ChatGPT Prompts for YouTube Scripts (2026): 20+ Tested Prompts

You are a YouTube scriptwriter who has studied the top 100 videos in the [NICHE] niche.

Topic: [TOPIC]
Working title: [TITLE]
Target audience: [WHO IS WATCHING]
Video length: [LENGTH IN MINUTES]

Write 10 hook options for the first 15 seconds of this video.
Constraints:
- Each hook is 2 sentences max.
- No "hey guys", no "in this video", no self-introduction.
- Use one of these openers: a result, a counterintuitive claim, a specific pain point, a number, or a direct question.
- Label each hook with the opener type used.

Return as a numbered list with the opener type in parentheses after the hook.

Here is the opening 30 seconds of a YouTube video that performed well in my niche:

"""
[PASTE TRANSCRIPT OF FIRST 30 SECONDS]
"""

1. Identify the hook structure used (open loop, contrarian claim, before/after, problem statement, etc.).
2. Identify the rhetorical devices (specific numbers, sensory language, curiosity gaps).
3. Write 5 new hooks for my topic "[TOPIC]" using the same structure but with completely different wording.
4. Briefly explain what each hook borrows from the original.

Write 5 opening hooks for a YouTube listicle video.

Topic: [TOPIC]
Number of items: [N]
Standout item: item #[X] — [WHY IT'S SURPRISING]

Each hook must:
- Tease item #[X] without naming it.
- Promise that the order is intentional (not random).
- Be under 20 words.
- Avoid the phrase "you won't believe".

Return only the hooks, no explanation.

I'm writing a YouTube video about [TOPIC]. Here is the personal story behind it:

"""
[3-5 SENTENCES OF YOUR STORY — what happened, when, what changed]
"""

Write 5 cold-open hooks (first 10 seconds, spoken in first person) that:
- Drop the viewer into the most dramatic moment of the story.
- End on a tension-building line that makes them need to know what happened next.
- Avoid summarizing the whole video.

For each hook, explain what tension it creates.

My YouTube video hook is:
"""
[HOOK]
"""

The promise to the viewer is: [ONE-SENTENCE PROMISE].
Video length target: [LENGTH] minutes.
Audience: [WHO].

Build a section-by-section outline that delivers on that promise.
Constraints:
- 4-7 sections total, each 60-180 seconds.
- For each section, give: section title, the single point being made, the proof (data, example, demo) used, and a transition line to the next section.
- Cut anything that doesn't directly support the hook's promise.
- Flag any section that risks audience drop-off and explain why.

I am writing a tutorial video on: [TASK].
Skill level of viewer: [BEGINNER / INTERMEDIATE / ADVANCED].
Tools or context the viewer already has: [LIST].

Produce a tutorial outline with:
1. A 30-second context bridge after the hook.
2. Numbered steps (each step = one screen action or one decision).
3. For each step: the action, why it matters, the most common mistake, and a 1-sentence on-screen text overlay.
4. A "what to do if this doesn't work" troubleshooting block.
5. A closing recap with a single next action.

Keep each step under 90 seconds of speaking time (~200 words).

Here is my draft outline:
"""
[PASTE OUTLINE]
"""

Audit it for retention risk:
1. Mark every point where I go more than 90 seconds without a pattern interrupt.
2. Suggest a specific pattern interrupt at each mark (cut to B-roll, on-screen stat, direct question to viewer, format switch, callback to the hook).
3. Identify any section that explains *what* without ever showing *how* — those are usually drop-off zones.
4. Suggest one mid-video tease (around the 40-50% mark) that pulls viewers to the end.

Here are my raw notes for a YouTube video:
"""
[PASTE BULLETS]
"""

1. Group these notes into 3-6 thematic sections.
2. Order the sections so each one earns the next (cause → effect, problem → solution, simple → complex).
3. For each section, write: the section heading, the single most important point, and the strongest example or stat from my notes.
4. Flag any bullet that doesn't fit and explain why I should cut it.
5. Suggest one section I'm missing that the audience would expect.

My video is about: [TOPIC].
The audience is: [WHO].
At the 50% mark, I want to ask one question that gets thoughtful comments.

Write 5 mid-video CTAs that:
- Ask one specific question (not "what do you think?").
- Tie directly to the section the viewer just watched.
- Give 2-3 example answer formats so people don't have to think from scratch.
- Stay under 25 words each.

For each, explain what kind of comments it will produce.

My channel is about: [CHANNEL TOPIC].
The video the viewer just watched: [THIS VIDEO TOPIC].
The specific transformation a subscriber gets over time: [WHAT THEY LEARN OR ACHIEVE].

Write 5 outro subscribe CTAs that:
- Reference what they just watched (not "if you liked this video").
- Promise a specific recurring value, not "more videos like this".
- Mention one upcoming or related video by name.
- Are 30-45 seconds when read aloud (~80-100 words).

Avoid: "smash the like button", "ring the bell", "comment below".

The video I want to send viewers to next is: [NEXT VIDEO TITLE].
That video covers: [ONE-LINE SUMMARY].
The viewer just watched a video about: [CURRENT VIDEO TOPIC].

