading to learn how to use AI to generate engaging and on-brand scripts for your videos.

Best AI script writers

Generating video scripts is one of the infinite capabilities of AI script generators. The first step is choosing the one you want to work with.

Here are some popular AI writing generators, both with free and paid plans.

• ChatGPT: Perhaps the most well-known and debatably the most powerful AI writing generator, ChatGPT is a free tool that anyone can use. There is no shortage of prompts, even down to the finest details, that you can come up with. With a bit of direction, you can get ChatGPT to generate an amazing script in minutes.
• Jasper: Another popular AI content creator is called Jasper. Simply feed it a sentence, and Jasper will take care of the rest. It has free and paid plans, which also allow you to generate images from text which you can then use in your videos.
• Tailwind: Tailwind is an all-in-one social and email marketing tool that recently introduced a new feature called Ghostwriter. With Ghostwriter, you can specify exactly what kind of copy you want to write from Linkedin posts to blog articles. The “Short Video Script for Problem/Solution” option is perfect for generating compelling video scripts from two simple prompts.

How to create video scripts 10 times faster with an AI script generator

With AI script generators, the power lies in the prompt. Weak or vague prompts often lead to underwhelming scripts. But if you provide the tool with the right context, it will write a script that has everything you’re looking for. Think of it as a video producer. What essential information would you give them before they begin? What would an agency need to know about your company, product, or service to create a great video script? Script generators need to know this too!

But before we tell you our prompting best practices, why don’t we ask ChatGPT what it needs?

What should you include in your prompt?

When prompting an AI writing generator, think of it as a creative brief. List the specifics you need to include in your video down to the length, call to action, and more. Here are things we recommend including in your prompts:

• Video length (30-second ad, up to 3 minutes, etc.)
• The goal of your video (webinar signups, sales, brand awareness, education on X topic, etc.)
• Call to action (Shop Now, Visit our Website www.yourcompany.com, Sign Up, etc.)
• Your audience (millennials, women aged 40 and up, Florida homeowners, etc.)
• Your product description or unique value proposition
• Details of your sale (30% off until April 23, Buy One Get One on all body products, etc.)
• Your company name
• Who the writer should emulate (a salesperson, a gen Z influencer, etc.)

Rather than starting from scratch, you can also feed AI script generators long-form content like video or podcast transcripts, blogs, and emails. This helps the writer to understand the ins and outs of your product or topic. It also captures and other details that are harder to define, like your brand tone and personality.

The beauty of AI writing generators is that you can revise the outcome infinitely with no extra costs or hurt feelings. In addition to editing the scripts yourself, you can always tell it to refine the script it just gave you. Tell it to rewrite its last script more concisely, remove certain parts, write from a different perspective, emphasize certain aspects, and more. Get creative with it! There are no hurt feelings.

Examples of scripts turned into videos

We used ChatGPT to generate two different kinds of scripts. Then, we took both scripts and turned them into two different kinds of videos using Animoto. We’ll show you how you can do the same later!

The first script is for a short promotional video. The script was input into Animoto as text and then made into a video for Instagram. You can create a similar video using the New Product Intro template in Animoto or any of our free promotional video templates.

Now here’s the promotional video we made in Animoto using the AI-generated video script.

For this next video, we told ChatGPT to write an explainer video script. You can create these kinds of videos for your website, YouTube channel, or sales presentation.

Since these scripts are information-dense, we decided to read some of it aloud and reinforce it with text. This was made with the Simple Product Explainer template in Animoto.

Two ways to turn AI-generated scripts into videos

There are two ways to add scripts to your videos: through voice-over, or text. With a voice-over, you can simply read your script aloud or hire a voice actor to do it for you. Then it’s as easy as syncing your visuals with your script. Alternatively, you can also put your script directly on-screen through text, either as closed captions or as the main focal point.

There are many different video editors you can use to create your video. But if you want to be an efficient and effective video maker, we recommend a user-friendly tool like Animoto. With a few short steps, you can drag and drop your way to a video, complete with voice-over or text.

Script to text

The easiest way to turn your script into a video is through text! Simply copy and paste your script into your video sentence by sentence. A good rule of thumb is to have one video block per sentence, rather than showing the entire script in one paragraph.

You can also use other media like video clips, graphs, and animations to add more context and make your video more engaging.

Here are some other tips:

• Use bold text that stands out from the background
• If your video block is text-heavy, consider simplifying the background
• Leave the text on screen long enough to read it aloud twice
• Make sure the word count of your script aligns with the length of your video i.e. tell your video script generator to make a script for a 30, 60, or 90-second video, then break it up accordingly

Script to voice-over

Recording your voice-over is easy with Animoto! First, read through your script just to get a feel for it. Or, hire a voice actor to do it for you! When you’re ready, grab a microphone (the one on your headphones will do), get to a quiet room, and start recording. This voice-over guide will show you step-by-step how to record your script in Animoto.

Before you get started, here are some helpful tips to create high-quality recordings.

• Do a practice run (or a few) before you start recording
• Don’t speed through your script — read it aloud clearly and slowly so viewers can understand your message
• Use inflections to keep your viewers interested and engaged
• Avoid using fillers like “um” and “uh”
• Record in multiple pieces then drag and drop your recordings to sync with the visuals in your video — you can add up to four recordings per video
• Use text to emphasize and reiterate important information from your script
• If your sentence includes a comma, add each half to its own video block

How to turn an AI-generated script into a video with Animoto

Now comes the fun part! Once you’ve prompted and pruned your script, it’s time to paste it into a video.

First things first, head over to Animoto and create a free account. This is one of the easiest ways to break down your prompt and turn it into a professional video in just a few minutes. Once you’re logged in, follow the steps below and start creating!

1. Select a template that aligns with your script content. Animoto has a variety of free templates for everything from product and service promotions to explainers, trainings, and more. Or, you can get creative and create your own video from scratch! We’ll get into the customizing later.
2. Break up your prompt line by line. Rather than pasting your entire script into one block of text, split it into easy-to-understand chunks. To do this, just add one sentence per video block and add extras as needed. You may even want to break up long sentences into multiple blocks. Each video block should convey one distinct piece of information.
3. Choose text, voice-over, or both for your video. Text can be used to emphasize certain parts of your script and reinforce important learnings. However, it can also overwhelm some viewers. Voice-overs, however, add a personal touch to your video. You can also use them together to speak to your audience and emphasize the most important parts of your script!
4. Add media to support your script. Oftentimes AI script writers will also recommend visuals to accompany each line. If your script delivered visual guidance, great! You can take it or leave it. In either scenario, consider what visuals will help tell your story, and which will distract. Search through our stock library or upload your own media. Then, just drag and drop it into your video.
5. Choose music that matches the mood of your video. Just remember to keep it to a comfortable background volume if you’re also using voice-over.
6. Customize the template with your logo, brand colors, and more to make it your own.
7. Review and share on social media, via email, on your website, or anywhere! Just click the share button to review your options, including HD downloads.

Ready to get make your own video? Whether your script is ready to come to life or you’re still working out the details, anyone can experiment and start creating with Animoto! Sign up for free to start creating videos the easy way.