Teleprompter / Free tools / Words in a 1-minute script
Words in a 1-minute script
About 120 to 180 words. A conversational piece to camera at 140 words a minute is about 140 words; a brisk voiceover at 150, about 150. Most one-minute videos read best at 130 to 150 words.
On this page
Words by pace
| Kind of read | Sample pace (words a minute) | Words in 1 minute |
|---|---|---|
| Keynote | 120 | 120 |
| Self-tape | 130 | 130 |
| Piece to camera | 140 | 140 |
| Voiceover | 150 | 150 |
| Commercial read | 165 | 165 |
| Fast read | 180 | 180 |
These are sample paces: our own starting points for each kind of read, and no study measured them as averages. Your pace is your own, and the reading pace test gives it to you in a minute. Then the budget is your pace × 1.
What usually runs a minute
| Job | Words to aim for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A social video or reel | 130 to 150 | Fast enough to hold attention, slow enough to follow |
| An elevator pitch | 120 to 140 | It is spoken to a person, so it is conversational |
| A product or feature intro | 140 to 150 | One feature, one benefit, one ask |
| A self-introduction for a job or a casting | 120 to 130 | Room to smile, room to breathe |
How a minute divides
| Part | Time | Words at 140 a minute |
|---|---|---|
| The hook: why watch | 0 to 8 s | About 19 |
| The point, with one example | 8 to 48 s | About 93 |
| The ask | 48 to 58 s | About 23 |
| A beat to end on | 58 to 60 s | None |
One example beats three. The example is what people remember.
Check yours
Paste the script into the script timer and pick the kind of read. If it runs over, cut the middle first: the hook and the ask are what the minute is for. If you are not sure of your pace, the reading pace test takes a minute.
Reading a one-minute piece
- Learn the first line. Look into the lens for it, then let the prompter carry the rest.
- Set the speed slightly slow. A minute goes fast on camera, and rushing is the common fault.
- Record two takes back to back. The second is usually better, and it costs a minute.
- Caption it. Most social video is watched on mute. Cutvey Teleprompter exports an .srt in your own words, timed from the scroll.
Other lengths
30 seconds · 2 minutes · 3 minutes · 5 minutes · 10 minutes
Speaking rate, explained · All free tools
Questions people ask
How long is a 150-word script?
About a minute at 150 words a minute, 64 seconds at 140 and 75 seconds at 120.
How many words is a 90-second video?
About 180 to 270 words: 195 at 130 words a minute, 210 at 140 and 248 at 165.
How do I make a one-minute script shorter?
Cut the middle first, keep one example, and keep the hook and the ask whole.