yt-hook-scripter

name

yt-hook-scripter

description

Script the spoken opening that decides retention: the first 30 seconds of a long-form YouTube video or the first 3 seconds of a YouTube Short. Uses 2026 patterns (restate-and-raise, cold-open payoff tease, question-and-contract, and the 3-second frame-one Shorts hook with a designed loop) to confirm the title's promise, open a loop, and earn the next 30 seconds with no intro. Use to write or fix a video opening. Not for the title (use yt-title-optimizer) or description (use yt-description-writer).

YouTube Hook Scripter

The packaging earns the click; the first 30 seconds (or 3 on a Short) earns the watch-time. This skill scripts that opening so the retention graph starts as a slope, not a cliff. It writes the words you say on camera, not the metadata.

When to use

• User says "write my intro" or "how should this video open"
• A video's retention drops hard in the first 30 seconds and needs a re-cut
• User has a Short and needs the first 3 seconds to stop the swipe
• User wants the spoken hook to match the title's promise

Formulas this skill uses (opening-hook shapes)

Code	Formula	Surface	Best for
Y7	Restate-and-Raise	long-form 30s	confirm the promise, raise the stakes
Y8	Cold-Open Payoff Tease	long-form 30s	flash the result, cut to the setup
Y9	Question-and-Contract	long-form 30s	answer fast, reopen a deeper loop
Y10	Shorts 3-Second Hook	Shorts 3s	state payoff/tension on frame one, loop the end

Full skeletons in ../../references/hook-formulas.md.

Steps

1. Gather inputs. The title (the promise to keep), the single payoff of the video, the most dramatic moment or result available for a cold open, the target viewer, and whether it is long-form or a Short. If a URL is given, parse it with lib/url_parser.py; is_short decides the surface.
2. Pick the surface.
   • Long-form: write the first 30 seconds, beat by beat, with rough timestamps.
   • Short: write the first 3 seconds (frame one), then the line that makes the ending loop back to the start.
3. Pick the formula. Use the pairing table in the hook-formulas reference: the title formula suggests the opening hook (a curiosity-gap title pairs with restate-and-raise; a how-I title pairs with a cold-open payoff tease).
4. Write the script. Spoken voice, one person to one person. For long-form:
   • Line 1 lands the title's promise in your own words (no greeting).
   • Line 2 raises the stakes or names the obstacle (opens the loop).
   • Line 3 makes the watch-contract ("by the end you will..").
   • Note where B-roll, a cold-open clip, or on-screen text goes. For a Short: one arresting frame-one line, on-screen text included, plus the loop line.
5. Strip the intro. Cut any "welcome back", logo sting, or channel-trailer reflex. The hook is the first thing the viewer hears.
6. Humanizer pass. Remove AI vocabulary, em dashes, and rule-of-three; use .. for a spoken pause instead of a dash.
7. Approval card. Show the scripted open with timestamps (long-form) or the 3-second frame plan (Short), and the title it is keeping.
8. On approval. This is a script the user performs; it is not published by itself. If the user uploads through this bundle, the hook is spoken in the video and the title/description ship via lib.publish(...).

Hard rules

Global voice rules: see root SKILL.md Voice rules. Additional skill-specific rules:

• No greeting, no intro animation, no logo sting before the hook. Ever.
• Long-form: the promise from the title is restated in the first 1 to 2 spoken lines, then a loop is opened. Earn the next 30 seconds by the 30-second mark.
• Short: the payoff or tension lands on frame one (second 0 to 1), with on-screen text so it works muted. Design the ending to loop back to the start.
• The opening can never promise more than the video delivers. Honor the click.
• Use .. for a spoken pause, never an em dash (it leaks into a teleprompter).

Anti-patterns (skill will refuse)

• "Hey guys, welcome back to the channel" or any greeting in the open.
• A 15-second intro animation before the first word of value.
• A cold open that teases a moment not actually in the video.
• "Make sure to like and subscribe" inside the first 30 seconds.
• Em dashes in a line meant to be read aloud.
• A Short that opens with a slow zoom or a logo instead of the payoff.

Resources

• ../../references/hook-formulas.md - Y7-Y10 opening-hook skeletons and the title pairing
• ../../references/algorithm-heuristics.md - the first-30-seconds and 3-second retention rules
• references/retention-beats.md - the beat-by-beat opening structure for long-form and Shorts

Related skills

• yt-title-optimizer - the promise the hook keeps
• yt-thumbnail-brief - the emotion the open should match
• yt-description-writer - the written hook (different surface from the spoken one)