A well-written synopsis will help your TV show stand out in a crowded market, so what are the essentials for this all-important text?
The TV industry is undergoing rapid change right now – the ‘Peak TV’ era is over, UK broadcasters are cutting commissioning budgets, and viewing habits continue to shift to streaming and video-sharing platforms. But if you’re marketing TV shows to international broadcasters and need to get your titles noticed by buyers, you’ll know there’s still a hell of a lot of competition out there.
In the US alone, 516 original scripted series aired in 2023. Add in non-scripted titles, scripted/non-scripted formats, and content produced directly by creators, not to mention numerous distributor catalogues packed with proven hits, and the result is a very crowded market. With so many shows jumping up and down waving their hands in the air, it’s vital to produce attention-grabbing marketing materials – and one of the most important is the synopsis.

What is a TV show synopsis?
A synopsis is a short summary capturing the core premise of your show. It’s longer than a logline but shorter than a treatment, and it can be a single paragraph or one to two pages. Here, we’re talking about the shorter version – the single paragraph used by distributors to give channel/platform buyers, trade journalists, festival organisers, etc., just enough detail to get them interested.
Although eye-catching visuals and trailers are often the focus of marketing campaigns, and engaging visual content is vital in today’s digital-led world, the synopsis still has a powerful role to play – giving context to the visuals, telling the story, highlighting key USPs, sparking interest and building confidence in the show’s potential.
What are the essentials for an impactful TV show synopsis?
Writing a TV show synopsis is more than just pulling together a few sentences from whatever info you have available. With so many shows trying to get noticed, your synopsis needs to work hard to sell your show and spark interest from the get-go.
Get to the point
Attention spans and word counts are short so be concise. There are likely to be lots of different reasons why your show will appeal to your target market, but this is just an introduction, not a USP-stuffing challenge. Decide on the main points/hooks that make your show stand out and work these into a brief description that flows well, suits your show’s style/tone, engages the reader and gives a real sense of what your show is about. There will be opportunities to go into more detail in longer docs such as press releases, treatments or bibles.
Accurately reflect the show
Your scripted show might be a bit gritty, there might be a crime, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a gritty crime drama. Make sure the synopsis accurately reflects your show and leaves readers feeling confident they know what it’s about, not surprised when they watch the trailer. Plus, although the cast, creative team, setting, style, themes, etc., are important, readers still need to know enough about the story/subject matter, so don’t squish that in as an afterthought.
Don’t get lost in translation
If you’re selling to the international market, using clear and concise language will make your synopsis as accessible and readable as possible. Avoid obscure words or ambiguous sentence constructions that could be misunderstood, as well as local dialect or slang that might not translate. You want the synopsis to draw people in and spark their imagination, and that won’t happen if readers are struggling to understand what you're saying.
Think twice before using certain words
It’s common to see synopses including words such as ‘unique’, ‘exclusive’, ‘groundbreaking’, ‘acclaimed’, ‘renowned’, ‘hit’, ‘ratings-winning’, but be mindful about using these words. Use them if they’re accurate and will help sell your show. But don’t shove them in for effect or to pad the text out, or if it’s a bit of a stretch to describe your show in that way, or you could risk losing your reader’s trust.
Don’t plot it out
Whether it’s the drama’s storyline, the main points of a documentary or the rounds of a game show, it’s uninspiring to just say this happens, that happens, this other thing happens, the end. Rather than writing it out scene by scene, get people’s attention with an overarching, engaging summary and make it easy for them to access or request more info.
Think ahead
Right now, you might need 100 words for your catalogue or website. But will you soon need a shorter version for listings or loglines? Or a more in-depth version for a press kit or sales presentation? If so, consider drafting everything now to avoid starting the whole process again later. Then everything can be finessed and approved at once and ready to go when needed. It will also help ensure consistency, particularly if multiple people/teams are working on your show. If everyone knows there are, for example, short, medium and long versions of approved text available, there’s less chance they’ll attempt to create something new – and potentially different/inaccurate – when a new requirement comes up.
Avoid blunders
Our brains often see what they expect to see, and that’s not always what’s on the page. If you’ve been working on the marketing materials for a while, your brain might be filling in words and skimming over typos, so ask someone else to proofread it. Be sure to double check spellings of names, places or credits, and pay particular attention to your show’s title on the page – it’s easy to miss a typo in a title, especially if it’s in capital letters.
Of course, the easiest way to get your synopses right could be to hire a specialist freelancer🖐. Drop me a line if you’d like my help with writing or proofreading your synopses or any marketing materials.
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