Script structure by length
Shorter videos keep the same promise with fewer beats.
- ✦15 seconds: hook (0 to 2s), one point or one turn (2 to 12s), payoff (12 to 15s).
- ✦30 seconds: hook, a one-line setup, one or two developments, the twist or answer, then a loop line.
- ✦60 seconds: room for two or three developments. Add something new every 5 to 8 seconds, or attention drifts.
Write for all three platforms at once
All three are vertical and fill the phone screen, and on all three the buttons and captions sit along the bottom and right edges. Keep your key on-screen text in the middle of the frame, and say the hook out loud as well as showing it, because many people watch with the sound on and many without.
Then post the same script everywhere. Make the hook fit each audience if they differ, not the whole video.
Use a generator, then make it yours
A script generator gets you a structured draft in seconds, but the details are what make people trust you. Read the draft aloud, swap generic details for real ones, and cut any line you wouldn't actually say.
Script AI writes hooks and timed scripts for Reels, TikTok and Shorts in 30+ languages. The hook generator works free without signing up.
Example script: 32-second story Reel
- Hook0:00
Every evening at six a dog sits at the same bus stop.
- Setup0:02
He is not lost. He is not hungry. He is waiting.
- Build0:06
Years ago a boy sat right here with him every evening after school.
- Build0:11
One day the boy's family moved away. No goodbye. No warning.
- Build0:15
People in the town started feeding him. No one owned him but everyone cared.
- Twist0:20
Someone once asked, 'Why do you still wait? He's never coming back.'
- Payoff0:24
But the dog wasn't waiting for the boy anymore. He was showing the town how to love without conditions.
- Loop0:29
And every evening at six he still sits at the same bus stop.
Written by Script AI from the one-line idea above. The same script works as a Reel, a TikTok or a Short.
Get hooks for your own idea
Free, no sign-up. The same engine as the app.
Common mistakes
- ✕A slow intro or a logo before the first word.
- ✕Two ideas squeezed into one video. Split them into two.
- ✕Key text in the bottom or right edge, under the buttons.
- ✕Posting a draft from a generator without reading it aloud.
- ✕Ending abruptly with no payoff, so nobody replays or comments.
Questions
Can I use the same script for Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts?
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Yes. All three are vertical, short, hook-first formats, so one script works on each. Keep on-screen text away from the bottom and right edges, where each app puts its buttons.
How long should a Reel or TikTok be?
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As long as the idea needs and no longer. Most story and explainer videos work at 20 to 45 seconds; a single tip can land in 15.
Is there a free Reels or TikTok script generator?
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Yes. Script AI's hook generator is free without signing up, and the free trial includes full timed scripts. It writes in 30+ languages.
What makes a good Reels hook?
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One concrete, surprising line you can say in about two seconds, such as a question, a contradiction or an unfinished sentence, which the rest of the video pays off.