5 must-have ingredients in your food-vlog script

For delicious videos with a side of gripping drama

Go beyond eating something and reviewing it in your food vlog. Image for representation only.

Warning: This post is meant for serious food-and-travel vlogs that are devoid of any ‘cheesiness’ 😁

I love food-and-travel vlogs, and I’m so addicted to them that I watch a few daily before bedtime.

As a result of this binge, I’ve been able to identify the key components that make a food vlog tick.

Using these elements, one can come up with neat scripts and memorable videos that go way beyond dining at an establishment and proclaiming the verdict on its food. If you’d like to stand out in a sea of foodtubers and foodstagrammers, you wouldn’t want to miss these food-vlogging tips and pointers.

I can’t guarantee the views, but I can assure you that you’ll enjoy the process even more. And isn’t that what we want at the end of the day? Progress can only happen when there’s passion in the first place.

Before you start out on this journey, ensure these 2 things first:

Unique hook & niche

You can’t be yet another person who eats something and reviews it. We already have a swarm of food vloggers doing that.

You need to differentiate yourself w.r.t. food type, cuisine, diet, location, or presentation style. That’s how you distinguish yourself from the crowd, attract the right audience, and address their needs effectively.

Prepare a bible for your channel (just like how TV and web series do) that includes what your USP is. Jot down as many ideas for it and take lots of notes before you build the doc and edit it. Do your keyword research, and watch other YouTubers’ works. This roadmap for your channel will set a strong foundation for your videos.

The right channel name

Your channel name, while being catchy, should be something that spells out your niche loud and clear so that we don’t have to watch a full 20-minute video to find out. Be as specific as possible. For instance, the name “Veggie Paaji” immediately tells me that this channel is all about vegetarian food, so it effortlessly attracts its core audience.

Come up with 5-10 names, and after a gap of 1-2 days, select the one that captures your channel’s essence best. Feel free to run these options by a few trusted people.

If you think you can do without a script for your vlog, think again. Here’s an infographic listing all the reasons you need to have a script for your vlog.

And now, here are the 5 must-haves for your food-vlog script. Apply these food-vlogging tips right away!

Structure

Very few vloggers play around with narrative structure and weave it into their content. That’s why you have an advantage if you incorporate it.

Start every food video with why you need this culinary adventure, the purpose behind doing it, and the reason your audience should watch it. Explain what your audience stands to lose if they don’t watch your video. For example, you could explore dining options at an isolated beach or vegetarian/vegan food in a predominantly non-vegetarian territory, depending on your USP.

Even when exploring individual restaurants, talk about what makes them special and why you’ve chosen them over others.

Add dramatic elements through the vlog to keep your audience glued and engaged. For instance, avoid biting into the food the moment it comes to your table. Build anticipation and excitement by allowing room in your script to describe the dish’s ingredients, aromas, textures, colours, and cooking techniques first. (Also, see point #5.) Don’t go on about the food for too long either, and eat it at the right time.

End by sharing how you have (or not) benefited from the experience and how your audience can, too.

If you follow this food-vlogging tip, you’re sure to stand out from those who just eat, rant, and leave.

(Also check out: This FREE worksheet will help you write scenes like a pro)

Language

For a medium that only allows you to see food without tasting its flavours, smelling its aromas, or feeling its textures, language helps paint a vivid picture of these elements in the viewers’ minds.

Sure, nothing beats the actual experience of savouring food and its elements. But describing them using good, vivid, poetic language is always the next best thing, relishable and enjoyable by itself.

If vloggers work on their language skills and let them shine in their content, nothing can beat them in the race.

Keep it short and crisp, though, given the medium, and stick to simple words in your script.

Conversations with locals

No food-and-travel video can ever be complete without featuring the restaurant’s owners, workers, patronage, and its area’s locals. That’s how you add depth and context to what would otherwise be a bland food video.

Spice up things by interviewing the people that make up the restaurant and its destination. Leave space in your script for these bits, and list out your questions beforehand.

Ambience

If I don’t know what the restaurant you’re eating in looks like, you could be eating anywhere and I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Besides, the atmosphere of a restaurant adds another key dimension to its overall story.

Ensure you make room in your script to capture the restaurant and its external and internal environment in as much detail as possible. Prioritise those elements that bring out the restaurant’s character and story better.

Showing more than telling

You tell me that a vada pav is the largest you’ve eaten, and I’m compelled to believe you.

How about bringing a golf or tennis ball or perhaps a standard batata vada to compare that “jumbo” vada pav’s size with?

Storytelling is all about showing, so try to come up with ways to state your point dramatically. That’s how you wow your audiences and take your video to the next level.

All these aspects can only occur to the mind during your research stage, so give it ample attention. Email me at agarwalpriyanka1203@gmail.com for assistance with all your script research and writing needs.

Post backdated on 30 November 2022