infranodus/youtube-viral-optimizer
Generate high-CTR YouTube thumbnails, titles, and video scripts optimized for virality. Use when the user asks to create YouTube video titles, thumbnail text/concepts, video scripts, optimize existing titles for CTR, analyze why a video isn't performing, or needs help making content more clickable. Covers thumbnail wording, title copywriting, video script structuring (Pattern Interrupt → Hook → Framing → Curiosity Loop → Escalation → Payoff → Relevance Bridge → Loop Reopen), and YouTube algorithm optimization.
npx skills add https://github.com/infranodus/skills --skill youtube-viral-optimizer
Generate titles, thumbnails, and hooks that maximize click-through rate using proven psychological triggers, SEO principles, and YouTube algorithm dynamics.
Before generating titles or scripts, establish the channel's context. Ask for or infer:
Every channel needs a unique lens — the thing that makes its take on any topic different from everyone else's. This differentiator should thread through titles, hooks, and scripts.
Examples of differentiators by niche:
Framing principle: Don't just show "how to do [thing]" — show "how [your differentiator] makes [thing] actually work"
Title angle examples:
Use InfraNodus tools to research before finalizing titles:
Tool: InfraNodus:analyze_related_search_queries
- Input your main topic keywords
- Get the graph of what people actually search for
- Identify topical clusters in search demand
Tool: InfraNodus:analyze_google_search_results
- See what content currently ranks
- Identify which topics are saturated vs underserved
- Find the gaps between what people search and what exists
Tool: InfraNodus:search_queries_vs_search_results
- Compare search demand graph vs search supply graph
- Keywords in demand but NOT in results = your opportunity
- These gaps = low competition + high intent
Tool: InfraNodus:generate_research_questions
- Input combined search data
- Get questions that bridge content gaps
- Transform into title angles
Target: Topics where:
Title should:
Cooking channel — Topic idea: "Meal prepping for beginners"
Tech channel — Topic idea: "Best budget laptops 2025"
YouTube pushes videos that hit ALL of these:
Critical: High CTR alone isn't enough. Must engage NEW viewers (subs signal).
Stay in your lane:
Examples:
Risky moves:
Trendy specialized topics win:
50/50 sweet spot: Old subscribers + New viewers
Watch for: High quality video with great metrics BUT no discussion/comments AND low new user acquisition = penalized by algorithm
Fast result + tension via comparison:
Trending + your angle:
Your differentiator as optimizer:
Niche-specific tensions that work:
Pain → Tension → Shift → Proof
"I was frustrated with X (relatable pain) → Everything I tried failed (tension) → Then I discovered Y (shift) → Here's what changed (proof)"
Expectation → Tension → Partial Resolution → New Gap
Hook with familiar problem, create tension, partially resolve, open new question
Loss of Control → Regained Control
"SEO is guesswork" → "This tool changes it"
"Ideas pile up" → "This method produces results"
The Compression Reveal
Show complexity → simple solution: "Hundreds of ideas → one framework"
The Cliffhanger
"X Is Solved, Y Is Not"
When creating actual video scripts, follow this proven sequence. Every script must hit each stage in order:
Pattern Interrupt → Hook → (Framing) Why It Matters → Curiosity Loop → Escalation → Payoff → Relevance Bridge → Optional New Loop
Before writing the script stages, address these two critical elements:
Whatever you're talking about — even if it's niche — must address a much bigger audience by expanding the importance from a small context to a universal one. Never lead with niche terminology or feature names. Instead, start from a problem or desire that millions of people share, then narrow into your specific solution.
Example — WRONG approach (small TAM, niche-first):
> "Today I'll show you the advanced settings in [Niche Tool] and how they work."
Example — RIGHT approach (big TAM, universal problem first):
> "You know how you can spend hours organizing your ideas and still feel like you're going in circles?
> Most tools make this worse, not better.
> That's because they treat ideas as isolated items — not as connected concepts.
> What if there was a way to see the hidden connections between everything you're working on?
> [Tool] does exactly that — it maps your thinking so you can find the gaps and breakthroughs.
> If you research, create, or make decisions — this is the difference between surface-level and real depth."
The principle: Start with the big audience problem, then introduce your specific solution. The viewer should feel "this is for me" before they even know what tool or method you're demonstrating.
Early in the video (typically right after the hook or during the framing stage), establish why the viewer should trust you. Briefly mention:
Keep it short and natural — not a resume, but a trust signal. Examples:
Before the hook even lands, something must visually or cognitively interrupt scrolling. This is the first 1-3 seconds.
Techniques:
Alignment rule: The pattern interrupt should align with your channel's positioning. If your positioning is "practical results, not theory," then your interrupt should feel like hype → reality.
The hook answers: "Why should I care?"
For big TAM content, this often signals:
Examples:
Many creators skip this — that's a mistake. You need to answer: "Why does this affect ME?"
This is where you expand the TAM impact and make it personal to the viewer.
Examples:
This is also where credibility validation fits naturally — after establishing why it matters, briefly mention why you're the one to show them.
