I tested bullet point vs word-for-word scripting

Today, I filmed 2 videos.

• Video 1: Word-for-word; 2-3 hours spent scripting.
• Video 2: Bullet point; 30 minutes spent scripting; converted from a newsletter, and mostly riffed based on the original copy.

Today, I'm sharing some quick reflections on both experiences to help you refine your own writing/filming workflow.

(And to help you feel less alone in the endlessly weird life of a YouTuber! 😆)

But first...

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Ok, back to it...

Biggest Reflection from the Filming Session

It was really flippin' hard:

• Despite working with YouTubers for 4 years, appearing on loads of podcasts and generally being confident in front of a crowd... actually turning the camera on changes something.
• I recorded an entire script and started again because I felt so wooden.

Reflections on Word-for-Word scripting:

Without a teleprompter, word-for-word scripts are semi-useless.

• Glancing back and forth at a word-for-word script and trying to remember the line before delivering it feels almost no different to using bullet points.
• If you don't have a teleprompter, it's probably not worth writing word-for-word.

Pressure felt way higher.

• Because I'd honed the script to try and make it awesome, I felt pressure to deliver every line perfectly.
• Unlike bullet point scripting (where my delivery could elevate the script), delivering word-for-word lines felt like I had more to lose!

I felt in control.

• All that being said, I turned the camera off feeling confident in how the final product will turn out.
• I don't have the same level of certainty with my bullet point video - even though (as we'll see) I had more fun making it.

Reflections on Bullet Point scripting:

Don't try to be word-perfect.

• You're not livestreaming - you can cut things! I know this goes against my usual advice of "don't rely on the edit to save you".
• But if you are recording a bullet point script, it's better to let your thoughts flow (knowing you can trim them down) than to overthink every sentence and make 0 progress.

I had way more fun.

• Eeeek. Business model imploding. Scripting is... less fun?? Well... kinda. For context, I would have been lost without the structure (which looked like this...)

• But the actual process of delivery was a lot more enjoyable. Without the structure, however, I'm not sure I'd have had so much fun.

I forgot what I'd said a lot (which was stressful).

• For all that I said about having more fun, I had several moments where I was 30 seconds into a riff, messed it up, then couldn't remember where to restart my spiel.
• Practice makes perfect, but... this is the reality of riffing. It's a sign that my "perfect" level of scripting is slightly higher than pure bullets, but still not word-for-word.

That's all for this week.

Any questions? You can to reply to this email and I'll get back to you.

Speak soon,
George 👋