Picture the script template you were taught. Hook with a question, stir up the problem, reveal the product, end on a call to action. Now look at 82 real scripts from generative AI startups. Only 5 open on a question. And most don't end by asking the viewer to do anything. So check the last line of your own script. What does it ask for?
A script is the words a video speaks. A beat is one moment in it, like the problem or the ask. ADVIDS Research timed 82 generative AI startup videos word by word, from 73 companies. Each is a product, launch or explainer video with a scripted voiceover. Each startup builds on generative AI or AI agents. The perfect script here means the order most scripts share. Whether that order works for your buyer is yours to test.
Seven beats run in this order. The voice starts in the first second (Frame One). The first line is a plain claim (Plain Claim). The problem comes early (Problem Line). The name comes by 0:12 (Name Order). Half the scripts say a number (Spoken Number). A trust line comes mid-script (Trust Beat). And most skip the ask (Last Line).
ADVIDS Research · 82 scripts timed word by word · 73 companies · published 12 September 2026 · 19 min read
Top takeaways
Frame One
71% of scripts start speaking inside one second, and only 8 wait past three seconds.
Plain Claim
73% of scripts open on a claim or the product's name, and only 5 open on a question.
Problem Line
85% of scripts state a problem, typically by 0:07.
Name Order
98% of scripts name the product, typically by 0:12, before or after the problem.
Spoken Number
50% of scripts say a number, and only 8 wait past 0:30 to say it.
Trust Beat
60% of scripts carry a trust line, typically at 0:28, after the name.
Last Line
Only 34% of scripts end with an ask, like book a demo or start building.
Questions this report answers
How long is a generative AI startup video script?
A little over a minute. The typical generative AI startup video runs 1:14 and speaks 148 words. 32% run a minute or less (26 of 82). The length doesn't change the start, though. That's Frame One: 71% of scripts start speaking inside the first second.
Should an AI product video open with a question?
Rarely. That's the Plain Claim beat. Only 5 of 82 scripts open on a question. 73% open on a plain claim or the product's name instead. A question still works when only your buyer could answer it. Swimlane opens on "Does your SOC feel out of tune?", a question for security teams.
Should a video script start with the problem or the product?
Either works. That's the Name Order beat. Of the 70 scripts that state a problem and name the product, 56% put the problem first. The rest lead with the name. Say the name first if it already tells buyers what you do. If it doesn't, start with the problem.
When should an AI product video name the product?
By 0:12. That's the Name Order beat. The typical script names the product at 0:12, and 44% do it inside ten seconds. Some speak the name inside the first second, like Amplience and Dragos. Only 11 of 82 wait past 0:30. Ataccama does, because its whole script builds to the reveal.
Should a product video script include a number?
Only if your company will say it out loud. That's the Spoken Number beat. Half the scripts speak a number, like a customer count. The other half never do. Most that have one say it early. Nooks opens on its number at 0:00, and Maze says its customer count by 0:02.
Where should the security line go in an AI video script?
In the middle, after the name, for most products. That's the Trust Beat. 60% of scripts carry a trust line about security, privacy or control, typically at 0:28. Most put it after the product's name. If trust is what you sell, it can open the script, as Drata's does at 0:02.
Do generative AI video scripts end with a call to action?
Most don't. That's the Last Line beat. Only 34% end with a spoken ask, like book a demo or start building. The rest end on the product's name, an 'out now' line, or nothing at all. Shoplazza, Ada and Adwisely are among the scripts that ask.
How were these scripts measured?
ADVIDS Research screened 313 videos against a rule set before the work began. 82 qualified, from 73 startups built on generative AI. Each script was timed word by word from YouTube captions. The seven beats are simple counts: Frame One, Plain Claim, Problem Line, Name Order, Spoken Number, Trust Beat and Last Line.
How to read this report
This report looks at 82 generative AI startup scripts from 73 companies, uploaded 12 June 2024 to 3 August 2026. Each figure counts scripts, like 58 of 82. The 60-second map shows where each beat would fall if the typical script ran 60 seconds.
The 60-second map
The typical script runs 1:14. Here it is shrunk to 60 seconds. The ask sits where the 28 scripts that make one put it.