Open a knowledge gap — create a question in the viewer's mind that they need answered.
The curiosity loop works by revealing that something hidden exists without yet explaining what it is.
Examples:
Increase the perceived importance. Add more tension. Make the viewer feel this is bigger than they thought.
Examples:
Resolve the curiosity loop. Deliver the core insight clearly and memorably.
Examples:
After the payoff, connect it back to the viewer: "Here's what this means for you."
This is where strategy happens — turning insight into action.
Examples:
For retention, series creation, or looping the video back to the beginning:
[PATTERN INTERRUPT — 1-3 seconds]
[Strong visual or verbal disruption aligned with channel positioning]
[HOOK — next 5-7 seconds]
[Promise of value: Why should they care?]
[FRAMING — next 10-15 seconds]
[Why this matters to THEM + credibility validation]
[CURIOSITY LOOP — next 10-15 seconds]
[Open the knowledge gap — reveal something hidden exists]
[ESCALATION — next 10-15 seconds]
[Deepen the stakes — make it bigger than expected]
[PAYOFF — next 15-30 seconds]
[Deliver the core insight, resolve the loop]
[RELEVANCE BRIDGE — next 10-15 seconds]
[What this means for the viewer — actionable implication]
[LOOP REOPEN — final 5-10 seconds] (optional)
[New question or tease for next video / video loop]
Before finalizing any script, verify:
A knowledge graph of your topic is the source material for your script's tension architecture. Instead of inventing curiosity loops from intuition, extract them directly from the graph's structure.
A knowledge graph of any topic reveals clusters (what's well-covered) and structural gaps (what's missing between clusters). These gaps are not just SEO opportunities — they are ready-made curiosity loops. When a viewer senses a gap between two things they thought were connected, that's inherent tension. The graph gives you this for free.
Before scripting, analyze your video's topic using InfraNodus to map its knowledge structure.
Tool: InfraNodus:analyze_text
- Input: your draft notes, transcript, or topic description
- Output: topical clusters and structural gaps in your topic
Or if working from existing content:
Tool: InfraNodus:analyze_text (with url parameter)
- Input: a key reference URL or YouTube video on the topic
- Output: how the existing discourse is structured
Tool: InfraNodus:generate_content_gaps
- Input: the same text or URL
- Output: gaps between topical clusters — these are the missing connections
Each gap is a pair of clusters that should be connected but aren't. These are your script's raw material.
Tool: InfraNodus:generate_research_questions
- Input: same text/URL
- Output: questions that bridge the structural gaps
These research questions are pre-built curiosity loops. Each one identifies something the audience senses should be explained but hasn't been.
Tool: InfraNodus:develop_conceptual_bridges
- Input: same text/URL
- requestMode: "transcend"
- Output: ideas that go beyond the text and connect to broader discourse
The transcend output gives you escalation material — it shows how your niche topic connects to bigger, universal themes. This is what turns "here's a feature" into "here's why this changes everything."
Tool: InfraNodus:develop_latent_topics
- Input: same text/URL
- requestMode: "transcend"
- Output: underdeveloped topics that deserve deeper exploration
Latent topics are insights hiding beneath the surface of your topic. These become your payoff — the moment the viewer gets something they couldn't get anywhere else.
| Graph Analysis Output | Script Stage It Feeds |
|---|---|
| Main topical clusters | Framing — what the topic is about at a high level |
| Structural gaps between clusters | Curiosity Loop — "There's a hidden connection between X and Y that nobody talks about" |
| Research questions from gaps | Hook — frame as a compelling question the viewer needs answered |
| Transcend / conceptual bridges | Escalation — "This isn't just about [niche] — it's about [universal theme]" |
| Latent / underdeveloped topics | Payoff — the original insight that resolves the loop |
| Overlap between your topic and trending discourse | Pattern Interrupt — unexpected connection that stops scrolling |
Topic: "Why people plateau after 3 months of training"
Step 1-2: Analyze training plateau content → Graph shows clusters: {progressive overload, rep ranges, nutrition} and {recovery, sleep, stress management} with a structural gap between them.
Step 3: Research questions from gap → "Why does the same program that builds initial strength become the barrier to further progress?"
Step 4: Transcend → connects to broader discourse about adaptation, diminishing returns in any skill domain, and the psychology of habit vs growth.
Step 5: Latent topics → "neurological adaptation plateaus vs muscular — the hidden bottleneck most trainers ignore."
Resulting script mapping:
The SEO research phase (search intent, content gaps, demand vs supply) should directly feed the script structure — not just the title and thumbnail.
