How to Create YouTube Shorts with ChatGPT

You can create an entire YouTube Shorts strategy from scratch with just a few well-crafted prompts to ChatGPT. Short-form video is all about speed and volume, and leveraging AI can help you brainstorm ideas, write compelling scripts, and optimize your content for reach in a fraction of the time. This guide breaks down the exact process, from generating viral-worthy concepts to crafting the final titles and descriptions.

Why Use ChatGPT for YouTube Shorts?

Before getting into the how-to, it’s worth understanding why this partnership works so well. Integrating an AI tool like ChatGPT isn’t about replacing your creativity, it’s about amplifying it. It acts as a tireless creative partner that helps you conquer the most common roadblocks content creators face.

• Crush Creative Blocks: Staring at a blank page is a motivation killer. With ChatGPT, you can generate dozens of content ideas in seconds. Even if you only like one or two, you’ve broken the inertia and have a starting point to build from. It’s like having an infinite brainstorming session on demand.
• Accelerate Your Workflow: The demand for consistent short-form content is relentless. Manually scripting, titling, and describing every single Short adds up to hours of work each week. ChatGPT can handle these vital but repetitive tasks, freeing you up to focus on filming, editing, and building your community.
• Write Stronger Hooks: The first three seconds of a YouTube Short determine whether someone keeps watching or swipes away. ChatGPT is exceptionally good at crafting punchy, curiosity-driven hooks designed to grab a viewer's attention immediately.
• Optimize for the Algorithm: Successful content isn’t just great - it’s discoverable. ChatGPT can analyze your topics and generate keyword-rich titles, well-structured descriptions, and relevant hashtags that signal to the YouTube algorithm what your video is about, helping it find the right audience. Optimize for the Algorithm

Essentially, using ChatGPT gives you a strategic advantage, allowing you to produce higher-quality content more consistently and with less friction.

The Perfect Prompting Framework for Viral Ideas

The output you get from ChatGPT is a direct reflection of the input you provide. Generic prompts lead to generic ideas. To get concepts that feel fresh and tailored to your brand, use a structured prompting framework. I call it the C.O.R.E. framework: Context, Objective, Role, and Execution.

Context: Give ChatGPT the Backstory

Start by telling ChatGPT who you are, what your channel is about, and who you’re trying to reach. The more context you provide, the more relevant the ideas will be.

• Vague: “Give me ideas for YouTube Shorts.”
• Specific: “My YouTube channel teaches aspiring freelancers how to find their first clients and build a sustainable online business. My audience is made up of beginners who feel overwhelmed.”

Objective: Define the Goal

What is the purpose of these Shorts? Are you educating, entertaining, driving website clicks, or promoting a product? Clearly stating your objective helps the AI focus its suggestions.

• Vague: “I need some marketing video ideas.”
• Specific: “My objective is to create educational Shorts that debunk common freelancing myths. The goal is to build trust and authority with my audience.”

Role: Assign an Expert Persona

Telling ChatGPT to act as a specific expert transforms the quality of its responses. You're giving it a lens through which to process your request, resulting in more strategic and insightful ideas.

• Good: “Act as a social media strategist who specializes in creating engaging, short-form content for educational brands.”

Execution: Dictate the Output Format

Be explicit about how you want the information delivered. Do you want a list? A table? Should each idea come with a hook? Defining the execution saves you from having to clean up and reformat the response later.

• Good: “Provide the output as a numbered list of 15 YouTube Shorts ideas. For each idea, include a catchy title, a one-sentence summary explaining the concept, and the myth it's debunking.”

Putting It All Together: The C.O.R.E. Prompt in Action

When you combine these elements, you get a powerful prompt that delivers exactly what you need:

Act as a social media strategist specializing in creating engaging short-form content for educational brands.

My YouTube channel teaches aspiring freelancers how to find their first clients and build a sustainable business. My audience is made up of beginners who feel overwhelmed.

My objective is to create educational Shorts that debunk common freelancing myths to build trust and authority.