Each row is one script, shortest at the top. The problem and the name sit near the start. The trust line sits in the middle. The ask sits at the end, in the 28 scripts that have one.
Beat 01 · Frame One
1. Most scripts start talking in the first second.
Most generative AI startup scripts don't open on a silent logo. The voice starts right away. 71% speak their first word inside one second (58 of 82). If nothing has to play before your voice, start talking on frame one. Let the logo wait until the end.
Think of a phone call where nobody speaks for five seconds. You hang up. A silent logo intro is that pause.
So where does the logo go? At the end. The typical script stops talking 3.8 seconds before the video ends.
Example: Domino Data Lab's 0:30 video says the product's name at 0:00. The trust line comes at 0:20 and the ask at 0:26. There's no silent open.
Only 8 scripts wait past three seconds. Companies in this group include Airia, Ataccama, Aviso, etc.
Exception: when the screen is the demo. Perplexity's Computer video opens on the product moving on screen and speaks at 0:06. Then it names the product in its first sentence.
Source: Advids analysis of 82 generative AI startup scripts
Beat 02 · Plain Claim
2. Most scripts open on a plain claim, not a question.
The usual advice says to open with a question. Most scripts don't. 73% open on a plain claim or the product's name (60 of 82). If your buyer hasn't asked the question yet, open on a claim they can check. Tell them what the product does, and for whom.
A question is a pop quiz. A claim is a headline. Your viewer pressed play to read the headline.
Only 5 put a question in the opening line. And 53 of 82 never ask one anywhere.
Example: JobAdder's Adder Intelligence video opens on "Recruitment is moving faster than ever". The problem follows at 0:03 and the name at 0:08. One claim, then the story.
Claim openers: companies in this group include Lyzr, Sword Health, Alloy, etc.
Exception: a question only your buyer can answer. Swimlane opens on "Does your SOC feel out of tune?" A security team answers that from their own desk, so it works like a claim.
Source: Advids analysis of 82 generative AI startup scripts
Question and 'what if' openers together make up 10 of 82.
Beat 03 · Problem Line
3. Most scripts state a problem, typically by 0:07.
Most scripts say what's broken before they show the fix. 85% state a problem (70 of 82), and the typical one says it by 0:07. If your buyer doesn't already feel the problem, say it in the first ten seconds. If they already know it, you can skip it.
A doctor names the symptom before the prescription. Your problem line is the symptom. Your product is the prescription.
12 scripts never state a problem. Many are developer tools or model releases, selling to builders who already know the problem.
Example: Sword Health's Sword Mind video states the problem at 0:02. The name waits until 0:24. Symptom first, prescription second.
Problem inside ten seconds: companies in this group include Bloomfire, Sword Health, Ada, etc.
Exception: buyers who already know the problem. AssemblyAI's Universal-3 Pro video skips it. It says what the model captures and what it costs, then asks you to start building, all in 0:37.
Source: Advids analysis of 82 generative AI startup scripts
When the problem comes, it comes early. 12 scripts never state one.
Beat 04 · Name Order
4. The name comes by 0:12, before or after the problem.
Almost every script names the product: 98% do (80 of 82). The typical one says it by 0:12. Some say the name first, some the problem. Neither order wins. If your name already tells buyers what you do, say it first. If not, start with the problem.
Think of a handshake at a conference. Some people lead with their name, some with what they fix. Nobody saves the name for the end.
Of the 70 scripts with both, 39 put the problem first. The rest lead with the name. So the problem-then-solution order is a habit, not a rule. Many scripts also use an announcing phrase like 'introducing' or 'meet'.
Example: Amplience's Workforce Flows video says the name at 0:00 and the problem at 0:06. Ada does the reverse: problem at 0:02, name at 0:08. Both finish inside ten seconds.
Name first: companies in this group include Bloomfire, Amplience, Domino Data Lab, etc.
Exception: the whole script is the reveal. Ataccama holds its name until 1:23 of a 1:38 video, then says "Introducing Ataccama ONE" and asks for a demo. Only 11 of 82 wait past 0:30 like this.