When you run the SEO workflow (Steps 1-4 from the SEO-Driven Title Strategy), capture the outputs and map them:
| SEO Finding | Script Stage |
|---|---|
| High-demand search cluster (what people want) | Hook — promise value in the exact language searchers use |
| Content gap (demand exists, supply is thin) | Curiosity Loop — "Nobody's explaining why [gap topic] actually works" |
| Saturated topic (what already exists everywhere) | Pattern Interrupt — "Everyone says [saturated take]. They're wrong." |
| Demand vs supply difference (what's searched but not answered) | Payoff — deliver the answer that doesn't exist yet |
| Related queries people also search | Escalation — "And it gets bigger: [related query] is the same problem" |
| Underserved keyword with high intent | Relevance Bridge — "If you've been searching for [keyword], here's what you actually need" |
1. Run InfraNodus:analyze_related_search_queries → capture demand clusters
2. Run InfraNodus:analyze_google_search_results → capture supply clusters
3. Run InfraNodus:search_queries_vs_search_results → capture the gaps
4. For each gap:
a. The gap topic becomes the CURIOSITY LOOP
b. The demand language becomes the HOOK phrasing
c. The saturated existing content becomes the PATTERN INTERRUPT target ("everyone says X...")
d. Your unique answer to the gap becomes the PAYOFF
e. Related unfilled queries become ESCALATION material
SEO research reveals:
Script mapping:
Don't just pick popular keywords. Use your channel's unique angle to select which keywords to pursue in the first place.
Traditional keyword selection optimizes for volume and competition. Differentiator-informed selection adds a third dimension: structural novelty potential. A keyword is worth pursuing when:
Tool: InfraNodus:analyze_related_search_queries
- Input: your broad topic area (e.g., "home fitness equipment")
- Output: graph of search demand with topical clusters
Tool: InfraNodus:analyze_google_search_results
- Input: same keywords
- Output: graph of what exists in search results
Tool: InfraNodus:search_queries_vs_search_results
- Input: same keywords
- Output: gaps between what people want and what exists
Now look at the gaps through your differentiator lens:
For your top candidate keywords, run:
Tool: InfraNodus:generate_content_gaps
- Input: text from top-ranking content for that keyword
- Output: what even the best existing content is missing
If the gap in existing content aligns with your differentiator (your unique perspective, method, or expertise), this is a high-value keyword. If the gap is just missing facts anyone could provide, it's lower value.
Rate each keyword opportunity:
| Factor | Score | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Search demand | High/Med/Low | Do people search for this? |
| Competition | High/Med/Low | How saturated is the supply? |
| Structural gap potential | High/Med/Low | Does the existing content miss something your angle reveals? |
| Differentiator fit | High/Med/Low | Can you uniquely fill this gap with your expertise? |
Prioritize keywords where structural gap potential AND differentiator fit are both High — these are topics where your content will be genuinely different, not just another take.
Differentiator: "Behavioral psychology behind money decisions"
| Keyword | Demand | Competition | Structural Gap | Differentiator Fit | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "best savings accounts" | High | High | Low (just rate lists) | Low | Skip |
| "how to budget" | High | High | Med (process gaps) | Med | Maybe |
| "why I can't save money" | Med | Low | High (no one explains the psychology) | High | Top pick |
| "investment apps review" | High | High | Low (comparison content) | Low | Skip |
"Why I can't save money" wins not because it has the highest volume, but because the structural gap is exactly what the behavioral psychology differentiator fills.
For each video concept, provide:
## Option [N]
**Title**: [title text]
**Thumbnail Text**: [1-5 words]
**Thumbnail Concept**: [brief visual description]
**SEO Analysis** (from InfraNodus research):
- Primary keyword: [keyword] — Volume: [high/medium/low]
- Content gap targeted: [what's missing in current results]
- Competition level: [saturated/moderate/underserved]
- Topical authority angle: [how this builds channel expertise]
**CTR Analysis**:
- Tension created: [yes/no + explanation]
- Concrete language: [yes/no]
- Title-Thumb gap: [yes/no]
- Mobile readable: [yes/no]
- Target audience signal: [clear/unclear]
**Algorithm Fit**:
- Topic alignment: [core/adjacent/risky] — Is this within your channel's perceived lane?
- Differentiator angle: [strong/weak/missing] — Does this leverage your unique positioning?
- Competition level: [low/medium/high] — Are bigger channels covering this?
- New audience potential: [low/medium/high] — Will this attract NEW subs?
- Existing audience appeal: [low/medium/high] — Will current subs engage?
- Timing: [evergreen/trending/time-sensitive]
**Estimated CTR Potential**: [Low/Medium/High/Very High]
**Algorithm Push Likelihood**: [Low/Medium/High/Very High]
**SEO Discoverability**: [Low/Medium/High/Very High]
**Reasoning**: [2-3 sentences covering CTR, algorithm, AND search positioning]
Generate 3-5 options, then recommend top 1-2 with reasoning that addresses clickability, algorithm positioning, AND SEO gap targeting.
| Avoid | Replace With |
|-------|-------------|
| Abstract nouns (innovation, transformation) | Concrete nouns (product, money, results) |
| Method-first titles | Outcome-first titles |
| Numbered lists | Tension-creating questions |
| Same words in title + thumbnail | Complementary gap |
| Busy thumbnails | Single focal point |
| Neutral statements | Opinionated takes |
| Long thumbnail text | 1-3 words max |
For comprehensive rules with extensive examples, see ctr-rules-detailed.md.
Take infranodus/youtube-viral-optimizer from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal
use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.
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