TeqfocusAdmin Skill: teqtalk-trailer-arc
Stage 3 — Trailer + Transcript | Cinematic Trailer Script
Read: framework/BRAND_VOICE.md · framework/AUDIENCE_INTEL.md · framework/TITLE_FORMULA.md
What This Skill Produces
The 90-second trailer that drops 24–48 hours before the full episode. It is crafted like a movie trailer — a complete narrative arc compressed into 90 seconds. It opens on the most provocative moment. It builds to a surprising insight. It leaves the central question open. The viewer ends the trailer needing the answer.
Why this is the highest-leverage skill:
- Diary of a CEO trailers regularly hit 1M+ views before the full episode
- Trailer views pre-seed the algorithm for the full episode launch
- The trailer is the most-shared asset from any episode
- A strong trailer with 10K–50K pre-release views guarantees the algorithm tests the full episode with a warm audience
The Trailer Architecture
The 5-Beat Structure (mandatory — no exceptions)
Beat 1: The Provocation (0–10 seconds) Open on the single most provocative, counterintuitive, or high-stakes line from the entire episode. No intro. No "Hi, I'm Jas." No "Today on TeqTalk." The first word is the episode's sharpest edge.
What to look for in the transcript:
- A statement the guest made that contradicts conventional wisdom
- A number that is bigger or worse than expected
- A confession of a failure that cost real money or career risk
- A prediction that will age badly if they're wrong
Beat 2: The Stakes (10–30 seconds) What is at risk? What decision is being debated? Name the consequence of getting this wrong. The viewer must feel: "This is relevant to my situation."
What to look for:
- The organisational or career stakes the guest names
- The systemic problem that hasn't been solved
- The thing that surprises the audience about how hard this actually is
Beat 3: The Surprising Insight (30–55 seconds) One counterintuitive truth from the episode. Not a summary — a reveal. Something the viewer didn't know before and now can't unknow.
What to look for:
- The moment Jas says "Wait — that's not what I expected"
- The data point that inverts the conventional narrative
- The behind-the-scenes reality that contradicts the public story
Beat 4: The Open Question (55–75 seconds) Do NOT resolve the tension. Leave the most important question in the episode unanswered. The viewer must click to find the answer.
What to look for:
- The decision the guest is still wrestling with
- The question that the episode answers but the trailer doesn't
- The challenge that the audience will recognise from their own experience
Beat 5: The CTA (75–90 seconds) One line. One action. "Full episode out [date/now]. Link in bio."
Input Required
FULL TRANSCRIPT: [Paste complete transcript]
EPISODE NUMBER: [N]
GUEST NAME + TITLE + COMPANY: [Details]
EPISODE TITLE (if known): [Or will generate]
TARGET AUDIENCE: [Primary CXO persona]
PUBLISH DATE: [When the full episode drops]
The 4-Iteration Loop
Pass 1 — Raw Draft
Mine the transcript for the 5 beats. Write the first complete trailer script. Use near-exact dialogue from the transcript for Beats 1, 3, and 4. Write connective tissue for Beats 2 and 5.
Pass 2 — Opening Sharpness Test
Benchmark the opening 10 seconds against this standard: "Does this opening make a CIO stop scrolling at 11pm?" If the answer is anything other than a clear yes — find a sharper opening. Check the transcript again for a harder, more specific line.
Pass 3 — Narrative Integrity Check
Read the full 90-second script as a complete story. Does it have tension, build, and an unresolved question? If it feels like a highlight reel rather than a trailer — restructure. A trailer tells a story. A highlight reel shows moments.
Pass 4 — Platform Adaptation
Create the three platform-specific versions from the approved 90-second master:
- YouTube: 90 seconds, full arc
- LinkedIn: 60 seconds (cut Beat 2 or compress Beat 4)
- Reel: 30 seconds (Beat 1 + Beat 3 + CTA only)
Output Structure
══════════════════════════════════════
TRAILER ARC BRIEF
TeqTalk EP[N]: [Episode Title]
Guest: [Name] | [Title] | [Company]
Trailer drop: [Date — 24–48hrs before episode]
══════════════════════════════════════
90-SECOND MASTER TRAILER SCRIPT
[Total word count: 150–180 words at natural speaking pace]
BEAT 1 — PROVOCATION (0:00–0:10)
[Exact or near-exact guest dialogue]
"[The sharpest line from the episode]"
BEAT 2 — STAKES (0:10–0:30)
[Connective tissue — 2–3 sentences]
[Names the consequence. Names who this affects.]
BEAT 3 — SURPRISING INSIGHT (0:30–0:55)
[Exact or near-exact guest dialogue]
"[The counterintuitive reveal]"
[One sentence from Jas's follow-up if it sharpens the moment]
BEAT 4 — OPEN QUESTION (0:55–1:15)
[The question the episode answers but the trailer doesn't]
"[Frame the unresolved tension — do not resolve it]"
BEAT 5 — CTA (1:15–1:30)
"Full episode out [date]. Link below."
[OR: "Watch the full conversation — link in bio."]
──────────────────────────────────────
60-SECOND LINKEDIN VERSION
[Compressed — Beats 1, 3, 5 in full / Beats 2 and 4 compressed]
──────────────────────────────────────
30-SECOND REEL VERSION
[Beats 1, 3, 5 only — the provocation, the insight, the CTA]
──────────────────────────────────────
PULL QUOTE FOR TEXT OVERLAY
(Under 15 words, from the guest, for use as on-screen text)
"[Quote]"
— [Guest Name], [Title] | [Company]
──────────────────────────────────────
TRAILER THUMBNAIL DIRECTION
(Brief for the thumbnail specifically for the trailer — may differ from episode thumbnail)
[Expression to capture / text overlay / background direction]
──────────────────────────────────────
EDITORIAL NOTE
[One sentence explaining why this specific 5-beat structure was chosen for this episode.
What is the episode's central tension and how does this trailer arc serve it?]
══════════════════════════════════════
Quality Test
Read the 90-second script aloud. At the end, ask: "What question am I left with that I need to watch the full episode to answer?" If there is no clear unanswered question — the trailer has resolved too much. Rewrite Beat 4.
The trailer passes when a CXO who watches it feels: "I need to finish this conversation."