What to Do When You Do Not Know What to Say
Choose a question your audience already has, then turn the answer into a small, useful video brief.
Useful video ideas for a business start with questions its customers, colleagues or visitors need answered. Choose one audience and one question, then write the essential facts and a clear next step. A whiteboard explainer video brief gives those decisions a simple shape. Start with a familiar task you can explain accurately from information you already have.
Look for a useful question before a clever concept
Our recommendation is to begin with a question you have answered recently. Look at your own approved help pages, enquiry notes, onboarding material or repeated conversations. Choose a topic you can explain with confirmed facts and a concrete example. A video about one practical question gives a first-time maker a clearer starting point than a general film about the whole business.
Use business material you are authorised to share, and replace private customer details with a fictional example where needed. If an answer depends on medical, legal, financial or compliance advice, ask the appropriate owner to supply and review the wording before it becomes a public script.
A five-minute exercise for a usable first brief
The five minutes below are a time-boxed writing exercise, rather than a promise about production time. Choose one prompt from the list and work through the decisions. Keep unresolved facts as questions for the responsible person; resolve them before rendering.
- Minute 1: name one audience and choose one question from the prompt list. Prefer a question you can answer from confirmed information.
- Minutes 2 and 3: write three essential facts or steps in the order the viewer needs them. Add a concrete example if it helps explain the process.
- Minute 4: write the one action the viewer should take after understanding the answer. Name the destination or task clearly.
- Minute 5: read the brief aloud. Check that the audience, question, facts and action fit together, then mark any detail that needs verification.
Twenty prompts to help you choose a useful idea
Choose one row and replace its brackets with real details. Each prompt asks for the information needed to start a brief. The prompts are original editorial exercises; choose the one that matches a real audience question rather than trying to use all twenty.
| Starting point | Copyable brief prompt |
|---|---|
| 1. A question before buying | Explain the question [customer type] asks before choosing [offering]. The question is [question]. Use these confirmed facts: [three facts]. Help the viewer take this next step: [action]. |
| 2. A frequent misunderstanding | Help [audience] understand [specific point they confuse]. Explain it with [confirmed facts] and one everyday example. Finish by asking the viewer to [action]. |
| 3. What happens after an enquiry | Show [prospective customer] what happens after they send [enquiry type]. Describe these confirmed steps in order: [steps]. Explain what they should prepare and finish with [next action]. |
| 4. Preparing for a first visit | Help a first-time visitor prepare for [visit or appointment]. Explain [what to bring], [where to arrive] and [what happens first], using the organiser's confirmed instructions. End with [preparation action]. |
| 5. One process from start to finish | Explain how [one process] works for [audience]. Start with [trigger], cover [three essential steps] and show [result]. Ask the viewer to [next action]. |
| 6. Choosing between two options | Help [audience] understand the practical difference between [option A] and [option B]. Compare only these verified details: [details]. Give a clear example of each and direct the viewer to [next step]. |
| 7. Understanding one term | Explain what [term] means to someone new to [subject]. Use this accurate definition: [definition]. Show it through [simple example] and explain what the viewer can do with that understanding: [action]. |
| 8. Solving one small problem | Help [audience] handle [specific everyday problem]. Explain these confirmed steps: [steps]. State any essential condition from the approved instructions: [condition]. Finish with [action]. |
| 9. Recognising who an offering serves | Explain who [offering] is designed to help. Describe [one audience], their task [task] and the verified way the offering helps [facts]. End with [appropriate next step]. |
| 10. Supplying information for a job | Show [customer or colleague] which information to provide before [task starts]. Explain [required details], why each helps and where to send them. Finish with [submission action]. |
| 11. Using one product feature | Help [user] use [one feature] for [one goal]. Follow the approved instructions [steps], name the expected result [result] and end with [next action]. |
| 12. Understanding why a step matters | Explain why [audience] needs to complete [specific step]. Use this confirmed reason: [reason]. Show the step in the wider sequence and finish by asking the viewer to [action]. |
| 13. A handover between teams | Explain the handover from [team A] to [team B] for [task]. Describe what is passed on, who owns each step and where the status is recorded. Use these agreed facts: [facts]. End with [action]. |
| 14. A new colleague's first task | Help a new colleague complete [one initial task]. Explain where to begin, the approved sequence [steps] and who to ask about [question]. Finish with [first action]. |
| 15. A volunteer's first arrival | Show a new volunteer what to do when arriving at [activity]. Use the organiser's confirmed meeting point, contact and first task [details]. End with [preparation or arrival action]. |
| 16. Finding the right resource | Help [audience] find [one document, page or resource]. Explain when it is useful, where the approved version lives and what to look for. Finish by directing the viewer to [verified destination]. |
| 17. Joining an event or programme | Explain how [audience] joins [event or programme]. Use the confirmed eligibility or entry details [details], the steps [steps] and the correct destination [destination]. Finish with [joining action]. |
| 18. Giving useful feedback | Help [reviewer] give feedback on [specific work]. Ask them to check [purpose], describe [what to report] and send comments through [agreed channel]. End with [review action]. |
| 19. Explaining a common example | Use a clearly labelled fictional example to explain [concept] to [audience]. Base the explanation on these verified facts: [facts]. Show the situation, the action and the result, then ask the viewer to [next action]. |
| 20. Taking the next step after learning | Help [audience] decide what to do after understanding [topic]. Explain the next practical task [task], what they need [information] and where to begin [destination]. Use these confirmed details: [details]. |
Turn your chosen prompt into a brief
Copy the short template below. The completed example uses a fictional community book swap so you can see how an everyday question becomes a useful brief. The example demonstrates the structure; an actual organiser should confirm the real arrangements.
