Product Video Script

SKILL.md

---
name: Product Video Script
description: Write engaging product video scripts for short-form platforms like TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
---

# Product Video Script

## Introduction

Short-form video is the highest-leverage sales channel in ecommerce, but the difference between a video that converts and one that gets scrolled past is decided in the first second. A script has to earn attention before it earns trust, demonstrate value before it asks for anything, and make the purchase feel like the obvious next step — all inside 15 to 60 seconds. This skill generates platform-optimized, shot-by-shot video scripts for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts using direct-response frameworks adapted to how each platform's audience actually behaves.

The output is not a vague creative brief. It is a production-ready script: a scroll-stopping hook, beat-by-beat spoken lines, on-screen text, visual direction for each shot, a caption, and a hashtag set — everything a creator, UGC partner, or in-house editor needs to shoot and publish without guessing.

## Quick Reference

| Decision | Strong | Acceptable | Weak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hook timing | Tension or payoff promised in 0–1s, on screen + spoken | Hook lands by 2–3s | Slow brand intro / logo first |
| Hook type | Pattern interrupt tied to a real viewer pain or desire | Generic "check this out" | "Hi guys, today I want to talk about…" |
| Framework fit | Chosen for product + awareness stage (see references) | Default hook-demo-offer | Same template for every product |
| Pacing | New visual or idea every 2–3s; cuts on the beat | One scene change mid-video | Single static talking-head 30s+ |
| Proof | Specific demo, result, or number shown on screen | Verbal claim only | No proof, adjectives only |
| CTA | One clear action matched to the platform's buy path | Soft "link in bio" | Multiple competing asks |
| Length vs platform | 15–34s TikTok/Reels, 20–45s Shorts | Slightly over | 60s+ with no payoff reason |
| On-screen text | Reinforces (not repeats) audio; readable 2+ s | Captions only | Wall of text / none |

## What this skill solves

- **The skipped hook** — videos that lose 60%+ of viewers before the value lands because they open with a logo, a greeting, or a slow pan instead of a reason to stay.
- **Framework mismatch** — applying a testimonial structure to an impulse-buy gadget, or a fast unboxing to a considered, high-ticket purchase.
- **Feature dumping** — scripts that list specs the seller cares about instead of the one transformation the buyer cares about.
- **Weak or buried CTAs** — ending on "thanks for watching" instead of a single action wired to the platform's purchase flow (TikTok Shop cart, link sticker, pinned comment).
- **Platform tone-deafness** — reusing one cut across TikTok, Reels, and Shorts when each rewards different pacing, sound, and sell intensity.
- **Creator ambiguity** — handing a UGC partner a paragraph of vibes instead of exact lines and shots, producing inconsistent, off-brand footage.
- **Low completion / weak retention signals** — no pattern interrupts, curiosity loops, or open loops to hold watch time, so the algorithm never amplifies the video.

## Workflow

1. **Clarify the brief.** Confirm the required inputs: `product_name` and details, `target_platform`, `target_audience`, and `video_length`. Capture optional `script_style` and `key_selling_points`. If the product type or platform is missing, ask — they change everything downstream.

2. **Diagnose awareness stage.** Decide whether the audience is problem-unaware, problem-aware, solution-aware, or product-aware. This determines how much education the hook must do before the sell. See `references/short-form-frameworks.md`.

3. **Select the framework.** Map product + awareness + platform to one of: hook-demo-offer, problem-agitate-solve, before-after-bridge, unboxing-reaction, or testimonial-story. Default to hook-demo-offer for visual impulse products; use problem-agitate-solve for products that fix a specific frustration.

4. **Engineer the hook.** Write 3 hook options. Each must promise tension or payoff in the first second, work as spoken line AND on-screen text, and avoid brand-first openers. Pick the strongest; keep the other two as A/B alternates.

5. **Build the body beat-by-beat.** Structure the middle around the framework, changing the visual every 2–3 seconds. Translate each `key_selling_point` into a benefit the viewer feels, and attach a concrete proof shot (demo, result, before/after, or number).

6. **Land the CTA.** Choose one action matched to the platform's buy path and add a light urgency or curiosity trigger that is honest (genuine scarcity, a real bonus, or a "watch til the end" loop you actually pay off).

7. **Format for production.** Render the script in the shot-by-shot table from `references/output-template.md`: timecode, spoken line, on-screen text, visual/shot direction. Add caption + hashtags, and run `assets/quality-checklist.md` before delivery.

