How do you write a UGC script that doesn't sound scripted?

Why do so many UGC scripts sound read off a page?

Scripts sound read when they are written for the eye, with long sentences and tidy words nobody says out loud.

When you write, you reach for words like additionally, however and in order to. When you talk, you say and, but and so. You also stack ideas into one sentence on paper, then run out of breath halfway through it on camera. The viewer hears the gap between how you sound in the script and how you sound in real life, and that gap is what reads as fake.

The fix starts before you write a single line. Know the shape of the video first, using the parts of a UGC video script, so each line only has one job. A line with one job is short, and short lines are easier to say like a person.

How do you write lines that sound like you talking?

Write each line as if you were telling a friend across a table, then cut anything you would not actually say to them.

• Keep one idea per sentence, because you can say it in one breath and the edit can cut cleanly between lines.
• Use contractions like I'm, it's and don't, because the full forms sound like a statement read out by a spokesperson.
• Start lines with and, so or but when that is how you would say them, because it carries the viewer from one thought to the next.
• Swap every adjective you would not use in a text message for the word you would use, so lovely and creamy becomes thick, and doesn't feel greasy.
• Put the thing you are pointing at in the line, such as this bit or right here, so the words match what your hands are doing.
• Leave room for a small reaction, a pause or a laugh, instead of scripting every second, because reactions are where you sound most like yourself.

If you work from a brand brief, copy its required lines into the script exactly as written first, then write your own lines around them. The guide on turning a brand brief into a script walks through marking up which words are fixed and which are yours to rewrite.

What is the read-aloud test and how do you run it?

The read-aloud test means saying the whole script out loud at filming speed and marking every spot where you stumble, rush or sound unlike yourself.

• Stand up and hold the product, because sitting still at a desk hides the lines that clash with what your hands are doing.
• Read the script out loud once at normal speed, without stopping to fix anything.
• Mark every line where you tripped, took a breath mid-sentence, or changed a word without meaning to.
• Rewrite each marked line using the words that came out of your mouth, since those are the words you actually use.
• Record a voice note of the second read and listen back once, because you hear stiffness more clearly than you feel it.

Pay extra attention to the hook. It is the line people judge you on first, so if it needs a run-up or a deep breath, shorten it until you can say it while looking straight at the lens.

Should you say every line word for word or use talking points?

Say only the lines that must be exact word for word, and turn everything else into short talking points you put in your own words on each take.

Write talking points as a few words each, not full sentences, such as tried a towel first, it slid. If you write a full sentence, you will read it, and you are back where you started.

What does a natural script look like, marked line by line?

Here is a short script with each line marked as word for word or a talking point, so you can see where the freedom sits.

1. hooksay: “I've been pouring oil straight from the bottle and then wondering why everything I fry ends up swimming.”do: Word for word. Close shot of oil glugging out of a heavy bottle into a pan, then cut to your face.
2. setupsay: “So I'd pour, then tip half of it back, and the bottle neck was always sticky.”do: Talking point: pour, tip back, sticky bottle. Run a finger down the side of the bottle and show it to the lens.
3. beat 1say: “This is what I use now. Oil goes in the top, and that's the whole setup.”do: Talking point: oil in, done. Unscrew the sprayer and fill it over the sink in one steady shot.
4. turnsay: “Two sprays, and that's the pan covered. I can actually see how much went in.”do: Word for word. Hold the sprayer over a cold pan and press it twice so the mist is visible against the light.
5. beat 2say: “And the bottle doesn't leave a ring on the shelf anymore, which I didn't expect to care about.”do: Talking point: no ring on the shelf. Lift the sprayer off a clean shelf and put it back.
6. closesay: “The one I use is linked, if your oil bottle looks like mine did.”do: Word for word. Place the sprayer next to the stove and look at the lens as you say it.

Notice that the talking points still have a written line under them. That line is your safety net for the read-aloud test, not something you must hit exactly. For a script built the same way around a phone screen, see how to write a UGC script for an app.

How do you rehearse without wearing the life out of it?

Do one rehearsal pass on set with the product and camera ready, then start recording while the lines still feel new.

Run through the whole script once, doing every action, so you find the line that clashes with a pour or a lid before the camera is rolling. Then film each beat as its own clip, two or three takes each, because a short clip is easier to keep loose than a full run. If a line still feels stiff on the third take, change the words on the spot and note the new version, so you can tell the brand what you changed when you send the files.