Write a 15-20 second end-screen pitch that:
- Names the specific problem the next video solves.
- Connects it to what they just learned.
- Ends 5 seconds before the end screen so the cards display silently.
- Avoids the words "check out", "go watch", "I made another video".

Return 3 versions in different tones: matter-of-fact, urgent, and curiosity-based.

Here is the script section that lost the most viewers in my last video (drop from [X]% to [Y]% retention):
"""
[PASTE SCRIPT EXCERPT]
"""

Audience: [WHO].
Video topic: [TOPIC].

1. List the 3 most likely reasons viewers dropped off here (be specific to the words used, not generic).
2. Rewrite this section in 3 different ways that fix those reasons.
3. For each rewrite, explain which retention failure it addresses.
4. Suggest where in the section a pattern interrupt would have helped.

Here is my YouTube script draft:
"""
[PASTE DRAFT]
"""

Cut this script by 20% without losing any substantive point.
Rules:
- Remove filler phrases ("basically", "essentially", "what I mean is").
- Collapse any sentence that restates the previous one.
- Cut adjectives that don't change meaning.
- Keep every example, stat and story beat.
- Mark each cut with [CUT: reason] so I can review.

Return the trimmed script and a count of words removed.

Here is a YouTube script that sounds AI-generated:
"""
[PASTE SCRIPT]
"""

Rewrite it so it sounds like a human creator speaking, specifically:
- Replace all "delve", "dive into", "in today's video", "let's explore", "the world of", "moreover", "furthermore", "in conclusion".
- Use contractions everywhere (I'm, you'll, don't, here's).
- Replace abstract nouns with concrete examples (instead of "engagement strategies" → "the question I ask at minute 4").
- Break sentences over 25 words into 2-3 short ones.
- Keep all factual content and structure.

Return the rewrite and a 5-bullet list of the patterns you replaced most.

Here is a section written in essay style:
"""
[PASTE PROSE]
"""

Rewrite it for spoken delivery on YouTube:
- Use sentence fragments where natural.
- Add one rhetorical question every 200 words to break monotony.
- Replace any sentence I would not actually say out loud.
- Mark spots for breath / pause with [BEAT].
- Mark spots that need a B-roll or visual with [B-ROLL: description].

Read it back to me as a script with stage directions inline.

Here is my full draft:
"""
[PASTE FULL DRAFT]
"""

Audit the script for promise-coherence:
1. State the promise the hook makes (in your own words).
2. List every section and rate (1-5) how directly it delivers on that promise.
3. Identify the single biggest digression and explain its cost.
4. Confirm whether the outro CTA pays off the hook's promise or introduces a new one.
5. Give one structural change that would tighten the through-line.

I want you to act as a YouTube scriptwriter specialized in [NICHE].

Use the following permanent context for every script we write together:
- Audience: [DEMOGRAPHICS, EXPERIENCE LEVEL, MOTIVATIONS]
- Audience pain points: [3-5 SPECIFIC PAIN POINTS]
- Audience language patterns: [PHRASES THEY USE, PHRASES THEY DON'T]
- My channel's voice: [3 ADJECTIVES + 1 EXAMPLE LINE I'D ACTUALLY SAY]
- Forbidden phrases: [LIST]
- Top 3 outlier videos in this niche right now: [TITLES + ONE-LINE WHY THEY WORKED]

Confirm you understand by:
1. Restating the audience in one paragraph.
2. Writing one sample hook that proves you got the voice.
3. Listing 5 angles I haven't covered that fit this audience.

Then wait for the topic of the first script.

Here is a script written for an on-camera creator:
"""
[PASTE SCRIPT]
"""

Adapt it for a faceless YouTube channel where:
- All visuals are stock footage, screen recordings, or AI-generated.
- The narrator is a single voice with no on-screen presence.
- The audience expects information density over personality.

Changes to make:
- Replace any reference to facial expression, body language, or "look at this".
- Replace personal anecdotes with sourced facts or examples.
- Add visual cue notes [VISUAL: ...] where the original relied on the creator's presence.
- Tighten pacing — faceless audiences tolerate less filler.

Return the adapted script with visual cues inline.

Here is the strongest 60-second segment of my long-form video:
"""
[PASTE TRANSCRIPT]
"""

Convert it into a 45-second YouTube Short script:
- Hook in the first 2 seconds (max 8 words).
- Vertical-friendly visual structure (one idea per cut).
- One clear takeaway, not three.
- A loop-back final line that makes viewers rewatch.
- A single call to action: watch the full video, with a one-line tease of what they'll get.

Return: the script, the on-screen text overlays, and 3 alternative hooks.

Here is a script that worked for [ORIGINAL AUDIENCE]:
"""
[PASTE SCRIPT]
"""

Adapt it for [NEW AUDIENCE] where:
- Cultural references different: [ORIGINAL → REPLACE WITH]
- Currency / units / examples: [ORIGINAL → REPLACE WITH]
- Tone shift: [e.g., more formal, more casual, more direct]
- Forbidden references / sensitivities: [LIST]

Rules:
- Keep the structure and hook strategy.
- Replace every specific example with one resonant for the new audience.
- Flag anything you couldn't confidently localize and explain why.

Return the adapted script and a list of every substitution you made.