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Scripted vs unscripted videos

by Sam Smith
6 replies
Hey,

What does everyone think of this?

There are big arguments both for and against....



For scripted:

- The most successful launch ever used scripted and well produced videos (StomperNet).
- You can deliver your message really well.
- People are less likely to bounce (I assume) as you get to the point rather than just umm and arrr.



Against:
- You build a lot more bonding and trust. Look at Jmo, Kern, etc!
- You're selling your character more not just your message.
- You can still be well prepared and have notes.




Personally, I'm launching a content-first sales funnel (reverse opt in), and I want to deliver a really high quality of content. This means doing everything right, including the special-fx intro I've done... but when it comes to the actual vid, I don't know whether I should just practice, have notes and then let it roll; going for the amateur effect, or whether I should script and edit it well.

For anyone thinking "split test": I may eventually end up doing this, but it's quite a substantial time investment making two versions of a big video.



I keep thinking of conflicting examples of really successful people: so modelling people doesn't work all that well. This will be for the dating niche. StomperNet and David DeAngelo/Eben Pagan are two of the uber-successful types, and they both have everything scripted word for word - but there are also super charismatic people who deliberately underplay it. (Kern, JMo, etc.)

Thoughts?


P.S: Don't you just hate waking up at 5am and not getting back to sleep?
#scripted #unscripted #videos
  • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
    It depends on the brand you're trying to create.

    I usually put focus on the content and don't spend the time on making it look nice. I'm not normal though I tend to want to sell my information products as cheaply as possible so I purposely don't spend time on things which I'd feel would justify making the price higher. I don't script anything and I don't post edit. I just press record and do my thing then press stop.

    This may sound sloppy but I've always had excellent feedback because people appreciate the content and why I haven't done anything fancy.

    I have done it properly in the past also, but only if I need to use it in many contexts.

    Andy
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    nothing to see here.

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  • Profile picture of the author Rich Struck
    A video that is too scripted can sound wooden & phony while one that isn't can tend to wander and go off track. A good compromise would be to use bullet points and talk a bit about each one.

    Also - IMHO - you shouldn't worry so much about what other people have done. Do what feels right for you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Desmond Ong
    Here's my take:

    Scripted video:

    - More professional
    - Professional can also mean "boring"


    Unscripted video:

    - Personalities are shown in your videos (like you said, Kern and Uncle mofo)
    - Not so boring.



    I actually tested both of these where I have one product where all the videos in it are scripted and voice-over by a man with amazing voice as well as American accent.

    Another product of mine is voiced by me (for those who didn't know, I'm from Malaysia -- so my english is a little weird).

    The refund rate for the first product (voiced over by an american) is way higher than the second one.

    So, I personally like implementing a little bit of my personality in all my products.
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  • Profile picture of the author tessmac9708
    I personally hate "amateur videos" unless of course you really do have a very engaging personality on camera.

    Amateur video = Amateur product, certainly in terms of customer perception. There are exceptions of course.

    Graham
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Sam, there is a way to test your method before going full out.

      Make two short videos, one free-wheeling and the other tightly scripted. Upload them to YouTube, publicize them a bit, and watch for reactions. If you have a Twitter or Facebook account, ask for feedback.

      Not as scientific as a true split test, but if the results skew heavily one way or the other you'll have some insight.

      For that matter, just watching both versions yourself might give you your answer.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steven Carl Kelly
    I use both scripted and unscripted videos, however even my unscripted videos are scripted.
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