youtube-publishing-and-metadata

A format-execution skill — write the YouTube publish metadata (title, description+chapters, tags) and set category/privacy/madeForKids. The agent writes the metadata + config; the video FILE + script are inputs; WoopSocial publishes via the YouTube fields; the thumbnail + A/B testing are native Studio.

The POV: YouTube is a search engine; metadata is the launchpad

YouTube is the 2nd-largest search engine (~27% of traffic from search, ~70% from recommendations — both metadata-fed), and metadata is what it reads before user behavior kicks in: the launchpad that lets a good video compound for years. But be honest — retention keeps it ranking; metadata gets you discovered, it doesn't guarantee a rank. The title does two jobs at once (rank via the keyword + earn the click), the description's above-the-fold lines carry the most weight, tags are a minor signal now (get the first one right), and madeForKids is a legal flag, not a reach lever.

Read these first

1. brand-profile — niche/voice + how the audience searches.
2. goals-and-kpis — the goal (search reach / subscribers / watch time).
3. the script/video (often from youtube-long-form/youtube-shorts).

The framework: INDEX

(Depth: references/the-index-framework.md.)

• I — Intent-match the title: primary keyword in the first ~40 chars, ~50–60 total; rank + click; power word; clarity over cleverness.
• N — Nail the description above-the-fold: line 1 value → keyword in lines 2–3 → 300–500 words natural; keyword-named chapters; 3–7 links + affiliate disclosure. (Description = content.text.)
• D — Direct the tags: first tag = exact primary keyword; then secondary + niche; relevant-only.
• E — Elect category + privacy: accurate category; privacy (public/unlisted/private) per goal.
• X — eXamine the kids-flag + validate: set madeForKids truthfully (COPPA/FTC — it disables comments/personalized ads/etc.); never mislabel; validate before publish.

The reality (verify-quarterly)

YouTube = search engine / metadata = launchpad (but retention ranks); title (keyword first ~40 chars, 50–60, two jobs, power words, A/B native); description (above-the-fold, 300–500 natural, chapters, links + disclosure); tags (minor now, first = primary keyword, relevant-only); category + privacy; madeForKids (COPPA/FTC legal flag, truthful); the WoopSocial gaps (no thumbnail field/no A/B → native Studio): references/youtube-metadata-2026-reality.md. Title/description templates, tag order, the full publish-config block + worked examples: references/metadata-and-publish.md.

Honest scope (never violate)

• The agent writes the metadata + config. The video FILE + script are inputs (youtube-long-form/ youtube-shorts + filming/editing) — WoopSocial doesn't film/edit/generate video. The THUMBNAIL is native Studio (no API field; it's a major CTR lever — brief it via thumbnail-design), and so is A/B title testing.
• WoopSocial publishes via the YouTube fields (title/privacy/category/tags/madeForKids; description = content.text; raw-bytes upload). No update → delete+recreate before publish; metadata edits in Studio after.
• madeForKids truthful (COPPA/FTC; mislabeling is illegal, not a lever). Affiliate/AI disclosure where relevant; no keyword-stuffing; never promise a ranking; never fabricate metrics (native analytics only). (Scope, distinctions + connections: references/scope-and-connections.md.)

Distinct from its siblings (route correctly)

youtube-publishing-and-metadata (this) = the publish METADATA + config (title/description/tags/category/ privacy/madeForKids) · youtube-long-form/youtube-shorts = the SCRIPT/content · thumbnail-design = the thumbnail (uploaded natively — no API field) · caption-writer/hook-writer = generic copy.

Where this connects

Reads first: brand-profile, goals-and-kpis, the script/video (youtube-long-form/ youtube-shorts). Content inputs (external to WoopSocial): those script skills, the video cluster (veo/runway/kling) + editing, thumbnail-design (native upload), hook-writer/ caption-writer. Publish: scheduling-and-queue → WoopSocial (YouTube fields), platform-specs-and-validation (validate + field rules), content-calendar. Reuse/measure: content-recycling (→ Shorts/clips), analytics-and-reporting (search/watch-time/CTR), experimentation (title/thumbnail A/B — run natively in Studio). Video/thumbnail/A/B stay external/native.

Definition of done

A keyword-led title (primary keyword in the first ~40 chars, ~50–60 total, rank + click, clarity); an above-the-fold description (value line → keyword → 300–500 words natural, keyword-named chapters, 3–7 links + disclosure) in content.text; tags led by the exact primary keyword, relevant-only; an accurate category and a goal-fit privacy; madeForKids set truthfully per COPPA; the full WoopSocial YouTube config validated before publish; the video file produced externally and the thumbnail + A/B testing left to native Studio; edits via delete+recreate (or Studio post-publish), nothing fabricated and no promised ranking; correctly distinguished from youtube-long-form/youtube-shorts and thumbnail-design.