How to write a webinar script, with a template

A good webinar script gives you confidence without making you sound like you’re reading the news. It makes sure nothing important gets left out, keeps you on time and ties what you say to what’s on screen. Below you’ll find a webinar script template laid out as an outline with guiding questions you can copy straight into a document, plus advice on writing for the ear and testing your script before the session.

Full script or bullet points?

Both have their place. It comes down to how you speak best and what kind of session you’re running.

A sensible middle path is to write out the opening, the transitions and the close in full, and use detailed bullet points for the main section. The first and last minutes feel far more assured when every word is settled. If your webinar will be recorded or narrated, a full script throughout is worth the effort, because it lets you plan the running time quite precisely.

Before you start writing

A script comes together quickly once the groundwork is done. Answer these questions in a few sentences each:

• Who’s watching? What do they already know, what are they trying to achieve, and what’s getting in their way?
• What’s the promise? What will people know or be able to do at the end? If you’re unsure, read how to choose a webinar topic first.
• What are your key points? Two to four ideas people should remember.
• How long will it run? Fix the length before you write. The article on how long a webinar should be can help.
• Is there an offer? If so, what exactly, at what price, and who is it for?

The template with guiding questions

Copy the outline below into your editor and fill it in section by section. The timings are shares of the total length and only a rough guide. Drop any section you don’t need, such as the offer in a purely educational session.

Section 1 Welcome (around 5 per cent)

• What’s your first line, without a long warm-up?
• What’s the promise of this session in one sentence?
• How long will it take, and what happens in what order?
• Are you letting people know there’ll be an offer at the end?
• Where and how can viewers ask questions?

Section 2 Introduction (around 5 per cent)

• Why do you know this particular problem well?
• Which parts of your background matter to this audience, and which can you leave out?
• Is every claim you make about yourself accurate and backed up?

Section 3 The problem (around 10 per cent)

• How does your audience describe the problem in their own words?
• What have they probably tried already, and why wasn’t it enough?
• What everyday moment makes the problem feel real?

Section 4 Main content (around 50 per cent)

One block per key point:

• What is the point in a single sentence?
• How will you explain it so a beginner can follow?
• What concrete example shows it in action? One good example beats three assertions.
• What can someone do straight afterwards?
• Which sentence sums up the block and leads into the next?

Section 5 Recap (around 5 per cent)

• Which two to four points should everyone take away?
• What first step can anyone take, even without buying anything?

Section 6 Transition and offer (around 15 per cent, if relevant)

• Which sentence links what people have learned to the next step?
• What exactly do buyers get, in what format and for how long?
• Who is the offer for, and who is it explicitly not for?
• What’s the full price? Are there subscription terms, cancellation or refund rules?
• What happens after someone clicks the link?
• Are all the deadlines and numbers you mention actually true?

For this stage in more detail, see the guide to sales webinar structure.

Section 7 Q&A and close (around 10 per cent)

• Which three questions come up almost every time, and what are your short answers?
• What will you say if you don’t know an answer?
• How will you sign off, and which next step will you repeat?

Writing for the ear

A script is heard, not read. That changes the language more than most people expect.

• Short sentences. One sentence, one idea. Long, nested sentences that work on paper lose listeners by the second clause.
• Verbs over nouns. “When you ask your customers” sounds livelier than “Through the process of customer consultation”.
• Repetition is allowed. What would be redundant on the page helps a listener. State the key point at the start and the end of each block.
• Make numbers easy to say. Write “just under three hundred pounds” rather than “£297.90” when the exact figure doesn’t matter. If it does matter, show it on the slide as well.
• Spell out abbreviations. If you wouldn’t say it aloud that way, don’t write it that way.
• Mark stage directions. Put cues such as [slide 7], [pause] or [point to the link] in square brackets. You’ll know at a glance what to do while you’re speaking.
• Write out your transitions. Lines like “That brings us to the second point” look unremarkable, but they help the audience keep their bearings.

Matching script and slides

Slides show, the script tells. If you read out what’s on the slide, people get bored, because they read faster than you speak. Keep slides lean, with one idea, image or number each, and leave the explaining to your voice.

A two-column table works well. Put the slide number and a keyword on the left and the words you’ll say on the right. You’ll spot straight away where a slide stays up too long or where you’re talking over nothing. As a rule of thumb, if you speak to one slide for more than a minute or so, check whether a change of screen would help.

Editing and rehearsing

Your first script is a draft. These steps turn it into a good one:

1. Read it aloud. Rewrite every spot where you stumble, especially long sentences and unfamiliar words.
2. Time yourself. Measure the real running time. If you’re well over, cut rather than speed up.
3. Keep a cut list. Mark everything that’s merely “nice to know”. Those lines go first.
4. Check your facts. Every number, quote and claim about results must be accurate and verifiable.
5. Borrow a pair of ears. Read the script to someone from your target audience, or send them a recording. Ask where their attention drifted.

If you plan to show the finished session as an automated webinar on a schedule, a clean script pays off twice. Recording goes faster, and later edits can be pinned to specific passages. For the full process from topic to first session, see the guide to creating a webinar in nine steps.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a script for a 45-minute webinar?

That depends on your speaking pace. In a calm presentation, many people speak at very roughly 120 to 150 words per minute. For 45 minutes, allowing for demos and questions, that’s somewhere around 4,500 to 6,500 words. Record a test run to find your own pace.

Can I go off script?

Yes, and it’s often a good thing. The script protects your structure. If a better example occurs to you or a chat question needs attention right now, go with it, then return to the outline.

How do I avoid sounding like I’m reading?

Write the way you talk, rehearse aloud several times and mark emphasis and pauses. Many presenters sound more natural when they know the opening and transitions almost by heart and glance at bullet points for the main section.

Do I need a new script for every webinar?

Not necessarily. If you run the same topic regularly, revise the script you have. Good reasons to revise are questions that keep coming up, or points where a lot of viewers drop off.

The short version

A webinar script isn’t something to read out. It’s a plan for speaking. Settle your audience, promise and key points first, fill in the template section by section, and write the way you talk. Reading aloud, timing yourself and cutting hard will turn a rough draft into a script that carries you calmly through the session.