Founder/SME Video Framework: 5 Scripts That Don’t Feel Scripted

If you sell to technical buyers (CISOs, data leaders, IT, PMMs), trust beats polish. The fastest way to earn it is to put your founder or subject-matter experts (SMEs) on camera—short, clear, and useful. Below is a complete framework with five plug-and-play scripts, filming tips, distribution, and measurement so you can ship in days, not months.

Before you hit record

Pick one narrow outcome per video

• Educate (shift a belief)
• Explain (show how it works)
• Remove friction (handle an objection)
• Prove it (customer result)
• Lead the conversation (insight/forecast)

Length & format guardrails

• 30–60s for feed posts (LinkedIn, Shorts).
• 60–120s for YouTube + site “explainer” embeds.
• 9:16 (shorts), 1:1 (feeds), 16:9 (site/YouTube). Export all three.

Recording kit (simple wins)

• Quiet room, eye-level camera/phone, natural light + one key light.
• Wired lav or USB mic.
• Keep energy up: stand if you can; talk to one person.

Tip: Use bullets, not a teleprompter. Have “beats” on a sticky note next to the lens. It sounds human and still stays tight.

Script 1 — POV Belief-Shift (“You’re solving the wrong problem”)

Use when: You need to challenge how buyers think (great top-of-funnel).

Runtime: 60–90s • Framing: talking head, light B-roll.

Beats

1. Hook (1 sentence): Name the wrong approach you see.
2. Context (2–3 bullets): What’s changed?
3. Belief shift (1 idea): The better way.
4. Next step (CTA): What to try this week.

Cyber/Enterprise example (fill-in)

“Most vendors still cold email CISOs 7 times and wonder why it stalls. In 2025, security leaders research quietly, ignore outreach, and ask peers first. Flip it: publish expert POV videos answering the 5 questions you always get on first calls. Measure branded search and reply rate instead of raw impressions. This week, record one 60-second take on ‘How we validate XYZ claims’. Post on LinkedIn, embed on your site, and send it in follow-ups.”

Script 2 — Micro Demo (“How it works in 3 steps”)

Use when: You need clarity fast without a 30-minute demo.

Runtime: 90–120s • Framing: screen + face, or over-shoulder.

Beats

1. Cold open (1 line): The promise (“In 90 seconds…”).
2. Setup (5–7s): Who it’s for.
3. Three steps (20–25s each): Clicks, outcomes, one sentence of why.
4. Proof (10s): Result or metric.
5. Next step (CTA): “Reply ‘demo’ / book link / try it.”

AI platform example

“In 90 seconds: how our model scoring trims false positives by 38%. For SOC teams drowning in noise.
Step 1: Connect your EDR—no agents.
Step 2: We auto-label events using your past dispositions.
Step 3: The analyst sees only high-confidence alerts with clear rationale.
Teams cut MTTR by 41 minutes on average. Want the deep dive? Book below.”

Script 3 — Objection Handler (“But will it work here?”)

Use when: Sales keeps hearing the same concerns.

Runtime: 45–75s • Framing: talking head + quick overlay or prop.

Beats

1. Name the objection verbatim.
2. Agree + reframe (why the worry makes sense).
3. Evidence (short example, mini metric, or visual).
4. Action (how we de-risk / next step).

Example

“‘We can’t put our engineers on camera.’ Totally fair—time is scarce and risk matters. We record remotely in 20 minutes, approve talking points with your compliance team, and coach for one take. Here’s a client clip: one SME, 3 clips used across sales and web. Let’s pilot with one engineer—we’ll handle script, setup, and sign-off.”

Script 4 — Customer Story in 3 Acts

Use when: You want proof without a full production.

Runtime: 60–90s • Framing: founder/SME narrates; add 3–4 cutaways.

Beats

1. Problem (10–15s): Specific pain + stakes.
2. Change (25–35s): What you did (not every feature—just the hinge).
3. Outcome (15–25s): Quant + qualitative quote.
4. CTA (1 line).

Template

“Acme’s SOC wasted weekends chasing false positives. We started with a trust content sprint—five objection-handling clips + a 90-second explainer on how their triage works. Sales used them in sequences; marketing ran them on key pages. Result: demo acceptances up 32%, CAC down 18%, and a pipeline meeting record. Want the playbook? I’ll send it.”

Script 5 — Insight/Forecast (“What’s coming and how to prepare”)

Use when: You need thought leadership that’s concrete.

Runtime: 60s • Framing: one chart/visual; talk to it.

Beats

1. Trend (1 sentence).
2. What most will do (and why that fails).
3. What high performers will do instead (2 bullets).
4. Action for this quarter.

Example

“Paid reach is shrinking while authentic expert content compounds. Most teams will post more but say less. Winners will:
• Ship weekly SME clips mapped to buyer questions.
• Route those clips into sales sequences and key web pages.
This quarter: record four 60-second takes and wire them into your top two nurture flows.”

How to film so it doesn’t feel scripted

• Talk to one person (“you”), not “you guys” or “our customers.”
• Stand, hands at chest height, mild movement. It lifts energy.
• One idea per sentence. Cut clauses.
• Keep your mistakes. Trim only dead air and double-starts.
• Edit rhythm: quick open, hard cuts, silent B-roll on verbs, burned-in captions.

Post-production checklist

• Captions: burned-in for feeds + .srt for YouTube.
• Branding: logo bug (6–8% edge), color-correct to your purple/navy, consistent lower thirds.
• End card: 2s with one CTA (book, download, or watch next).
• Exports: 1080p for 16:9, 1080x1080, 1080x1920; keep file names descriptive for UTM tracking.

Distribution (the part most teams skip)

LinkedIn (founder/SME profile first, then company page)

• 2 posts/week per SME. First comment: link to book/demo or guide.
• Carousel summarizing the video for people who won’t watch.

YouTube

• Title = problem + outcome.
• Chapters (00:00 Hook / 00:12 Step 1…).
• Description links: site embed + related resources.

Website

• Embed on relevant pages: objections on pricing, micro demo on product page, POV in “Why us.”
• Publish to /blog or /library with transcripts for SEO.

Sales

• Add 2–3 clips to sequences:
  • Day 1: POV belief-shift
  • Day 4: Micro demo clip
  • Day 9: Objection handler
• Ask for replies, not clicks, on email 1.

Email & communities

• Monthly round-up: “3 clips CISOs shared this month.”
• Share one clip in 1–2 curated Slack/Discord communities (no spam).

Measure what matters

• Reach & fit: % of views from ICP titles/accounts.
• Engagement: 50% watch-through, saves/shares, comments from the right people.
• Demand: Branded search lift, demo requests, reply rate in sequences.
• Revenue: Content-assisted opps, win rate change on deals that saw ≥2 clips.

Plumbing

• UTM every link.
• Track play_click, 50_pct_watch, and cta_click events on site.
• Annotate posts inside your CRM when used in sequences.

A 30-day production plan (light lift)

Week 1 (90 mins): Record 6 clips (Scripts 1–5 + one bonus objection).
Week 2: Edit exports + publish 2 clips, embed 1 on site.
Week 3: Publish 2 more, wire into sales sequence, write one blog post from a transcript.
Week 4: Publish final 2, run a roundup email, review metrics, and plan the next batch.

Copy/paste outlines (quick reference)

Belief-Shift opener lines

• “You’re not losing deals because X—you’re losing them because trust is missing before the first call.”
• “If you sell to CISOs, the pitch isn’t your product. It’s how you think.”

Micro Demo transitions

• “Click one connects your data.”
• “In the background, we…”
• “Here’s what changes for your team…”

Objection pivots

• “That’s a fair concern. Here’s how we handle it in practice.”
• “We thought the same until we ran this pilot…”

Want the templates and a 20-minute coaching session to ship your first batch? Book a strategy call with CyberWhyze.