Short-form scripting
Write for reach first. The first three seconds stop the scroll, the body keeps the viewer and the ending earns a save, share or comment. Hype, FOMO, reverse psychology and bold claims are welcome. Truth is the hard line: real numbers, real names and nothing invented about the creator.
Start from what exists
- Read the creator's voice and facts before writing:
.favstash-studio/preferences.mdwhen the pack's setup created it, plus any brief or notes. If voice notes are missing, learn from transcripts of their recent videos or ask two short questions: who the video is for, and how they talk. Never invent the creator's background, results, customers, experiences or product capabilities. - Resolve the angle, the reel's job (reach, saves, comments/leads or a product action), platform and length. Default to an Instagram Reel of about 30 seconds. Note whether it is spoken to camera or text over footage.
- Get the reference's actual words. Use a supplied transcript, a saved item's transcript and on-screen text through FavStash, or an analysis copy from the editor's reference helper when it is installed. A transcript alone does not show the edit; note the first frame, proof and pacing when the visual treatment matters.
- With FavStash connected, search saved reels by topic, hook pattern or audience problem. Saved content is taste and structure, not factual proof.
Know how strong the reference is
Call a reference proven only against its own creator's baseline: views at least 3x the median of a comparable recent sample. Record the views, publish date, capture date and sample. Without a baseline it is a format reference. A high comment rate shows that a comment gate converted, not that the hook earned reach. Performance shows association; topic, timing and distribution stay confounded.
Lock one viewer
Write, before any hook:
Viewer: [one specific person, sharp enough to think "that's me"]
Wants: [the result, understanding or feeling]
Fears: [the cost, time, risk or shared frustration]
Creator's link: [one true line connecting the creator's experience to theirs]
Describe the problem in the viewer's own words, not industry language. A personal story can connect through recognition instead of advice.
Write three openings
The copy rule. When adapting a proven original, Opening A is its opening, copied. Keep the words, rhythm, energy, second line and open loop. Change only what would be false from this creator: their numbers, personal claims, product names and features this creator's thing does not have. Never reuse the original's footage, graphics, voice or identity. If the original hook looks weak, say so and still deliver it as A.
Openings B and C use different hook levers and must be at least as aggressive as A. A calmer variant is a downgrade. For an original idea, all three should read as scroll-stopping as a copied hook.
Build each opening as one unit of about five seconds:
- Hook: emotion, not information. One person, something they care about and a question they need answered.
- Super hook: a reason to listen, such as a real number, star count, adoption figure or checkable attribution.
- Open loop: foreshadow the payoff ("And the crazy part is…"). Test it: does the viewer ask "wait, what?" or "wait, why?" within three seconds? Rewrite closed openers like "Here's how to…" or "5 tools that…".
Layer the spoken line, first frame, on-screen text and caption so each adds something different. Verify every number in a hook and keep it. A material caveat goes in the body or caption, never in the hook. For each opening, record the spoken words, the first visual or proof and its seam into the shared body. The three openings are production inputs, for example one Trial Reel each, not a shortlist to collapse into one.
Write one shared body
Every opening flows into the same body:
- Click confirmation: prove the promise immediately with a visible result.
- Value: each beat adds something new for the locked viewer.
- Second conflict: new information raises the stakes. Escalate; don't just delay with "stay tuned".
- Payoff: answer what all three openings promised.
- Earned ending: a CTA only when the reel's job needs one.
Re-hook after every two or three sentences of value: "It gets worse." "But here's what's insane." "That's not even the best part." A real limitation can become one: "One catch." A body that states facts in an even tone is a slide, not a wave.
Make it work muted: key claims appear on screen, and every important line has a real action, capture or clearly labeled illustration. Estimate 2.5–3 spoken words per second plus pauses. A 15-second reel can be hook, proof and payoff.
For a comment-to-DM gate, gate a free, useful resource such as a repository, prompt, template or guide, not a bare product link. Use one keyword that names the resource, say it once at the end and repeat it on the caption's first line. Offer only automation the creator has set up. A personal reflection can end on a real question, or on nothing at all; don't force a tutorial or resource into it.
Attack it once, rewrite once
Review openings A, B and C and the shared body with six lenses. Record the one or two strongest objections for each lens:
| Lens | Asks |
|---|---|
| Skeptic | Why would anyone care? What is new? |
| Expert | Is a claim, name, number or version wrong? |
| Scroller | Muted, does it still land? Would the viewer stop at second three? Does each beat add value? Is there a save moment and a share moment? |
| Competitor | Could any creator post this? What only this creator can say? |
| Hater | What will comments call fake, sponsored, obvious or cringe? |
| Editor | What can go without losing meaning? First drafts usually lose 20%. |
Rewrite once to fix the serious objections, then stop. Reviewers make hooks more scroll-stopping, never calmer; only a factual error changes a copied hook.
Then read it aloud in the creator's voice. Keep their personality: excitement, humour, swearing and honest uncertainty. Cut empty setup ("Here's the thing", "let's dive in"), vague promises without a fact behind them and repetition. Hype words stay when a real fact sits next to them.
Hand the editor a filmable brief
Save analysis/reel-brief.md in the edit run. With $favstash-shortform
installed, its new-edit helper creates the run; otherwise save it beside the
footage.
Viewer / promise:
Reference: URL, evidence level (proven with baseline | format reference | original)
Opening A (lever): spoken words only
First visual / proof / seam:
Opening B and Opening C: same fields
Shared body: spoken words only, including any CTA
Timing: words and estimated seconds for each opening plus the body
Must keep: approved claims, caveats, keyword, attributions
Proof map: beat → what the viewer must see → source or capture → owner → fallback
Recording notes: A, B and C as separate takes, then the body, then the CTA again
Scripting owns the words, promise, proof needs and overall feel. The editor
chooses takes, layouts, palette, crops, motion, captions and sound after seeing
the footage, so suggest rather than prescribe shots. Then use
$favstash-shortform for the edit. A finished script does not authorize filming
schedules, uploads or publishing.