Source: Advids analysis of 82 generative AI startup scripts
Like the problem, the name comes early. The two sit a few seconds apart, in either order.
Beat 05 · Spoken Number
5. Half the scripts say a number, and they say it early.
A number can be a customer count, a saving or a usage figure. 50% of scripts say one (41 of 82). The other half never do. If your company will say a number out loud, put it early, right after the name. If not, leave this beat out.
A license number on a contractor's van gets checked before the door opens. Your number works the same way.
Most say it early: 17 of the 41 inside ten seconds. Only 8 wait past 0:30. Some use a proof phrase like 'trusted by' instead of a bare figure.
Example: Maze's AI moderator video says its name at 0:00. By 0:02, it's trusted by over 3,000 companies. Name, then number, before any problem.
Number inside ten seconds: companies in this group include Sword Health, Anthropic, Nooks, etc.
Exception: the number is the claim. Nooks opens on "Thousands of the world's best sales teams are generating billions in pipeline with Nooks". Name and number arrive together at 0:00.
Source: Advids analysis of 82 generative AI startup scripts
A number comes early or not at all. It rarely sits in the middle.
Beat 06 · Trust Beat
6. The trust line comes mid-script, after the name.
A trust line talks about security, privacy or control of your data. 60% of scripts carry one (49 of 82). The typical one comes at 0:28, after the name. If your buyer's reviewer will ask about data, add one trust line. Put it right after the name.
Nobody asks a contractor for proof of insurance before they know the job. They ask when they're about to hire. Your trust line is that certificate.
It follows the name in 34 of 49 scripts. Problem, name, then reassurance: that's the third act of a startup script.
Example: Alloy's AI Assistant video states the problem at 0:04 and names the product at 0:10. The trust line, about compliant automation, comes at 0:28.
Trust line after 0:30: companies in this group include Adwisely, Akto, Amplience, etc.
Exception: trust is what you sell. Drata's first line, at 0:02, is "Businesses run on trust". For a compliance product, the trust line is the problem.
Source: Advids analysis of 82 generative AI startup scripts
Unlike the problem and the name, the trust line sits in the middle.
Beat 07 · Last Line
7. Only a third of scripts end with an ask.
The ask is a spoken call to action. It's one line telling the viewer what to do next, like book a demo or try it free. Only 34% of scripts end with one (28 of 82). The rest end on the name, an 'out now' line, or nothing. If you want one action, say it in the last line.
Picture a salesperson who finishes the pitch and walks out without asking for the meeting. Ending on your logo is that walk-out.
21 scripts end on the product's name, and 30 end on nothing at all. The end card is left to do the asking.
Example: Airia's Context Engineer video fits it all into 0:35. The problem comes at 0:04 and the name at 0:16. The trust line follows at 0:19, and the ask at 0:28.
Scripts that end with an ask: companies in this group include Shoplazza, Ada, Adwisely, etc.
Exception: when a demo is the wrong next step. Superblocks ends its 3.0 video on "Comment a SaaS tool you hate and why, and we'll build an enterprise-grade replacement". The ask turns the viewer into the brief.
Source: Advids analysis of 82 generative AI startup scripts
The most common ending asks for nothing and names nothing.
Benchmarks
Check your own script against each row.
Script length and pace
| Measure | Typical | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Runtime | 1:14 | Half the videos run shorter than this |
| Words spoken | 148 | Words in the voiceover |
| Words a minute | 127.6 | How fast the voice talks |
| Sentences | 14 | Sentences in the script |
| Words a sentence | 10.9 | How long each sentence runs |
| First action word | 0:17 | Time of the first word like connects, writes or automates |
| 'You' per 100 words | 3.6 | How often the script talks to the viewer |
| Silent seconds at the end | 3.8 | Seconds of picture after the last spoken word |
The typical script runs 1:14 and speaks 148 words.
Runtime of the 82 videos
| Runtime | Scripts | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Under 0:45 | 17 | of 82 |
| 0:45 to 1:15 | 28 | of 82 |
| 1:15 to 2:00 | 21 | of 82 |
| Over 2:00 | 16 | of 82 |
Only 16 of 82 scripts run past two minutes.
