How to write a 60-second short script, step by step

Writing a short isn’t summarizing an article. It’s writing for the ear, in a format where every second counts. Most scripts that fail, fail for one reason: they’re too long. Here’s a precise method, with the numbers, the structure and an example you can adapt.

How many words for 60 seconds?

A natural narration pace in English is about 2.4 to 2.6 words per second. So for 60 seconds, aim for 140 to 155 words. For 45 seconds, around 110 words; for 90 seconds, around 220.

If your first draft is 250 words for “one minute”, that’s not a pacing problem. It’s a topic problem: you’re trying to say too much. Cut it, or split it into two videos.

The five-part structure

1. The hook (0–3 s, 8–12 words)

One sentence that opens a question: a paradox, a number, an unexpected consequence. It has to work on its own, with zero context. Example: “Your GPS never talks to satellites. And yet it knows exactly where you are.”

2. The setup (3–10 s, 15–20 words)

Frame the problem in one or two sentences. Why it matters, why it isn’t obvious. No history lesson, no encyclopedia definition.

3. The core (10–45 s, 85–95 words)

Two or three steps max, each with its own picture. This is where your metaphor does the heavy lifting. Every sentence should be able to become an animated shot: a diagram, a number, a comparison, an object. If a sentence can’t be drawn, it’s probably too abstract.

4. The twist or the key number (45–52 s, about 15 words)

A surprising detail that rewards the people who stayed: a precise figure, a limitation, a common trap. It’s often the line people remember and share.

5. Recap and call to action (52–60 s, 15–20 words)

One sentence that sums it up, one sentence that asks for an action. Just one action.

A complete example (about 150 words)

“Your GPS never talks to satellites. And yet it knows where you are, down to a few feet. The secret? It listens. It never speaks. About thirty satellites circle the Earth, broadcasting two things on repeat: where they are, and the exact time. Your phone picks up those messages. The signal travels at the speed of light, but it still takes a tiny moment to arrive. By measuring that delay, your phone works out how far it is from each satellite. One distance gives you a sphere. Two give you a circle. Three narrow it down to two points. A fourth satellite fixes your phone’s own clock and leaves a single point: you. The wild part? Be off by one millionth of a second, and you’re a thousand feet away. So: listen, measure, cross-check. Follow for part two.”

Rules for writing for the ear

• Short sentences: 8 to 15 words on average. A long sentence on paper turns into a tunnel out loud.
• Concrete words: “three servers”, not “multiple infrastructure components”.
• Second person, active voice: “you send”, not “the request is sent by the user”.
• No parentheses or asides: impossible to hear, impossible to animate.
• Rounded numbers: “about 1,000 feet” sticks; “983.6 feet” doesn’t.
• No stage directions in the text: write only what will be spoken.

Edit in three passes

1. Out loud, with a stopwatch. If you trip over a sentence, the synthetic voice will too: rewrite it.
2. Looking for the picture behind every sentence. Jot down what will be on screen next to each line. A sentence with no picture should be cut or rephrased. The storyboard generator does this for you.
3. Cutting 10%. There’s always an adverb, a transition or a detail you don’t need. What you cut makes the rest hit harder.

The most expensive mistakes

• Opening by introducing yourself, or with “today we’re going to talk about”.
• Trying to cover the whole topic instead of one angle.
• Stacking definitions before showing why any of it matters.
• Ending with three different calls to action.
• Making up a number to sound impressive: one comment correcting it, and your credibility is gone.

A great 60-second script is 80% of the work. The rest (visuals, voice, captions, sound) is what Motiongist handles for you.