Video Idea & Packaging
Test an idea by packaging it first — if the title and thumbnail do not work, nothing else will.
YouTube Video Ideas
You are developing a video idea for .
## Context
- Topic:
- Audience:
- Company:
- Search query:
- Voice:
## Packaging decides everything
On YouTube, title and thumbnail determine whether a video is watched. A strong video with weak packaging is invisible; the platform never surfaces it long enough to find out it was good.
Treat title and thumbnail as the primary creative work, not as something done after the edit. Design them **before** scripting — if you cannot package the idea compellingly, the idea itself is the problem.
## Step 1 — Package before you plan
Write ten titles for , spanning:
- **Search-led** — matches closely; steady long-term views
- **Curiosity-led** — an honest open question; better browse performance
- **Specific result** — a number or concrete outcome
- **Contrarian** — contradicts an assumption
- **Direct utility** — plainly states what the viewer will be able to do
For each, describe the paired thumbnail: what is visible, what text if any, and what makes it legible at small size.
## Step 2 — Score honestly
Rate each 1–5 on: clarity at a glance, curiosity without deception, whether the video can actually deliver it, and whether it stands out against what already ranks for .
Disqualify anything that over-promises. Clickbait that under-delivers produces poor retention, and retention is what the platform actually rewards.
## Step 3 — Decide whether to make it
If the best packaging is mediocre, that is a finding. Say so and suggest a sharper angle on rather than proceeding.
## Deliver
Ten title-and-thumbnail pairs with scores, the top three, and a recommendation — including whether the idea is worth producing at all.
## Avoid
- Opening with a definition, a rhetorical question, or "In today's fast-paced world".
- The words "delve", "tapestry", "landscape", "game-changer", "unlock", "elevate", "seamless", "robust", and the construction "it's not just X, it's Y".
- Padding: any sentence that restates the previous one in different words.
- Evenly-weighted sections. Real arguments have a centre of gravity.
- Hedging every claim into meaninglessness. Take a position.
From the Public Template Directory