What most scripts leave out
| Beat | Scripts | Out of | Typical time | Companies include |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compares with the old way ('no more', 'instead of') | 33 | of 82 | 0:26 | Ada, Adwisely, Alloy, etc. |
| Says 'introducing' or 'meet' | 38 | of 82 | 0:13 | Sword Health, ElevenLabs, Ada, etc. |
| Says who it's for ('for sales teams') | 17 | of 82 | 0:14 | Alloy, Ataccama, Cequence Security, etc. |
Each of these shows up in fewer than half the scripts, so they're not on the map. And 65 of 82 scripts say "you" more often than "we".
Seven questions for your next script
Answer these seven, in the order your buyer hears them, before anyone records a voice.
- Beat 01 Does anything have to play before the voice? If not, start talking in the first second.
- Beat 02 Has your buyer asked the question yet? If not, open on a claim they can check.
- Beat 03 Does your buyer already feel the problem? If not, say it by 0:10.
- Beat 04 Does your product name say what you do? If yes, open on it. If not, start with the problem.
- Beat 05 Is there a number your company will say aloud? Pick it before the script draft starts, and say it early.
- Beat 06 Will a security reviewer watch this? Add one trust line right after the name.
- Beat 07 What should the viewer do when the voice stops? Say it, in one spoken ask.
Now go back to that template: question, problem, reveal, call to action. Almost nobody opens on the question. And most scripts skip the call to action.
This week, time your last script with a stopwatch. Mark the first word, the problem, the name, the number, the trust line and the ask. If the ask is missing, write it.
Most scripts end on a fade. Yours can end on a next step.
Methodology
| Vertical (visual record only) | Scripts |
|---|---|
| devtools | 4 |
| ai | 2 |
| fintech | 2 |
| knowledge_management | 2 |
| sales | 2 |
| security | 2 |
| adtech | 1 |
| compliance | 1 |
| Other | 10 |
| Not recorded | 56 |
| Coding scheme | Values | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| First word | seconds | Timecode of the first caption word. Tail silence is the runtime left after the last word. |
| Opening type | claim · product-first · problem · question · what-if · statistic | The first sentence, classified in this order: the product or company named in its first ten words; a what-if or imagine; a question; a number with a magnitude; a problem cue; otherwise a claim. |
| Problem stated | seconds | First sentence carrying a problem cue: still, manual, slow, chaos, buried, waste, hard, struggle, can't, don't, without, broken, missing, drowning, overwhelmed, tired, never, fail, stuck, friction, silo, scattered, mess, pain, bottleneck, risk, delay, complex, fragmented, outdated, legacy. |
| Product named | seconds | First spoken form of the company or product name, checked per script against the captions (Sana is captioned Sauna, Zendesk as Zenesk). |
| Number or proof | seconds | First figure with a magnitude, percentage, unit or count, or a trusted-by, used-by, thousands-of phrase. |
| Trust or control line | seconds | First of: secure, security, privacy, private, compliance, governance, guardrails, control, your data, SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA, permissions, audit, trust, encryption, access control. |
| Close | ask · availability · sign-off · none | In the final fifth of the words: a direct ask (get started, try, book a demo, learn more, visit, join, download, contact, a URL, an imperative ending in today); else an availability line (available now, out now, now live); else the name spoken in the last tenth of runtime; else none. |
| Skipped beats | contrast · audience · introducing phrase | Contrast: no more, without, instead of, not just, stop, forget, unlike. Audience: for X teams, if you're a, a named role. Introducing phrase: introducing, meet, say hello to, announcing. |
| Script scalars | words · words per minute · sentences · you and we per 100 words · first action verb | Counts over the caption words. The first action verb is the first of connects, integrates, reads, learns, generates, automates, analyses, detects, monitors, routes, writes, drafts. |
Cite this report
Jai Ghosh, Advids. The Generative AI Video Teardown: We Audited 73 Startups to Map the Perfect 60-Second Script. 12 September 2026. https://advids.co/blog/generative-ai-startup-video-script-map
About Advids
Advids produces video for AI, SaaS and DeepTech companies. ADVIDS Research publishes coded studies of what those companies ship, with the dataset attached so every count can be checked.