How Many Words Is a 30 Second Ad Script? Why 75 Beats 90

A worksheet the BBC wrote for school kids back in 2008 has the neatest rule in this whole topic. Most people speak at three words a second, it says, so a 30-second news report holds about 90 words.

The math is right. For an ad, it's a trap.

So how many words is a 30 second ad script? About 75 spoken words. Voice123's guide to commercial scripts says about 75 for a normal read, 65 for a slow one and 85 for a brisk one. Compared with the BBC's flat-out 90, the spare seconds go to pauses, your name said clearly and the logo at the end.

Or skip the counting.

A Yapper ad is a 30-second video where a presenter talks to the camera like a friend telling a friend about your business. At 30 Second Ad Factory, the done-for-you ad team from 30 Second Productions, we write the words to time and make the ad for $97. The presenter is made with AI. She looks and sounds real, and real people write and check every video.

Here's one of ours: our AI presenter selling our Holiday Song Club.

Want one about your business? Get your Yapper ad.

Ninety words fit. Seventy-five sell.

The BBC number is a rule of thumb for speech, written for news, where a reader can run flat out.

An ad has other jobs. It has to pause after the hook, say your name slowly enough to stick and leave a beat for your logo.

Voice123 names one more thief. It warns that music cues and sound effects "will take away time from the commercial voice over." Voicebros puts it another way: "65-75 words is ideal; leave 10% headroom for emphasis and pauses."

Then there's the reader. Killerspots, a radio ad studio, puts a normal read at roughly 2.5 words a second, closer to 3 when it's energetic and about 2.2 when it's slow. Do the math on those speeds and the same 30 seconds holds anywhere from 66 to 90 words.

Not everyone agrees. AdMakeAI's video ad script examples, from an AI ad-tool site, say a 30-second script needs 90 to 110 words. It counted the burned-in captions on 14 Meta ads still running on October 10, 2026, and got a median of 3.1 caption words a second, about 93 in 30 seconds.

Those are caption counts, not speech, and the page says it didn't transcribe the audio. For one person talking to the camera, we'd still write 75.

Write 90 for a talking ad and it can sound like the small print they rush through at the end of a car commercial. Write 75 and it sounds like a person.

Get a talking video ad made for your business for $97 → A real-looking presenter sells for you. We write the words and make the video. You just say yes.

How many words is a 15 or 60-second ad script?

A 15-second ad holds about 35 spoken words, and a 60-second ad holds about 140. The guides, checked in November 2026:

Voicebros, a voice-over agency, works from about 2.3 words a second, and Killerspots from about 2.5. That gap is why the guides never quite agree.

We cut one script to all three lengths in how long a UGC ad should be.

One number doesn't belong in this table. As of November 2026, TikTok's creative best practices page says "We recommend displaying 5-10 words per second when using text." That's for words on screen, like captions.

It isn't a speaking speed. Try saying 10 words a second out loud. You'll sound like a fax machine.

One 75-word ad, counted line by line

Here's a 75-word script for a made-up mobile dog groomer. We wrote it for this post, so it isn't a real ad and has no results behind it.

Say "bath" and watch your dog vanish.

Then it's a wrestling match, a soaked bathroom and a dog who won't look at you. [Your Name] Mobile Grooming parks the van outside your door. Warm water, a calm groomer, one dog at a time. No crate, no car ride, no shaking in a waiting room. Your dog comes back clean, fluffy and still speaking to you. Tap Book Now. Pick a day. We'll bring the van.

On screen: your town, your star rating and your phone number. Button: Book now.

Here's the count, at Killerspots' normal pace of about 2.5 words a second:

At that relaxed pace, 75 words fill the whole clock. By our math, read at the BBC's 3 a second they take about 25, which leaves about 5 seconds for pauses and the logo. That's why 75 is the target and not the floor.

The hook gets 7 words, because that's all 3 seconds holds. TikTok's page says to "introduce your content proposition in the first 3 seconds," so make those 7 count.

