Prompts
Reaction video rough cut prompts
These prompts cut raw footage into a reaction video (30-90s, 5 beats in order), with the pacing and the usual mistakes written in.
By Sulan Zhang, co-founder of Vyra · Updated 2026-09-24
- Format
- Reaction video
- Step
- Rough cut
- Length
- 30-90s short, 8-20 min long
- Aspect
- 9:16 or 16:9
- Platforms
- TikTok, Reels, Shorts, YouTube
The beat order comes from our reaction video page. Upload your clips, let them finish processing, then paste one of these into the chat.
At a glance
| Target length | 30-90s |
| Beat order | 0-3s: your peak reaction, cold open; 3-8s: "okay let's go back", what you're watching; 8-60s: 2-4 pause-and-react beats; 60-75s: your verdict; 75-80s: what you'll react to next |
| Pacing | Clip plays, pause, react, resume |
| Hook | Your biggest reaction first, then rewind to the start |
| Avoid | Watching silently for 20 seconds; Source audio over your voice; Reacting to all of it instead of the best 3 moments |
Prompt it in Vyra
Minimal:
Make a 90-second reaction video from these clips. Best takes only.
Standard:
Cut my clips into a 90-second reaction video for TikTok. Follow this order. - 0-3s: your peak reaction, cold open - 3-8s: "okay let's go back", what you're watching - 8-60s: 2-4 pause-and-react beats - 60-75s: your verdict - 75-80s: what you'll react to next Pacing: clip plays, pause, react, resume. Keep the strongest clip or take for each part and cut the rest. No captions or music yet.
Full:
Cut my clips into a 90-second reaction video for TikTok. Follow this order. - 0-3s: your peak reaction, cold open - 3-8s: "okay let's go back", what you're watching - 8-60s: 2-4 pause-and-react beats - 60-75s: your verdict - 75-80s: what you'll react to next Pacing: clip plays, pause, react, resume. Keep the strongest clip or take for each part and cut the rest. No captions or music yet. Open with this. Your biggest reaction first, then rewind to the start. Avoid these. Watching silently for 20 seconds. Source audio over your voice. Reacting to all of it instead of the best 3 moments. Export 9:16. When you're done, list what you cut with timestamps so I can check.
Why these settings
- A numbered beat list gives the agent an order to follow. Leave it out and it picks one for you.
- Reaction videos usually run 30-90s as short-form and 8-20 min as long-form on TikTok, Reels, Shorts, and YouTube.
- The pacing line (clip plays, pause, react, resume) sets how long each clip stays on screen.
- The full prompt names the common mistakes up front, so you're less likely to see them in the first cut.
- Asking for a list of cuts with timestamps makes the first pass quick to check.
Fixes
- Too long. "Cut it to 70 seconds. Drop the weakest part first."
- Parts out of order. "Follow the order from my first message exactly."
- Wrong clip in a part. "For the 3-8s part, show me other clips I could use, with timestamps."
- Something you wanted got cut. "Put back the part where [describe it]." It can find the moment from a description.
FAQ
How long should a reaction video be? Short versions run 30-90s and long ones run 8-20 min. Put the number in the first sentence of the prompt so the cut is built around it.
Do I need to trim my clips before uploading? No. Upload the raw clips. Vyra transcribes and describes every scene on upload, so it can find the part that fits each beat.
Related
- All reaction video prompts
- Reaction video: how to shoot, edit, and prompt it
- Rough cut prompts: raw footage to a first draft
- How to pace a short-form video
- Green screen commentary video rough cut prompts
- Listicle talking head video rough cut prompts
- Podcast clip prompts: find the 45 seconds worth posting