# Write a better video prompt

Source: https://www.ngram.com/docs/writing-better-prompts
Published: 2026-08-06T00:00:00Z
Updated: 2026-10-19T00:00:00Z

Write prompts that produce stronger scripts, visuals, pacing, and revisions.

Start here

Give ngram the goal, audience, source of truth, and creative constraints that matter—and leave room for the agent to plan the rest.

[Try a prompt](https://www.ngram.com/app) [All docs](https://www.ngram.com/docs)

## Read before this

Read these direct prerequisites in order. Each guide lists any earlier context it assumes.

1. [1 Create your first video Go from prompt and sources to a reviewable first video.](https://www.ngram.com/docs/creating-your-first-video)

## Before you write

Collect the approved facts and decide who the video is for. If accuracy depends on a webpage, document, transcript, screenshot, or recording, attach it instead of expecting the prompt to recreate it from memory.

## Write the brief in seven parts

1. State the job: explain, demonstrate, announce, train, compare, or persuade.
2. Name the audience and what they already know.
3. Identify the source of truth and say which source wins if several disagree.
4. Choose the visible format, such as an explainer, screencast, avatar video, or social clip.
5. Set a target duration and aspect ratio when the destination requires them.
6. List the required facts, visuals, tone, and final call to action.
7. Separate must-haves from preferences so ngram knows what it may adapt.

## A complete example

Create a 60-second product-demo video for customer-success leaders. Use the attached release notes and screenshots as the source of truth. Explain the new workflow in three steps, keep the tone direct and practical, and end with a CTA to try the feature. Use a clean 16:9 screencast style and do not invent customer results.

## How much detail to include

Recent aggregate product usage shows that detailed briefs reach previews and exports more often than one-line requests. Prompts that name an audience are also associated with stronger export and positive-feedback patterns. This is guidance, not a guarantee: video difficulty, sources, plan, and selected settings also affect the result.

A compact paragraph or short structured brief is usually easier to follow than a wall of rules. Start with the outcome and must-haves. Add preferences only when they would materially change the result.

## Ground factual videos

Attach the source or name it in the prompt when exact claims, product UI, legal wording, or customer quotes matter. Tell ngram which source wins when several files disagree.

Ask ngram to analyze the source details your video needs. Supply approved references for private, regulated, or time-sensitive facts, and check the plan against them before approving production.

## Avoid instruction overload

- Prefer positive priorities, such as “use only the attached approved facts,” over a long list of prohibitions.
- Do not specify tools, runtimes, or implementation technology; describe the visible result you need.
- If two requirements conflict, say which one has priority.
- Review the script and production details in the plan. Choose Request changes to refine them, then Approve plan when the direction is ready.

## If the first result misses

Do not rewrite everything immediately. Identify whether the problem is the overall brief, a source conflict, the story structure, or one scene. State what should remain, then request the smallest change that solves the mismatch.

## Keep going

[Use prompt recipes for common videos Use practical, privacy-safe prompt templates for six common video goals.](https://www.ngram.com/docs/prompt-recipes) [Fix a prompt that missed the brief Diagnose a weak result and improve the prompt, sources, storyboard, or targeted revision.](https://www.ngram.com/docs/fix-a-prompt) [Use sources and attachments Add URLs, documents, images, recordings, and other reference material to a video request.](https://www.ngram.com/docs/sources-and-attachments) [Create in the current composer Choose a generation model and approve the plan in the current composer.](https://www.ngram.com/docs/yolo-vs-pro)

## Continue in ngram

Open the relevant Studio surface and follow the current controls shown in your account.

[Try a prompt](https://www.ngram.com/app)