YouTube Thumbnails & Titles Prompts

You are a YouTube growth strategist and title copywriter.

Channel niche: [describe your niche]
Target audience: [who they are + main pain point]
Video type: [tutorial / case study / story / comparison / list]
Video topic: [what this video is actually about]
Primary keyword to rank for: [e.g. "ChatGPT prompts for YouTube"]

Generate 20 YouTube title ideas that:
- Are under 60-65 characters when possible
- Include the primary keyword or a close variant in at least 8 titles
- Mix angles: tutorial, promise/result, curiosity gap, "I tried X", vs-style
- Avoid misleading clickbait or all-caps screaming

Return as a numbered list with a one-line angle note for each.

Take this draft YouTube title: "[your draft title]"

Generate 15 A/B test variations that:
- Keep the core keyword / search intent intact
- Each tries a different angle: specific result, curiosity gap, "I was wrong about X", transformation (from X to Y), mistake-focused, time-bound ("in 30 days"), numbered list
- Stay under ~65 characters
- Avoid vague filler words like "amazing" or "must-see"

Format as a table: Variation | Angle Used | Char Count

Write 20 YouTube Shorts titles for this topic: "[describe your Shorts video topic]"

Rules:
- Max 50 characters per title
- Use punchy, conversational language similar to TikTok hooks
- Mix: "POV:", numbered tips, "Stop doing X", "This changed everything", "When you realise..."
- Highlight 5 where the title text could also appear as on-screen text for maximum synergy

Return as a numbered list.

Generate 15 YouTube titles for this video: "[topic + brief description]"

The titles must work for:
1. YouTube search (match what people type)
2. Google search (could serve as a blog post H1)
3. AI Overviews / Perplexity (clear question-answer structure)

For each title, include: a natural-language query version and a benefit-led version.
Keep all under ~65 characters. Flag the 3 strongest for YouTube SEO specifically.

Create a thumbnail design brief for this YouTube video: "[title + topic]"

For each of 8 thumbnail concepts, describe:
- Subject and pose (pointing, shocked face, before/after split, object in hand)
- Background style (solid colour, blurred scene, studio backdrop)
- Text overlay (max 3-5 words — what it says and placement)
- Colour palette and dominant emotion conveyed
- Why it would work on mobile (small thumbnail view)

Format as numbered concepts, each with a 2-3 sentence brief.

Generate 10 YouTube title + thumbnail text pairs for this video: "[topic]"

Rules:
- Title (max ~60 chars): SEO-friendly, benefit-led
- Thumbnail text (max 4 words): adds drama, curiosity, or a sharp contrast to the title — never repeats the title
- Mix emotional tones: shocking, relief, achievement, curiosity, fear of missing out

Return as a table with three columns: Title | Thumbnail Text | Emotional Angle

I am deciding between these two thumbnail approaches for my video on "[topic]":

Option A: [describe thumbnail A — subject, background, text, colours]
Option B: [describe thumbnail B — subject, background, text, colours]

My channel niche is [niche] and my average viewer is [describe audience].

Analyse both options and tell me:
1. Which is likely to get a higher CTR and why
2. Weaknesses of each option
3. How to improve the weaker one in 2 specific changes
4. Which platform/feed (home, search, suggested) each thumbnail is optimised for

My current YouTube thumbnail text for this video is: "[current text]"
The video title is: "[title]"
The video is about: "[topic]"

The thumbnail text isn't driving enough clicks.

Generate 15 alternative thumbnail text options (3-5 words each) that:
- Create curiosity or urgency without misleading
- Complement rather than repeat the title
- Work at small sizes (mobile screen, suggested feed)
- Use power words, numbers, or clear contrasts

Flag your top 3 picks and explain why.

My YouTube video has underperformed with a below-average CTR. Here is the context:

Video topic: [topic]
Current title: [title]
Thumbnail description: [describe it]
Channel niche: [niche]
Average CTR for this channel: [X%]
This video's CTR: [Y%]
Main traffic source: [search / browse features / suggested]

Diagnose the most likely CTR issues and suggest:
1. 5 alternative title rewrites
2. 3 thumbnail changes to test
3. Whether the title-thumbnail pairing is working or competing
4. One quick-win fix to test first

Help me set realistic CTR benchmarks and improvement goals for my YouTube channel.

Channel niche: [niche]
Current average CTR: [X%]
Main traffic sources: [list]
Video types I make: [tutorials / vlogs / shorts / etc]
Channel size: [subscriber count]

Tell me:
1. What a good, great, and exceptional CTR looks like for my niche and traffic source
2. What small changes typically produce the biggest CTR lifts
3. A 4-week testing plan to improve CTR by at least 1-2 percentage points
4. Which videos from my current library I should re-title and re-thumbnail first

Explain the relationship between YouTube CTR and average view duration for my channel type.

