YouTube Script Outline Prompt (Retention-First)
You are a YouTube script strategist for educational/business channels.
by growthack88·MIT license·GitHub ↗
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prompt text · the author's own wordsYou are a YouTube script strategist for educational/business channels. Build me a retention-first script OUTLINE — structure and beats, not… INPUT: - Video topic & the ONE core insight: [X] - Audience & what they already know: [X] - Target length: [X] minutes - My proof/examples available for this topic: [list — screenshots, stories, data, demos] - Language: [EN / Arabic عامية / both] - The next video I want them to watch after this: [X] BUILD THE OUTLINE: 1. COLD OPEN (0:00-0:15) — 3 alternative openings, each a different type: a) result-first (show the payoff exists) b) contrarian claim c) mid-action start (begin inside the most interesting moment)
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| 1 | You are a YouTube script strategist for educational/business channels. Build me a retention-first script OUTLINE — structure and beats, not full sentences yet. |
| 2 | |
| 3 | INPUT: |
| 4 | - Video topic & the ONE core insight: [X] |
| 5 | - Audience & what they already know: [X] |
| 6 | - Target length: [X] minutes |
| 7 | - My proof/examples available for this topic: [list — screenshots, stories, data, demos] |
| 8 | - Language: [EN / Arabic عامية / both] |
| 9 | - The next video I want them to watch after this: [X] |
| 10 | |
| 11 | BUILD THE OUTLINE: |
| 12 | |
| 13 | 1. COLD OPEN (0:00-0:15) — 3 alternative openings, each a different type: |
| 14 | a) result-first (show the payoff exists) |
| 15 | b) contrarian claim |
| 16 | c) mid-action start (begin inside the most interesting moment) |
| 17 | NO "hey guys, welcome back". NO channel intro. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | 2. PROMISE STACK (0:15-0:45) — what exactly they'll be able to DO by the end + why it matters now + one credibility line (use my proof list, don't invent). |
| 20 | |
| 21 | 3. SEGMENTS (the body) — for each segment: |
| 22 | - The beat: what's taught |
| 23 | - The open loop: what question this segment deliberately leaves hanging for the next one |
| 24 | - The visual/proof moment: what's on screen beside my face |
| 25 | - Approx timestamp |
| 26 | Place the STRONGEST insight at the 40-60% mark — where educational videos bleed viewers — not at the end. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | 4. PAYOFF — the moment the promise is fully delivered. Mark it explicitly. |
| 29 | |
| 30 | 5. END-SCREEN BRIDGE (last 20s) — no "like & subscribe" begging. One sentence that makes [next video] the obvious continuation of the thought they're already having. |
| 31 | |
| 32 | THEN OUTPUT: |
| 33 | - The retention risk map: the 2 spots in THIS outline where people will most likely leave, and the fix for each |
| 34 | - Title options (5) + thumbnail concept (1 line each) that match the cold open — title, thumbnail, and open must tell ONE story |
Discussion
Alternatives
EW Skill — Script WritingWrite screenplays and scripts for film, television, YouTube, video essays, documentaries, sketches, and short-form social video. Use for scripted scenes, screenplay formatting, audience-retention scripting, and format-specific revision. Enforces format discipline, visual writing standards, and the EW anti-AI rules.YouTube Script SkillWrite a long-form video script for YouTube — an explainer, tutorial, video essay, review, or talking-head — built on the packaging→cold-open→value-stack→retention structure that holds watch-time past the drop-off cliffs. Use when asked to script a YouTube video, write a long-form or explainer/tutorial video script, outline a video essay, or turn a blog post/talk into a video. Produces title + thumbnail concepts, a timed cold open, a segmented body with retention devices and B-roll cues, integrated CTAs, an outro/end-screen, and a description with chapter timestamps. Distinct from [[short-form-script]] (15–60s vertical).YouTube Script Writer SkillWrite a high-retention YouTube script — explainer, tutorial, video essay, review, or talking head — on the packaging then cold-open then value-stack then retention structure that holds watch time past the drop-off cliffs. Use when asked to write a YouTube script, script a long-form or explainer video, draft a video hook, outline a video essay, or turn a blog post or talk into a video. Produces title and thumbnail concepts, multiple hook options, a beat-by-beat body with retention devices, and clear visual and audio cues.Yt scriptWrite a YouTube video script from a raw idea - hook options off 21 formulas, scored, then the full spoken script with the retention beats marked. Use whenever the user wants a video script, a hook, an opening line, "what should I say", "write my next video", or is about to record and does not have the first fifteen seconds yet.
YouTube Script SkillWrite a long-form video script for YouTube — an explainer, tutorial, video essay, review, or talking-head — built on the packaging→cold-open→value-stack→retention structure that holds watch-time past the drop-off cliffs. Use when asked to script a YouTube video, write a long-form or explainer/tutorial video script, outline a video essay, or turn a blog post/talk into a video. Produces title + thumbnail concepts, a timed cold open, a segmented body with retention devices and B-roll cues, integrated CTAs, an outro/end-screen, and a description with chapter timestamps. Distinct from [[short-form-script]] (15–60s vertical).YouTube Script Writer SkillWrite a high-retention YouTube script — explainer, tutorial, video essay, review, or talking head — on the packaging then cold-open then value-stack then retention structure that holds watch time past the drop-off cliffs. Use when asked to write a YouTube script, script a long-form or explainer video, draft a video hook, outline a video essay, or turn a blog post or talk into a video. Produces title and thumbnail concepts, multiple hook options, a beat-by-beat body with retention devices, and clear visual and audio cues.Yt scriptWrite a YouTube video script from a raw idea - hook options off 21 formulas, scored, then the full spoken script with the retention beats marked. Use whenever the user wants a video script, a hook, an opening line, "what should I say", "write my next video", or is about to record and does not have the first fifteen seconds yet.Browse more free AI prompts or everything in Content creator.