How to Write a Video Ad Script (With a Simple Template)

Most ad scripts we're handed in Egypt are actually brochures. Company history, a list of services, a mission statement, and "contact us" at the end. Read out loud, they take 90 seconds. The ad slot is 20.

A video ad script should be short and built around the viewer, not the company. The structure we use most is simple: a hook that stops the scroll, the problem the viewer recognizes, your product as the answer, a bit of proof, and one clear call to action. Write it in two columns, what we see and what we hear, then read it out loud with a stopwatch. That last step fixes more scripts than any rewrite. It's the first thing we do in any video production project before a single shot is booked.

Here's what this covers:

• Before you write a word
• The five-part structure
• The two-column format
• How many words fit in 15, 30 and 60 seconds
• Writing in Egyptian Arabic, English or both
• A sample script you can copy
• Common script mistakes
• Your next step

Before you write a word

Answer three questions on paper. Who is watching? What do they want or worry about? What do you want them to do in the next five minutes?

Then pick one message. Not three. If the ad tries to sell your fast delivery, your new collection and your loyalty program, it'll sell none of them. Pick the one that matters most to this viewer right now, and save the rest for other ads.

Also decide the format early. A presenter talking to camera, a voiceover over product shots, a short scene with actors, or a creator-style piece filmed on a phone. Each one changes how you write.

The five-part structure

This structure works for most short ads.

1. Hook: the first line or image that makes someone stop. A question, a bold claim you can back up, or the problem shown visually.
2. Problem: the situation the viewer is in, described the way they'd describe it.
3. Solution: your product or service as the answer, shown in action.
4. Proof: something that makes it believable: a real customer, a result, a demo, a guarantee.
5. Call to action: one clear step: message us, order from the link, book a visit.

For a 15-second ad you'll compress the middle. The hook and the call to action never get cut.

The two-column format

Write your script in two columns: the left for what the viewer sees, the right for what they hear (voiceover, dialogue, music, sound effects) plus any text on screen.

This matters because video is visual first. If you only write the words, the director has to guess the pictures, and the editor has to guess what the text on screen says. A two-column script makes everyone see the same ad before the shoot. It also shows you quickly when you're telling instead of showing. If the right column says "our fabric is very soft," the left column should show a hand sinking into it.

You can also write it as pairs, scene by scene, which is handy when scripts get passed around on WhatsApp:

• Scene 1, see: close-up of a woman pulling a wrinkled bedsheet off a bed. Hear: "Washed it once and it already looks like this?"
• Scene 2, see: the same woman unfolding a new sheet, smooth and bright. Hear: "Our cotton keeps its shape, wash after wash."

How many words fit in 15, 30 and 60 seconds

People in ads speak at a normal, clear pace, not a rushed one. A rough guide that holds up well when read aloud:

• 15 seconds: around 30 to 40 words.
• 30 seconds: around 60 to 80 words.
• 60 seconds: around 130 to 150 words.

Leave room for breath and for moments with no talking at all, a product shot, a reaction, a beat of music. If your 30-second script has 120 words, it's not a 30-second script. Read it aloud, time it, cut.

Writing in Egyptian Arabic, English or both

Write the way your customer speaks. For most Egyptian audiences that's Egyptian Arabic, spoken and warm, not formal Arabic that sounds like a news bulletin. Formal Arabic can work for some corporate or government messages, but in a social ad it usually puts distance between you and the viewer.

English works for premium brands, international products and bilingual audiences in areas like New Cairo, Zayed and the North Coast in summer. Mixing Arabic and English is natural for some audiences, but do it the way they do it, not randomly.

Whatever the language, write short sentences. Avoid words that are hard to say. And always read it aloud, ideally to someone who matches the audience. If they wince at a line, cut it.

A sample script you can copy

Here's a hypothetical 30-second ad for a teeth-whitening offer at a clinic in Nasr City. It's written in English here, but you'd usually shoot it in Egyptian Arabic.

• Hook, see: a woman covers her smile with her hand in a selfie. Hear: "Do you hide your smile in photos?"
• Problem, see: she checks her teeth in a car mirror. Hear: "Coffee, tea, years of it. It shows."
• Solution, see: the doctor explains the procedure in a bright clinic room. Hear: "One session, about an hour, done by a specialist."
• Proof, see: a real before and after, with consent, plus the clinic team. Hear: "Results you can see the same day."
• Call to action, see: text on screen with the offer and the message button. Hear: "Send us a message to book this month's offer."

That's around 50 spoken words, leaving room for visuals. For how to turn a script like this into a full ad on set and in the edit, see our guide on how to make video ads that sell.

Common script mistakes

• Opening with the company name or logo.
• Too many messages in one ad.
• Writing for the boss instead of the customer.
• No visuals planned, only words.
• Claims you can't back up, which is especially risky for clinics and health products.
• A vague ending like "for more information."
• Writing a script for a UGC creator line by line, so it sounds read, not said. If you're using creators, give them points, not lines; our guide to UGC videos in Egypt explains how.

Your next step

Take your current ad idea and write it in the five parts. Put it in two columns. Read it aloud with a timer and cut until it fits. Then show it to one real customer before you show it to your team.

If you'd rather have scriptwriters who've written promos for TV and ads for brands do it with you, have a look at how our video production team works. And if you're budgeting for the shoot that comes after, our video production cost guide will help.