How to Use a Teleprompter
A practical, no-jargon walkthrough: set up your teleprompter, fix your eye-line, pick the right scroll speed, and avoid the mistakes that make a read look like a read.
A teleprompter scrolls your script in time with your delivery so you can look at the camera — and your audience — instead of down at notes. Here’s how to set one up and use it well, whether you’re filming a YouTube video, recording a course, or presenting on a call.
1. Get the position right
The single biggest factor in looking natural is eye-line. Put the text as close to the lens as you can:
- Phone/tablet: stand it directly beside or below your camera lens.
- Webcam/calls: run the script in a window pinned just under your webcam.
- Studio: a beam-splitter places the text over the lens so your eyes never leave camera.
The further the prompter is from you, the less your eyes appear to scan — so back it off as far as you can still read comfortably.
2. Format the script for reading
- Large font, high contrast (light text on a dark background is easiest on camera).
- Few words per line so your eyes don’t track far.
- Short sentences and contractions — write the way you actually talk.
- Mark pauses, emphasis and breath points so the read breathes.
3. Choose how it scrolls
There are a few ways to drive the scroll, each suited to a different shoot:
- Voice-following: the prompter listens and advances as you speak (the TelePRO app calls this Speechscroll). Best for natural, variable-pace delivery.
- Words-per-minute: set a target pace and the text moves to match. Great for hitting a consistent rate.
- Timed: fit the whole script into a fixed duration — ideal for ads and slots.
- Fixed speed: a steady manual speed you nudge up or down.
4. Time your script before you shoot
Know your length before the camera rolls. Paste your script into the Words to Time Calculator to see how long it runs, or work backwards from a slot with the Time → words mode. Not sure of your natural pace? Record a minute and check it with the WPM Calculator.
5. Rehearse once, then roll
Do a single read-through to smooth the rhythm and find the spots that trip you up. Adjust font size and speed until it feels comfortable, then record. If you fluff a line, pause and pick it up from the start of the sentence — clean edits beat perfect takes.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Text too far from the lens — the “shifty eyes” giveaway.
- Scrolling too fast — you’ll race to keep up and sound breathless.
- Walls of text — break lines short and use markers.
- No rehearsal — one pass is enough to stop it sounding read.
Want voice-following scroll, markers and recording in one place? That’s exactly what the TelePRO app is built for.