How to use a teleprompter for YouTube videos

A teleprompter turns a scripted YouTube video from a dozen stop-start takes into a few clean runs. You keep the wording you planned, you stop losing your place, and you can still look at the viewer while you talk. You do not need studio hardware: a phone, tablet or laptop running a browser-based prompter is enough for most channels.

This guide walks through three setups that work for content creators, how to keep your eye line natural, how to structure the script for the platform, and how to handle retakes and vertical Shorts. You can record with your camera, your phone's camera app or your usual recording software while EasyPrompter shows and scrolls your script, or, with Pro, record the take in EasyPrompter itself.

Pick your setup

The right setup depends on what you film with. All three share one rule: the text should sit as close to the lens as possible, because the further your eyes move from it, the more viewers notice that you are reading.

Setup A: phone as the prompter, separate camera

If you film with a mirrorless camera, a DSLR or a camcorder, use your phone as the screen. Open EasyPrompter in the phone's browser and place the phone directly under the lens, or just beside it, as close as you can without it entering the shot. A small clamp or a phone holder on the tripod or a light stand works well.

• Keep text large and lines short, so your eyes travel less from side to side.
• Move the reading line toward the top of the screen when the phone sits under the lens, so you read the part nearest the camera.
• For the most natural eye contact, put the phone in a beam splitter rig, which places the text directly in front of the lens. See our guide to teleprompter mirror mode and beam splitters.

Setup B: laptop or desktop with a webcam

If you record with a webcam, run EasyPrompter in a browser window on the same computer. The trick is to keep the text near the camera, which usually sits at the top center of the screen.

• Make the browser window narrow and place it at the top center, right under the webcam. Or keep it full width and raise the side margins so the text forms a narrow column in the middle.
• Set the reading line position near the top of the screen, so the line you are reading is only a few centimeters below the lens.
• Sit a little further back than usual. The further you are from the screen, the smaller your eye movements look on camera.
• Or turn on Eye contact in the prompter's quick menu: only the two lines you're reading show, in a narrow island at the top of the window, right by the webcam.

Setup C: two devices, phone camera plus prompter

Many creators film on a phone. Running a browser prompter and the camera app on the same phone is awkward, since the camera app usually needs the whole screen. The simple fix is a second device: record with the phone's rear camera for the best quality, and run EasyPrompter on a tablet or laptop placed directly under the phone. An old phone or tablet works fine as the prompter.

If you record with the front camera so you can see yourself, put the prompter device just below the phone and keep it small and close, so your eyes stay near the lens.

Or use one phone for both. In EasyPrompter, tap Start camera: the front camera turns on and the lines you're reading sit in a narrow island right under the lens, under the Dynamic Island in the iPhone app. With Pro, the red Record button films the take while the text scrolls, and the script stays out of the video. See teleprompter with camera and recording.

Eye line, distance and framing

Viewers notice eyes that scan back and forth across a line. A few habits keep reading invisible:

• Distance hides eye movement. As a rule of thumb, the further you sit from the camera and prompter, the less your eyes appear to move. Compensate with a larger font.
• Narrow columns. Fewer words per line means less side-to-side movement. Side margins help on wide screens; on phones, Roboto Condensed fits more words in a narrow line.
• Lens at eye height. Camera slightly above or level with your eyes is the usual flattering choice, with the prompter text right next to it.

Lighting and audio, briefly

A prompter screen is a light source. In a dark room, a bright white page can glow on your face or show up in glasses. Light text on a dark background, such as white or yellow on black, keeps the screen from spilling light and is easy to read.

Put your main light in front of you and slightly to one side. If you wear glasses, angle the light so its reflection misses the lenses. For audio, a microphone close to your mouth, such as a lavalier or one just out of frame, beats the camera's built-in microphone in almost every room.

Structure the script for YouTube

A YouTube script is not an essay. It is written to be heard, and the first seconds decide whether people keep watching. A structure that works for most videos:

1. Hook: one or two sentences that say what the viewer gets, or open a question they want answered.
2. Short intro: who you are and why this matters, kept brief.
3. Chapters: the main content in clear sections, each starting with a line that names the topic. These also make good YouTube chapter titles in your description.
4. Call to action: what to watch next, subscribe, or a link in the description. One clear ask beats three.

