YouTube Shorts script template: a 60 second structure that holds

The template at a glance

The timings are a guide, not a law. If the payoff needs more room, take it from the stakes, never from the hook.

Copy this template

TITLE:
ONE IDEA (one sentence):
VIEWER:

[HOOK 0 to 3s]
Say:
Text on screen:
Shot:

[STAKES 3 to 10s]
Say:
Text:
Shot:

[BEAT 1]
Say:
Shot:

[BEAT 2]
Say:
Shot:

[RE-HOOK + BEAT 3]
Say:
Shot:

[PAYOFF 45 to 55s]
Say:
Text:
Shot:

[LOOP LINE 55 to 60s]
Say:
Last frame (should match or lead into the first):

Example 1: an explainer

Topic: why a pressure cooker whistles. Viewer: anyone who has ever jumped at that sound.

[HOOK]    Say: Your pressure cooker is not whistling at you. It is letting go.
          Text: Why it whistles
          Shot: tight close-up, whistle lifts, steam bursts
[STAKES]  Say: Understand this and you will never force a lid open again.
          Shot: hand reaching for the lid, freeze frame
[BEAT 1]  Say: A sealed lid traps the steam, so pressure builds inside.
          Shot: simple animated arrows inside a cooker drawing
[BEAT 2]  Say: Higher pressure lets water get hotter than its normal boiling point. That is why dal cooks faster.
          Shot: dal bubbling, quick cut
[BEAT 3]  Say: And here is the part people miss. When the pressure gets high enough, it lifts that little weight.
          Shot: slow motion of the weight rising
[PAYOFF]  Say: Steam escapes, pressure drops, the weight falls back. That is the whistle.
          Text: Whistle = pressure being released
[LOOP]    Say: So next time it whistles...
          Last frame: the same close-up as the opening

Example 2: a story Short (Hinglish)

A fictional micro story. Story Shorts swap "beats" for three turns.

[HOOK]    Say: Ramesh bhai ne us din pehli baar blouse wapas liya.
          Shot: a tailor's hands holding a folded blouse, a bell over the shop door rings
[STAKES]  Say: Bees saal mein kabhi naap galat nahi hua tha.
          Shot: old measuring tape around his neck
[TURN 1]  Say: Customer gussa thi. "Shaadi kal hai, aur yeh tight hai."
[TURN 2]  Say: Ramesh bhai ne naap dekha. Naap sahi tha.
[TURN 3]  Say: Phir unhone dheere se poocha, "Beta, mehndi ke din se pehle naap diya tha na?"
          Shot: the customer pauses, then laughs
[PAYOFF]  Say: Raat bhar baith ke silai kholi. Subah blouse taiyaar.
          Shot: sunrise through the shop shutter, blouse on a hanger
[LOOP]    Say: Isliye Ramesh bhai aaj bhi kehte hain, naap shaadi ke hafte mein lo.

Example 3: a tips list

Topic: three phone editing fixes. Viewer: new creators.

[HOOK]    Say: Three fixes that make phone edits look expensive.
[STAKES]  Say: Same footage, same phone, very different result.
          Shot: split screen, before and after
[BEAT 1]  Say: Cut on movement, not on silence. A hand moving hides the cut.
[BEAT 2]  Say: Drop the music under your voice. If you have to strain to hear words, it is too loud.
[BEAT 3]  Say: The last one is the one I see skipped most. Match colour between clips. One warm, one cold looks like two different days.
[PAYOFF]  Say: Here is the full edit with all three.
[LOOP]    Say: And if it still looks cheap, start from fix one...

Writing rules that keep people watching

• One idea per Short. If you need the word "also", you probably have two Shorts.
• Write for sound off. The on-screen text should carry the hook by itself.
• Put the noun first. "Your pressure cooker whistle" beats "Have you ever wondered why".
• Re-hook before the last beat. "And here is the part people miss" earns the final stretch.
• Cut the greeting. No "hi guys", no channel name, no subscribe line at the top.
• Measure your own speed. Read a minute of script aloud with a timer and count the words. That is your budget. Leave room for visual moments with no talking.

Editing notes from the timeline

• Open on movement. A static first frame reads as a photo, and photos get swiped.
• Cut when the idea changes, not on a fixed timer.
• Keep captions and text inside the safe area. The bottom and the right edge are covered by the title, buttons and description.
• Duck music under the voice, and let it rise only in gaps.
• For the loop, make the last frame match the first, or end mid-sentence so the opening line answers it.

Make it in Kritiverse

The Kritiverse Reel Script Generator writes Shorts and Reels in Hindi, Hinglish or English. Give it the one idea, the viewer and the length, and you get spoken lines with on-screen text and shot ideas that you can paste into this template. Test your opening line in Hook Lab, and after the edit, add Hinglish (Roman) or Hindi (Devanagari) captions with Kritiverse Captions. The free tools come with daily limits.

Common mistakes

• Two ideas fighting for 60 seconds. Split them.
• Stakes that are about you, not the viewer. "I tried this" is weaker than "you are doing this wrong".
• A payoff that arrives after the loop line. Deliver first, then loop.
• Text that repeats every spoken word. On-screen text should be a short summary, not a transcript. Captions do the transcript.
• Ending on "subscribe for more". End on the loop. The subscribe ask can sit in the pinned comment.