Words on screen
Video copy is not website copy — how to write lines people can read in two seconds
On a landing page the reader controls the clock — they can reread. In a video the line is gone in two seconds. Writing for the screen is its own small craft, and this page is all of it.
The rules
- Six words or fewerIf a line doesn't fit, it's two beats — or it's too clever.Don'tEvery launch needs a video, yours shouldn't take a weekDoYours shouldn't take a week
- Verbs over adjectives"Ships in one command" beats "incredibly simple".Don'tIncredibly simpleDoShips in one command
- Concrete over grandNumbers, commands, names: "110+ components", not "a huge library".Don'tA huge libraryDo110+ components
- One idea per lineSplit sentences; don't compress them.
- No adjectives you can't prove
- Read it aloud onceIf you stumble, the viewer will too.
Formulas for common beats
- Pain linesName the problem in the viewer's words, not yours; the second line twists or promises a way out.Every launch needs a videoYours shouldn't take a week
- TaglinesWhat it is plus who it's for, zero filler.Cinematic video components for React
- PositioningBorrow a shape people already know; nothing transfers a mental model faster.Like shadcn/ui, for video
- Value claimsThree, each concrete, each provable.110+ componentsOne command to installThe code is yours
- The closeThe single shortest next action. A command or a URL — one, not both.<YOUR CTA>
The two-second test
Whatever you're filling in — a worksheet, a prompt, a rewrite — say each line out loud at speaking pace. Longer than two seconds to say? Tighten it.
- “Yours shouldn't take a week”Fits
- “Every launch needs a video, yours shouldn't take a week”Tighten it