In short — A product video ad script is a short table, not an essay: one row per clip, with what's on screen, what's said and what's written. For a 15-second vertical ad, that's three clips of about 5 seconds and 24 to 36 spoken words in total, roughly 8 to 12 per clip. Below are seven templates you can fill in for your own product, a bank of hook and CTA lines, and a worked example. The theory behind the four beats (hook, pain, solution, CTA) is in the video ad structure that sells; this page is the practical version.
Disclosure: Klaivo is our product, an AI ad generator that writes scripts in this clip-by-clip format. The word counts are the constraints we use in production. The templates work with any tool, or with a phone and a creator.
How to use these templates
Each template is a table. Fill the brackets, keep the word count, and don't add clips "just in case".
- Visual: what the camera shows. Be concrete: "the bottle being filled at a tap", not "lifestyle shot".
- Voiceover: what's said. Count the words: a 5-second clip holds 8 to 12 spoken words at a natural pace.
- On-screen text: 3 to 6 words, for people watching muted. It repeats the key idea, it doesn't transcribe the voiceover.
Word budget by length:
| Ad length | Clips | Spoken words in total |
|---|---|---|
| 10 s | 2 | 16–24 |
| 15 s | 3 | 24–36 |
| 30 s | 6 | 50–70 |
Template 1: UGC testimonial (15 s)
Best for beauty, wellness and gadgets: anything where a personal opinion sells.
| Clip | Visual | Voiceover | On-screen text |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Hook | Person to camera, product in hand | "I didn't expect [product] to actually [result]." | "Honest review" |
| 2 · Proof | Close-up of the product in use | "[Specific detail]: [what changed for me, in plain words]." | "[Key benefit]" |
| 3 · CTA | Back to the person, smiling, product visible | "If you [have the problem], try it. Link's below." | "[Offer or brand]" |
Rule: the proof line must be specific. "It's amazing" sells nothing; "my coffee stays hot until lunch" does.
Template 2: Problem → solution (15 s)
The default direct-response script (the PAS framework). Works in almost every category.
| Clip | Visual | Voiceover | On-screen text |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Problem | The frustration, shown | "Tired of [specific problem] every [moment]?" | "[Problem in 4 words]" |
| 2 · Solution | The product fixing it | "[Product] [does the job] in [simple mechanism]." | "[Product name]" |
| 3 · CTA | Product and result together | "[Result]. Get yours at [store] today." | "[CTA]" |
Template 3: Product demo (15 s)
For products with a visible result: kitchen, cleaning, home, tools.
| Clip | Visual | Voiceover | On-screen text |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Before | The mess, the problem, the old way | "This is [the problem] before [product]." | "Before" |
| 2 · Action | Product in action, close-up | "[One movement or step], and that's it." | "[Time or step count, if true]" |
| 3 · After | The result, then the product | "[Result]. [Product], [one-line promise]." | "Shop now" |
Only write a time or a number on screen if you can show it in the clip.
Template 4: Product hero (10 s)
For products bought on desire: fragrance, jewelry, watches, premium drinks. Few words; the image does the work.
| Clip | Visual | Voiceover | On-screen text |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Mood | The product alone, in a setting that says who it's for | Music only, or one line: "[Evocative line, 6 words max]." | none |
| 2 · Detail + name | Close-up of a detail, then the logo | "[Product name]. [Promise in 5 words]." | "[Name]" |
Template 5: Comparison (15 s)
For products that replace a habit or a cheaper alternative.
| Clip | Visual | Voiceover | On-screen text |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Old way | The usual way, slightly frustrating | "Still [doing it the old way]?" | "The old way" |
| 2 · New way | Your product doing the same job better | "[Product] [does it better because of one reason]." | "[Product]" |
| 3 · CTA | Side by side, then the product | "Switch once, [benefit] every day. [CTA]." | "[Offer]" |
Compare with a habit or a category, not a named competitor, unless you can prove every claim.
