Shorts and TikTok storytellers
A format that works without any other visuals, so a channel can post daily.
Chat stories
Text-message story videos, bubble by bubble
Chat stories are simple to watch and addictive to finish: a conversation on a phone screen, one message at a time, building to a twist. Chitrio draws the phone and the bubbles in code, so there is nothing to generate and nothing to go wrong visually. A narrator can read the messages, or the Chat Drama style gives each side of the conversation its own voice.
Free trial to start · the cost is shown before every render
Straight answer: Chat stories live or die on the twist. Write the ending first, then work backwards so every message builds towards it. A story without a payoff loses viewers before the last bubble.
How it works
- 1
Give the premise
A misunderstanding, a surprise, a scam that almost worked, a reunion. The script writes the conversation and saves the twist for the end.
- 2
Pick one voice or two
Chat story uses one narrator. Chat Drama lets you choose two characters so each person's messages are spoken in their own voice.
- 3
Render vertical
Bubbles pop in time with the voice on a phone that fills a 9:16 frame, which is how chat stories are watched.
What people make with it
Hindi chat dramas
Two voices, one conversation, told in Hindi for a desi audience.
Safety awareness
Show how a scam message unfolds so viewers recognise the pattern.
Brand storytelling
A customer conversation that shows a problem and how it was solved, without a hard sell.
Language practice
Everyday chat conversations in the language someone is learning.
Questions, answered
Why does a chat story need no generated visuals?
The phone, the bubbles and the timing are drawn in code, which is why it is one of the cheapest story formats in the product.
Can it be landscape?
It renders best vertical. A portrait phone inside a wide landscape frame always leaves empty space on both sides.
Can I write the messages myself?
Yes. Edit the conversation as text before rendering, or paste your own in your-own-script mode.
Can each person have a different voice?
Yes, in the Chat Drama style. Pick two characters and each speaks their own bubbles.
Are real names or numbers shown?
Only what you write. Avoid real phone numbers and private people's names in stories you publish.