Research Techniques for your Script — A Guide
Research is one of the most important steps to writing a script. It is also a necessary skill for a script writer. As with most skills, it can be developed with regular practice.
A well researched script stands out. It is high quality and clean. Research gives the script an edge which is necessary for customer conversion. Most writers develop this skill as time goes, but a little guidance can go a long way, especially if you are new to the field.
In my experience, it is helpful to ask yourself the following questions to start with. These questions form a framework for research which you can use for most of your projects.
Throughout this article, we will be working with a single and simple example: A company in the US which sells eco-friendly, herbal toothpaste. They want a script on their latest line of products — herbal, flavored toothpastes for children.
What are you writing about?
This is a very generic question about the sector that your client’s company belongs to as well as the industry. A writer should know the basics of the sector, what it entitles and how the industries work in that specific sector. This step gets easier with time as you are introduced to a variety of industries through your projects. It is a good idea to revisit the information whenever necessary to follow up on current trends and practices in that industry.
While you explore this topic, make sure that you slowly move closer to the area that your client works in. Each industry serves a very specific purpose and produces measurable output. Try to find what those are. Think about it in terms of the consumer as well as someone working in that sector. Each industry is also largely dependent on some other industry, find out which. Think about the type of jobs and skills that the industry needs. Think of the industry’s relation with technology.
Considering our example, we would need to research the industry which produces health and hygiene products. We would need to look into the FMCG sector and Oral Hygiene Industry.
Who are you writing for?
This is the basic background research on the client. Who is the client? Where are they located? What do they offer? What else do they offer?
Check their website, it is the most important source of information you will have. Look at the language used on the website, check the ‘About us’ section. Get to know their identity, their core values. Think about what they bring to the table.
While you research your clients, check for their customer reviews. It will help you get an idea about the kind of relationship they have with their customers. Research on your clients goals, understand them. If the client has booked an overview video, this is the most important research you will do for the project.
Additionally you can check their social media handles. I have often found that social media handles have more information when it comes to companies which directly deal with consumers (B2C). Facebook and LinkedIn can save your life if you get a client who operates without a website.
Also, check for brand publicity, google will help you in that aspect of research.
Considering our example, this part of the research would mainly focus on the client’s website, we will need to find out if the client sells only herbal and eco-friendly products and why. A lot of information on the product/s will also be found on social media as a lot of the client’s target audience will consist of young to middle-aged environmentally aware people, most of whom are active on social media. I would specifically check Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
What do they need?
This part of research is where the client’s input is of utmost importance. This part elaborates on what the client wants to showcase in their video. It needs more focused research. Again, the client’s website is the best tool for this focused research. I have found that it is better to check the generic requirements for those specifications before getting to the client’s website for research.
This part of research would require looking into the constituents of the product or service. This is the part which will ‘sell’ the video to the target audience.
Considering our example, this part of research would revolve around the product or set of products that the client wants to showcase. I would personally check the ingredients of the toothpaste and talk to the client on what makes this toothpaste differ from the other eco-friendly products on the market.
What’s the competition like?
“Can you give us a list of your top 5 competitors?” — ask this question to your client. The most important thing you need to understand about working in the advertising industry is that though you may research for days at the end, the client will always know their brand the best. Ask them about the competition, most of them will give you a list of 3–4 names.
Research on those brands, try to find similarities and differences between them. What I observed is that geographical location often plays an important role when it comes to competitive brands. Check the competitors’ social media channels for videos or ads on their products. This will give you an idea about how they showcase themselves to the world to gain consumers. It will also give you an idea about the type of video your client may be looking for.
For our example, I would look for oral hygiene product manufacturers in the specific part of the US that the client is located. I would also check for the most popular brands in the country and the current trend among those brands.
How can you make the script a part of the client’s brand?
This is the last part of research before you start working on your script. It has a lot to do with the tonality and language aspect of the script. This part can be covered while researching your client’s brand but I prefer to cover it separately.
This is the part in your research where you look at the type of language the client uses to communicate with their customers. Conversational and engaging, friendly, professional, scientific, etc. are a few of the common types I find. Look for the type of verbiage they use. Do they use exclamation marks and questions on their website? If so, then that’s a sure indicator that the client wants to project their brand as friendly and approachable.
I have observed that B2C companies tend to use a conversational tone in their content while most B2B companies prefer a professional and even slightly scientific tone.
For our example, it would be best to use a conversational and highly engaging tone to communicate the client’s message considering the particular product line and their specific target audience.
I would suggest taking short notes throughout your research or creating flowcharts wherever necessary. As I mentioned before, if you don’t have a tendency for research, it takes some time to get used to but it gets easier with practice. Script writing is a wonderful profession if you are interested in exploring new topics, new areas of information and if you consider the information available online at your fingertips.
