Scripted Vs. Freestyle Videos: Which Is Right For You?

There’s been a noticeable shift in what people enjoy watching online. Over the past few years, raw, unfiltered content has tended to outperform overly polished, professional-looking videos. So what’s happened?

TikTok’s growth has probably played a role, and it’s also possible that audiences are just exhausted by the picture-perfect feeds on Instagram.

But high-quality production values still matter. The challenge for content creators is to find the sweet spot. Should you write a script beforehand or improvise? And if you do script your videos, how do you avoid sounding stiff and robotic? Read on to find out!

Scripted, unscripted, and semi-scripted – what’s the difference?

Before we continue, here’s what we mean when we say ‘scripted’, ‘unscripted’, and ‘semi-scripted’:

Scripted: Fully written and prepared in advance. Every line and action is planned. You may even have prepared a shotlist to go alongside it, or noted on the script where to pause or emphasise your words.
Unscripted: Recorded off the cuff. Your dialogue is completely spontaneous or loosely guided by an outline or a single point.
Semi-scripted: You have a loose plan or some bullet points to follow. These can help you remember the points you want to cover or provide structure to what you’re saying.

Scripted videos: pros, cons, and when they’re essential

Advantages of scripted videos

There are lots of reasons to script your video, especially if you’re creating long-form, educational, or marketing videos. Here are some advantages of scripting your video in advance:

Better clarity and control: Achieve the exact message, tone, and structure you want for your content by scripting in advance. This is super beneficial if you have brand guidelines you want to stick to or key points you want to cover.
Fewer takes/quicker filming: Knowing exactly what you’re going to say means you’ll spend less time filming. Reading from a script will also remove filler words – especially if you use a teleprompter.
Consistency: By planning your structure in advance, you can maintain better consistency when creating multiple videos.
Add humour: Scripting allows you to incorporate humour or other storytelling elements into your content that might be difficult to achieve organically.

Disadvantages of heavily scripted videos

Less natural delivery: Scripts can sometimes make dialogue sound stiff, especially if the person who wrote the script isn’t the same person who reads it. They can also sacrifice natural flow – something that looks good on paper doesn’t automatically sound good when read aloud (this is especially true for long sentences with complex jargon).
Time-consuming preparation: Writing and revising a quality script from scratch requires a fair amount of pre-production time. This doesn’t always work if you have a tight deadline or want to create a video quickly on a breaking news topic.
Over-production: Content that appears too polished might actually create distance between you and your audience, rather than connection.

Pro tip: to help your script sound less robotic, use a teleprompter app like Teleprompter Pro. With customisable scroll speed and text, you can read at a pace that feels natural to you, and give yourself helpful cues on how to deliver each sentence. If another creator will be reading your script, consider giving them a bit of leeway to tweak it so that it sounds more natural to them.

When are scripted videos essential?

It may be necessary to script your videos for the following types of content:

Training and educational videos: Consistency, accuracy, and thoroughness are important for these types of videos. You don’t want to miss any key points, and there’s no room for ad-libbing when your audience relies on precise instructions.
Sales and marketing videos: Tight deadlines, time limits, and specific points to cover may require you to prepare a script.
Advertisements: Advertisements usually have set time limits and often involve working with a team or other creators. Having a script makes it easier to stay on schedule, plus it can help ensure the content complies with legal requirements before recording.

How to sound more natural when reading from a script

Some content creators worry that they’ll sound robotic or stiff, or that it will be obvious that they’re reading from a script. But this doesn’t have to be the case. In fact, a script should aid your delivery, rather than hinder it – it just takes a bit of preparation:

Plan your structure first: Make sure your script follows a logical flow before writing it up. Check out our guide for writing video scripts for more information on this, and get feedback or help with your script outline using free tools like ChatGPT.
Write your script conversationally: This is probably the most important step: write your script up exactly how you’d say it. Avoid complex sentences and words – if you wouldn’t talk like this in an everyday conversation, don’t do it now.
Record and time yourself reading your script aloud: We tend to read more quickly than we’d naturally speak. But speaking too quickly can dull your tone and make it obvious that you’re reading from a script. Instead, record and time yourself reading your script aloud and watch it back. If it sounds too fast, slow down.
Rehearse: Practise your script multiple times beforehand, noting where you’d like to pause or emphasise certain words.
Use a teleprompter: Teleprompter Pro allows you to adjust the scroll speed and text size of your script. Plus, you can record directly within the app, maintaining eye contact with the camera as you read. You can even give yourself visual cues on when to pause, inflect, or emphasise your words by stylising parts of the script.

Unscripted videos: pros and cons

A lot of creators, particularly on social media, prefer to hit record without scripting their videos. If you’re a naturally good speaker and find you’re much more comfortable without a script, this could be the better option for you.

