Demo Video Script Template: A Timed Script for a 60-Second Product Demo
A demo video script is a two-column plan, what the screen shows and what you say, timed so the result appears in the first five seconds. For a launch, keep it between thirty and ninety seconds, show the real product with real data, and end on one action the viewer can take. Three templates follow: a sixty-second voice-over, a thirty-second silent version with captions, and a terminal walkthrough for command-line tools.
Why script a screen recording at all?
Because the unscripted version is almost always a tour. You open the product, apologise for the empty state, click through the menu in the order you built it and explain features in the order you thought of them. A viewer wants the opposite order: what does it do for me, show me that, show me how I start. A script forces you to put the result first and to cut everything that is not on the path to it.
A script also makes a short video possible. Ninety seconds is about two hundred spoken words at a relaxed pace, which is less than most people expect. Writing it down shows you where you are rambling before you have recorded a single take. The wider case for video, and where it goes after you make it, is in the launch with a demo video playbook.
Template 1: the 60-second voice-over demo
Use this for an app or a web tool with a clear before and after. The left column is what is on screen, the right is the line you read. Fill in the brackets, then read it aloud against a timer and cut words until each line fits its slot.
0:00-0:05 SCREEN: [the finished result, already visible]
SAY: "This is [what the result is]. It took [time], and I didn't [the thing you used to do manually]."
0:05-0:15 SCREEN: [the empty or messy starting point]
SAY: "Here's where I started. [The problem in one sentence, with one concrete detail.]"
0:15-0:40 SCREEN: [three actions the viewer must take, shown at normal speed, with the cursor visible]
SAY: "I [action one]. Then [action two]. Then [action three]."
0:40-0:50 SCREEN: [the result again, zoomed to the part that matters]
SAY: "And that's [the outcome]. [One line on what's different from doing it the old way.]"
0:50-1:00 SCREEN: [your product name and URL, plain text, held for three seconds]
SAY: "It's called [product name]. You can try it at [short URL]. It's [free / in beta]."Template 2: the 30-second captioned version for a feed
Some people watch a feed with the sound off, so a version that works with no audio is worth having. Captions carry the words, the recording carries the proof. This is the clip to attach to a post on a social site; see the X launch thread template for how a clip sits in a thread.
0:00-0:03 CAPTION (large): [The result, as a headline of six words or fewer]
SCREEN: [the finished result]
0:03-0:08 CAPTION: [The annoying way it used to work]
SCREEN: [the messy starting point, sped up]
0:08-0:22 CAPTION (one short line per action): [1. Do this] [2. Do that] [3. Done]
SCREEN: [the same three actions, trimmed to the clicks that matter]
0:22-0:27 CAPTION: [One-line benefit]
SCREEN: [the result, held still]
0:27-0:30 CAPTION: [Product name] - [short URL]Template 3: a terminal walkthrough for a developer tool
Developers decide by watching a command do something real. Skip the logo animation and the voice-over music. Show a clean terminal, a real task and the output, and say as little as you can. Increase the font size until it is readable on a phone, and clear everything unrelated from the screen before you record.
0:00-0:08 SCREEN: [a clean terminal; type the install command]
SAY: "[Tool name] is a [what it is]. Install it with one command."
0:08-0:20 SCREEN: [run the main command on a realistic input, not a toy]
SAY: "Here I'm pointing it at [a real-looking project or file]. [One sentence of context.]"
0:20-0:40 SCREEN: [the output, scrolled slowly; highlight the line that matters]
SAY: "It found [the thing it finds]. That used to take me [the old way]."
0:40-0:55 SCREEN: [one flag or option that shows range]
SAY: "If you only want [variation], add [flag]."
0:55-1:05 SCREEN: [repository URL and licence, plain text]
SAY: "It's [open source / free]. Source and docs at [URL]."If you are publishing this next to a repository, the README template is the other half: the video shows it working, the README shows how to start.
What recording habits make the script work?
- Use real data. A recording full of “Test 1” and lorem ipsum signals a product nobody uses. Put in plausible, realistic entries.
- Hide the noise. Close unrelated tabs, switch off notifications, use a clean desktop and a plain browser profile.
- Show the cursor and slow down. The viewer cannot see what you clicked if the pointer teleports. Move deliberately, then pause on the result.
- Record at a size the viewer can read. Zoom the browser or enlarge the terminal font until text is legible on a phone screen.
- Read the voice-over separately. Record screen and voice in separate takes if you stumble; syncing them is easier than doing both live.
- Cut the first and last breaths. Trim silence and dead air at both ends before export.
Where does the finished video go?
On your own page, in your first comment and in any post that supports video, and as the first thing in your README. How to shoot it is covered in how to record a demo video, and the stills that go beside it in how to take product screenshots. When it is done, launch your product free with a link to the video in the description, and browse the board’s creative tools ideas if you want to see what other makers are trying to show.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a product demo video be?
Thirty to ninety seconds for a launch. The first five seconds should show the result, the middle shows the steps and the end gives one action. If your product needs more explanation, make a short launch video and a separate longer walkthrough for people who ask for it.
Do I need a voice-over?
Not always. A clean recording with captions can be enough, and some viewers watch without sound. If you do add a voice, a decent headset microphone and a quiet room matter more than expensive gear. Write the script first and read it aloud so you do not ramble.
What tool should I use to record my screen?
Any recorder that captures your screen at a readable size and lets you trim the start and end will do. Your computer probably has one built in, and free options exist. Choose something you can use in five minutes, because a simple, quick recording beats a polished one you never finish.
Should the video start with a logo or intro?
No. Start with the result. A logo intro uses seconds when the viewer is deciding whether to continue. Put your product name and URL at the end, held long enough to read, and use any intro branding only if the platform adds it for you.
Written by Post your build ideas with AI assistance and edited for this site. Where a page names another product, the facts came from that product’s own pages on the date shown above; terms change, so check them before you rely on them. About the publisher.