The master scripting craft for short-form vertical video — win the first 3 seconds, arc with open loops, write for sound-off and sound-on, cash the hook's promise, and hold the loop. The platform skills specialize it, the human shoots it, WoopSocial publishes the finished file.

In short-form the metric that decides everything is watch-through, not likes — so a script isn't "words to say," it's a retention machine. Two truths most scripts ignore. First, ~80% watch on mute — so write the silent version first; if the on-screen text doesn't carry the story, the script fails before the audio matters. Second, the loop matters as much as the hook — a seamless ending that flows back to frame 1 manufactures the re-watches the algorithm reads as a hit. And the honesty edge that doubles as a growth tactic: an over-promising hook with an under-delivering payoff creates a mid-video retention cliff the algorithm punishes — so a true promise, kept is the cleanest path to reach. Cut every second that isn't earning the next.

(Depth: .)

Watch-through is the single most important signal; ~50–60% of drop-off is in the first 3 seconds (OpusClip), and a layered hook ≈ 3× the 3-second hold (2026 analyses); ~80–85% watch on mute (Zebracat) so burned-in captions lift retention ~15–25% (OpusClip); visual change every ~2–4s; loops/replays are weighted heavily (YouTube confirms it considers replay + looping); ~15–35s is the sweet spot (~75 words ≈ 30s); platform view-through benchmarks ~78% TikTok / ~73% Shorts / ~65% Reels (Socialinsider 2025) — attribute all, verify-quarterly. Full figures: . The script format (three-track beats), hook patterns, the cut-test, curve-reading, and two worked examples: .

short-form-video-script (this) = the master scripting craft · reels-script / tiktok-script / youtube-shorts = platform-specific execution + publishing (this feeds them) · hook-writer = the hook line (the W component) · talking-head-and-piece-to-camera = on-camera delivery (this = the script; pair) · captions-and-clipping = clipping existing long video into shorts (this scripts from scratch) · scripting-and-storyboarding = longer video scripts + shot-by-shot boards ("storyboard my video" goes there; this = the short-form script itself) · ai-video / veo-3 / heygen / kling = generate the video (this scripts it) · storytelling/educational/etc. = the content angle/WHAT (this = the format execution/HOW).

Reads first: brand-profile + voice-builder. Pulls the 'what' from the content-angle skills; uses hook-writer. Feeds: reels-script + tiktok-script + youtube-shorts (platform specialization), talking-head-and-piece-to-camera (delivery), captions-and-clipping (repurposing), ai-video / heygen (if AI-generated), design-and-templates (on-screen text), caption-writer (the post caption). Publishes via: the platform script skill's output → scheduling-and-queue → WoopSocial. Measure with: native + analytics-and-reporting on 3s hold / AVD / replays / saves — never fabricated.

A shootable script built as three-track beats (visual + on-screen text + spoken, with shot direction) for ~15–35s (~75 words ≈ 30s), opening on the most striking frame with a layered, specific, honest hook (5 variants to test, no intro/logo), arced with open loops and a visual change every ~2–4s with every line earning the next, written muted-first so on-screen text carries it (captions from word one, tested on mute), paying off exactly what the hook promised (no bait-and-switch), and ending on an engineered loop + one fitting ≈2s value CTA (not "like & subscribe"); platform specifics routed to reels-script/tiktok-script/youtube-shorts; the human shoots/edits and WoopSocial publishes the finished file; measured on 3s hold / AVD / replays / saves rather than likes; AI-disclosure, likeness/consent, YMYL, and the no-native-trending-audio limit handled; no fabricated stats, no bait-and-switch, no virality guarantee; and correctly distinguished from the platform script skills, hook-writer, captions-and-clipping, and the video-generation tools.