## Inputs

- **product_name / details (required):** What it is and the one thing it does best. Example: "Mello — memory-foam house slippers, machine washable, rated 4.8★ across 12,000 reviews."
- **target_platform (required):** "TikTok", "Instagram Reels", or "YouTube Shorts". Structure, pacing, and sell intensity differ by platform.
- **target_audience (required):** Demographics, the pain or desire, and the buying trigger. Example: "Women 25–40 who work from home and want comfortable but presentable footwear for video calls."
- **video_length (required):** Target seconds, e.g. "30" or "45".
- **script_style (optional):** hook-demo-offer · problem-agitate-solve · before-after-bridge · unboxing-reaction · testimonial-story. If omitted, the skill picks the best fit.
- **key_selling_points (optional):** Top 2–3 benefits to emphasize, in priority order.

## Worked example 1 — TikTok, impulse product (hook-demo-offer, 30s)

**Brief:** Mello washable memory-foam slippers; TikTok Shop; women 25–40 working from home; 30s; emphasize machine-washable + all-day comfort.

**Hook (0–2s):** *Spoken:* "The reason your house shoes smell after two weeks?" *On-screen:* "POV: you never washed your slippers 🤢" *Visual:* hand pulls a worn slipper toward camera, hard cut.

**Body (2–22s):** Quick reveal of Mello → toss both slippers straight into the washing machine (pattern interrupt, the "wait, you can do that?" moment) → cut to fluffy, dry, like-new pair → wear them on a mock video call, feet flexing on memory foam. On-screen text stacks the proof: "Machine washable" → "Memory foam" → "4.8★ · 12,000 reviews."

**CTA (22–30s):** *Spoken:* "Tap the orange cart before the restock sells out." *On-screen:* "🛒 Tap to grab a pair." *Visual:* finger points to cart icon; product flat-lay end card.

**Caption:** Slippers you can actually throw in the wash 🧺 #tiktokshopfinds #homefinds #cozyseason
**Why it works:** the hook weaponizes a real disgust trigger, the wash shot is the curiosity payoff, and the CTA names the exact buy action.

## Worked example 2 — YouTube Shorts, considered purchase (problem-agitate-solve, 45s)

**Brief:** "FocusDesk" standing desk converter; YouTube Shorts; remote workers 30–50 with back pain; 45s; emphasize 30-second setup + sturdy at standing height.

**Hook (0–2s):** *Spoken:* "If your back hurts by 3pm, it's not your chair." *On-screen:* "The 3pm back-ache fix."
**Agitate (2–14s):** show slumping at a desk, clock jumping 9am → 3pm, hand rubbing lower back — name the cost ("8 hours seated wrecks your posture"). **Solve (14–34s):** lift FocusDesk into standing position in one motion, count "thirty… seconds," tap the surface to show zero wobble with a monitor + laptop on it. On-screen proof: "No tools" → "Holds 33 lb" → "Sits + stands." **Bridge (34–45s):** *Spoken:* "Alternate sitting and standing and the 3pm crash disappears." *CTA:* "Link in the description — read the 30-day reviews first." 
**Why it works:** Shorts viewers tolerate a few more seconds of setup, so the agitate beat earns the solution; the CTA invites research, which suits a higher-consideration buy.

## Common mistakes

1. **Brand-first opening.** Logos, "welcome back," and slow pans burn the only second that matters. Lead with tension or payoff.
2. **Hook that doesn't match the body.** A shocking hook followed by a flat demo feels like bait. The payoff must deliver on the hook's promise.
3. **One framework for everything.** Impulse gadgets and high-ticket considered purchases need different structures and lengths.
4. **Listing features, not benefits.** "33 lb capacity" is a spec; "holds your monitor and laptop without wobbling" is a benefit. Show, then name.
5. **No on-screen proof.** Claims without a visible demo, result, or number read as ads and get scrolled.
6. **Reusing the exact cut across platforms.** Re-pace and re-tone for TikTok vs Reels vs Shorts instead of cross-posting one master.
7. **Multiple CTAs.** "Follow, like, comment, and buy" splits attention. Pick one action tied to the buy path.
8. **Dead air / static talking head.** No visual change for 5+ seconds tanks retention. Cut every 2–3s.
9. **Fake urgency.** Invented countdowns erode trust and risk platform policy. Use real scarcity or a real bonus, or none.
10. **Unreadable on-screen text.** Tiny, fast, or audio-duplicating captions waste the visual channel. Keep text on screen 2+ seconds and complementary to speech.

## Resources

- `references/short-form-frameworks.md` — the five frameworks, when to use each, and awareness-stage mapping.
- `references/platform-playbook.md` — TikTok vs Reels vs Shorts: pacing, length, sound, sell intensity, and CTA paths.
- `references/output-template.md` — the shot-by-shot script template and caption/hashtag block to deliver in.
- `assets/quality-checklist.md` — pre-delivery quality gate across hook, structure, proof, CTA, and platform fit.