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 fewer. If a line doesn't fit, it's two beats — or it's too clever.
- One idea per line. Split sentences; don't compress them.
- Verbs over adjectives. "Ships in one command" beats "incredibly simple".
- Concrete over grand. Numbers, commands, names: "110+ components", not "a huge library".
- No adjectives you can't prove.
- Read it aloud once. If you stumble, the viewer will too.
Formulas for common beats
Pain lines — name the problem in the viewer's words, not yours; the second line twists or promises a way out:
"Every launch needs a video" / "Yours shouldn't take a week"
Taglines — what it is plus who it's for, zero filler:
"Cinematic video components for React"
Positioning — borrow a shape people already know; nothing transfers a mental model faster:
"Like shadcn/ui, for video"
Value claims — three, each concrete, each provable:
"110+ components" / "One command to install" / "The code is yours"
The close — the single shortest next action. A command or a URL — one, not both.
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.