Channel niche: [niche]
Current CTR: [X%]
Current average view duration: [Y minutes or Z%]
Typical video length: [length]

Tell me:
1. Whether my CTR and watch time are in healthy balance
2. If high CTR with low watch time is a thumbnail/title honesty problem
3. If low CTR with high watch time means my thumbnails aren't competitive
4. What to optimise first based on my numbers
5. Two specific tests to run over the next 4 uploads

I create content in the [niche] space. Help me plan titles and thumbnails that take advantage of seasonal trends and platform algorithm spikes.

My upload schedule: [X videos per week/month]
Upcoming dates or events relevant to my niche: [list]
My audience location: [country/region]

For each of the next [4 / 8] weeks:
1. Identify the strongest seasonal angle for my niche
2. Suggest 3 title ideas capitalising on that moment
3. Suggest a thumbnail emotional angle that fits
4. Flag any windows where early uploads win search advantage

Write 20 scroll-stopping first lines (hooks) for YouTube Shorts about this topic: "[topic]"

The hook must appear in the first 2 seconds and make the viewer stop scrolling.

Mix hook types:
- Bold claim: "Most people get this completely wrong..."
- Question: "What happens if you [action]?"
- Surprising stat: "X% of [audience] don't know this..."
- Relatable situation: "You know when you..."
- Pattern interrupt: Start mid-story or mid-action

For each hook, suggest a matching on-screen text overlay (max 6 words).

I want to use YouTube Shorts to drive views to my long-form videos.

Long-form video topic: [topic]
Long-form title: [title]
Shorts content I can create from this video: [ideas or timestamps]

Create a plan for 5 Shorts that:
1. Each tease a specific insight or moment from the long video
2. End with a natural CTA to watch the full video
3. Work as standalone Shorts (not just clips)
4. Include a suggested title and hook for each

Also suggest the best posting cadence to maximise long-form traffic from Shorts.

I make YouTube Shorts in the [niche] space targeting [audience].

Generate 30 Shorts topic ideas that have high viral potential because they are:
- Fast to consume and instantly valuable
- Highly shareable (surprising, relatable, or satisfying)
- Evergreen OR tapping a current trend
- Optimised for re-watch (loop-worthy)

For each idea include: suggested title (max 50 chars), hook line, and one reason it is shareable.
Group by: Educational / Entertaining / Inspirational / Controversial (safe)

Help me build a 30-day YouTube Shorts growth plan.

My niche: [niche]
My goal: [grow subscribers / increase long-form views / build brand awareness]
Current Shorts performance: [views per Short on average]
How many Shorts I can post per week: [number]

Create a 30-day plan including:
1. Weekly theme or content pillars
2. Posting frequency and best times (based on my niche)
3. Which Shorts formats to rotate (hook types, lengths, styles)
4. How to cross-post to TikTok and Reels without getting penalised
5. One experiment to run in week 3 to test what resonates

I need a YouTube channel growth audit for my channel in the [niche] space.

Channel stats:
- Subscriber count: [number]
- Average views per video: [number]
- Upload frequency: [X per week/month]
- Top performing video: [title + view count]
- Worst performing video: [title + view count]
- Content types I make: [list]

Audit these five areas and give specific action items for each:
1. Title & thumbnail strategy
2. Content pillars and topic selection
3. Upload consistency and scheduling
4. Audience retention and video structure
5. One underused growth lever I am likely missing

Help me build a content pillar strategy for my YouTube channel.

Niche: [niche]
Target audience: [describe them]
My expertise: [what you know best]
Channel goal: [subscribers / revenue / brand / traffic to website]

Design a content framework with:
1. 3-5 content pillars with a clear purpose for each
2. 5 video ideas per pillar (with working titles)
3. A recommended ratio of pillar content per month
4. How to use series and playlists to deepen each pillar
5. Which pillar to prioritise first based on my goal

I want to analyse competitor YouTube channels in my niche to improve my own title and thumbnail strategy.

My niche: [niche]
Top 3 competitor channels: [channel names or URLs]
My current average CTR: [X%]

For each competitor, analyse:
1. Title patterns they repeat (structure, length, keywords used)
2. Thumbnail style and recurring visual elements
3. Their apparent CTR angle (curiosity, result, emotion)
4. What topics and formats perform best for them

Then suggest:
- 3 title patterns I should test based on what's working for them
- 2 thumbnail styles I should A/B test
- 1 gap in the market none of them are filling

Help me build a repurposing system for my YouTube content so each video generates maximum reach across platforms.

My primary YouTube niche: [niche]
Platforms I want to repurpose to: [TikTok / Instagram Reels / LinkedIn / Twitter/X / Blog / Newsletter / Podcast]
My upload frequency: [X videos per week]
Available editing time per week: [X hours]

For each video I upload, create a repurposing checklist that includes:
1. Which clips to extract for each platform (timestamps approach)
2. How to adapt the title/hook for each platform's audience
3. The fastest way to convert one video into 5+ pieces of content
4. How to schedule and batch this work efficiently
5. One automation tool or workflow to save time