YouTube Content Planner
Build a weekly YouTube upload plan: long-form vs YouTube Shorts mix, posting cadence, per-slot title and thumbnail pairing, hook angle, community-tab posts between uploads, and a goal balance across CTR, retention, and subscribes.
How to use it
- Hit Copy the whole skill.
- Claude: ⋯ → Download .md, then Customize → Skills → Add → Upload skill.
ChatGPT: make a Project and paste it into Instructions.
Neither? Paste it at the top of a new chat — it works for that chat. - Describe your job in plain words. The AI follows the skill from there.
Claude Code — installs the whole folder, not just SKILL.md
npx degit sergebulaev/youtube-skills/.codex-marketplace/youtube-skills/skills/yt-content-planner#main ~/.claude/skills/yt-content-plannerFor one project only, change the path to .claude/skills/yt-content-planner.
Not working?
- Check which app you pasted it into — the steps above name the right one.
- Some skills need the paid tier of Claude or ChatGPT.
Paste into Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor.
Show the full text97 lines
YouTube Content Planner
Turns a channel theme, an audience, and content pillars into a structured week: what to upload, when, in which format, and how the title and thumbnail pair on each slot. It plans; the dedicated skills write each piece.
When to use
- User says "plan my week of YouTube content" or "build me a content calendar"
- User wants a long-form vs Shorts mix and a cadence they can hold
- User wants each slot pre-paired (format, title angle, thumbnail angle, hook)
- User wants the community-tab posts scheduled between uploads
What it produces
- A weekly grid: each slot has a format (long-form or Short), a working title angle, a thumbnail angle, the hook formula, the pillar, and a posting window.
- A long-form vs Shorts ratio sized to the channel's stage and capacity.
- Community posts placed on the non-upload days to keep the channel warm.
- A goal balance check: across the week, are you spread across CTR-first, retention-first, and subscribe-first pieces, not all one note.
Steps
- Gather inputs. The channel theme/niche, the audience, 3 to 5 content
pillars, the target audience timezone, how many videos per week the user can
realistically make, and the current stage (new channel vs established). If a
channel URL is given, parse it with
lib/url_parser.pyand ask the user to paste their recent titles and rough view counts. - Set the mix. Size the long-form vs Shorts ratio to capacity and stage. A common growing-channel rhythm is 1 long-form per week plus 3 to 5 Shorts, but consistency over 12 weeks beats volume. Confirm a cadence the user can hold.
- Assign pillars to slots so the week is varied, not five takes on one topic.
- Pair each slot. For every upload, set:
- format (long-form or Short)
- working title angle (which Y1-Y6 formula)
- thumbnail angle (what it carries that the title does not)
- opening hook formula (Y7-Y10), matched via the pairing table
- primary goal (CTR / retention / subscribes)
- posting window in the audience timezone
- Place community posts on the non-upload days (a poll, a tease, a question).
- Run the goal balance check. If every slot is CTR-bait or every slot is a deep tutorial, rebalance. Shorts skew top-of-funnel reach; long-form skews watch-time and loyalty. Make sure both jobs are covered.
- Hand each slot to the right skill. The planner does not write the final
title, description, hook, or thumbnail; it routes each slot to
yt-title-optimizer,yt-description-writer,yt-hook-scripter, andyt-thumbnail-brief. - Optional approval + schedule. If the user has videos ready, each one
publishes through its own skill via
lib.publish(...); the planner only sets the calendar.
Hard rules
Global voice rules: see root SKILL.md Voice rules. Additional skill-specific
rules:
- Cadence must be one the user can hold for at least 12 weeks. Sustainable beats ambitious.
- Every upload slot is pre-paired: format, title angle, thumbnail angle, hook, goal, and time. No naked "post a video" slots.
- Shorts and long-form must have a through-line (Shorts point at the library), not two disconnected audiences.
- Spread the week across CTR, retention, and subscribe goals. Not all one note.
- Measure long-form watch-time and returning viewers separately from Shorts views. Do not let Shorts reach inflate the read on growth.
Anti-patterns (skill will refuse)
- An over-ambitious cadence the user cannot sustain (daily long-form for a solo creator).
- Five slots that are all the same pillar and the same goal.
- Shorts with no connection to the long-form library.
- "Post more" as a plan, with no per-slot pairing.
- Em dashes above the cap (about one per 100 words) in any drafted title or hook line.
