The short answer
- Keep a master for the reusable structure, and duplicate it before adapting the words for a video.
- Give each working copy a subject and version in its title. A name ending in ‘copy’ does not identify the right script.
- Check the actual first line, example and closing action before recording. A duplicate is a separate script, not a backup or a live link to the master.
Yesterday’s opening can sound right until you reach the old product name. The problem starts before recording: the script you edited for one video has become the starting point for the next. Use the example below to keep reusable wording separate from a specific recording.
Build a master for the parts worth repeating
A master is a script you keep as a starting point. It might preserve the shape of a product demonstration or a recurring lesson. Keep details that change between videos out of the permanent wording.
For example, save this original demonstration skeleton as Desk demo | MASTER:
Today I’m showing you [OBJECT].
Start by checking [VISIBLE DETAIL].
Then try [ONE ACTION].
Before you finish, check [LIMIT OR EXCEPTION].
Next, [ONE NEXT ACTION].
The brackets are editing prompts, not words to read aloud. Teleprompter Pal does not fill them in for you. Replace them in the working copy, then read the complete passage without scrolling. If it sounds stiff, use the spoken-script rewrite example to make the wording easier to deliver.
“MASTER” is a naming convention you apply yourself. It does not lock the entry or prevent an accidental edit.
Duplicate the master before changing the subject
Teleprompter Pal’s current script editor has an editable Script title field and a Duplicate action in its script-actions menu.
- Open the master script.
- Open Script actions, the ellipsis menu, and choose Duplicate.
- In the Scripts library, open the new entry. Its initial title adds “copy” to the original title. Confirm which entry you are editing before replacing any wording.
- Change its title to something specific, such as Desk demo | Notebook stand | v01. Fill every bracketed field with the words for that video.
- Tap Done, reopen the working entry and check the title and text you intended to keep.
Duplicate copies the title and words into a new script record. Editing the copy does not update the master, and a later improvement to the master does not flow into earlier copies. If several copies need the same correction, deliberately check and edit each affected entry.
You can also start another version from a working copy when the changes belong only to that subject. Duplicate the version you mean to revise, then rename the new entry before editing it.
Keep a small version ledger
Here is a worked example for a fictional desk-demonstration series. The titles and status labels are your own conventions, not automatic app features.
| Script title | What belongs in it | What to preserve |
|---|---|---|
| Desk demo | MASTER | The reusable skeleton above, with bracketed prompts. | Keep it as the starting point for another subject. |
| Desk demo | Notebook stand | v01 | Opening: “Today I’m showing you the notebook stand.” Closing: “Choose the angle before placing your notebook on it.” | Keep this wording if it is the version you already filmed. |
| Desk demo | Notebook stand | v02 | Same subject, revised closing: “Lift the notebook off before folding the stand.” | Rehearse and record this revision separately. It does not change the words in an existing video. |
The useful distinction is the changed instruction, not a larger pile of versions. If you decide to use v02, read its full passage to check that the new closing still follows the demonstration. Do not assume a higher version number means the wording has been reviewed.
After recording, note the script version beside the clip identifier you can actually find, such as its displayed recording time. Keep that note yourself; do not assume the example titles become video filenames or that the app creates this ledger.
Check the words before pressing Record
Open the working script you intend to film and check its first line, the object or example in the middle, and the final action. Scan for any remaining bracketed prompts and for details carried over from the previous video.
For the notebook-stand example, this means checking both the named object and the revised folding instruction. Looking only at the title would miss an old closing pasted into a newly named entry.
Rehearse the complete passage once. Then follow the iPhone recording walkthrough for the camera, sound check and saved take. A script revision and a video retake are different things: correcting text after filming does not replace speech already captured in the recording.
Keep the version you recorded until you have checked the video and no longer need that reference. If an improvement belongs in future videos too, make the change to the master deliberately, after preserving the working wording you need.
Treat duplication and backup as separate jobs
Two entries in one app on one phone are still on the same device. A duplicate protects the master from your ordinary working edits; it is not an independent backup and does not establish cross-device synchronization.
For important scripts, keep a separate text copy in a location you maintain and can reopen. Check the beginning and end of that copy before relying on it. For device-level protection, use Apple’s iPhone backup guidance; a device backup is a separate workflow, not a promise of a per-script restore button in Teleprompter Pal.
To use this script-to-recording workflow, see Teleprompter Pal’s Free and Pro plans. Writing, rehearsal, recording and editing are free. Pro is needed to export the finished take as an MP4.