Video Ad Script: How to Write One That Sells Your App
A video ad script is the ad written down, beat by beat: what is seen and heard each second. For an app, write four beats: a hook about the viewer, the app's proof, the offer, one ask. Put every line on screen too, because most feeds play muted.12
Video ad scriptIn short
- The shape: TikTok's is "Have a hook, highlight your unique selling points, and end with a clear call-to-action."1
- The first seconds: Google says to open "with a problem statement and show how your product or service solves it".3
- One message: Google's ABCDs: "Focus the message: Avoid doing too much in your ad."4
- Sound off: Meta, "make sure to express your message visually".2
What goes in a video ad script?
Two columns and a clock. For each beat, write what is on screen and what is heard, and the second it starts:
| Second | On screen | Heard |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 1 | The hook, in a few words | The same line, spoken |
| 1 to 8 | The app proving it, on its real screen | One sentence on what changed |
| 8 to 12 | The offer: free, a trial, a price | The offer, said once |
| 12 to 15 | One button and your name | The ask |
Each beat has one job. If a line does two jobs, give it two beats, or cut one.
How should a video ad script start?
With the viewer, not the logo. The platforms disagree on details but agree on speed:
- TikTok: "Introduce your content proposition in the first 3 seconds" and put the hook in the first 6.1 Its guide adds: "Pro tip: Skip long intros or logo animations."5
- Google: "Captivate people in the first 5-10 seconds of the ad with a problem statement and show how your product or service solves it."3
- Snapchat: a "Hero" message in the opening frame, and an offer that "usually works best between seconds 2 and 3".6
- LinkedIn: "Show the most impactful content in the first 10 seconds of your video".7
On the logo, they differ. Google's creative guidance counts it as a strength when an ad "Shows a prominent brand logo in the first 5 seconds".8 TikTok says to skip logo intros.5 Put your name on screen early, small, and lead with the line.
How many words fit in a video ad script?
Fewer than you think. For text on screen, TikTok recommends "5-10 words per second".1 A 15 second ad with on-screen text in every beat holds about four short lines, one per beat.
Google's tip works for any length: "if your ad can convey the same message in 20 seconds than in 30, consider editing a shorter version."9
How should a video ad script end?
On one ask, seen and heard. Google: "Echo the call-to-action in the voiceover or include it in superimposed graphics."3 TikTok: "Show the CTA visually and in your voiceover".5
For an app, the ask is the store button's own words: Download, Get, Play. Say the offer just before it, so the ask lands on a reason.
What does a 15 second script look like?
Here is one of our ads written back out as its script:
And the same ad as frames, second by second:
Every beat has one job, every line is on screen, and the only button is the last thing seen.
How do you write a video ad script for your app?
- Write the one sentence: after this ad, the viewer understands that ___.
- Write the hook as a line about the viewer: a want, a doubt, a question.
- Pick the proof screen: the moment your app shows the result.
- Write the offer exactly as your store page or site states it.
- Write the ask in your button's own words.
- Read it against a clock. If it runs long, cut a beat, not the pace.
With 10xvid, the script is the blueprint. Paste your App Store link or website into the chat. It reads your site and writes who the ad is for, the story in order, why they act and how it looks. Change any line, or say it in the chat, and the film follows.10
Where 10xvid fits
10xvid, motion graphics ads for apps, turns that script into the film. Every line is set as type over your real screens, with a voice and music, in 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9.10 Motion V1 reads each film frame by frame and judges it at 8 of 10 before you see it.10
The first ad is free, with no card: make your first ad. For hooks in more ads, see video ad examples for apps.
Questions about video ad scripts
How long should a video ad script be?
As long as the ad: four beats for 15 seconds. Cut to 20 seconds if the message fits, as Google advises for 30 second ads.9
How do you start a video ad script?
With the viewer's problem or the result, in the first seconds. Google says to open with a problem statement; TikTok, with the proposition in 3 seconds.31
Should the call to action be spoken or shown?
Both. Google and TikTok each advise the ask on screen and in the voiceover.35
What is the best structure for a video ad script?
Hook, proof, offer, ask: TikTok's "hook, highlight your unique selling points, and end with a clear call-to-action".1
- TikTok Ads Manager help, "Creative best practices for performance ads" (ads.tiktok.com/help/article/creative-best-practices), read on 25 October 2026. ↩
- Meta for Business, "Updated features for video ads" (facebook.com/business/news/updated-features-for-video-ads), undated, read on 25 October 2026. ↩
- Google Ads Help, video campaigns optimized for conversions (support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9424882), read on 25 October 2026. ↩
- Google Ads Help, "About the ABCDs of effective video ads" (support.google.com/google-ads/answer/14783551), read on 25 October 2026. ↩
- TikTok for Business, "Video advertising guide" (ads.tiktok.com/business/en/guides/video-advertising-guide), read on 25 October 2026. ↩
- Snapchat Business Help Center, best practices for Single Image or Video ads (businesshelp.snapchat.com/s/article/snap-ads-practices), read on 25 October 2026. ↩
- LinkedIn Help, video ads (linkedin.com/help/lms/answer/a423762), read on 25 October 2026. ↩
- Google Ads Help, creative guidance (support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13812351), read on 25 October 2026. ↩
- Google Ads Help, tips for video campaigns (support.google.com/google-ads/answer/3013684), read on 25 October 2026. ↩
- 10xvid.com/engine, read on 25 October 2026. ↩
