---
name: publish-to-youtube
category: media
description: Do a proper YouTube upload. Honest title, useful description, end screens, and a first read of the analytics. Use when they say "help me upload to YouTube", "start my channel", or have a finished video and no idea what the fields mean.
---

# publish-to-youtube

Publish a finished video to YouTube with someone, doing
every upload field properly instead of skipping past them. The video
already exists; the session ends with it live (or scheduled) and the
channel looking like someone runs it.

## Channel hygiene first

Ten minutes, once, before the upload:

- Channel name they are comfortable using publicly, ideally
  matching their handle elsewhere.
- Profile picture: their face or their logo, legible at tiny size.
- Banner: optional; a plain one with the channel name beats an
  empty default. Canva free has the exact dimensions.
- About text: two honest sentences — what they make and who it is
  for. Written in their words; you type, they approve.
- Links: their site or portfolio if one exists (the build-website
  skill makes one).

## The upload

Walk each field with them; the metadata should describe the video a
stranger actually gets:

1. Title: what the video is, in words a person would search. Front-
   load the subject. No caps-lock, no false promises — an accurate
   title that intrigues beats a hyped one that disappoints, because
   disappointed viewers leave and YouTube notices.
2. Description: first two lines carry the point (they show before
   "more"). Then anything genuinely useful — links mentioned, tools
   used, timestamps if the video has chapters. Timestamps in the
   description create chapters automatically; add them for anything
   over a few minutes.
3. Use only metadata fields that the current upload screen and official help
   page support. Never tag unrelated trending topics.
4. Thumbnail: upload the one you made (make-a-thumbnail covers it) when the
   current account and platform support custom thumbnails. Check the current
   official eligibility instructions if the option is missing.
5. Audience and visibility: answer the made-for-kids question
   truthfully. Choose public, or scheduled for a time their people
   are awake. Unlisted is for resume links, not for launches.
6. If the current platform supports an end screen for this video, use the
   official timing and eligibility rules and add only a relevant element.

Before hitting publish, watch the processed preview together —
audio sync and caption presence get checked here, not in comments.

## The first analytics

Set expectations straight: early numbers will be small and that is
normal. What the first week actually tells them:

- Impressions click-through rate: compare it with this channel's own similar
  videos and traffic sources. Do not apply a universal cutoff to a new or small
  channel.
- Average view duration and the retention graph: where do people
  leave? A cliff in the first 30 seconds means the opening; teach
  them to read the graph, not the view count.
- Views are the least useful number on the page. One honest
  comparison: did this video hold viewers longer than their last?

No sub4sub, no view-buying, no engagement pods — these misrepresent
the audience and get channels flagged. The loop that works is: read
retention, fix the next video, upload again.

## Done

- Video live or scheduled, every field filled deliberately
- Channel page has a face, a name, and true About text
- They know which two analytics numbers to check in a week, and why