Teleprompter Guides

How do you use a teleprompter for YouTube videos?

Write your script the way you speak, put a teleprompter app on a phone or tablet as close to the camera lens as possible, set large text and a short line length, then let the script scroll at your natural pace or follow your voice. Rehearse once, record in short sections, and keep your eyes near the lens.

True-Slate Guides · updated 1 November 2026

Why YouTubers use a teleprompter

A prompter lets you deliver a tight, well-structured video in fewer takes, without memorising a script or relying on bullet points that lead to rambling. Tutorials, reviews, explainers and talking-head videos all benefit. The challenge is making it look natural, and almost all of that comes down to the script and the set-up.

Write for speaking, not reading

• Use short sentences and everyday words. If you wouldn't say it to a friend, rewrite it.
• Write contractions: "you'll", "it's", "don't".
• Break the script into short paragraphs, one idea each. Paragraph breaks give you natural places to breathe.
• Read it aloud before recording, and cut anything you stumble over.

Set-up options

1. Phone as camera and prompter. Use the front camera and a prompter app on the same phone, with the text near the top of the screen, just under the lens. Simple and free of extra kit.
2. Phone or iPad next to the camera. Place the device directly below or beside the lens of your main camera. The further you are from the camera, the less your eye movement shows.
3. Beam-splitter rig. A tablet below a sheet of angled glass in front of the lens puts the text exactly on your eyeline. It is the most professional look, and the app needs a mirror setting. See how a teleprompter works.

Get the text right on screen

• Make the type big enough to read comfortably from where you sit; bigger text also means shorter lines, so your eyes travel less.
• Increase the side margins to keep lines narrow.
• Use high-contrast colours, such as white on black.
• Place the reading marker near the top of the screen, closest to the lens.

Scrolling speed

Fixed-speed scrolling works if you set it a touch slower than you think you speak, because it is easier to slow down than to chase the text. Voice following removes the guesswork: the script moves as you talk, waits when you pause for emphasis, and catches up if you go quicker.

Looking natural on camera

• Do a quick rehearsal so the words feel familiar. Our guide to autocue reading practice has simple exercises.
• Smile and move your head a little; a fixed stare is what gives readers away.
• Record in sections. Jump cuts between paragraphs are normal on YouTube and make delivery easier.
• Glance away naturally at moments when you would in conversation, then come back to the lens.

Using True-Prompt

True-Prompt is a teleprompter app for iPhone and iPad that follows your voice, with timed scrolling, a countdown, mirror mode for rigs and adjustable type, margins and colours. You can type, paste, dictate or import your script from Word, text or Fountain files, and it works fully offline. One purchase, no subscription.

Common questions

Can I use my iPhone as a teleprompter for YouTube?

Yes. A teleprompter app on an iPhone can scroll your script near the camera lens. For the most natural eyeline, keep the reading position close to the lens.

How fast should a teleprompter scroll?

Around normal conversational pace, roughly 130 to 160 words a minute. Start a little slower than you think, or use voice following so the script matches your speed.

Do viewers notice when you read from a teleprompter?

Not if the text is close to the lens, the lines are short and your script is written conversationally. A short rehearsal helps more than anything.

Related reading

• How does a teleprompter work?
• How do you practise reading from an autocue?
• All True-Slate guides