AI helps us in many spheres, writing not excluded, by lightening the load and doing the work faster. Of course, it can’t and should not do all the work for you, but how about some?
Here’s when scripting AI tools come to the rescue! Maybe you’ve already tried some of them yourself and weren’t really satisfied with the result (and that’s fine); though there are many AI script writers, their core nature differs.
For example, based on reviews, we can say that:
- ChatGPT is useful for versatile script writing.
- Jasper for SEO-optimized video scripts.
- Claude for a YouTube script structure.
Each offers unique features, leading to vastly different results depending on which one is used. That’s why we need to choose the tool to use carefully. The right AI YouTube script writer can hugely affect your channel’s overall quality, just as the wrong one.
So let’s see what these tools can offer us and how we can use their features to best suit our needs!
What is a YouTube script?
Let’s start with the basics. If you’re just starting, you may wonder, why do we even need YouTube scripts? Can’t we just film a video, edit it, and be done?
For gaming YouTube channels, it’s possible, but if you’re making informational videos that require some research and a digestible presentation, one can even call a script the most important thing. Not only will it help you to avoid getting lost in thoughts and repeating some stuff, but it will also help keep the audience’s attention by giving them a structure to follow.
Speaking of structure, when working on YouTube video scripts, it’s important to remember the three C’s, which are to be Clear, Concise, and Compelling. It may be hard to grasp at first, but you’ll get better each time.
Before starting to practice outlining the script, let’s go over essential script sections:
- Hook: a quick action or question to pique viewers’ interest;
- Intro: greeting the audience and introducing yourself and/or the video’s topic;
- Body: expanding on the topic (point by point);
- High point: depending on the topic, giving useful advice, an unexpected turn of events, a conclusion to the story, etc.;
- Call-to-action (CTA): asking your viewers to like, comment, subscribe, or use your service if the video is about it;
- Outro: saying goodbye; you can also throw in some hook for the following videos here if you’re already working on it.
That’s the usual script format for YouTube videos, though you can omit some points or, conversely, expand on them. Like, the template above is mainly used for the text to be read aloud, but you can also write an audio-visual script.
An AV script contains info about music/sounds and clips or images that will be used in the video before you even start editing it. Think of it as a rough sketch of a painting to have the full vision before you start to refine it and fill it with colors.
Why use AI for writing YouTube video scripts
First things first: don’t feel like you have to! You can totally write a good, detailed script yourself, but using AI tools just does the work faster. Plus, sometimes they can offer video ideas that you didn’t think immediately about, giving you an additional point to explore.
Another good point is analyzing. On paper, your initial idea may seem very good, but AI can quickly discern pain points that may deter viewers from staying. Analyzing their behavior and preferences will also help create video scripts better suited to your intended audience.
But that’s all talk; let’s see these scriptwriters in action!
Best AI tools for writing a YouTube script
The best way to determine if AI will write a proper script for you is to test it! I’m going to try out a few tools and find their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to a few selected criteria.
I will prompt each of them to help me create a script for a 10-minute infotainment video with AV formatting, intended for a general audience. The topic is — "Why are oranges orange?"
-
ChatGPT
Script quality: Great! Gives a result with timestamps and science facts related to the topic. Also, adds CTA in the end and offers to add memes and jokes, or to rewrite using a specific style (good when you have your videos to "feed" it).
Ease of use: Totally beginner-friendly, just sign in and text it!
AV script formatting: Adds in-between notes, proposing tone of voice, pauses, visuals and the way to present them.
Pricing: Free; 25$/mo for a Business plan that offers limitless data creation, as well as its storage and protection.
-
Jasper
Script quality: Good! Gives a detailed script of what to say and how to transition between scenes. However, with no examples fed to it the initial draft may seem slightly stiff.
Ease of use: You have to sign up and choose a plan before using it, but after that, you can just text it.
AV script formatting: Similar to ChatGPT, but in a more "formal" style.
Pricing: Free 7-day trial; Pro plan for 59-69$/mo for better customization and workflows; custom pricing for a Business plan.
-
Claude
Script quality: Fantastic! I was pleasantly surprised by how meticulously crafted the script looks. It even suggested to me an idea for a thumbnail, which I didn’t mention in a prompt.
Ease of use: Sign in, and you’re good to go! But be patient, it takes some time to generate a script.
AV script formatting: Suggests visuals and audio tone, as well as pacing and line delivery; the script is formatted to visually differentiate each type.
Pricing: Free; 18€ and up for unlimited projects, Chrome integration, etc.
Tips for writing better YouTube scripts
Now that we’ve compared a handful of tools, you may want to do some testing yourself. Great! Before you start, though, it’s important to remember that AI script writers alone are not enough. They may do some heavy lifting, but the result largely depends on how you write the script and what you do with their output.
The latter is up to you when filming or video editing, but the former can be easier with these:
- State important details. It can be your role, the audience’s average age, or level of expertise, etc. Like, if you’re an expert in some topic that you want to present to beginners, put this info in your prompt.
- Write about what you’re doing, not only what you’re talking about. Visualize the ways you can deliver information that is not just looking at the camera, or what kind of footage you can use for a certain passage.
- Repeat the main topic. Not incessantly, of course. Viewers can be distracted or do something while watching your video, so try to reinforce the clear message whenever it fits the structure.
- When working with AI script writers, don’t use the first output. Usually, it’s better to ask them for structure first, prompt to elaborate on all points, and then use this info as a basis for the final, humanized script.
- If you already have some videos, add some context! You can "feed" them to AI so that it’ll try to emulate your style, which will make editing the draft faster.
- Brainstorm different ways to present your idea. Many topics were already talked about a lot, so you have to invent some kind of approach that’ll hook viewers in. If you can’t think of anything, AI tools can help with brainstorming as well.
- Remember one of the Cs, conciseness? Cut your script mercilessly! But don’t just leave bare-bones info, just remember that the tempo of a YouTube video should be slightly faster and engaging than in a real convo. And remember to cut pauses, unless they are intended.
Draft a script of your video topic with key bullet points, either manually or with an AI script writer. For an AV script, add notes or detailed comments about camera position and angles; b-roll to be used; audio bits and cues; and background music. You can also create two or more versions of the same script and test them with your friends or trusted audience to see which one is the best.
Typically, a YouTube video requires 1,300-1,500 words if we assume an average speaking pace. It depends on the topic and how long you expect to talk. Sometimes you can have sections without voice-over, like if you film tutorials with demonstrations. Usually, it’s better to write more text and film more footage, as you can cut out anything you don’t need later.
Those are Clarity that ensures your main points come across without confusion; Conciseness that respects viewer's time and improves watch time; and Compelling delivery (hook, pacing, examples) that prevents viewers from clicking away.
It varies enormously, from $50 per script to salaries of $40,000-$80,000 per year for in-house scriptwriters for large YouTubers. Rates are based on factors like video length, complexity, required research, and channel size, as well as video type (tutorials vs. entertainment).