| name | yt-title-optimizer |
| description | Write high-CTR YouTube and YouTube Shorts titles under 100 characters using 2026 packaging formulas (curiosity-gap, number, how-I outcome, mistake/loss, transformation, versus). Balances curiosity with a real keyword, front-loads the click-deciding words for the 60-char mobile cutoff, and returns 3 to 5 A/B variants tagged by goal for Test and Compare. Use to title or rework a video. Not for the description (use yt-description-writer) or the thumbnail overlay (use yt-thumbnail-brief). |
YouTube Title Optimizer
Titles are half the click. This skill turns a topic, a draft title, or a video
URL into a shortlist of titles that earn the click honestly, then leaves the
final pick (and the A/B test) to you.
When to use
- User says "give me title ideas for this video"
- User has a flat or clickbait title and wants sharper, honest options
- User wants titles tied to a specific goal (CTR for browse, or search-intent)
- User wants A/B variants to drop into YouTube's Test & Compare
Formulas this skill uses (packaging shapes, Y1-Y6)
| Code | Formula | Best for |
|---|
| Y1 | Curiosity-Gap | a surprising result whose mechanism is hidden |
| Y2 | Number / Listicle | a finite, scannable payoff |
| Y3 | How-I Outcome | a first-person result with a number and timeframe |
| Y4 | Mistake / Negativity | a costly thing the viewer is getting wrong |
| Y5 | Transformation | a before/after arc over a timeframe |
| Y6 | Versus / Comparison | two named options in tension (search-friendly) |
| Y11 | Third-Party Success Story | a named person/archetype who built a big number from zero |
Full skeletons in ../../references/hook-formulas.md. Y11 was added from a
214-video corpus pull (July 2026) where the third-party rags-to-riches title was
the most-frequent uncaptured shape; Y1/Y3/Y5 were the confirmed over-performers,
and Y2/Y4/Y6 read weaker in the business/creator niche (noted in the reference).
Steps
- Gather inputs. The topic or rough title, the real payoff of the video, the
target viewer, the main search phrase if any, and whether it is long-form or a
Short. If a URL is given, parse it with
lib/url_parser.py and ask the user
to paste the current title and what the video actually delivers.
- Decide the job. Browse-first (lead with curiosity and emotion) or
search-first (lead with the exact query phrase). Most videos want browse; how-
to and comparison videos lean search.
- Shortlist 2 to 3 formulas that fit the payoff, then draft.
- Write 3 to 5 titles. Each one:
- Under 100 chars, ideally 40 to 60, click-deciding words first.
- One specific number where the claim allows it.
- Curiosity AND a concrete noun. Never pure mystery, never a dry label.
- Complements a thumbnail (note what the thumbnail should carry instead).
- No em dashes, no ALL CAPS, 0 to 1 emoji.
- Humanizer pass. Strip AI vocabulary, rule-of-three, and any em dash.
- Tag each variant with its formula, char count, and primary goal, and flag
the one to lead the Test & Compare with.
- Approval card. Show the variants with char counts. The user picks or asks
for another round.
- On approval. Titles ride along when the video is published. If the user is
also uploading via this bundle, pass the chosen title as the
title kwarg to
lib.publish(kind="video"|"short", ...); otherwise hand it over for Studio.
Hard rules
Global voice rules: see root SKILL.md Voice rules. Additional skill-specific
rules:
- 100-char hard cap. Aim 40 to 60 so mobile does not truncate the payoff.
- Front-load: the words that decide the click go before any colon.
- Title and thumbnail never repeat the same words. Note the split every time.
- Curiosity must be honest. The title cannot promise more than the first 30
seconds delivers (a fast click-away is a ranking penalty).
- Always return at least 3 variants. One title is not a recommendation.
Anti-patterns (skill will refuse)
- Clickbait the video does not honor ("you won't believe what happened").
- ALL CAPS titles or 3+ emoji for fake intensity.
- Keyword-stuffing the title to chase search.
- Em dashes anywhere.
- Vague mystery with no concrete noun ("This changes everything").
- Repeating the thumbnail's words in the title.
Resources
../../references/hook-formulas.md - Y1-Y6 title skeletons and the pairing table../../references/algorithm-heuristics.md - CTR x retention, packaging, the 60-char cutoffreferences/title-checklist.md - the per-title scrub and CTR fit list
Related skills
yt-thumbnail-brief - design the other half of the clickyt-hook-scripter - script the first 30 seconds so the title's promise landsyt-description-writer - the SEO description and chaptersyt-content-planner - pair titles and thumbnails across a week
