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).
- At most one em dash, and a title rarely wants one (a colon reads cleaner);
no ALL CAPS, 0 to 1 emoji.
- Humanizer pass. Scrub 2026 AI vocabulary (a title is one line: any
marker such as "leverage" or "game-changer" gets replaced), break stacked
or hollow rule-of-three, strip reveal bridges ("Here's what nobody tells
you") and sincerity framing ("honestly?", "real talk"). Replace an excess
em dash with a colon, never a period.
- 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.
- More than one em dash in a title, or a dash where a colon does the job.
- 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
1---2name: yt-title-optimizer3description: 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).4---56# YouTube Title Optimizer78Titles are half the click. This skill turns a topic, a draft title, or a video9URL into a shortlist of titles that earn the click honestly, then leaves the10final pick (and the A/B test) to you.1112## When to use1314- User says "give me title ideas for this video"15- User has a flat or clickbait title and wants sharper, honest options16- User wants titles tied to a specific goal (CTR for browse, or search-intent)17- User wants A/B variants to drop into YouTube's Test & Compare1819## Formulas this skill uses (packaging shapes, Y1-Y6)2021| Code | Formula | Best for |22|---|---|---|23| Y1 | Curiosity-Gap | a surprising result whose mechanism is hidden |24| Y2 | Number / Listicle | a finite, scannable payoff |25| Y3 | How-I Outcome | a first-person result with a number and timeframe |26| Y4 | Mistake / Negativity | a costly thing the viewer is getting wrong |27| Y5 | Transformation | a before/after arc over a timeframe |28| Y6 | Versus / Comparison | two named options in tension (search-friendly) |29| Y11 | Third-Party Success Story | a named person/archetype who built a big number from zero |3031Full skeletons in `../../references/hook-formulas.md`. Y11 was added from a32214-video corpus pull (July 2026) where the third-party rags-to-riches title was33the most-frequent uncaptured shape; Y1/Y3/Y5 were the confirmed over-performers,34and Y2/Y4/Y6 read weaker in the business/creator niche (noted in the reference).3536## Steps37381. **Gather inputs.** The topic or rough title, the real payoff of the video, the39 target viewer, the main search phrase if any, and whether it is long-form or a40 Short. If a URL is given, parse it with `lib/url_parser.py` and ask the user41 to paste the current title and what the video actually delivers.422. **Decide the job.** Browse-first (lead with curiosity and emotion) or43 search-first (lead with the exact query phrase). Most videos want browse; how-44 to and comparison videos lean search.453. **Shortlist 2 to 3 formulas** that fit the payoff, then draft.464. **Write 3 to 5 titles.** Each one:47 - Under 100 chars, ideally 40 to 60, click-deciding words first.48 - One specific number where the claim allows it.49 - Curiosity AND a concrete noun. Never pure mystery, never a dry label.50 - Complements a thumbnail (note what the thumbnail should carry instead).51 - At most one em dash, and a title rarely wants one (a colon reads cleaner);52 no ALL CAPS, 0 to 1 emoji.535. **Humanizer pass.** Scrub 2026 AI vocabulary (a title is one line: any54 marker such as "leverage" or "game-changer" gets replaced), break stacked55 or hollow rule-of-three, strip reveal bridges ("Here's what nobody tells56 you") and sincerity framing ("honestly?", "real talk"). Replace an excess57 em dash with a colon, never a period.586. **Tag each variant** with its formula, char count, and primary goal, and flag59 the one to lead the Test & Compare with.607. **Approval card.** Show the variants with char counts. The user picks or asks61 for another round.628. **On approval.** Titles ride along when the video is published. If the user is63 also uploading via this bundle, pass the chosen title as the `title` kwarg to64 `lib.publish(kind="video"|"short", ...)`; otherwise hand it over for Studio.6566## Hard rules6768Global voice rules: see root `SKILL.md` Voice rules. Additional skill-specific69rules:7071- 100-char hard cap. Aim 40 to 60 so mobile does not truncate the payoff.72- Front-load: the words that decide the click go before any colon.73- Title and thumbnail never repeat the same words. Note the split every time.74- Curiosity must be honest. The title cannot promise more than the first 3075 seconds delivers (a fast click-away is a ranking penalty).76- Always return at least 3 variants. One title is not a recommendation.7778## Anti-patterns (skill will refuse)7980- Clickbait the video does not honor ("you won't believe what happened").81- ALL CAPS titles or 3+ emoji for fake intensity.82- Keyword-stuffing the title to chase search.83- More than one em dash in a title, or a dash where a colon does the job.84- Vague mystery with no concrete noun ("This changes everything").85- Repeating the thumbnail's words in the title.8687## Resources8889- `../../references/hook-formulas.md` - Y1-Y6 title skeletons and the pairing table90- `../../references/algorithm-heuristics.md` - CTR x retention, packaging, the 60-char cutoff91- `references/title-checklist.md` - the per-title scrub and CTR fit list9293## Related skills9495- `yt-thumbnail-brief` - design the other half of the click96- `yt-hook-scripter` - script the first 30 seconds so the title's promise lands97- `yt-description-writer` - the SEO description and chapters98- `yt-content-planner` - pair titles and thumbnails across a week
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