4 min read Templates

YouTube Workflow Template

A per-video production tracker covering all nine stages, with the checklists that prevent reshoots.

One card per video, nine stages, three checklists. Copy for each new video.

The checklists exist because each one prevents a specific, expensive mistake: a reshoot, an unusable edit, or a finished video that can't be published.

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The video card

═══════════════════════════════════════════
VIDEO: [working title]
═══════════════════════════════════════════

Stage:          [ ] Idea      [ ] Research   [ ] Script
                [ ] Pre-prod  [ ] Record     [ ] Edit
                [ ] Package   [ ] Published

Owner:          
Target publish: 
Format:         [ ] Full script  [ ] Beat outline  [ ] Bullet notes

───────────────────────────────────────────
THE IDEA
───────────────────────────────────────────
Question it answers:    
Who it's for:           
Source of the idea:     [customer question / comment / conversation]

Why video rather than an article:
[If you can't answer this, it's an article.]

───────────────────────────────────────────
THE ARGUMENT
───────────────────────────────────────────
[One paragraph: what this video claims and why anyone
 should believe it. Write this before scripting.]

───────────────────────────────────────────
THE HOOK — first 15 seconds
───────────────────────────────────────────
[Write this separately and deliberately. It is not an
 introduction. It is a reason to stay.]

───────────────────────────────────────────
OUTLINE
───────────────────────────────────────────
1. Hook
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. Close — [fully scripted; improvised endings ramble]

───────────────────────────────────────────
VISUAL REQUIREMENTS
───────────────────────────────────────────
[Fill in while scripting, not after recording.]

B-roll needed:
  [ ] 
  [ ] 

Graphics needed:
  [ ] 

Screen recordings needed:
  [ ]

Checklist 1 — Before recording

Prevents reshoots.

Script or outline finished
Hook written and read aloud once
B-roll shot list complete
Screen recordings captured in advance
Graphics ready or briefed
Location set, lighting checked
Audio tested — short recording made and listened back
Batteries charged, storage free, camera settings confirmed

The audio check is the one to never skip, including the time you're certain it's fine. Viewers tolerate poor video and leave over poor audio.

During recording

Take log:
| Section | Take | Good? | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
|  |  |  |  |

- [ ] Room tone recorded — 30 seconds of silence
- [ ] B-roll recorded while the setup is still up
- [ ] Footage backed up before leaving the location

Checklist 2 — Edit sequence

In this order. Quality comes from step 2.

1. Rough cut — structure only, no polish
2. Watch through, cut everything that doesn't earn its place
3. B-roll and graphics
4. Audio: levels, noise reduction, music
5. Colour, if you do it
6. Captions
7. Final watch, start to finish, without stopping

Most videos improve by being 20% shorter. Step 7 catches what scrubbing misses.

Packaging

Title:              [under 60 characters, states benefit or question]
Thumbnail concept:  [designed, not a frame grab]
Thumbnail text:     [three words maximum, legible when small]

Description:
  First two lines:  [these show before the fold — use them]
  
  Timestamps:
    00:00  
    
  Links:
  Resources mentioned:

Checklist 3 — Before publishing

Title final, under 60 characters
Thumbnail designed and legible at small size
Description written, first two lines deliberate
Timestamps added
Tags and category set
End screen and cards configured
Captions uploaded and corrected
Added to the right playlist
Previewed on a phone
Scheduled or published

After publishing

Published:          [date]
URL:                

Distribution:
  [ ] Newsletter
  [ ] Relevant communities
  [ ] Sent directly to anyone who asked this question

REVIEW AT 14 DAYS
  Click-through rate:         
  Average view duration:      
  Retention curve shape:      [drop at 30s = hook problem
                               steady decline = pacing
                               cliff at a timestamp = go watch it]
  Questions in comments:      [these are your next videos]

What I'd do differently:

Batching

Three videos per cycle costs far less than three single videos, because setup is a fixed cost paid once.

Monday      Scripts for all three
Tuesday     Record all three
Wed–Thu     Edit
Friday      Package and schedule

One week of work, three weeks of output.

Realistic time per video

Ten to fifteen minutes of talking-head with B-roll:

Stage	Hours
Research	2
Script	2
Pre-production	1
Record	1
Edit	4–6
Package	1
Publish	0.5
Total	12–14

Batched: roughly 8 per video.

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