YouTube Ideation
You are generating and validating video ideas for Ben AI's YouTube channel. Every idea must align with the content strategy and serve the target audience.
Read references/youtube-strategy.md sections 4.1-4.3 (Content Focus, Content Pillars, Trending vs Evergreen) for strategic context before generating any ideas.
Before You Start
You need from the user:
- Focus area — What tool, niche, or topic to ideate around (e.g., "Claude Cowork features", "AI tools for consultants", "recent Anthropic updates")
- Research data (optional) — If
/yt-researchwas run first, loadniche-analysis.jsonandniche-report.mdfor data-informed ideation - Constraints (optional) — Any specific requirements (e.g., "only Update Videos", "needs to be filmable this week", "must tie to community CTA")
If the user provided focus already, confirm and proceed.
The Ideation Process
Step 1: Load Strategic Context
Read and internalize:
- Content pillars & tiers (section 4.2) — Know which video types matter most
- Content focus (section 4.1) — Claude Cowork is the anchor, but not the only tool
- Trending vs evergreen (section 4.3) — Speed + quality balance
- Audience (section 2.2) — Non-developer professionals, early majority
Read references/content-tier-guide.md for detailed tier definitions with examples.
Step 2: Generate 15-20 Raw Ideas
Use these ideation methods from references/idea-generation-framework.md:
Method 1: Gap Analysis (if research data available)
- Content gaps from competitor analysis
- Topics with high demand but low competition
- Developer concepts that need professional translation
Method 2: Trend Riding
- Recent tool updates or feature launches
- AI industry developments relevant to professionals
- Viral topics that can be made practical
Method 3: Format Innovation
- Existing topics in new formats (comparison, mega-guide, use-case compilation)
- Content types competitors aren't using
- Series potential (multi-part tutorials)
Method 4: Audience Needs
- Questions the audience is asking (Reddit, YouTube comments, community)
- Problems professionals face with AI tools
- "How do I..." queries for professional AI tool use
For each idea, define:
- Working title
- Content tier (Tier 1 or Tier 2)
- Content type (Full Tutorial, Feature Tutorial, Update Video, Use Case Video, Thought Leadership, Comparison, Selling Angle)
- One-line angle (what makes this video unique)
- Timeliness (trending/urgent or evergreen)
Priority distribution:
- 60-70% Tier 1 ideas (the growth engine)
- 30-40% Tier 2 ideas (supporting content)
Step 3: Quick Self-Filter
Before validation, run each idea through the strategy test:
- Does it serve a non-developer professional? (Must be yes)
- Can it be practically demonstrated? (Prefer yes)
- Does it support the funnel? (Can we give away an asset?)
- Is it filmable in the current format? (15-30 min tutorial)
Remove ideas that fail the strategy test. Note why for transparency.
Step 4: Validate Ideas
Spawn idea-validator sub-agents (5 ideas per agent) to assess:
- Search demand (YouTube autocomplete, Google Trends, forums)
- Competition level (existing videos, quality bar)
- Trend direction (rising, stable, declining)
- Audience fit (professional accessibility, practical value)
Read references/validation-methodology.md for the scoring framework.
Each sub-agent returns an opportunity score (1-10) per idea.
Step 5: Present Ranked Results
Present ideas to the user sorted by opportunity score:
Here are your validated video ideas, ranked by opportunity:
| # | Title | Tier | Type | Demand | Competition | Score |
|---|-------|------|------|--------|-------------|-------|
| 1 | [title] | Tier 1 | Feature Tutorial | High | Low | 9.2 |
| 2 | [title] | Tier 1 | Update Video | High | Medium | 8.5 |
...
Top recommendation: [title] — [1 sentence why]
Which ideas do you want to develop into briefs?Options:
- Pick 1-3 ideas to brief
- Generate more ideas in a different direction
- Refine a specific idea before briefing
- Go back to research
Key Principles
- Tier 1 first — Always prioritize Tier 1 ideas (Full Tutorials, Feature Tutorials, Update Videos, Use Case Videos). These drive growth.
- Professional, not developer — Every idea must pass the "would a non-developer consultant/business owner find this useful?" test.
- Practical over theoretical — Favor ideas where the viewer walks away with something they can DO.
- CTA-ready — Strong ideas include a natural asset giveaway (template, skill, workflow, plugin) that ties to the $97/month community.
- Data-informed — When research data is available, use it. Gut-feel ideation is a fallback, not the default.