how to write youtube title and description, in short: lead the title with the words people actually type, keep it under 60 characters, and promise only what the video delivers. then open the description with a sentence or two that say what happens in the video in those same words, so the first lines youtube shows make sense on their own.
most of page one for this search is a list of tips: put the keyword first, write 200 words, add timestamps, end with a call to action. the tips are sound. what they skip is where the keyword comes from, and what to do when the honest description of your video is not something anyone types. this guide covers both, with the rules underway uses to name every episode.
how to write youtube title and description: start from what people type
a title has two jobs. it has to be found, and it has to be clicked. youtube matches the words of a search against your title, and people scan the first few words of each result before deciding, so the front of the title does both jobs at once.
the words at the front should be ones people type, not ones you would use. you find them in youtube's own search box.
- write the subject of your video as the start of a search: onboarding, cold email, stripe webhook, opening a cafe.
- type it into youtube's search box and stop. read the suggestions that drop down. each one is something people search.
- pick the suggestion that truly describes what your video covers. if none does, try another way of saying the subject.
- put that phrase at the front of the title. add your own specifics after it.
- if nothing anyone types fits the video, do not force one. a plain, honest title is better than a searched phrase the video does not deliver.
an example from underway's own manual: a title like why new users get stuck in app onboarding opens on words people search, says exactly what the video is about, and promises nothing it does not answer.
the rules for a youtube title, in order
- under 60 characters. longer titles are cut off in search results and on phones, and the cut usually lands on the part that mattered.
- the searched words first. youtube and the viewer both weigh the start most.
- a concrete noun. the thing, the tool, the problem. not it, this or that.
- only what the video delivers. a title that over-promises gets clicks and then loses the viewer in the first seconds, which tells youtube the video did not satisfy.
- no puns or in-jokes. they mean something to you and nothing to a stranger.
- episode numbers and the series name go last, or in the description. the front is for the search.
| a title like this | why it struggles | a title like this works better | |
|---|---|---|---|
| it finally works | no subject, nothing anyone types | fixing a stripe webhook that fires twice | |
| episode 12: big news | the number takes the front, the news is vague | first paying customer for a saas app · episode 12 | |
| the onboarding saga continues | only makes sense to someone who saw the last one | why new users get stuck in app onboarding | |
| you won't believe what happened | promises a surprise, names nothing | what happened when we raised our prices |
the examples in that table are made up to show the shape, not titles from a real channel.
one of the pro thumbnails underway drew for episode 65 of its own series. the title and the thumbnail are read together, so they should not repeat each other word for word.
how to write a youtube description that answers the search
the first lines of a description are what youtube shows in search results and above the fold on the watch page. that is the part most people read, and it is the part answer engines and google quote. write it to stand on its own.
- the first sentence answers what happens in this video, naming the thing worked on and, where it matters, your product. someone who reads only that sentence should know what they would get.
- use the searched phrase once or twice, where it reads naturally. repeating it more reads as stuffing to people and to youtube.
- then say what else it covers, in a short list or a few sentences.
- add chapters if the video is long enough to need them. youtube's rule is timestamps in the description starting at 0:00, at least three, each at least ten seconds long.
- links come after the words, not before them. a description that opens on a link wastes the lines people read.
- one or two hashtags that name the subject are plenty. youtube can show the first few above the title, so ten generic ones help nobody.
how long should it be? long enough to say what is in the video. youtube allows 5,000 characters and the title 100, but length is not the goal. a 200-word description that is mostly keywords does worse with a reader than 80 words that answer the question. tags, for what it is worth, play a minor role in discovery by youtube's own account; the title and the opening lines of the description do the work.
titles for a series: the number goes last
a series has a problem a one-off video does not. the people following it want the episode number and the next chapter of the story. a stranger has never heard of you and only knows what they typed. a title written for the followers, such as the onboarding saga continues, is invisible to everyone else.
the answer is one title that does both, in order: the searched words at the front for the stranger, the episode label at the end for the follower. the followers find the next episode anyway, through your page, your feed or a notification. strangers only ever find it through the front of the title.
an earlier version of the episode screen in underway's phone app. episode 46's name, connecting x to underway, is the kind of diary name underway no longer writes for youtube: it names the product and nothing a stranger types.
how to write youtube title and description in underway
underway writes both for every episode, from what you said on camera, so you start from a draft that follows the rules above rather than a blank box.
- an episode has one title, its name: the same words on your page, in the directory, on youtube and in google.
- three titles are written for every new episode, each aimed at a different search, and the one whose opening youtube's own suggestions confirm is used. a title passes only when youtube completes its opening words with words that say what it is about; when none passes, the first draft stays.
- a name is checked against the rules in code: under 60 characters, no episode or day number, and not the series, the product or your own name unless the search itself contains it. a name never opens with the kind of episode, such as watch me work.
- youtube's title box starts with the name, then the episode label, so the number sits at the end.
- under the name on details, and under the youtube box on share, one line says which search the title is written for, and 2 more ways to title it opens the others, each with use this, which renames the episode everywhere.
- the youtube description is written from your transcript, the fullest of the posts for each place, opening on a sentence that says what happened. where an episode has chapters, they are added under it when it posts.
every box is yours. a name you type or choose with use this is never changed by underway. typing in the youtube box changes youtube only. post the full episode to youtube sends the title and description, and update on youtube sends a changed box to a video already up.
what it never does
- it never bends a fact to fit a search. a phrase is used only when it truly describes what you said.
- it never adds anything you did not say. the facts in the description are yours.
- it never reorders, trims or changes the episode itself. only the words around it.
- it never uses a paid keyword tool. the phrases come from youtube's own suggestions.
if you want the edit done for you as well as the words: an ai that edits your videos.
how long should a youtube title be?
under 60 characters is a safe target. youtube allows 100, but longer titles are cut off in search results and on phones, usually at the part that mattered.
where should the keyword go in a youtube title?
at the front. people scan the first few words of each result, and youtube weighs them most. episode numbers and your series name go at the end.
how long should a youtube description be?
long enough to say what the video covers. the first one or two sentences matter most, because they show in search and above the fold. youtube allows up to 5,000 characters, but more words are not better words.
can i still write my own title in underway?
yes. the name, the description and the youtube title box are all yours to edit, and a name you type is never changed.
what about episodes already on youtube?
they stay as they were posted. update on youtube sends a changed title and description to a video already up, if you want to change one.
before you write the title, find the search: how to find what people search on youtube.
more on the title on its own: how to title a youtube video.
Originally published at https://underway.life/how-to-write-youtube-title-and-description
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