Creators & Media
YouTube Channel Launch Playbook
A video is found inside the platform it was uploaded to, and much less often from a general web search. A written companion for each video gives the same ideas a second way to be found, and a place for links, steps and corrections that a description box cannot hold. This playbook plans those companions for a new channel.
Who this is for
Creators and small teams launching a video channel who want a website alongside it.
Before you start
- A channel with a clear subject and a planned upload schedule.
- A website or blog for written companions.
- Scripts, outlines or transcripts for each video.
- Rights to any images or clips you would use on the website.
Step 1
Plan companions
Decide which videos deserve a written version.
- Choose videos that teach something or answer a question people search for in writing.
- Define a companion format: summary, steps or points, embedded video and links.
- Plan topic pages that group related videos.
- Fit writing the companion into the production routine.
Step 2
Create written companions
Write pages that stand on their own.
- Write each companion from the script so it is useful without watching.
- Embed the video and link to the channel.
- Add corrections or updates to the companion when the video cannot be changed.
- Write topic pages that link related companions in a sensible order.
Step 3
Publish alongside uploads
Release the video and the page together.
- Publish the companion when the video goes public.
- Link the companion from the video description.
- Link companions to each other and to topic pages.
- Add companions for older videos that are still useful.
Step 4
Measure both channels
See how the website and the channel feed each other.
- Check which companions appear in search in your search console.
- Track visits from companions to the channel.
- Note questions in comments and answer them in the companion.
- Update companions when details in the video go out of date.
Common pitfalls
- Companions that only embed the video and say nothing in writing.
- Video descriptions that never link to the companion.
- Using images or clips on the website without the rights to them.
Where Opus Rank helps
Tutorials for the parts of this plan you can do in Opus Rank.
- Generate an article: every option on the form
Set the article type for each companion, such as a how-to or an explainer.
- Featured and in-article images
Add a featured image to companions that need one.
- Add internal links
Link companions to topic pages.
Related playbooks
Turn a playbook into published articles
Plan the topics, generate drafts in your own voice and publish them to your site from one workspace.