Boardroom Cue

Investor update video script templates

By (CodewithKolin) ·

Six short scripts for the investor update videos founders send most, each under 40 seconds as written at 140 words a minute, so there is room to add a detail or two and still finish well inside two minutes. Copy one, replace everything in square brackets, read it once out loud, and record.

Every template follows the same order: the news first, then the asks, then where to find the detail. Y Combinator partner Aaron Harris recommends that order for written updates, because readers who stop early still get the important parts, and it matters even more in a video. The timings assume 140 words a minute, a clear and unhurried pace. Once you’ve filled in the brackets your script will run a little longer than the time shown. How to record an investor update video covers the recording itself.

Jump to: Monthly update · Good month · Hard month · Starting a raise · Launch or milestone · Quarterly or board pre-read

The templates

The monthly update

Any normal month. This is the template Boardroom Cue opens with.

Hi everyone, quick update for [month]. [The headline number and how it moved.] [What shipped, and what it changed.] [The one or two asks.] Thank you. [Where the full numbers are.]

31 words with the placeholders, about 13 s at 140 words a minute.

A good month

Growth to report. Lead with it, then turn it into an ask while people are paying attention.

Hi everyone, quick update for [month]. We closed at [revenue], up [percent] on [last month]. That is our [best month / third month in a row above plan]. The main reason is [what changed: a launch, a channel, a hire]. [One number that shows it worked.] Next month we're focused on [one priority], because [why it matters now]. One ask: introductions to [specific kind of person or company]. A short email is plenty. Thank you. Full numbers are in the written update below.

83 words with the placeholders, about 36 s at 140 words a minute.

A hard month

A missed target, a lost customer, a slip in runway. Say it first, in your own voice.

Hi everyone. This month's update has some bad news, so I'll start there. We [missed our revenue target / lost our largest customer / slipped the launch]. [The number, plainly.] What happened: [one or two sentences, no excuses]. What we're doing about it: [the change you've made], and we'll know if it's working by [date]. Runway is [months] at current burn. [Whether that changes anything.] Where you can help: [one specific ask]. I'll send a short note on [date] either way. Thank you for reading the full update below.

89 words with the placeholders, about 38 s at 140 words a minute.

Starting a raise

Telling existing investors you are about to raise, before the deck goes out.

Hi everyone, a quick heads-up before the monthly update. We're starting to raise our [round] in [month], aiming for [amount]. Why now: [the milestone you've hit], and [the metric] is at [number]. The money goes to [two or three uses], which should get us to [next milestone] by [date]. Two asks. First, would you consider taking your pro rata? Second, introductions to [kind of investor] who know [your market]. The deck and data room are linked below. Thank you.

79 words with the placeholders, about 34 s at 140 words a minute.

A launch or milestone

A short, separate video for one piece of news worth celebrating.

Hi everyone, one piece of news between updates. [What happened], today. It matters because [what it unlocks for customers or for the business]. The first numbers: [early signal, honestly labelled as early]. If you know [someone who should hear about it], forwarding this video is the most useful thing you can do. Thank you.

54 words with the placeholders, about 23 s at 140 words a minute.

The quarterly or board pre-read

A slightly longer video that sends people into the board deck already knowing the story.

Hi everyone, here's [quarter] in under three minutes, before we meet on [date]. The headline: [revenue or key metric] is [number], [up or down] [percent] on last quarter, against a plan of [number]. What went well: [one or two things, each with its number]. What didn't: [one or two things, plainly], and what we've changed. The decisions I'd like from the board: [first decision], and [second decision]. Everything else is in the deck. I'd rather spend our time on those two questions. See you on [date].

86 words with the placeholders, about 37 s at 140 words a minute.

Tips for filling them in

Other short videos founders send

Boardroom Cue ships three more templates, each with its own target length.

Social post (30–90 seconds)

[One line that makes people stop scrolling.] [The story or the lesson, in three short sentences.] [What you'd tell someone in the same spot.] [One question to end on.]

29 words with the placeholders.

Client message (20–60 seconds)

Hi [name], [one sentence on why you're sending this]. [The thing you want them to know.] [What happens next, and when.] Speak soon.

23 words with the placeholders.

Team announcement (1–5 minutes)

Hi team, [what this is about in one line]. [What is changing, and why.] [What it means for people day to day.] [Where to ask questions.] Thanks, everyone.

28 words with the placeholders.

Boardroom Cue opens each of these video types with its template and a target length, shows the word count and the time it will take to say as you write, and can turn your notes into a script in your own voice on iPhones with Apple Intelligence. Then you read it beside the lens and send it with captions.

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Keep reading

Sources

  1. Visible: Tips from YC on asks, metrics and a recap in investor updates
  2. Baruch College, Tools for Clear Speech: speaking rate

Drafted with AI assistance from Boardroom Cue’s own settings and the sources above. Found a mistake? Email support@boardroomcue.com.