yt-title-optimizerlisted
Install: claude install-skill sergebulaev/youtube-skills
# YouTube Title Optimizer
Titles are half the click. This skill turns a topic, a draft title, or a video
URL into a shortlist of titles that earn the click honestly, then leaves the
final pick (and the A/B test) to you.
## When to use
- User says "give me title ideas for this video"
- User has a flat or clickbait title and wants sharper, honest options
- User wants titles tied to a specific goal (CTR for browse, or search-intent)
- User wants A/B variants to drop into YouTube's Test & Compare
## Formulas this skill uses (packaging shapes, Y1-Y6)
| Code | Formula | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Y1 | Curiosity-Gap | a surprising result whose mechanism is hidden |
| Y2 | Number / Listicle | a finite, scannable payoff |
| Y3 | How-I Outcome | a first-person result with a number and timeframe |
| Y4 | Mistake / Negativity | a costly thing the viewer is getting wrong |
| Y5 | Transformation | a before/after arc over a timeframe |
| Y6 | Versus / Comparison | two named options in tension (search-friendly) |
| Y11 | Third-Party Success Story | a named person/archetype who built a big number from zero |
Full skeletons in `../../references/hook-formulas.md`. Y11 was added from a
214-video corpus pull (July 2026) where the third-party rags-to-riches title was
the most-frequent uncaptured shape; Y1/Y3/Y5 were the confirmed over-performers,
and Y2/Y4/Y6 read weaker in the business/creator niche (noted in the reference).
## Steps
1. **Gather inputs.** The topic or rough title, the rea