How to use a teleprompter app (without looking like you're reading)

How to format a script for a teleprompter

A script that reads well on paper often sounds stiff out loud. Before you record, shape it for speaking:

• Write for the ear, not the eye. Use contractions like you're, it's and we'll. Say each line out loud as you write it.
• One idea per line. Short lines make it easy to keep your place, and easy to find it again after a stumble.
• Mark your pauses. A new paragraph gives you a natural spot to breathe and reset.
• Write numbers the way you say them. About two thousand is easier to read aloud than 1,984.
• Cut what you'd never say. Parentheses, footnotes and long lists look fine on paper and trip you up on camera.

Drafting with an AI chat? Ask it for short spoken sentences, then read the result out loud and fix anything that doesn't sound like you.

Setting up a teleprompter app on iPhone

Your iPhone's front camera sits at the top of the screen, so the best place for the line you're reading is right under it. That's the idea behind the Eye Line in Scrollglass: the line you're reading always sits just below the camera, so your eyes stay on the lens.

Mount the phone at eye level, on a stand or a stack of books. Too low, and you look down at your viewers. Too close, and your eyes visibly move across each line. About arm's length, with a narrow text width, works for most people. Face a window or a soft light, not away from it.

Recording on a tablet? Our teleprompter for iPad guide covers the bigger screen.

How fast should a teleprompter scroll?

As fast as you naturally talk, not the other way around. A comfortable pace for most people is roughly 130 to 160 words per minute: slower for teaching, a little faster for upbeat social videos.

To find your pace, read a paragraph out loud and time it, or use the free words per minute calculator. To see how long a script will run before you record, paste it into the script timer.

If a steady speed keeps getting ahead of you or falling behind, try a teleprompter that follows your voice. In Scrollglass, voice follow moves the text as you speak, waits when you pause and catches up if you skip ahead.

How to read a script without looking like you're reading

• Know the script, don't memorize it. After a couple of rehearsals, the teleprompter becomes a reminder, not a lifeline. You read ahead in chunks, and that sounds like talking.
• Talk to one person. Picture a friend just behind the lens. Your tone gets warmer and less like an announcer.
• Keep your eyes near the camera. Don't chase the text up the screen. Let it come to you.
• Pause at full stops. A beat of silence after a point looks confident. Racing through looks like reading.
• Move a little. Nod, gesture, smile at the funny line. Total stillness is what gives readers away.
• Let small slips go. If a phrase comes out differently, keep going. Nobody else has the script.
• Glance away between thoughts. A quick look down or to the side at the end of a sentence is what people do in real conversation.

Common teleprompter mistakes to avoid

• Text too small, so you squint or lean in.
• Lines too wide, so your eyes sweep left and right.
• Speed too fast, so you rush and forget to breathe.
• No rehearsal, so your first take is also your first read.
• Camera below eye level, so you look down at your viewers.

How to use a teleprompter app on iPhone, step by step

1. Add your scriptPaste your script into the app or import a file. Scrollglass imports PDF, RTF, Markdown and plain text, and its Send to Scrollglass shortcut sends text from any app or AI chat.
2. Shape it for speakingBreak up long sentences, put one idea per line and start a new paragraph wherever you want to pause.
3. Set up your phonePut the phone at eye level, about arm's length away, on a stand or a stack of books. Face a window or a soft light.
4. Set the text size, width and speedMake the text big enough to read without leaning in, and narrow the column so your eyes stay near the camera. Pick a steady speed in words per minute, or let voice follow move the text as you speak. If the video must hit a set length, use Finish in.
5. Rehearse out loudRun through the script once or twice in Rehearse mode, which is free forever in Scrollglass. You'll catch tricky phrases and find your pace.
6. RecordPress Record, wait for the countdown of 3, 5 or 10 seconds, and read the line right under the camera. When you stop, the video is saved to Photos.

Frequently asked questions