How to Write a YouTube Video Description (Plus a Pre-Publish Checklist)
Knowing how to write a YouTube video description matters most at the moment people forget it: the last ten minutes before publishing. A video that took weeks to make can go live with a buried link, no keywords and a rushed publish. The fix is a description structure and a checklist, used the same way every time, like a pilot's checklist.
The one rule: never publish the moment the upload finishes. YouTube can take 30 to 45 minutes to process 4K, so schedule it a few hours ahead, ideally 1 to 2 hours before your audience is mostly online.
How to Write a YouTube Video Description in Six Parts
- Call to action: a link to your product, service or a sponsor's. Top line, clickable, with the benefit.
- Video summary: one short paragraph that includes your main keyword.
- Chapters: timestamps worded as questions, never as answers.
- Social links: your other handles, website or email, below the call to action.
- About the business: what you do and value, with proof like clients helped or results.
- Hashtags: three at most, at the very end. A fourth does not link.
One Action, Not Nine
The more options you give, the fewer people click any of them. Use one main action on the top line as a full clickable link, and repeat it in a pinned comment. Send people to a page with a single action, not your full website. If you have the proof, add one line of it next to the call to action.
YouTube Title and Description: Keep Them Working Together
Paste your title in, never type it, to avoid typos. Load your description template from your upload defaults so every video starts with your core keywords. Use your main keyword in the summary, and say it in the first 30 seconds of the video, because YouTube reads your captions.
The YouTube Upload Checklist for Every Video
- Paste the title in and load your description template.
- Write the description: a one to three sentence summary, your main call to action on the top line, chapters worded as questions, playlist links and three hashtags.
- Upload three thumbnails for YouTube's thumbnail test, and add the video to a playlist.
- Fill the tags to about 490 of 500 characters, and spend no more than one to two minutes on it.
- Set the end screen: one related video, plus a playlist if you like.
- Upload as unlisted, add your pinned comment (unless a sponsor asks you not to), then schedule it.
- Do a final check: links work, no typos in the chapters, the video ends where it should, and it shows in 4K.
Upload Settings Worth Getting Right
- Quality: upload in 4K, not 1080p footage you filmed in 4K.
- Made for kids: No, because it can restrict ads and hurt reach and monetization.
- Paid promotion box: tick it only if you were paid, and add the sponsor's call to action and thanks to the description.
- Monetization: turn it on and add ad breaks to longer videos.
- Ad suitability: answer honestly, then submit the rating.
- Schedule: check when your audience is online in YouTube Analytics, or use TubeBuddy's recommended time. Before you publish, write down what you expect: views in the first hour, day and week, and where it should rank among your last 10 videos.
Why Chapters Matter
Chapters tell viewers what the video is about, help them navigate, give YouTube keywords and spark curiosity. Use them on every video of 15 minutes or longer, and always on podcasts. Word them as curiosity-evoking questions, like “Is a smart trainer worth it for beginners?”, and do not give away the golden nuggets in the chapter titles.
One-Time Channel SEO Setup
Do this once, then revisit it every couple of years. It takes 10 to 20 minutes.
- Find 7 to 10 keywords with a score of 70 or more in TubeBuddy's Keyword Explorer, meaning high search volume and low competition. Below 70 usually means strong competition or low demand.
- Work four to five of them naturally into your About section.
- Add all of them in YouTube Studio under Settings, Channel, Basic info.
- Create one playlist per content pillar, with a short description that uses four or five keywords.
- Use the keywords in your titles and descriptions, and add your core keywords to your upload defaults.
- Say your main keyword in the first 30 seconds of the video.
Make It a System
Turn the checklist into an SOP for whoever uploads for you, and use a different tracking link for each video so you can see which videos bring in leads. After upload, check which search terms bring views. If YouTube ranks a video for a term you did not target, update the title, description and tags for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I put in a YouTube video description?
A clickable call to action on the top line, a short summary with your main keyword, chapters worded as questions, social links, a line about your business with proof, and up to three hashtags.
How many hashtags should I use on YouTube?
Three at most, at the very end of the description. A fourth does not link.
When should I schedule a YouTube video?
A few hours after upload, ideally 1 to 2 hours before your audience is mostly online, so 4K has time to process.
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