BRIEF TEMPLATE Audience: [one group] Question: [one question they need answered] Main message: [the answer in one sentence] Essential facts or steps: [three confirmed points in order] Example: [a useful, clearly labelled example if needed] Next action: [one practical task or destination] Placement: [where the video will be watched] Facts to confirm before rendering: [open questions and their owner] COMPLETED FICTIONAL EXAMPLE Audience: Someone visiting a community book swap for the first time. Question: What do I bring and what happens when I arrive? Main message: Bring one book you are ready to pass on, then choose a different book to take home. Essential steps: Check the event page; give your book to the volunteer at the welcome table; browse the shelves and choose a book. Example: A visitor brings a finished novel and chooses a different story. Next action: Choose a book to bring, then check the event page for the next swap. Placement: A landscape video on the event information page. Facts to confirm before rendering: The organiser must confirm the current venue, date, arrival instructions and swap rules.
Keep the brief small enough to explain
Our recommendation is to compare the brief with one sentence: This film helps [audience] understand [question] so they can [action]. If the sentence needs several audiences, questions or unrelated actions, separate the ideas before drafting the narration.
- The idea sounds like a department name: replace it with a real question someone asks about that department's work.
- The answer depends on missing information: list the question and its owner, then confirm the detail before using it in a script.
- Every detail feels essential: keep the facts needed for this viewer's immediate question and move related background to a supporting resource.
- The next step is vague: name the specific action, page or person the viewer should turn to after watching.
Use the brief to start a video in AutoScribble
AutoScribble turns a typed idea or pasted script into a narrated animated whiteboard explainer video. Paste the completed brief into the composer and review the proposed script. Keep factual instructions and any visual directions clearly labelled so you can check them during script review.
Choose the available video length, orientation and narration voice for the intended placement, with an optional logo where useful. Review the words and displayed credit quote before rendering. After the film is ready, watch it for clarity and accurate details, then download the MP4 or share it with a private link. An edit-and-remake creates a new version, with the credit cost shown before confirmation.
Next step: choose one question you already answer
Pick one prompt that matches a real question from your audience. Use the five-minute exercise to write a first brief, confirm its factual details and paste the brief into AutoScribble. Review the resulting words against the audience, question and next action before generating your film.
Try this with your own idea
New accounts: one free 30-second video with 50 welcome credits. Download included. Longer videos use paid credits.
Free to write and rewrite. Credits are only used when you generate.
Common questions
- How can I find video ideas for my business?
- Start with a question a customer, colleague or visitor has recently asked you. Choose one audience, write the confirmed answer and give the viewer a useful next step. Approved help pages, onboarding instructions and repeated enquiries can supply practical starting points.
- What should my first business explainer video be about?
- Our recommendation is to explain one familiar task or process you can describe accurately. A question such as what happens after an enquiry or how to prepare for a visit gives the film a clear purpose. Choose a topic whose factual details you can check before writing the final script.
- Can I write a video brief in five minutes?
- Use five minutes as a focused first-draft exercise: choose an audience and question, write the essential facts and add a next action. The resulting brief may still need factual review and revision. Confirm unresolved details before turning that brief into a public script.
- What information belongs in a useful video brief?
- Include the audience, one question, the main message, essential facts or steps and a specific next action. Add where the film will be watched so its length and orientation can suit the placement. Keep open factual questions visible and assign them to someone who can confirm the answer.
- Can I start an AutoScribble video with a rough idea?
- Type or paste your idea or brief into AutoScribble and review the proposed script before rendering. Give the idea a clear audience, question and next step so the resulting explanation has a useful direction. Confirm the script, settings and displayed credit quote before generating.