Writing Engaging Scripts For Brand Awareness Campaigns

I'm not a scriptwriting guru, but I've analyzed $2M+ in DTC ad spend, and these patterns separate brands that scale from brands that struggle. The scripts that work don't sound like scripts. They sound like your best friend telling you about something that changed their life. "This serum literally saved my skin" beats "Our clinically-proven peptide complex delivers results." Every winning script follows the same playbook: Start with a problem they're obsessing over. Make them nod before you sell anything. Speak like a human, not a Harvard MBA. Show proof from real people. Address the voice in their head saying "but what if..." End with one simple action, not a corporate dissertation. Brands crushing it? Their ads feel like testimonials from friends. The ones burning cash? Still writing like they're pitching investors. If your scripts sound like they came from a boardroom instead of a group chat... That's your problem. Write like you talk. Sell like you care. Which script style is your brand using?

I woke up at 6am the last 14 days to write documentation. My goal was simple. Document every single creative thing we do at Odyssey. The most important document? The 10 creative commandments. Let’s break them down. 1. Understand specifically who the creative is for You need to understand who they are and where they are in the buying process. Who they are: - Demographics - Their problem or desired outcome - What they are influenced by Where they are in the buying process: - Completely Unaware - Problem Aware - Solution Aware - Product Aware - Most Aware 2. Find the single most compelling insight Find it from past performance, competitive research, or customer reviews. 3. Use a storytelling framework Always use a storytelling framework as the foundation: - QUEST - Enemy - PAS - Outcome - AIDA 4. Leverage consumer psychology and the 7 human desires The 7 human desires are some form of: - Convenience / comfort - Social approval - Longer life span - Romantic companionship - Higher status in society - Protection of loved ones - Freedom from fear or pain These are the reasons why people buy things. 5. Write in the audience’s language Don’t write like a brand. Write in the audience’s language. How? - Find the words and phrases the actual customer uses - Be as SPECIFIC as humanly possible - Use numbers 6. Use references to accelerate the creation process A hero reference accelerates the creation process: - Make it easier to write your script / storyboard - Makes the creation process easier for the creator - Makes the editing process easier for the editor Utilize Foreplay to easily find, organize, and share creative references. 7. Respect the attention of your audience “If there is ever a hint of boredom, I cut it.” - Mr. Beast. Your competition for attention is one swipe away. Your audience does not have time to waste. Don’t make boring ads. 8. Start with the most compelling thing Mr. Beast uses the Inverted Storytelling technique in every video. This means that he shows a peek of the end result right in the beginning. With an ad, you have 1 second to capture attention. Stop thinking chronologically. Then tell the story you want to tell. 9. Show undeniable proof of the outcome The viewer is skeptical. You need to show undeniable proof that your product solves the problem / delivers the dream outcome that you claim. 10. Show macro shots to allow viewer to shop the product Think about when you shop for t-shirts in a store. You probably touch and feel the shirts to get an understanding of the quality of the material and how comfortable it will be. You need to recreate that experience with your digital ads. --- Those are my 10 creative commandments. What do you think I missed?

I've always loved to write. It's become one of my favorite aspects of what we do at TGC. We're currently scripting a hero video for the team at American Reserves, LLC and I can't help but get lost in the work. I'm loving the direction we're headed and have high hopes this is going to be a banger. Here's 10 things to consider when writing a script... 1. You have to deeply understand the brand, products, and what separates them from the competition. If you're even 80%, you're not ready to start scripting. 2. You need multiple people - at multiple stages of the process - to be involved to maximize creativity. But you need one person leading the charge to make the script work. 3. There's a LOT of work to do before you start writing. We run through a handful of exercises over the course of a few weeks to help us identify potential concepts & to visualize how they might come to life. 4. Your script writers need to understand budget, timelines, and production capabilities to ensure you can deliver against the ideas & storyboards. They cannot script in a bubble. Get them involved with your production team... and do it sooner than you'd think. 5. Your script writers need to understand WHERE the video will be distributed, played, and watched. This will drastically change the type of hook, messaging, and CTA's baked into the script. 6. Write freely. When you're working on V1 of your script don't worry about anything other than getting as many words, ideas, and phrases on paper. You'll have time to polish it later. 7. Script writing is like smoking BBQ on the Traeger. Slow and low. Take your time and let things sink in. You're first draft is NEVER the finished draft. So write and then move onto something else for a few days. Come back and review with fresh eyes. 8. Read the script out loud. What reads well on paper doesn't always translate well to spoken word. Read out loud over and over and over again. 9. Addition by subtraction is critical. As you make progress throughout the script you'll need to start cutting anything that doesn't move the story forward in an intentional, meaningful way. 10. Pressure test your script with people who are not connected // aware of the brand, typically very critical with their feedback, and who fit the target demo. Do not discredit their feedback. What else would you add here?