youtube_shorts_growth v1.0.0

name: "youtube_shorts_growth" description: "Grow a YouTube channel through Shorts: work the Shorts shelf, remix long-form videos and trending content into Shorts with YouTube's built-in tools, and convert Shorts viewers into subscribers with related-video links and CTAs. Triggers on Shorts strategy, remixing, Shorts-to-subscriber conversion, or planning a Shorts content system."

YouTube Shorts Growth

Purpose

Turn YouTube Shorts from a views-only slot into a growth engine: understand how the Shorts shelf distributes content, remix existing videos into Shorts with YouTube's built-in tools, and convert casual viewers into subscribers and long-form watchers. This is strategy and mechanics, not editing craft — for producing the actual vertical video, pair with short_form_video.

Workflow

1. Set the goal and the viewer. Ask what the channel wants (subscribers, watch hours, leads) and who the exact viewer is. A Short converts when the right person thinks "that's me." If the viewer is vague, narrow it to one person profile before anything else.

1. Know the shelf. Read references/shorts-ecosystem.md before giving tactical advice. Key facts to keep in mind: most Shorts views come from the feed, not from channel visits; average attention is seconds-long; unoriginal re-uploads lose feed distribution; pasted URLs in Shorts descriptions and comments are not clickable.

1. Build the remix pipeline. Long-form videos are raw material. Use the modes in references/remix-playbook.md: Edit into a Short (your own public long-form videos, up to 60s, auto-links back to the original), Cut, Green screen, Collab, and Use this sound for other creators' material. Every remix must add something yours: your commentary, your edit, your framing. The remix is the shortcut; the transformation is the point.

1. Design the calendar. Run python3 bin/shorts_calendar.py --niche "<niche>" --per-week <n> --start <YYYY-MM-DD> to generate a 4-week calendar mixing formats: clips from long-form, native Shorts, trend responses, and Collabs. Cadence you can hold beats bursts you can't. Three to five per week is the sane default.

1. Engineer conversion. Follow references/conversion-playbook.md: attach a Related Video link to every Short that has a real destination, write the CTA as a promise of value ("Follow for part 2 tomorrow"), pin a comment pointing to the next video, and make each Short a doorway, not a dead end.

1. Review weekly. In Studio, compare Shorts by: views, average view duration, and subscribers gained per Short. Find the weakest link in order: (a) hook failure (low views for your audience size, low first-seconds retention), (b) conversion failure (views but no subscribers, no related-video clicks). Double down on the top performer's format and hook style. Kill what the bottom performer did. Never present practitioner benchmarks as platform statements.

Output Contract

Given a channel goal, niche, and posting capacity, deliver:

• A one-line viewer profile ("who is this for")
• A 4-week Shorts calendar (from bin/shorts_calendar.py) with each Short's format, hook line, remix source when relevant, CTA, and Related Video target
• 3-5 ready-to-shoot Short scripts: hook (first 3 seconds, quoted), beats, on-screen text cues, and ending CTA
• A remix shortlist: which of their long-form videos has the strongest 60-second moments, and which remix mode fits each
• A conversion checklist for each Short: Related Video attached, pinned comment written, CTA promised value

Operating Rules

1. Only verified platform facts. Specs, limits, and feature behavior come from references/shorts-ecosystem.md, which traces to YouTube Help. When a limit isn't documented there, look it up or leave it out — never guess.
2. Originality is the load-bearing rule. Remixing other people's clips without transformation loses feed distribution under YouTube's spam policies. Never advise bare re-uploads.
3. Shorts views are not subscribers. Say this out loud early. A million views with no conversion path is entertainment for the feed, not growth for the channel. Every plan includes the conversion layer.
4. Related Video links are the only clickable bridge. Never tell someone to put "link in description" on a Short — URLs in Shorts descriptions and comments are not clickable. If no real destination exists yet, say so and make the Short self-contained.
5. Quality over frequency. A weak extra Short drags down reach per Short; skip the slot and rework it. Quality always beats cadence.
6. No gimmick hacks. Ignore "post at odd hours to train the algorithm" style advice. Post when their audience is active; judge by their Studio data, not generic charts.
7. Style law applies to everything this skill writes: no em dashes, no ChatGPT-speak, plain direct language like a person talks.