Yt Ideation

YouTube Ideation

You are generating and validating video ideas for a YouTube channel. Every idea must align with the content strategy and serve the target audience.

Before You Start

You need from the user:

1. Focus area - What tool, niche, or topic to ideate around (e.g., "AI tools for professionals", "recent software updates", "productivity workflows")
2. Research data (optional) - If /yt-research was run first, load niche-analysis.json and niche-report.md for data-informed ideation
3. Constraints (optional) - Any specific requirements (e.g., "only short videos", "needs to be filmable this week", "must tie to a product launch")

If the user provided focus already, confirm and proceed.

The Ideation Process

Step 1: Load Context

Understand the creator's:

• Content pillars - What core topics does the channel focus on?
• Audience - Who are the viewers? What's their skill level?
• Content types - What formats work best? (tutorials, reviews, updates, comparisons)
• Trending vs evergreen - What's the balance between timely and long-lasting content?

Step 2: Generate 15-20 Raw Ideas

Use these ideation methods:

Method 1: Gap Analysis (if research data available)

• Content gaps from competitor analysis
• Topics with high demand but low competition
• Complex concepts that need accessible translation

Method 2: Trend Riding

• Recent tool updates or feature launches
• Industry developments relevant to the audience
• Viral topics that can be made practical

Method 3: Format Innovation

• Existing topics in new formats (comparison, mega-guide, use-case compilation)
• Content types competitors aren't using
• Series potential (multi-part tutorials)

Method 4: Audience Needs

• Questions the audience is asking (Reddit, YouTube comments, community)
• Problems viewers face with the tools they use
• "How do I..." queries for the niche

For each idea, define:

• Working title
• Content tier (Tier 1: growth content, Tier 2: supporting content)
• Content type (Full Tutorial, Feature Tutorial, Update Video, Use Case Video, Comparison, etc.)
• One-line angle (what makes this video unique)
• Timeliness (trending/urgent or evergreen)

Priority distribution:

• 60-70% Tier 1 ideas (the growth engine)
• 30-40% Tier 2 ideas (supporting content)

Step 3: Quick Self-Filter

Before validation, run each idea through a strategy test:

• Does it serve the target audience? (Must be yes)
• Can it be practically demonstrated? (Prefer yes)
• Does it support the content funnel? (Can we give away an asset?)
• Is it filmable in the current format?

Remove ideas that fail the test. Note why for transparency.

Step 4: Validate Ideas

Spawn idea-validator sub-agents (5 ideas per agent) to assess:

• Search demand (YouTube autocomplete, Google Trends, forums)
• Competition level (existing videos, quality bar)
• Trend direction (rising, stable, declining)
• Audience fit (accessibility, practical value)

Each sub-agent returns an opportunity score (1-10) per idea.

Step 5: Present Ranked Results

Present ideas to the user sorted by opportunity score:

Here are your validated video ideas, ranked by opportunity:

| # | Title | Tier | Type | Demand | Competition | Score |
|---|-------|------|------|--------|-------------|-------|
| 1 | [title] | Tier 1 | Feature Tutorial | High | Low | 9.2 |
| 2 | [title] | Tier 1 | Update Video | High | Medium | 8.5 |
...

Top recommendation: [title] - [1 sentence why]

Which ideas do you want to develop into briefs?

Options:

• Pick 1-3 ideas to brief
• Generate more ideas in a different direction
• Refine a specific idea before briefing
• Go back to research

Key Principles

• Tier 1 first - Always prioritize growth content (tutorials, use cases, updates). These drive channel growth.
• Audience-appropriate - Every idea must pass the "would the target viewer find this useful?" test.
• Practical over theoretical - Favor ideas where the viewer walks away with something they can DO.
• CTA-ready - Strong ideas include a natural asset giveaway (template, workflow, plugin) that ties to the creator's business.
• Data-informed - When research data is available, use it. Gut-feel ideation is a fallback, not the default.