Advantages of going unscripted

Authenticity: Unscripted videos feel more organic and allow you to convey genuine emotion. It can feel more like a real conversation with your viewers, which can help you build a better connection.
Flexibility: Without a rigid script, you have the freedom to pivot mid-recording. This can be great for humorous sidenotes and lead to authentic moments that might not be possible when working with a script.
Faster production: Without the need to prepare much in advance, unscripted videos are often quicker to produce. That said, you might spend more time filming retakes and editing footage when you don’t have a script. Generally speaking, short videos are quicker to produce without a script, whereas you’ll probably save more time by scripting longer videos.
Higher engagement on social media: Raw, unpolished, ‘storytime’-style content currently dominates TikTok and Instagram. Audiences crave the sort of authenticity that these videos convey, and recent studies show that these kinds of videos get nearly 2x the engagement of more polished content.

Disadvantages of going unscripted

Less clarity: Without a script, you may forget your train of thought or go off-tangent. While this works for some creators, others may prefer more clarity and control over their message – especially if you’re trying to educate or inform your viewers.
Editing challenges: Unscripted filming usually generates a lot of footage, especially if you’re not used to speaking on camera.
More likely to make mistakes: Without a script, you risk making mistakes or saying something inaccurately without realising. This is why it’s preferable to use a script if you’re making educational or informative content.

Who benefits from going unscripted?

Some content genres will benefit from recording off the cuff, such as:

Lifestyle/vlog/travel content: There are a couple of reasons why going unscripted with this type of content works. Firstly, it’s pretty hard to script a real-life scenario, and secondly, the content can unfold organically without a script, which leads to a much more authentic video.
Review/unboxing videos: Audiences value honesty, so you could benefit from sharing your unscripted first impressions during unboxing videos and reviews.
Fitness coaches: Going unscripted with your workout sessions can encourage audience participation by making the content feel more relaxed, authentic, and human.

Tips for unscripted recording

Worried that going unscripted might make your video seem too unstructured, vague, or redundant? Follow these tips:

Prepare some bullet points: Define your objectives and talking points in advance to help you avoid rambling. You can also limit the number of points you cover, or consider making a series of shorter videos so you don’t have to cover everything in one session.
Embrace human moments: Going unscripted means you’ll probably make some minor mistakes or have some candid moments (voice breaking, laughing, etc.). Remember why you’ve chosen to go unscripted – if your audience values authenticity, then these hiccups might actually work in your favour.
You can always edit things out: Not every mistake has to be cut out or re-recorded. Remember that you can always cut out pauses and add captions for clarity when it comes to editing your video.

When to script and when to freestyle

You may still be a bit confused as to whether you should script your videos or not, so here’s a quick run-down of what we recommend:

Use a script for:

Complex information: Things like training tutorials, educational videos, and technical demos – basically, anything that requires 100% accurate information.
High-stakes marketing: Product launches and commercials may require you to hit a number of specific pain points and benefits within a strict time limit. There are probably multiple people working on the same project, and you might want to check in advance for legal signoff. All this means a script is the best way to go.
Brand consistency: Corporate videos usually require a brand-specific tone of voice and messaging, so it’s best to stick to a script in this case.
If you’re not a confident speaker: If public speaking isn’t your forte or you don’t feel confident on camera, you might benefit from using a teleprompter. This way, you can read your script from the screen without having to think on the spot.

Go unscripted for:

Lifestyle content: Behind-the-scenes content, day-in-the-life vlogs, and travel videos will all benefit from unscripted content that feels human.
Casual social updates: Quickly-made, off-the-cuff TikToks and Instagram stories tend to outperform more in-depth, polished content.
Unboxing videos and testimonials: Audiences want to see genuine reactions and hear authentic reviews – this is much easier to achieve without a script.

Questions to consider

What is your goal? Are you educating your community, trying to sell something, or just trying to build a community? Complex information requires a script, while relationship-building will benefit from spontaneity.
How experienced are you or your on-screen talent? Seasoned presenters will usually handle a script well, while subject-matter experts often work better with bullet points or a guided conversation.
What does your audience want? Will your viewers prefer a polished, professional video, or something raw and authentic?
What is your budget and timeline? Scripts require some preparation time, but unscripted content usually takes longer to edit.
Where will the video be posted? Short-form social platforms generally favour unscripted, low-production-value clips, whereas professional websites, webinars, and online courses may require the clarity of a script.

Semi-scripted videos: the best of both worlds

When in doubt, take a hybrid approach – this will give you the structure of a script without having to prepare the entire thing in advance. Consider writing a few bullet points or a loose outline to guide you through the content. You can either keep these in front of you on a physical list while recording, or on a free teleprompter app like Teleprompter Pro.

Scripted Vs. Unscripted Videos: Which Is Right For You?