# Short video script with a hook and timed retention beats

> Writes a timed short-video script with three hook options, a visual change every few seconds, a mid-point payoff, and a check that it fits the length.

- **Author:** [Neha Verma (@neha_verma)](https://promptabide.com/neha_verma)
- **Tested on:** Claude · Opus 5.5
- **You fill in:** `length`, `topic`, `platform`, `audience`, `presenting_style`
- **Published:** 2026-07-26
- **Updated:** 2026-09-24
- **Tags:** `content-creation`, `social-media`, `writing`
- **Keywords:** short video script template, tiktok script with hook, instagram reels script prompt, youtube shorts script writing, video hook and retention tips
- **Views:** 1743
- **Likes:** 16

**Best for:** Creators and small businesses making TikToks, Reels or Shorts who want a script that holds attention past the first three seconds.

## Prompt

```
Write a script for a {{length}} vertical video about {{topic}} for {{platform}}. My audience: {{audience}}. I'll be {{presenting_style}}.

Format it as a table: Time | What I say (exact spoken words) | What's on screen (shot, text overlay, b-roll).

Requirements:
- **Hook (0-3s)**: the first spoken line and the first on-screen text should say different things, and both must work with the sound off. Give 3 hook options above the table and use the strongest.
- **Retention beats**: a new visual or a change of pattern every 4-6 seconds, and a small payoff around the halfway mark so viewers who leave early still get something.
- **One idea only.** If the topic needs more, cut it and tell me what to save for a part 2.
- Spoken lines short enough to say in one breath. At a normal pace (about 2.5 words per second) the script must fit the length.
- Ending: no "like and subscribe". End on the payoff, or a line that makes a rewatch or comment natural.

After the table, give the spoken word count and estimated running time.
```

## Variables

- `{{length}}` — Target video length (e.g. 45-second)
- `{{topic}}` — The one thing the video covers (e.g. why your houseplant's leaves are turning yellow)
- `{{platform}}` — Where it will be posted (e.g. TikTok and Instagram Reels)
- `{{audience}}` — Who's watching (e.g. new plant owners in apartments)
- `{{presenting_style}}` — How you'll appear on screen (e.g. talking to camera in my apartment, with close-ups of plants)

## Example input

```
length: 45-second
topic: why your houseplant's leaves are turning yellow (overwatering vs. underwatering)
platform: TikTok and Instagram Reels
audience: new plant owners in apartments
presenting_style: talking to camera in my apartment, with close-ups of plants
```

## Output

*Produced by Claude · Opus 5.5.*

```
**Hook options**
1. "Before you water that yellow plant, touch the leaf." (on screen: "Overwatered or thirsty? Check this first")
2. "Yellow leaves mean one of two opposite mistakes."
3. "Your plant is telling you which mistake you made."

Using **#1**: it stops people mid-action, and the on-screen text makes the promise.

| Time | What I say | On screen |
|---|---|---|
| 0-3s | "Before you water that yellow plant, touch the leaf." | Close-up: hand reaching for a yellow leaf. Text: "Overwatered or thirsty? Check this first" |
| 3-8s | "Yellow leaves usually mean one of two opposite problems. Too much water, or not enough." | Me to camera. Text: "2 opposite problems" |
| 8-15s | "If the leaf is soft and limp, and the soil's still wet days later, it's too much." | Squeezing a soft yellow leaf; finger into wet soil. Text: "Soft + wet soil = too much" |
| 15-21s | "If it's dry and crispy, with brown edges, it's thirsty." | Crispy leaf crumbling in my hand. Text: "Crispy + brown edges = too little" |
| 21-24s | (no speech) | Split screen, both leaves. Text: "Soft = too much. Crispy = too little." |
| 24-31s | "Either way, the fix starts with one test. Push a finger into the soil, up to the second knuckle." | Macro shot of a finger going into soil. Text: "The knuckle test" |
| 31-38s | "Dry at your fingertip? Water it. Still damp? Wait, even if the plant looks sad." | Split: watering can pouring / hand pulling back from the can |
| 38-45s | "And a few yellow leaves at the bottom can just be old leaves. That one's not your fault." | Me holding one yellow lower leaf, smiling. Text: "Old leaves yellow too" |

**Spoken word count:** 103. At 2.5 words per second that's about 41 seconds; with the 3-second silent beat and natural pauses, it lands at 45.

**Save for part 2:** low light (another common cause of yellowing), checking the roots for rot, and pots without drainage holes.
```

## Why it works

Asking for **three hooks and a pick** gets you options for the part that matters most. Making **spoken and on-screen hooks different** doubles the reasons to stop scrolling and serves people watching muted. The **4-6 second beat rule** and **mid-point payoff** are concrete retention tactics instead of "make it engaging." The **2.5 words per second** check stops the model writing 200 words for a 45-second slot, the usual failure. **"One idea only, save the rest for part 2"** keeps the video focused and hands you your next video.

## When not to use it

Not for long-form YouTube, which needs chapters and a different pace. The beat timings are a starting point: your own retention graphs will show where people actually leave. If you're more natural unscripted, use this for the hook and structure only and talk through the middle in your own words.

---

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