Picking a Storytelling Framework for your Video Script

An important part of video pre-production is video script writing. But how to turn the piles of research you already have on the topic into a comprehensive and flowing script? Fortunately, experts in storytelling have provided valuable insights into crafting engaging narratives. These insights have been boiled down into storytelling frameworks.

In this article, we'll introduce the most common Video Script Frameworks, which are also available on Maekersuite’s Script Writer. These frameworks offer a structured approach to script writing, providing a storyline that is proven to captivate audiences and assisting you in organising your writing process.

Maekersuite is a video pre-production tool that helps you research and write your scripts to set your video projects up for success. We use data and AI to generate the best possible support for you on your video creation journey. We aim to re-balance your time used in the video pre-production process away from typing, and towards more creative thinking.

Let’s look into the most common video script frameworks…

AIDA

The AIDA storytelling framework is a classic model used in marketing and advertising to capture an audience's attention and guide them towards taking a desired action.

Structure

Attention: Capture the audience's attention with a great statement.

Interest: Present intriguing information or benefits to build interest.

Desire: Build desire and emotion by emphasising value and benefits.

Action: Encourage a specific action, using calls-to-action (CTAs).

PASTOR

The PASTOR storytelling framework is another method used primarily in marketing and copywriting to craft messages that resonate with the audience and persuade them to take action. The acronym PASTOR stands for Problem, Amplify, Story and Solution, Transformation, Offer, and Response.

Structure

Problem: Identify the audience's problem to connect and empathise with their challenges.

Amplify: Highlight the consequences of not solving the problem to motivate seeking a solution.

Story and Solution: Share a success story and introduce your product or service as the solution.

Transformation: Describe the positive changes and benefits your solution brings.

Offer: Present a clear, compelling offer detailing the features, advantages, and benefits.

Response: Ask for a specific action with a clear call to action (CTA).

5Cs

The Five C's of Storytelling is a framework designed to help storytellers craft compelling narratives by ensuring their stories contain five key elements: Context, Conflict, Climax, Conclusion, and Change.

Structure

Context: Sets the stage with information on setting, characters, and initial situation.

Conflict: Introduces challenges for the characters to overcome, driving the story through tension.

Climax: The story's emotional and dramatic turning point, leading to a decisive confrontation or action.

Conclusion: Resolves conflicts, answers questions, and provides closure, leaving the audience satisfied.

Change: Shows the characters/situations transformation, highlighting development and growth.

SPIN

The SPIN storytelling framework, originally derived from SPIN Selling, is a technique developed by Neil Rackham in the 1980s for creating persuasive sales presentations. While it's primarily a sales methodology, its principles can also be applied to storytelling, especially in contexts where the goal is to persuade or influence the audience. The acronym SPIN stands for Situation, Problem, Implication, and Need-payoff, each representing a stage in the conversation or narrative designed to lead the audience towards a desired conclusion or action.

Structure

Situation: Establish the scene or context, setting up the current state and background.

Problem: Identify and highlight a specific challenge or issue that needs resolution, creating urgency.

Implication: Explore the broader consequences of the problem if unresolved, increasing the desire for a solution.

Need-payoff: Present a solution that addresses the problem and its implications, showing how it leads to positive outcomes.

WWH

The Why-What-How framework streamlines educational content to boost engagement and understanding. It kicks off with 'Why', emphasizing the topic's relevance to spark learners' interest. 'What' follows, detailing the essential information and concepts in a clear, organized manner. 'How' rounds out the framework, showing these concepts in action with practical examples, linking theory directly to practice. This approach not only deepens comprehension but also highlights the real-world value of the learning material, making it a top choice for educators looking to deliver impactful, memorable lessons.

Structure

Why (Context and Relevance): Highlight the topic's importance to engage the audience by showing its relevance to their lives.

What (Information and Concepts): Introduce essential knowledge, organizing it clearly to ensure learners grasp the topic comprehensively.

How (Application and Examples): Show how concepts work in real life with case studies or exercises, making theory practical.

Examples (Illustration and Engagement): Use examples to clarify concepts and enhance engagement, making ideas more relatable.

Recap (Summary and Reinforcement): Summarize key points to reinforce learning, ensuring clear understanding of the topic.

Product review

A product review framework involves blending informative content with a narrative that engages the reader. This approach makes the review more relatable and memorable.

Structure

Introduction: Begin with a captivating hook and provide an overview of the topic.

Background: Introduce the problem that the product solves to set the scene, followed by specifics regarding the product.

First Impressions: Describe your initial reactions upon seeing, holding, and unboxing the product.

Features and Functionality: Evaluate the key features and assess how effectively it functions as a solution for the intended problem.

Personal Experience: Share your personal experiences using the product and discuss how it serves your needs.

Pros and Cons: Provide a list of the advantages and disadvantages of the product.

Conclusion: Summarize your overall experience and opinion of the product, and offer recommendations for the types of users the product would serve best.

Picking a framework

Now you know the basics of all of these frameworks and the next step is to decide which one you should go for. Here is a quick overview of use cases for these frameworks.

AIDA is a good place to start. This is one of the most commonly used frameworks on Youtube and there is a reason for it. It is easy to comprehend and fits well for a variety of content.

PASTOR is the perfect one to go for if you have a clear problem you are addressing in your video. A good script with PASTOR framework starts with a strong and compelling problem that your audience recognizes.

5Cs is the ideal framework for you if you have a story to tell. Something with a beginning and end that moves on a timeline or can be explained in a linear way. 5C has been designed to keep your audience engaged throughout the story.

SPIN is an ideal framework if your goal is to persuade or influence your audience.

‍WWH is a framework that was originally designed for educational purposes making it the perfect framework if you are creating educational content.

Product Review framework is, you guessed it, for product reviews. This framework works well if you want to review anything from products to travel destinations and best coffee spots.

Conclusions

These frameworks are a great way to get started in your script writing process. Using these frameworks that are known to work and bring your story to life helps you structure your scripts and further create more engaging videos. Using Maekersuite you get to select which one of the introduced frameworks you would like to use.

But in the end, remember that writing a script is like art. It’s good to know the rules and frameworks but the real talent is breaking the rules with intention. Finding your style is testing out different things and Maekersuite can help you in that.

Test Maekersuite for free today.

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