Please provide a list of 15 YouTube Shorts ideas. For each idea, provide a catchy title, a one-sentence summary, and the myth it is debunking.

From Idea to Script: A Step-by-Step Guide

Once you have a list of solid ideas, the next step is to turn your favorite concept into a ready-to-film script. This is where you can use follow-up prompts to build on your initial conversation with ChatGPT.

Step 1: Select Your Best Idea and Prompt for a Script

Pick the idea from your generated list that resonates most with you and your audience. Then, create a new prompt specifically asking for a script for that idea. To make the script as actionable as possible, ask ChatGPT to structure it in a table format.

Here’s a great follow-up prompt:

This is great. Let's expand on idea #7: "The Myth of a 'Perfect' Niche."

Please write a 45-second YouTube Short script based on this idea. The tone should be encouraging and direct.

Structure the script in a three-column table with the following headers: 'Visual,' 'Audio/Voiceover,' and 'On-Screen Text.'

Make sure the script includes:
1. A strong hook in the first 3 seconds.
2. A clear explanation of the main point in the middle.
3. A simple Call to Action (CTA) at the end, asking viewers to subscribe for more freelance tips.

Step 2: Review and Refine the Script

ChatGPT will generate a solid first draft, but it’s your job to inject your personality and humanity into it. Read through the script and make edits to:

• Match Your Voice: Does the language sound like something you would actually say? Rework awkward phrasing and replace complex words with simpler ones. Read it out loud to see if it flows naturally.
• Check the Timing: Remember that a typical speaking pace is around 150 words per minute. A 45-second Short should have a voiceover of around 110-120 words. Trim any unnecessary sentences to keep it concise and punchy.
• Add Your Own Stories or Examples: If you can add a quick personal anecdote or a real-world example, it will make the content much more relatable and memorable. This is where your unique expertise shines.

Generating Your Titles, Descriptions, and Hashtags

With a polished script ready to go, the final creative step is optimizing the metadata that will help your Short get discovered. You can use ChatGPT to generate a variety of options that are tailored for the YouTube algorithm.

Again, use a follow-up prompt in the same chat session so ChatGPT retains the context of your script.

Based on the script we just wrote, please generate the following:

1. Five click-worthy titles under 70 characters. The titles should be curiosity-driven.
2. A 250-character YouTube description that summarizes the video and includes relevant keywords like "freelancing tips," "finding a niche," and "starting an online business."
3. A list of 10 relevant hashtags, including a mix of broad and specific tags.

This simple prompt saves you from the guesswork of SEO and provides a fantastic starting point for optimizing your video upload. You can pick your favorite title or even mix and match elements from different suggestions.

Bonus: Brainstorming Production Details with AI

ChatGPT’s usefulness doesn’t have to end with the script. You can push it even further by asking for production-level feedback to make your filming and editing process easier.

Here are a few quick prompts you can try:

• For Visual Ideas: “For this script, suggest 3-4 simple B-roll shots I could film at home to make the video more engaging.”
• For Shot Variety: “What camera angles would be most effective for this type of talking-head Short? Should I use any zoom effects?”
• For Music Suggestions: “What style or mood of background music would fit the encouraging tone of this video? Suggest a few genres like 'lo-fi chill' or 'upbeat motivational pop.'”

These simple queries help you think like a director, moving beyond just the words on the page and toward a polished final product.

Final Thoughts

Using ChatGPT as a creative partner can fundamentally change how you approach YouTube Shorts, transforming it from a time-consuming grind into an efficient and innovative process. By starting with a structured prompt, methodically refining ideas into scripts, and optimizing for discovery, you can build a sustainable workflow that allows you to create better content, faster.

Once you’ve batch-created all your brilliant Shorts, the next challenge is getting them published consistently across all your channels. That's exactly why we built Postbase. I was frustrated with older social media tools that were clunky, unreliable, and just not built for the world of short-form video. Postbase offers a simple, visual calendar specifically designed for planning and scheduling content like YouTube Shorts, Reels, and TikToks. You can see your entire strategy at a glance and trust that your posts will publish on time, every time, without anything getting lost in the shuffle.