Template 6: Offer for warm audiences (10 s)
For retargeting people who already visited your store.
| Clip | Visual | Voiceover | On-screen text |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Offer | Product, with the offer on screen | "Still thinking about [product]? [Real offer]." | "[Offer]" |
| 2 · CTA | Product, store name | "[Reason to act now, if true]. [CTA]." | "[Store]" |
Only use an offer that exists, with a real end date. Fake deadlines are a misleading practice under EU and UK consumer law, and buyers spot them.
Template 7: 30-second explainer (6 clips)
For products that need one more step of explanation, or for YouTube and in-stream placements.
| Clip | Beat | Voiceover (8–12 words each) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hook | The problem or the surprising claim |
| 2 | Pain | Why it matters, in the viewer's words |
| 3 | Solution | The product, named and shown |
| 4 | How it works | One mechanism, not three |
| 5 | Proof | A specific result, a review, a test you can show |
| 6 | CTA | One action, one place to do it |
Hook lines that work as openers
Fill the brackets; keep the first line under 12 words.
- "I didn't expect [product] to [result]."
- "If your [thing] always [problem], watch this."
- "Stop [common habit]. Do this instead."
- "This [object] replaced [three other things] in my [room/bag]."
- "The [problem] nobody talks about with [category]."
- "[Number] [days/uses] with [product]. Here's what changed." (only if true)
- "POV: you finally found a [category] that [does X]."
- "Why does nobody tell you [surprising fact about the category]?"
Call-to-action lines
- "Link's below. Try it for [real trial or guarantee period]."
- "Get yours at [store] today."
- "Tap the button and pick your [size/color/scent]."
- "Join [real number] customers who switched." (only with a real number)
A worked example
Here is Template 2 filled in for a made-up product, an insulated water bottle called "Keep":
| Clip | Visual | Voiceover | On-screen text |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Problem | Someone sipping lukewarm water at a desk, disappointed | "Tired of your water going warm by ten a.m.?" (9 words) | "Warm water again?" |
| 2 · Solution | Ice cubes still floating in the Keep bottle, late afternoon light | "Keep's double wall holds the cold from morning to night." (10 words) | "Cold all day" |
| 3 · CTA | The bottle on the desk, logo visible | "Ice-cold water at five p.m. Get yours at the link below." (11 words) | "Shop Keep" |
30 spoken words for 15 seconds: inside the 24–36 budget, with room for a natural pace.
Mistakes that ruin a script
- Too many words. The most common one. A 15-second ad with 50 words of voiceover rushes and loses the viewer.
- The product appears at the end. In direct response, show it in clip 1 or 2.
- Two calls to action. "Follow us and shop now and use code X" means nobody does any of it.
- Vague proof. Replace adjectives with a specific, showable detail.
- On-screen text in the wrong place. In Reels and Stories, keep it out of the bottom 35% of the frame; see Facebook and Instagram video ad specs.
Writing scripts faster
The slow part of a script is the research: what the product does, who it's for, which benefit leads. Klaivo's AI ad generator starts there: paste a product link, and it reads the page, gives you a product sheet and writes a clip-by-clip script in this format, which you can edit line by line before any video is generated. New accounts get 3 product-page analyses free, with no card. To see what these scripts look like once produced, browse video ad examples.
FAQ
How do you write a video ad script?
Decide the length, split it into clips of about 5 seconds, and write one row per clip: what's on screen, what's said (8 to 12 words) and the on-screen text. Start with the hook, show the product early and end with a single call to action.
How many words are in a 15-second ad script?
About 24 to 36 spoken words, or 8 to 12 per 5-second clip. A 30-second script holds roughly 50 to 70 words.
What should the first line of a video ad say?
Name the viewer's problem, make a surprising claim, or promise a specific result, in under 12 words. The first line decides whether anyone sees the rest.
Is there a script template for UGC ads?
Yes: hook to camera ("I didn't expect this to work"), one specific proof shown in close-up, then a casual call to action. Template 1 above gives the full clip-by-clip version.
Can AI write video ad scripts?
Yes. AI tools can draft scripts from a product page in this clip-by-clip format. Always check that each claim is true for your product and edit the hook yourself; that's the line that matters most.