Upload checklist
The YouTube upload checklistyou can actually tick off.
Twenty steps from idea to the first days after publishing, each with a free tool where one helps. Your ticks stay in this browser, so you can come back to it for every video.
0 of 20 done
Before you film
- The topic has proof of demand — videos on it beat their own channel's usual views.Outlier Finder →
- You can say the video's promise in one sentence.Video Ideas →
- The first 10–15 seconds confirm the title's promise and open one question.Hook Generator →
- Each section ends with a reason to keep watching; the payoff isn't buried at the end.Script Generator →
Packaging
- Title under 100 characters, with the topic and payoff in the first ~50.Title Length Checker →
- Thumbnail is 1280 × 720 (16:9), JPG/PNG/GIF, under 2 MB.Thumbnail Size Checker →
- Thumbnail text is a few words, readable at phone size, and adds to the title rather than repeating it.Thumbnail Text Checker →
- Title, thumbnail and first line make one promise together.Packaging Check →
Upload settings
- The description's first line says what the viewer gets, in words people search.Description Generator →
- Chapters start at 0:00, have at least three entries, each 10 seconds or longer.Description Templates →
- Tags: the exact phrase and common misspellings, under 500 characters.Tag Generator →
- Three specific hashtags — the first three can show above the title.Hashtag Generator →
- Audience set: whether the video is made for kids (YouTube requires this declaration).
- End screen added in the last 5–20 seconds, pointing to one relevant next video.
- Added to a playlist, so the next video plays automatically for binge viewers.Playlist Length →
- Captions checked — auto-captions often misspell names and jargon.
After you publish
- A pinned comment that adds something (a question, a resource, a correction).
- Replied to early comments in the first hours.
- After a few days: did it beat your channel's usual views for its format?Channel Analyzer →
- If it's well below your usual views, test a new title or thumbnail before giving up on the topic.Title Generator →
Next step
Check the whole package before you publish
Packaging Check reads your title, thumbnail and first line together — the promise a viewer believes, where it breaks, and a rewrite — with real videos on your topic as evidence. A free account comes with 15 credits (up to three checks), no card.