---
name: script-writing
description: Writes engaging, thought-provoking scripts for Instagram reels and short videos with a scroll-stopping hook. Use when the user wants a script, hook or voiceover for a reel, talking-head video or AI avatar (HeyGen) video.
---

# Reel script writing

> Free skill from Clone Labs · clonelabs.in/guides/ai-video-autopilot/
> ✏️ Fill in section 1 with your own brand details before you use it. Everything else works as it is.

Use this whenever the user wants a script, hook or voiceover for a reel, talking-head video, event promo or AI avatar video. Scripts are written to be **spoken out loud** and built to stop the scroll in the first 2 seconds.

## 1. About the brand ✏️ (change this)

- **Brand:** [Your brand name] (Instagram @[yourhandle])
- **What we do:** [One or two lines, e.g. "We help small businesses use AI for marketing."]
- **Main topics:** [3–6 topics you post about]
- **Audience:** [Who watches, e.g. "business owners and founders in India, busy, non-technical."]
- **Language:** [e.g. clear, simple English / Hinglish written in English letters]
- **Tone:** [e.g. confident, direct, practical, a bit provocative. A smart friend, not a professor.]
- **Default call to action:** [e.g. "Follow @yourhandle for more."]

Never invent facts about the brand (client names, numbers, results, dates, prices). Only use facts the user gives or that are listed above.

## 2. Before writing: get the brief

If any of these are missing and can't be reasonably guessed, ask in ONE short message (otherwise write and state your assumptions at the top):

1. **Topic or gist** – what is the video about?
2. **Format** – talking head / AI avatar / voiceover over B-roll / event promo / series episode.
3. **Length** – default 30–45 seconds for reels.
4. **Goal and CTA** – follow, comment a keyword, DM, register, book a call, download something.
5. **Any must-say points**, facts, names or offers.

If the user only gives a topic, don't ask: write the scripts with the default call to action from section 1.

## 3. Length guide (spoken English ≈ 2.5 words per second)

| Video length | Words (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 15 sec | 35–40 |
| 30 sec | 70–80 |
| 45 sec | 105–115 |
| 60 sec | 140–150 |
| 90 sec | 210–225 |

Always stay inside the range. Shorter is better than longer.

## 4. Script structure

1. **Hook (0–3 sec)** – one or two short lines that create a question, a shock or a tension. The most important part of the script.
2. **Tension / problem (3–10 sec)** – make the viewer feel the problem personally. "You" language.
3. **Shift / insight** – the idea that changes how they see the topic: a reframe, a surprising truth, or a contrast.
4. **Proof or example** – one concrete example, a mini-story, a before/after or a quick 3-step how-to.
5. **Payoff** – one quotable line that lands the idea.
6. **CTA** – one clear action, tied to the topic. Never more than one.

## 5. Hooks

A good hook makes the viewer think "wait, what?" or "that's me" in under 3 seconds.

- Max **12 words**, ideally 6–9.
- Start with the most interesting word. No warm-up ("Hi guys", "In this video", "So today", "Did you know" are banned).
- Open a loop that the video closes later.
- Speak to one person ("you").
- Must be true. Bold is fine; clickbait the video doesn't pay off is not.

Rotate these styles (a different one for each option):

| Style | Example |
|---|---|
| Myth-buster | "AI content creation is a myth. Here's why." |
| Provocative question | "What's the most valuable asset in your business? It's not money." |
| Fear of missing out | "Your competitor posted 30 videos this month. Without recording one." |
| Call-out | "If you're still writing every email yourself, stop." |
| Bold claim + proof | "I replaced 4 hours of daily work with one workflow." |
| Before / after | "This took my team 3 days. Now it takes 3 minutes." |
| Mistake | "The biggest mistake founders make with AI? Using it like Google." |
| Future shock | "In two years, nobody will hire for this job." |
| Curiosity gap | "There's one AI tool nobody is talking about." |

(Numbers in examples are illustrative. In real scripts only use numbers the user gives, or clearly frame them as an example.)

Also write an **on-screen hook text** for the editor: 2 short lines, max ~6 words in total, where line 2 is the punch word(s) that go in the highlight pill. Example: `MOST VALUABLE / Business Asset?`

## 6. Make it thought-provoking

Use at least two of these in every script:

- **Reframe:** "AI won't replace you. Someone using AI will."
- **Contrast:** "Most people use AI to write faster. Smart people use it to think better."
- **Uncomfortable truth** the viewer half-knows but avoids.
- **Question to the viewer** mid-script: "Be honest, how many hours did you lose to this last week?"
- **Specific over generic:** "answers customer DMs at 2 a.m." beats "improves customer service".
- **Stakes:** what happens if they don't act.
- **One big idea per video.** Never teach five things at once.

## 7. Language rules

- Spoken language: write how a person talks, not how a blog reads.
- Short sentences, most under 12 words. Mix in 2–4 word punches ("It's not." "Think about it.").
- No jargon. Explain any technical word in a few plain words the first time.
- Avoid: "game-changer", "revolutionary", "unlock", "dive in", "in today's fast-paced world", "leverage", "delve", and emojis inside the spoken script.
- No fake urgency, no income claims, no promises of guaranteed results.

## 8. AI avatar (HeyGen) scripts

- Write only the spoken words: no stage directions, no brackets, no symbols the voice will read oddly (write "percent", not "%").
- Spell tricky names the way they should sound.

## 9. Output format

By default give **3 script options**, each with a different hook style:

```
OPTION 1 – [hook style] · ~[X] sec · [word count] words

On-screen hook: LINE ONE / Pill Words

SCRIPT
[Hook]
[Body lines, one sentence per line]
[CTA]

Caption idea: [1–2 line caption + 3–5 hashtags]
```

End with one line saying which option you'd pick and why.

**When run by the reel autopilot:** write the 3 options, pick the best one yourself, and save only that one as `script-<topic-slug>.md` with the on-screen hook text at the top.

## 10. Self-check before sending

- [ ] Hook under 12 words, no warm-up, creates curiosity or tension
- [ ] One big idea, one CTA
- [ ] At least two thought-provoking techniques
- [ ] Word count matches the length
- [ ] Plain spoken language, no banned phrases, no unexplained jargon
- [ ] No invented facts, numbers or claims

## 11. Revisions

Change only what the user asks for and keep the rest. When they pick an option, give a clean final version of only that script.