Teleprompter for YouTube
Talking-head videos live or die on eye contact and pacing. This page covers the settings and script habits that make a phone- or webcam-propped teleprompter read naturally on camera — the tool itself is the same free scroller as the main teleprompter, just with the setup tuned for this specific use.
Setting up your shot
Without a dedicated beam-splitter rig, the honest limitation is that you are always reading slightly off-axis from the lens — the goal is to minimise how far off-axis, and to make the movement of your eyes as small and as consistent as possible.
- Get as close to the lens as you can. Prop your phone or laptop directly above, below, or immediately beside the camera, not across the desk. A few extra centimetres of distance between text and lens is a noticeably bigger eye-line jump on camera than it looks from behind the screen.
- Keep the text near the lens edge of the screen. If your camera sits above a laptop's built-in webcam, keep the scrolling text in the top portion of the display rather than centred, so your eyes travel less to find it.
- Use the reading-line indicator in the tool as a fixed anchor point rather than tracking the text wherever it happens to be — a consistent eye-line position reads as confident on camera even if it isn't perfectly aligned with the lens.
- If you do have a beam-splitter hood, turn on Mirror text — see the beam-splitter section on the main tool page for why that's necessary and how to verify it before a real take.
Recommended starting settings
| Setup | Font size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Laptop webcam, arm's length | 36-48px | Keep the text block near the top of the screen, close to the camera. |
| Phone propped near the lens | 28-40px | Screen sits closer to your eyes, so a slightly smaller size still reads clearly. |
| Beam-splitter rig | 40-64px | The glass and hood add distance and some light loss — go a size or two larger than you'd expect and turn on Mirror text. |
Whatever size you land on, set your scroll speed from your speaking pace using the speed reference table on the main tool page, then always confirm with a short recorded test clip — how a font size and speed feel while you're also thinking about the camera is not the same as how they read back on playback.
Writing a script that reads naturally
- Write it the way you'd actually say it, not the way you'd write an essay — read it out loud once before you paste it in.
- Break long sentences at natural pauses using line breaks, so no single line forces you to hold an entire clause in view at once.
- Front-load the point of each sentence where you can; a viewer's attention is highest in the first few seconds of any given line.
- Mark places you want to pause for emphasis, then actually press the space bar to pause the scroll there — a constant scroll speed straight through a punchline flattens it.
- For anything longer than a couple of minutes, split the script into sections (intro, point one, point two, outro) and restart the teleprompter between them rather than reading the whole thing in a single unbroken take.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I put my phone or webcam relative to the teleprompter text?
As close to the lens as your setup allows. Without a beam-splitter rig, the best you can do is prop your reading device directly above, below, or beside the camera lens, as close to it as physically possible, and keep the text near the top or bottom edge of the screen — the reading-line indicator in the tool marks a fixed spot to aim your eyes at, which keeps your gaze more consistent than reading from the true centre of a phone propped some distance from the lens.
What font size actually reads well on a laptop screen a couple of feet away?
Most people find 36-48px comfortable at a normal desk distance from a laptop or monitor. Phone screens propped closer can often go a little smaller since they sit nearer your eyes; a rig with the screen further from your face wants a larger size. Set it once during a test clip and watch the playback rather than judging it live — text that feels fine while you are also focusing on the camera often turns out smaller than you'd like on review.
Should I write my YouTube script differently for a teleprompter than for reading later?
Yes. Write in short sentences and use line breaks at natural pauses, not just where a sentence happens to end — a shorter line is easier to hold in view near the reading line and to deliver conversationally. Avoid long, comma-heavy sentences that force you to keep scanning ahead to see where a thought resolves; break them into two sentences instead, even if it reads slightly less formally on paper.
How do I stop sounding like I'm reading?
Write the script the way you'd actually say it out loud, not the way you'd write an essay, then rehearse it out loud at least once before recording — a script that reads fine silently often reveals awkward phrasing the moment you try to say it. Pausing briefly at commas and full stops instead of scrolling through them at a constant speed also helps; use the space bar to pause the teleprompter for emphasis exactly where you would pause naturally.
Can I use this for a full video or is it only good for short scripts?
It scrolls a script of any length the same way — there's no built-in limit. For long-form video, most creators find it easier to teleprompt in sections (an intro, then each main point) with a restart or pause between them, rather than one continuous multi-minute scroll, since a mistake partway through a very long take means redoing the whole thing.