HOOK
Most people set up a teleprompter wrong in the first ten seconds. Here is the fix.

CHAPTER 1: WHERE TO PUT THE SCREEN
The text has to sit right next to the lens...

CTA
If this helped, the full setup video is linked right here.

For writing technique, phrasing and formatting, see how to write a teleprompter script. To set a pace that sounds natural on camera, read our guide to teleprompter reading speed.

Let the AI writer draft it (Pro)

If you start from a blank page, EasyPrompter Pro includes an AI script writer. Tap Write with AI in the editor, describe the topic in your own words, and choose YouTube video as the format, a tone such as Friendly or Energetic, and a length from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. The length is matched to your current reading speed, so the word count fits the time. The draft is added as a new script and does not replace anything you wrote. AI can get facts wrong, so read it through and make it sound like you before recording.

Split long videos into several scripts

Reading a fifteen-minute video in one go is hard, and one stumble near the end costs you the whole take. Most creators record in sections and edit them together. EasyPrompter Pro keeps as many scripts as you like, so you can put each chapter in its own script (the free teleprompter holds one script at a time):

• In the editor, use the arrows at the top ("Script 1 of 3") to move between scripts.
• While prompting, the bottom control bar has previous script and next script buttons, so you can move to the next chapter without going back to the editor.
• Use Preview for a clean full-screen read-through of each section before you film.

Retakes without the hassle

Retakes are normal. The faster you can reset, the more relaxed you stay.

• Back to the top: press Home or tap the back-to-top button in the bottom bar.
• Jump back a little: ← or Page Up goes back to the start of the paragraph, handy for re-reading a line. You can also drag the text by hand.
• Pause and resume: tap the text, or press Space.
• Countdown: the 3-2-1 countdown gives you a beat to settle before the text moves.
• Loop: turn on loop (or press L) to start again automatically at the end, useful for practicing a short intro until it feels natural.

When you stumble, pause, jump back to the start of the sentence and read it again. Cut the stumble in editing; it is far quicker than restarting.

Use a Bluetooth remote

Reaching for the screen between takes can shift your framing. A Bluetooth presentation clicker or small keyboard paired with the prompter device lets you control everything from your seat. Most clickers send Page Up and Page Down, which move to the previous or next paragraph; a keyboard or remote that sends Space also gives you play and pause, and ↑ / ↓ change the speed by 10 words per minute. See the remote control section of the user guide for the full list of keys.

Shorts and Reels: vertical videos

Short vertical videos have different needs. Scripts are short, often 30 to 60 seconds, and the hook matters even more.

• Film vertically on your phone and put the prompter device directly below it, or use a phone-sized beam splitter. Filming with the front camera? Start camera in EasyPrompter puts the lines you read right under the lens on the same phone.
• Keep the text big and the column narrow. With only a few words per line, you can glance less and keep energy up.
• Place the reading line near the top of the prompter screen, closest to the lens.
• Write tight. Every sentence should earn its place; cut warm-up lines that delay the point.

The AI writer's Social video format and 30-second or 1-minute lengths are a quick starting point for Shorts and Reels.

Install EasyPrompter as an app for full screen

Browser bars take space on a phone and can distract from the text. With Pro you can install EasyPrompter as an app on Android, iPhone, iPad and desktop Chrome or Edge, so it opens full screen without browser bars. On iPhone, use the Share button and choose Add to Home Screen, then open EasyPrompter from the home screen. The install section of the user guide covers each platform.

Open the free teleprompter

Pre-shoot checklist

• Script split into sections, one script per chapter, with a hook at the top
• Read-through done in Preview, awkward sentences fixed
• Speed set and tested out loud for each section
• Font size readable from your seat; side margins narrow the column
• Reading line close to the lens; prompter not visible in frame
• White or yellow text on a dark background; screen brightness set
• Prompter device charging, Do Not Disturb on, screen stays awake
• Bluetooth remote paired with the prompter device and tested
• Camera recording settings, focus and exposure checked; microphone level tested
• Test clip recorded and watched back; prompter not visible in the corners

Frequently asked questions