AI video script prompts that produce usable drafts

The default script prompt to start from

Write a video script about [TOPIC].

Audience: [AUDIENCE]
One thing they should remember: [SINGLE TAKEAWAY]
Runtime: [MINUTES] minutes (~150 spoken words per minute)
Tone: [TONE]

Structure: hook → the stakes (why this matters now) → three sections, each with one claim and one concrete example → the objection a smart viewer would raise, answered → the takeaway restated in one sentence → CTA.

Banned phrases: "in today's video", "let's dive in", "buckle up", "game-changer", "in conclusion", "the world of".

In practice: The banned-phrase list is what separates a draft you can use from one that reads as generated.

Two-stage generation, which beats one-shot every time

Stage 1 only — do not write the script yet.

Give me an outline for a [MINUTES]-minute video about [TOPIC] for [AUDIENCE]. For each section: the claim, the evidence or example that supports it, and the transition into the next section. Flag any section where you do not have a concrete example, rather than inventing one.

I will approve the outline before you write prose.

In practice: Approving an outline takes 60 seconds and saves a full regeneration.

Making the draft sound like you

Here are three transcripts from my channel: [PASTE 1] [PASTE 2] [PASTE 3]

First, describe my style in specifics: average sentence length, how I open, how I transition, the kinds of analogies I reach for, the words I overuse, and what I never do.

Then write a new script about [TOPIC] that matches that profile. Do not smooth out my quirks.

In practice: The style description is reusable — save it and paste it into every future script prompt.

Catching hallucinated statistics before publishing

Audit this script. List every factual claim, statistic, date, name, and quote as a numbered table with a confidence rating (high / medium / low) and what would need to be checked to verify it.

Separately, flag any claim you are not confident you can support — I would rather cut it than defend it in the comments.

Script: [PASTE SCRIPT]

In practice: Run this on every script that cites numbers. Models invent plausible-looking figures constantly.

Cutting a bloated draft down to runtime

This script is [CURRENT WORDS] words and needs to be [TARGET WORDS].

Cut it down by removing redundancy, hedging, throat-clearing, and restated points — not by removing examples or evidence. Show me what you cut as a separate list so I can veto anything.

Script: [PASTE SCRIPT]

In practice: Asking to see the cuts is the difference between a tighter script and a gutted one.