How to Write a Killer Infographic Script

An infographic’s value is tied to the information it contains. Just because it is a form of visual content, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay attention to the text aspects of the piece. That’s why every infographic project requires a killer script that is well-researched, well-structured, and engaging from start to finish.

Remember that one of the benefits of using infographics is that you can convey your message more effectively than plain text articles. By visually representing information, the audience can absorb your message faster and remember it better. Studies also show that using visuals aids improve people’s ability to follow instructions by up to 323%.

Without further ado, below are the essential step for creating awesome infographic scripts:

Step 1: Come Up with an Attention-Grabbing Title for Your Killer Infographic

Any content, regardless of type, starts with a great idea. The most important step to infographic script-writing is to come up with a topic that aligns with your niche and piques the interest of your audience. It sounds simple, but this may take hours of extensive research.

Keep in mind that title ideas need to be relevant, interesting, and unique. For this, you can use a content research tool like BuzzSumo or search for trending keywords using Google Adwords Keyword Planner.  

Alternatively, you can look at your most popular blog posts and repurpose their content for your infographics. This is a more efficient strategy for those who already have an established blog with a steady stream of visitors. You may also scrape inspiration from other authoritative blogs as long as you don’t straight up plagiarize their content. Make sure your infographic script will be better than the original content in every way.

Step 2: Decide the Type of Infographic It’ll Be

The second most important step is to decide the main type of infographic you will use for a particular piece. This will help you plan an outline for the script, speed up the actual writing process, and look for specific data to include.

You can refer to this post, “The Different Types of Infographics and When to Use Them” for the most popular types of infographics you can use. But if you need a bigger list of infographic ideas, you can refer to the infographic below:

Infographic courtesy: Infobrandz

Take a look at your title idea and try to visualize it using the infographic type you chose. If not, try looking for a different angle – like exploring the history of the subject matter or creating a comparison with a related concept.

Remember that this step will only affect the main body of the infographic. In most cases, you only include a set of similar information that can be presented with a single data visualization. The infographic above, for example, is a pure “list” infographic that offers the same kind of information from top to bottom. But if you want to cover more comprehensive subjects, you may have to combine different visualization types into a single infographic.

Step 3: Break Down the Outline into Sections

If you want to use different visualizations and a few extra paragraphs to explain them, then you need to break down your script into sections. This will make it easier for your audience to skim through your infographic and find the specific information they need.

By the time you choose a title for your killer infographic, you should have an idea on the headings and subsections that you need to include. For example, take a look at the infographic below:

Infographic courtesy: Knowledgehut

Notice that the main body is organized into three sections – IT Trends Shaping the Future, IT Technology of the Future, and IT Jobs in the Future. By identifying these sections, writing the rest of the infographic script will be like clockwork. But before that, you should start at the very beginning, which leads to the next step.

Step 4: Create a Data-Driven, Audience-Oriented Intro

Once you have finalized the outline for your infographic script, it’s time to get started on a powerful introduction. Although a well-made infographic is already eye-catching by itself, you still need a brilliant copy that will captivate your audience’s attention. Show them that you know your stuff by highlighting statistics and spark their curiosity by targeting their pain points.

Here is an example infographic intro that manages to do both:

Infographic courtesy: Venngage

Take note that you don’t necessarily need clever wordplay anywhere in the infographic script. Just focus on providing relatable, succinct, and fluff-free information with words that are easy to understand. If you can’t come up with anything, take a look at the outline and simply describe what your readers should expect.

An intro is crucial for infographics with a long-scrolling format, which are perfect for storytelling and maintaining a single flow. These are also preferred by mobile users because they can easily scroll through them by swiping. However, certain infographic types cut to the chase and immediately start with data visualizations.

Just remember that infographics with a landscape orientation are not exactly ideal for mobile users. On the plus side, they are much easier to write. You only need to focus on researching statistical data which you can include and present in different ways.

Step 5: Research and Write Your Killer Infographic

Creating an infographic script is different from writing a blog post. You need to focus more on the organization of information so that the visuals look balanced and streamlined. That’s why you should practice writing with different formatting styles – particularly headings and bulleted or numbered lists. These styles enable you to keep the word count consistent across all sections.

Keep in mind that you don’t need lengthy paragraphs in infographic scripts. About 2-3 sentences per list item should suffice. You may also include a brief description beneath section headings to build up the audience’s curiosity and anticipation. Here is an example:

Infographic courtesy: Canva

Step 6: Cite Your Sources

Finally, make sure you provide links to valid sources that support your claims and the data you covered. Since you can’t embed hyperlinks into image infographics, you’ll have to provide references by the end of the script. This can be the original post’s title, the name of a person, or the source’s full URL.

To help your audience check your references, be sure to mark your references using numbers or asterisks (*). Make sure the appropriate mark can be found in the sentence wherein they’re cited.

Ready to Create Your Killer Infographic?

Writing a killer infographic script is only half the job. At the end of the day, you still need professional graphics to create content that your audience will thank you for. You’ll also need a distribution strategy that will push your infographic to a larger audience.

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash