# TikTok Script: How to Write the Hook and a 30-Second Video

> Write a TikTok script that holds: 7 or 8 words for the hook, about 75 spoken words for 30 seconds, one point, a new shot every few seconds and a loop to end.

Source: https://hidengpt.com/write/tiktok-script

# I need a TikTok script that gets to the point before people scroll away.

Bring one point, the shot you'll open on and one true detail. HidenGPT's Video script format, set to Shorts / Reels / TikTok, turns 30 seconds into about 75 spoken words: a hook in the opening 3 seconds, one message with a new picture every few seconds, and an ending that loops back or asks a question.

Updated October 10, 2026 · by the HidenGPT team

Try it with your own details

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## How to do it in HidenGPT

- 01 Write the one point of the video in a single sentence; if it needs the word “also”, you have two videos, so save one for later.
- 02 Video script is already picked on this page with Format on Shorts / Reels / TikTok and Duration on 30 sec; switch to 15, 45, 60 or 90 if the idea needs it, and add your audience and a tone such as Energetic or Witty.
- 03 Type the point, the picture you'll open on and one true detail (a number, a price, a mistake) into the main box, and under More details pick a hook style or leave it on Auto.
- 04 Read the hook out loud on its own, and if it takes longer than about 3 seconds, ask for “a shorter hook, under 8 words”.
- 05 Film with the script beside the camera, say it in your own words where it feels stiff, and line up each [ON-SCREEN TEXT] note with the moment you say it.

[Video / Podcast Script](https://hidengpt.com/tools/video-script): Scripts for YouTube, Reels, TikTok and podcasts, timed to your length.

## Seconds to words: how long a TikTok script is

At about 150 spoken words a minute, the pace HidenGPT uses for English, you get two and a half words a second. The Duration setting turns into these targets: 15 seconds is about 38 words, 30 seconds about 75, 45 seconds (the default) about 113, 60 seconds about 150 and 90 seconds about 225. Bracketed notes like [VISUAL:...] and [ON-SCREEN TEXT:...] don't count, and you get a warning if the spoken lines land more than 30% off.

The hook gets the opening 3 seconds, which is 7 or 8 words. That is the real limit. “So today I want to show you something about my pottery studio” is 12 words and says nothing. “Six of these mugs will crack” is 6 words and gives a reason to stay.

A 30-second, 75-word plan: the hook from 0 to 3 seconds, about 8 words. Three beats from 3 to 25 seconds, about 18 words each and 55 in all, with a new shot or a new caption every 2 or 3 seconds, which is what the format asks for. An ending from 25 to 30 seconds, about 12 words, that runs back into the opening line or asks a question people can answer in a word or two.

## Which length to pick

A rule of thumb, not a platform rule. 15 seconds: one fact, one reaction, one before and after. 30 seconds: one tip with one example. 45 to 60 seconds: a short story with a turn in it, or a how-to with three steps. 90 seconds: only when every beat adds something new. If you can cut a beat and the video still works, cut it and drop a length.

The format writes Shorts, Reels and TikToks the same way, in seconds from 15 to 90. YouTube's help pages describe Shorts as up to 3 minutes long, but if an idea really needs more than 90 seconds, the YouTube video setting with Minutes at 2 or 3 gives you a timestamped script with sections instead. For a paid ad, pick Video ad: it builds the script from a hook, how the product solves the problem, one proof point and a call to action.

## A finished 30-second script, and what came out of it

Here is the pottery request from above as a script, laid out the way the format does it, with the spoken words in quotation marks and the notes in brackets:

[0-3s] “Six of these mugs will crack.” [VISUAL: a tray of 40 raw mugs]

“I throw about forty a week, and each one dries for seven days.” [ON-SCREEN TEXT: 3 weeks, wheel to shelf]

“Then it's fired once, glazed, and fired again for ten hours.” [VISUAL: kiln door opening]

“If a handle dries too fast, it splits in the kiln. That's the six.” [VISUAL: close-up of a cracked handle]

“The other thirty-four get a last check, a sticker, and end up on this shelf at thirty-eight dollars.” [VISUAL: the shop shelf]

“Blue glaze or white? Tell me which, and that's the next batch.”

That is 74 spoken words, about 30 seconds.

What came out of the earlier version: a greeting; the studio's name, which is already on the profile; “in this video”; a sentence describing the tray that the picture already shows; a second tip about glazing; and “make sure to follow for more”. Put the hook on screen as well as saying it, for anyone watching with the sound off.

## Not the right tool if

- Getting the transcript of someone else's TikTok. It writes new scripts from your notes; it doesn't download, extract or transcribe videos.
- Trends, sounds and hashtags. It doesn't know what is trending this week, so pick the sound and the tags yourself in the app.
- Results you can't show. Before and afters, prices and claims come from you, and the format is told not to add numbers you didn't give it.

## Other ways to do it

A three-line note on your phone

Costs nothing and keeps you loose on camera: the hook word for word, the one point, the ending. Works well once you're relaxed filming.

Your own videos that held people

Copy their shape (hook, beats, ending) and change the content. Slower to plan, and the most reliable template you have.

A UGC creator or a freelance editor

For a brand account with a budget: they script, film and cut, and you approve.

ChatGPT or another chatbot

Quick for ideas; expect long openers and hooks that take five seconds to say, so time them.

## Questions

### How many words is a 30-second TikTok script?

About 75 words at 150 words a minute. A 15-second video holds about 38, 45 seconds about 113 and 60 seconds about 150; bracketed notes for visuals and on-screen text don't count.

### How do I write a TikTok hook?

Say the most surprising true thing in 7 or 8 words and show it at the same moment. Start with the result, the number or the problem rather than your name or a greeting, and put the same words on screen.

### How long should my TikTok be?

As short as the idea allows. One fact fits in 15 seconds, one tip with an example in 30, a short story or a three-step how-to in 45 to 60. Go to 90 only if every beat adds something new.

### Can I use the same script for Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts?

Yes. The setting is called Shorts / Reels / TikTok and writes the same hook, one-message body and ending for all three. Change any line that names one app before you post it on another.

### What is a loop ending on TikTok?

A last line that runs straight into the opening line, so a replay sounds like one sentence. Ending the mug video on “So every Monday, I throw forty more” leads back into “Six of these mugs will crack.” The other kind of ending is a question people can answer in a word or two.

### Can it write a TikTok ad for my product?

Yes. Pick Video ad as the Format and it writes a hook, how the product solves the problem, one proof point from the details you give it and a clear call to action, timed to 15 to 90 seconds.

### Can I try the TikTok script writer before I pay?

Yes. You can try 2 drafts a day on the homepage without an account. Writing in the studio, with history and your own voice, needs a plan; Pro is $3 for the first month, then $19 a month.

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