Your Script Is Killing Your Video
Apr 29, 2025Why Clear Messaging Beats Perfect Delivery
A perfectly lit video means nothing if your message is muddled. In a recent coaching session, we broke down exactly why a script with the right words—and the right structure—is more powerful than any editing trick.
If your video isn’t landing, ask yourself:
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Who is this for?
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What do I want them to think, feel, or do?
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What must I say in under 90 seconds?
The Four Questions Every Script Must Answer
Every high-impact script starts by answering:
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Who’s the audience?
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Where will they see it?
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What’s the message?
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What’s the goal?
If you can’t answer these in 30 seconds, don’t start writing.
Scripts are frameworks for focus. They remove guesswork and make your delivery sharper—because you already know the point.
Shorter Scripts, Bigger Impact
In our session, we reviewed a video that was well-intentioned—but too long, too soft, and too self-focused.
The fix?
We halved the word count. Rewrote the intro for punch. Shifted the focus to them, not us.
Suddenly, the message was clear, the energy was up, and the video worked.
You don’t need a better mic. You need a better message.
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Video Transcription:
It's not the gear, it's not the lights, it's not even the performance. The real reason your videos aren't landing is because your messaging isn't sharp enough. You're falling into the same trap as everyone else. Riding without purpose, recording without direction, and hoping just works. But videos don't work unless your message does.
The pros don't. Wing it, and neither should you. If you are not obsessing over what your audience hears, you are losing them. What you absolutely should not do is, hi. I'm Chris Schwager, video coach and founder of the Complete Video Success System, and I've spent decades helping professionals create high impact videos that build trust, generate leads.
And drive business success. And if you've ever felt unsure or under-prepared or just playing awkward with video, this is for you. I'll give you the mindset and strategies to take control, build video confidence so that you show up like a pro. It's time to make your videos work for you. Have you ever hit record on a video only to find that it rambles?
It rambles that it lacks punch or worse, that nobody watches till the end. You're not alone even when. Everything looks great on camera. Videos can fall flat, and the biggest reason is poor messaging. Okay. In this episode, we're diving into a recent coaching session with my client, Troy and Renee, a powerhouse couple running a recruitment firm in Southeast Queensland.
They've, they've nailed their setup. They've got the lights, they've got the sound, the studio, but what they needed help with was the message. And in this episode, I'm going deep on messaging because before you press record, you need to get one thing straight. Your audience doesn't care about your script.
No, they don't. They care about what they get from it. It all starts with this framework. Who is the audience? Where will the video live? What are the key messages? What is the goal? I. Most people skip this, but when your video lacks structure, it lacks purpose and your audience will tune out. You might be thinking, well, we're just trying to be authentic, and here's the truth, clarity beats authenticity every time.
If your message is vague, your audience won't give you a second chance, and authenticity is thrown around every single day, aren't you? By? By definition, authentic under the camera lights and trying to read from a teleprompter and trying to remember stuff and trying to smile at the same time. Isn't that your authentic self?
It's just that you're not very interesting yet, and you need a bit of a razz. You need a bit of energy. You need to understand that. With that energy comes that confidence. And when there's confidence, people look at you differently. They'll look at you as an authority and they'll say, Hey, this person knows what they're talking about, and I am in good hands.
I feel I can trust this person because they are delivering in a way. That I like. And when we realized that in this session that writing a great script isn't about wordsmithing, it's about intent. When Renee read through a script, it wasn't bad, but it was long. It was unfocused and unclear on what it wanted the viewer to do.
Okay? So we stopped, stripped it back and rebuilt it using our scripting template. Just like a good story. It had a beginning that hooked a body, that educated, and a close that invited action. And guess what? Once the script was tight, everything else fell into place. The energy improved, the camera presence lifted.
The confidence was there. Simplicity wins. When your message is clear, your audience feels it. They know what the video is for. They know what. To do next, and most importantly, they don't feel like they're wasting their time. Just quickly, if you are ready to take control over your video production, but feel stuck, check out the video Confidence Collective.
It's live coaching in a supportive community that's got your back. We cover for essentials tech messaging on camera presence and implementing what you learn so you can create consistent, confident content that truly connects links in the show notes. Now back to the episode. Here's your job moving forward, right with clarity, speak with intent, and build your video scripts.
Before you even press record, pass a by your partner. Let him have a listen to it. I'm sure he'll give you some feedback and want some questions answered. Messaging isn't just a part of your video. It's the heart of it. If you don't know what you're saying or why you're saying it, your audience won't stick around to figure it out for you.
So before you light the set or fire up the mic, sit down and get your words straight. Keep it simple. Stay focused, and write with the listener in mind. Because when your message is clear, your confidence shows up with it. That's how you magnetize the right opportunities and say, yes, do growth.