Resources
../../references/algorithm-heuristics.md- long-form vs Shorts strategy, timing, signals../../references/hook-formulas.md- title and hook formulas to assign per slotreferences/pillars-framework.md- turning a niche into pillars and a balanced mixreferences/example-week.md- a fully worked weekly grid
Related skills
yt-title-optimizer- write the title for each planned slotyt-thumbnail-brief- brief the thumbnail for each planned slotyt-hook-scripter- script the opening for each planned slotyt-description-writer- write the description for each planned slotyt-community-post-writer- the between-uploads community posts
| 1 | |
| 2 | name yt-content-planner |
| 3 | description "Build a weekly YouTube upload plan: long-form vs YouTube Shorts mix, posting cadence, per-slot title and thumbnail pairing, hook angle, community-tab posts between uploads, and a goal balance across CTR, retention, and subscribes. Maps Shorts as top-of-funnel that points at long-form, and long-form as the loyalty and watch-time engine. Use to plan a week or a content calendar instead of shipping ad hoc. Not for writing a single title, description, or hook (use the dedicated yt skills)." |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 | # YouTube Content Planner |
| 7 | |
| 8 | Turns a channel theme, an audience, and content pillars into a structured week: |
| 9 | what to upload, when, in which format, and how the title and thumbnail pair on |
| 10 | each slot. It plans; the dedicated skills write each piece. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | ## When to use |
| 13 | |
| 14 | User says "plan my week of YouTube content" or "build me a content calendar" |
| 15 | User wants a long-form vs Shorts mix and a cadence they can hold |
| 16 | User wants each slot pre-paired (format, title angle, thumbnail angle, hook) |
| 17 | User wants the community-tab posts scheduled between uploads |
| 18 | |
| 19 | ## What it produces |
| 20 | |
| 21 | A **weekly grid**: each slot has a format (long-form or Short), a working title |
| 22 | angle, a thumbnail angle, the hook formula, the pillar, and a posting window. |
| 23 | A **long-form vs Shorts ratio** sized to the channel's stage and capacity. |
| 24 | **Community posts** placed on the non-upload days to keep the channel warm. |
| 25 | A **goal balance check**: across the week, are you spread across CTR-first, |
| 26 | retention-first, and subscribe-first pieces, not all one note. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | ## Steps |
| 29 | |
| 30 | **Gather inputs.** The channel theme/niche, the audience, 3 to 5 content |
| 31 | pillars, the target audience timezone, how many videos per week the user can |
| 32 | realistically make, and the current stage (new channel vs established). If a |
| 33 | channel URL is given, parse it with `lib/url_parser.py` and ask the user to |
| 34 | paste their recent titles and rough view counts. |
| 35 | **Set the mix.** Size the long-form vs Shorts ratio to capacity and stage. A |
| 36 | common growing-channel rhythm is 1 long-form per week plus 3 to 5 Shorts, but |
| 37 | consistency over 12 weeks beats volume. Confirm a cadence the user can hold. |
| 38 | **Assign pillars to slots** so the week is varied, not five takes on one |
| 39 | topic. |
| 40 | **Pair each slot.** For every upload, set: |
| 41 | format (long-form or Short) |
| 42 | working title angle (which Y1-Y6 formula) |
| 43 | thumbnail angle (what it carries that the title does not) |
| 44 | opening hook formula (Y7-Y10), matched via the pairing table |
| 45 | primary goal (CTR / retention / subscribes) |
| 46 | posting window in the audience timezone |
| 47 | **Place community posts** on the non-upload days (a poll, a tease, a question). |
| 48 | **Run the goal balance check.** If every slot is CTR-bait or every slot is a |
| 49 | deep tutorial, rebalance. Shorts skew top-of-funnel reach; long-form skews |
| 50 | watch-time and loyalty. Make sure both jobs are covered. |
| 51 | **Hand each slot to the right skill.** The planner does not write the final |
| 52 | title, description, hook, or thumbnail; it routes each slot to |
| 53 | `yt-title-optimizer`, `yt-description-writer`, `yt-hook-scripter`, and |
| 54 | `yt-thumbnail-brief`. |
| 55 | **Optional approval + schedule.** If the user has videos ready, each one |
| 56 | publishes through its own skill via `lib.publish(...)`; the planner only sets |
| 57 | the calendar. |
| 58 | |
| 59 | ## Hard rules |
| 60 | |
| 61 | Global voice rules: see root `SKILL.md` Voice rules. Additional skill-specific |
| 62 | rules: |
| 63 | |
| 64 | Cadence must be one the user can hold for at least 12 weeks. Sustainable beats |
| 65 | ambitious. |
| 66 | Every upload slot is pre-paired: format, title angle, thumbnail angle, hook, |
| 67 | goal, and time. No naked "post a video" slots. |
| 68 | Shorts and long-form must have a through-line (Shorts point at the library), |
| 69 | not two disconnected audiences. |
| 70 | Spread the week across CTR, retention, and subscribe goals. Not all one note. |
| 71 | Measure long-form watch-time and returning viewers separately from Shorts |
| 72 | views. Do not let Shorts reach inflate the read on growth. |
| 73 | |
| 74 | ## Anti-patterns (skill will refuse) |
| 75 | |
| 76 | An over-ambitious cadence the user cannot sustain (daily long-form for a solo |
| 77 | creator). |
| 78 | Five slots that are all the same pillar and the same goal. |
| 79 | Shorts with no connection to the long-form library. |
| 80 | "Post more" as a plan, with no per-slot pairing. |
| 81 | Em dashes above the cap (about one per 100 words) in any drafted title or hook line. |
| 82 | |
| 83 | ## Resources |
| 84 | |
| 85 | `../../references/algorithm-heuristics.md` - long-form vs Shorts strategy, timing, signals |
| 86 | `../../references/hook-formulas.md` - title and hook formulas to assign per slot |
| 87 | `references/pillars-framework.md` - turning a niche into pillars and a balanced mix |
| 88 | `references/example-week.md` - a fully worked weekly grid |
| 89 | |
| 90 | ## Related skills |
| 91 | |
| 92 | `yt-title-optimizer` - write the title for each planned slot |
| 93 | `yt-thumbnail-brief` - brief the thumbnail for each planned slot |
| 94 | `yt-hook-scripter` - script the opening for each planned slot |
| 95 | `yt-description-writer` - write the description for each planned slot |
| 96 | `yt-community-post-writer` - the between-uploads community posts |
| 97 |