How to use one big video script to create dozens of other communication material elements?

Context

From time to time I get to help NGOs in a pro bono way. One of the latest cases was a project where I helped a team to create an internal communication campaign for a new project that had to be shared both with employees and volunteers from that NGO.

The challenge when communicating within an NGO is that you need to use many different channels and communicate often. As many people are volunteers that means, they don't have access to the same channels than employees have and don't interact with all the channels as frequently as a paid employee would do for who it's his job to check every email.

So you have to create a lot of different communication material which each time is adapted to the channel where the communication is done. You can't use the same text everywhere, you have to adapt the length and tone to each channel.

A base script that creates derivates

For this project I first created a base script, or text that had all the information, which I then could use to create derivates for all the different channels.

To create this base script I used the project Concept document, usually within big institutions there is always a very formal document that describes the project in detail. The problem is that this is an administrative document with no storytelling and that is usually pretty boring to read. But it has a lot of information. I also used the email exchange I had with the team, including the answers to my questions. I then used a series of prompts to create the base script based on all this material.

Here's the prompts I used with the parts to adapt in yellow. I've removed some parts that were specific to that project.

I used Claude Sonnet 4.6 with Notion AI to create the base script and then within notion create for each channel a document that contains the different texts.

My first prompt was:

Based on all the information that you find in this page about the [project name] create a script for a video that describes in depth this project and motivates people to [target audience].

The script should have chapter that follow a question and answer structure, so that I can then easily use these elements in intranet posts and internal newsletters.

I want the script to have a storytelling approach and that it speaks in a simple and down to earth language that adresses directly the community member, volunteer or employee of [institution name]. A light touch of [specific culture] references can be used.

Adapt the text so that it works for people that come from these different departments of the institutions: [department names]

Make sure that volunteers, members and employees also feel that this is for them.

Then I added a few prompts to improve the next drafts:

Now for each chapter add a catchy summary answer as a subtitle that summarize the idea of the chapter.

Make the summary answers more specific.

Finally I prompted it to create derivates

Now based on the “Base Script” create for each marketing touchpoint a new notion page and all the texts adapted for this channel and touchpoint.

Here’s what I need:

• Slide deck with 10 slides max

• One Summary slide

• Flyer (with front and back)

• Poster

• Website

• Intranet posts (one long one that announce the fund, and 6 shorter ones that are focused on one key question each)

• Social Media posts (similar to the intranet stuff but adapted in language and style to social media, especially for sharing in whatsapp groups)

A system that works without AI

This idea of having a meta script from which you can then extract smaller pieces is something that works also when you don't work with AI. In fact, at first I planned for this project to use this approach by shooting a big 3-5 minutes scripted talking head video that described the whole project. Then I could use the visuals and texts for other channels, and even cut the video in smaller pieces to create derivates.

Hand made graphics

For the graphic design part, I like to use Canva, as it's a tool that is easy to use, even for people who don't come from the design world. Also it has a nice free plan, which means the material I create can then easily be transformed, adapted, exported for free within the NGO.

I have within Canva a brand kit for each of the institutions I work often for. There I have their colors, fonts, imagery, typefaces and logos. I've tried to use Canva AI to generate for me, based on the texts I had previously generated and the brand kit in Canva, all the material. But that just didn't work. Yes it used the brand colors and fonts. But it didn't manage to use the brand templates properly.

So I had to do the final graphic design work by hand.

Backstage of this article

This article was illustrated on a refurbished Remarkable II tablet and written on it using a type folio keyboard. You can download the original note below.