Generates high-performing title options by analyzing what's already working on your channel and applying those patterns to new content. A title style that crushes for a coding-tutorial channel might flop on a business channel — so it grounds itself in your data, not generic YouTube tips.
Triggers: "what should I title this video", "give me title ideas", "title options for my video about…", "help me name this video".
Workflow
- Pull your channel performance data:
Returns videos from the last 3 months sorted by views, with views/day (normalizes for upload date), engagement ratio, and like ratio.python "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/yt-titles/scripts/channel_performance.py" --months 3 --count 30 - Analyze your title patterns across the top 10: hooks (opening words), structure, length, specificity signals (tools, timeframes, $ amounts), emotional triggers — plus patterns in the bottom performers to avoid.
- Scout the competition (optional — needs the separate
yt-searchhelper): avoid duplicate titles, find missed angles. - Generate 10–15 titles in three tiers.
Tiers
- Tier 1 — High confidence (3–5): follow your proven patterns most closely.
- Tier 2 — Calculated risks (3–5): remix your patterns with competitor / trending angles.
- Tier 3 — Swing for the fences (3–5): contrarian angles and pattern breaks.
Each title gets a one-line note: which pattern it's based on and why it should work.
Title principles
- Front-load the hook — first 3–5 words decide if someone reads on.
- Specific > vague — "I Automated My Entire Business in 4 Hours" beats "How to Use AI for Business Automation".
- Curiosity gaps work — only paired with a credibility signal.
- Under 60 characters when possible (mobile truncation).
- Avoid clickbait that can't deliver.
- Match search intent when relevant, but don't force SEO at the cost of CTR.
- Title Case reads best in YouTube's UI.
What NOT to do
- No filler like "Ultimate Guide", "Everything You Need to Know", "Complete Tutorial".
- Don't start with the channel name or "How to" unless search intent demands it.
- At most one emoji (if any); no brackets like [FULL GUIDE] / [2026] without a strong reason.
- Don't sound like every other AI YouTuber.
Thumbnail text principles
- 2–5 words max — must read at a glance on mobile.
- Complement, don't duplicate the title.
- Create a gap with the title — e.g. Title "7 RAG Concepts…" + Thumbnail "YOU'RE ALREADY DOING #2".
- ALL CAPS reads better small. Emotion/reaction words work ("WAIT WHAT", "IT'S FREE"); numbers beat abstractions ("$0/month", "10 MINUTES").
For each Tier 1 title it generates 3–5 thumbnail-text options, then asks whether to refine a direction.