Blog · Last updated 17 Oct 2026 · BakeVideos team

Fake text story videos: how to make text-message chat stories for TikTok and Shorts

A fake text story video tells a short, made-up story as a phone chat between two people: messages pop up one at a time, a voice reads each one, and music plays over a moving background. On BakeVideos you describe the drama in one sentence, or paste the conversation as "Me: …" and "Jake: …" lines (up to 24 messages), and get a vertical 9:16 video with typing dots, two different voices for the two sides, music and a background in a few minutes. The whole format lives or dies on two messages: the hook in the first and the twist in the last.

What a text story video is

You have seen them on TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Reels: a chat screen with a contact name at the top, grey bubbles on the left, coloured bubbles on the right, typing dots before each reply. The story is told only through the messages: a stranger who knows too much, a parent discovering slang, a wrong number that turns out to be the right one. They work with the sound off, because every word is on screen, and with it on, because a voice reads every line.

Two ways to make one in BakeVideos

	Describe the drama	Paste the conversation
What you type	one sentence: who is texting, what happens, how it ends	one message per line: `Me: …` and `Jake: …`
Who writes the messages	BakeVideos, hook first and a twist at the end	you: every message is used as written
Length	usually 12 to 18 messages, about 35 to 55 seconds	up to 24 messages; any beyond that are left out
Contact name at the top	chosen to fit ("Jake", "Mom", "Unknown number")	the name you gave the other person

The studio picks the format from what you type: a pasted chat, or an idea that says "text story" or "fake texts", becomes a text story, shown under the box as "Auto · Text story". One tap switches to Animated story or Real footage if it guessed wrong.

Pasting rules. At least four lines, exactly two names, each line starting with a name and a colon. The side called "Me" (or "I") is the right-hand side, the viewer's phone. If neither name is "Me", the first name to speak takes that side.

What you get

A vertical 9:16 video (1080×1920) for TikTok, Shorts and Reels.
One message per beat, with typing dots before each reply; older messages scroll off the top.
Two different voices. The voice you pick reads your side; another voice, chosen to fit, reads the other person ("Mom" gets a woman's voice).
Emoji on screen, not read aloud, so the words around them still make sense.
Music matched to the mood: darker for horror, lighter for funny stories, softer for sweet ones.
A moving background of stock footage that sets the mood (rain on a window at night, city lights) without faces.
Other languages. Write in Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Japanese or Chinese and the voices follow. Hinglish typed in Latin letters stays that way.

A text story is always a vertical short, without a reference image. On a paid plan you can rewrite any message or get a new background; on any plan you can change the voices, music and colours.

Example briefs

Each link opens the studio with the idea filled in:

Or paste a conversation you wrote. This one is eight messages:

Me: are you home? I hear someone in the kitchen
Jake: no, I'm at work till 9
Me: your car is in the driveway
Jake: I sold that car on Friday
Me: then who parked it here
Jake: don't go downstairs
Jake: lock your door, I'm calling the police
Me: too late. he just said my name

Bake this conversation.

How to write a text story people finish

Put the hook in the first message. "are you home? I hear someone in the kitchen" works because it is already a problem. "hey" is not a hook.

Make every message add something: a clue, a reveal, a reaction that raises the stakes. Cut "lol ok" unless it sets up the next line.

Write the way people text. Two to fifteen words a message, lowercase and "??" are fine. Two messages in a row from one side is good pacing.

Escalate, then twist. Every few messages things get worse or stranger. The last one or two land the twist, then stop. No explanation afterwards; let the comments argue.

Keep it fictional. Invented names, never a real person, a celebrity or a brand, and never present the chat as a real leaked conversation. BakeVideos writes fictional people only; when you paste your own chat, that part is on you.

Can you monetise text story videos?

Sometimes; it depends on how you make them more than on the tool. We cannot promise monetisation on any platform. What the rules say:

YouTube. The channel monetization policies, updated on 15 July 2025, call the problem "inauthentic content": templated, mass-produced videos without the creator's own input, including slideshow- and scrolling-text-style videos with little or no narrative. Text stories with your own original writing and real variation from video to video are a different thing from fifty near-identical chats a week. See can you monetize AI videos on YouTube.
TikTok. The Creator Rewards Program pays only for original videos longer than one minute (TikTok Creator Academy, Sept 2026). Most text stories run under a minute, so they grow an account rather than earn from the program directly. Details in TikTok Creator Rewards requirements.
Reused stories. Retyping someone else's viral chat or post is their writing, not yours. Your own premises are safer and easier to vary.

Everything BakeVideos adds (voices, music and background footage) needs no attribution and can be posted on monetised channels. Your first video is free (Google sign-in, no card). Make a text story.

FAQ

How do you make fake text message videos for TikTok? Describe the story in one sentence ("a text story: my roommate texts asking why I came home early, but I have been at work all day") or paste the chat as "Me:" and "Jake:" lines. BakeVideos makes a 9:16 video with typing dots, two voices, music and a moving background, ready to upload.

What format do I use to paste a text conversation? One message per line, each starting with a name and a colon: "Me: are you home?" then "Jake: no, I'm at work". Use exactly two names and at least four lines. "Me" is the right-hand side.

How many messages can a text story video have? Up to 24. When BakeVideos writes the chat it usually uses 12 to 18 messages, about 35 to 55 seconds read aloud.

Do fake text story videos get monetized? They can, if they are original and not mass-produced. YouTube's monetization policy excludes templated, repetitive videos, and TikTok's Creator Rewards needs original videos over one minute. Only the platform decides.

Can I make a text story in Hindi or Spanish? Yes. Write the idea or the chat in Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Japanese or Chinese and both voices read it in that language. Hinglish in Latin letters is kept as typed.

Is there a free text message story video maker? Your first BakeVideos video is free after Google sign-in, with no card, and it can be a text story. It carries a small bakevideos.com credit line; paid plans have no watermark.

Bake a video from one sentence →Your first video is free, no card needed.