Script template
A teleprompter script reads best as short lines, one thought per line, with a blank line wherever you breathe or change beat. Put directions in [square brackets] so you see them but never say them, and write numbers and names the way you will pronounce them. Three templates are below, ready to copy or open straight in the free online teleprompter.
A short line reads in a single glance, so your eyes spend more time on the lens and less time hunting for your place. Break where you would breathe or land on a word.
Most people film the same take five or six times. Not because they forget the words, but because they sound like they're reading.
White space is your pacing. A gap tells you to stop, breathe and start the next idea fresh, without having to think about it mid-take.
Camera moves, clicks, gestures and pauses belong on the prompter, but you should never say them. Bracket them and keep them short.
[look at the lens] Here's the part nobody tells you. [pause]
Spell out numbers, prices and symbols the way you say them out loud, and add a bracketed pronunciation for any name you might trip over.
It's four ninety-nine a month. Thanks to Siobhan [shi-VAWN] for the idea.
A prompter makes written sentences obvious. Any line you stumble on twice is a line to rewrite or cut, not to rehearse.
Replace everything in {braces}. The [bracketed] lines are cues: keep, change or delete them.
The first half-minute of a talking-head video: the promise, who you are, and straight into the first step.
[look at the lens]
If you've ever {the problem your viewer has},
this video is for you.
In the next {number} minutes
I'll show you {the result they get},
step by step.
I'm {your name},
and I {one line on why you know this}.
[pause]
Let's start with {the first step}. A screen-recorded walkthrough of one product: what it is, two features shown on screen, and where to get it.
[screen: product home]
This is {product name}.
It helps {who it is for}
{the one job it does}.
Here's how it works.
[click: first feature]
First, you {action}.
That's it —
{what just happened}.
[click: second feature]
Next, {action}.
Most people {the old way}.
Here, {the new way}.
[pause]
So: {benefit one},
{benefit two},
and {benefit three}.
[screen: link]
Try it at {where to get it}. A vertical video for TikTok, Reels or Shorts: a hook in the first line, three points, one takeaway.
[hook: first three seconds]
{A surprising fact or a bold claim.}
[pause]
Here's why.
{Point one, in one sentence.}
{Point two, in one sentence.}
{Point three, in one sentence.}
[beat]
So next time you {situation},
{the one thing to do}.
Follow for more on {your topic}. Opening a template replaces the script saved in the online teleprompter on this browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Few enough to take in at a glance; five to ten is a sensible rule of thumb, and fewer on a phone held close to your face. The online teleprompter keeps the line breaks you type and wraps anything longer to fit the screen.
Put them in square brackets, like [pause] or [click: next slide]. In the OwlPrompter app, bracketed words show faintly on the prompter and are left out of captions and .srt files, and Pro’s voice scroll skips them as you read. The free online teleprompter shows them faintly too.
About 140 words at a normal 140 words per minute; fewer if you speak slowly or leave room for on-screen action. Paste a draft into the speech timer to check it at your own pace.
In the OwlPrompter app, yes: PDF, DOCX, TXT and RTF import is part of the free tier, with no account. The online teleprompter takes pasted text.
Finished a draft? Check its length with the speech timer, read it in the online teleprompter, or see what the free app includes.