The fix gets more than half. That's where the customer decides.

The next step gets 10 words and no more. Notice what's missing: a phone number. Read out loud, it's 10 digits of nobody listening. It goes on screen.

For how to build each part, see our guide to UGC video ad scripts that convert.

Here's a Yapper ad of ours set in a home studio.

Rather not count at all? Get your Yapper ad and we'll write it to time.

How do you time an ad script with a stopwatch?

Read the script out loud at your normal talking speed, with your phone's stopwatch running from the first word to the last. A 30-second ad should finish a little under 30.

Step 1: Read it out loud once, cold

Your eyes skip words your mouth trips on. The BBC worksheet agrees: "Keep reading your scripts out loud to check how they sound."

Step 2: Time three reads

Start on the first word and stop on the last. Use the middle time, not your fastest.

Step 3: Read it the way the ad will sound

If the ad is chatty, read it chatty. Pauses count.

Step 4: Leave room at the end

Stop talking a second or two before 30, so the last line lands and your logo gets a moment.

Step 5: Hand it to someone else

Ask a friend to read it. The line they stumble on is the line to fix.

If you run out of breath, the script is too long. Your lungs are fine.

Watch our Yapper ads → Click any video to watch with sound.

What do you cut when the script runs over?

Cut words from the middle, never from the hook or the next step. And never fix a long script by talking faster.

• The warm-up. "Hi, I'm..." and "Are you looking for..." burn about 2 seconds before anything happens.
• The second benefit. One problem, one fix. Save the other one for your next ad.
• Stacked adjectives. Nobody ever booked a groomer because she was "professional, friendly and affordable."
• Your phone number and web address. Put them on screen.
• Filler. "Really", "just" and "actually" add time and nothing else.

Quick test: if a line could go in your competitor's ad unchanged, cut it first.

Who should count the words?

The counting is easy. The cutting hurts, because you love every word you wrote. Hand it to someone whose job is writing ads to time.

30 Second Ad Factory is the done-for-you ad team from 30 Second Productions. You assign and approve. We do the rest.

We write the words, or use yours, and you can change anything. We show you a picture for each part, and one round of changes is included. The ad is ready in 72 hours after you say yes, vertical for Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, with words on screen and your logo at the end.

Every order comes with your own Ad Factory account for ordering more. We make the ad; you, or whoever runs your ads, puts it live.

One honest limit: the presenter is AI. Want your own face in the ad? Film it on your phone and use the 75-word plan above.

Here's our presenter selling our Song Ads.

Want your own, counted and timed by us? Get your Yapper ad.

Frequently asked questions

How many words per second do people say in an ad?

About 2.5 words a second at a normal pace, according to Killerspots. It puts an energetic read at about 3 and a slow one at about 2.2. The BBC's school worksheet uses 3 as a rule of thumb for speech.

Is TikTok's 5-10 words per second a speaking speed?

No. As of November 2026, TikTok's creative best practices page gives 5-10 words per second for text on screen, such as captions and text overlays. It gives no word count for speech.

Does a script with two voices fit fewer words?

Yes. Killerspots says a 30-second spot with two voices comes in closer to 65 to 70 words, against its 75-word target for one voice.

Is the presenter in a Yapper ad a real person?

No. The presenter in a Yapper ad is made with AI. She looks and sounds real, and real people write and check every video. You can't pick a different presenter yet.

So, how many words is a 30 second ad script?

About 75 spoken words, timed out loud and cut from the middle.

You could do all that tonight with a stopwatch. But cutting your own words hurts, and someone still has to film it. For a busy owner, our done-for-you Yapper ad is the best option: we write it to time, make it and hand you a finished ad to approve, with no app to learn.

No ad can promise calls or sales, ours included. But you won't have to count a single word, and you're covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Want an ad that talks for you? Get your Yapper ad for $97: your words, your logo, made for you in 72 hours, with a money-back guarantee.

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