Table of Contents
Introduction
The first step in making a successful YouTube video is writing a high-quality YouTube video script. However, scriptwriting can be quite daunting as it usually consumes both mental energy and a lot of time.
After watching many YouTube videos and even reading their video scripts, I have noticed some common mistakes YouTubers make when writing their scripts. These mistakes often end up hurting their videos and channel without them even realizing it.
In this blog post, I will highlight and discuss the common mistakes many YouTubers make when writing their video scripts. I will also explain how to avoid them.
Mistake 1: Not using re-hooks
Re-hooks are elements or statements in a YouTube video script designed to re-engage viewers at specific points throughout the video. Their purpose is to sustain the viewers’ attention.
Re-hooks are crucial, especially for long videos and they must be strategically placed to keep viewers from clicking away. If you want viewers to watch your long videos from start to finish, you MUST include engaging re-hooks throughout. These will consistently reignite the viewers’ interest in continuing to watch your video.
Some common re-hook strategies include mentioning exciting facts that will be discussed in more detail later, asking intriguing questions at various points, hinting at something exciting coming later, and more.
Recently, I wrote a YouTube video script about all the winners of “America’s Got Talent.” The script required me to cover all 19 previous winners (as of September 2024).
It was a challenging and time-consuming topic. I quickly realized that many viewers might not watch the entire video due to its length. To counter that, I carefully placed re-hooks throughout the script, particularly when transitioning to a new winner.
The screenshot below shows some of the re-hooks I wrote.
Just by reading the re-hooks in the picture above, you will notice that each statement sparks curiosity or amazement. This was intentional, designed to maintain the viewers’ interest as the video transitioned to the next person. I wrote those re-hooks to ensure viewers stayed interested in learning about each winner.
Mistake 2: Including calls-to-action too early
I understand that you want to grow your channel, but the first few seconds or even the first few minutes of your video is not the time to bombard viewers with requests to “SUBSCRIBE NOW. That early stage is not where you should ask them to sign up for your newsletters, visit your website, like your video, or take other similar actions.
Always remember: your viewers clicked on your video for a reason. Until that reason is fulfilled, they would most likely not be interested in subscribing, liking, or doing anything else you ask. In fact, asking for those actions too early can frustrate viewers, causing them to click away to watch someone else’s content. So, save your calls-to action for the middle or toward the end of the video.
Mistake 3: Not encouraging viewers to subscribe or like your video
Every YouTuber dreams of having hundreds of thousands or millions of subscribers. That’s understandable because more subscribers mean more reach, more ad revenue, and more sponsorship opportunities. That’s why encouraging viewers to subscribe is crucial for achieving your goals.
Surprisingly, I’ve seen YouTubers who refuse to ask their viewers to subscribe. In fact, some of my past clients have specifically told me to avoid including such calls to action in their scripts.
Those YouTubers believe that if their content is good enough, viewers will subscribe on their own without being asked. While there is some truth to that belief, it has been proven that YouTubers who actively encourage viewers to subscribe gain more subscribers than those who don’t. That is because viewers are more likely to subscribe when explicitly asked, especially after watching your interesting or educative video.
Additionally, asking viewers to like your video helps improve your views and other important stats. YouTube sees likes on a video as an endorsement of quality, and its algorithm will push videos with more likes to a broader audience, resulting in more views and potential subscribers.
However, there are some dos and don’ts when asking for likes or subscriptions:
- DON’T ask too early, especially before viewers have gained value from your video.
- DO ask at the end. If someone watched your entire video, they likely enjoyed it and would be happy to subscribe or like your video if you ask.
- You can also ask in the middle of the video if viewers have already benefited from it. For example, if you are discussing 5 benefits of something and you have already covered 3, you can ask for a like or subscription before continuing with the last 2.
These are some of the common mistakes I have seen in many YouTube video scripts. If left unaddressed, they can significantly impact the success of your videos.
Do you have a YouTube video script you would like me to assess and improve? Or do you have topics you would like video scripts written for? Then, let’s chat! You can reach me at contact@etavod.com or send me a friend request on Discord via the username: etavod
If you would like to learn how to write your own YouTube video scripts, check out this article or browse through my recommendations for professional scriptwriters.
Thanks for reading.
