YouTube Description Template: What to Write and Where

Most viewers never expand your description, but the first lines appear in search results and under the video, and the full text helps YouTube understand the topic. A consistent template saves time and makes every upload better.

The limits

Check your length with our description and title counter.

The template

Copy this structure and fill it in for each video:

[Line 1–2: What the video gives the viewer, with the main keyword.]

[2–4 sentences: what you cover, who it's for, any tools or products used.]

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:15 [Section]
4:30 [Section]
9:10 [Section]

Links mentioned:
- [Resource 1]
- [Resource 2]

Subscribe: [your subscribe link]

#keyword #topic

Writing the first two lines

These lines do the most work. They should make sense on their own and include the main topic. Example for a thumbnail tutorial:

Learn how to make a YouTube thumbnail that’s readable on phones – from choosing the right frame to the 1-minute check before you upload.

Avoid starting with “Hi guys, welcome back” or a list of social links; that’s what people see in search.

Chapters

Chapters make long videos easier to navigate and can appear as “key moments” in Google. They must start at 0:00, have at least three entries and each be at least 10 seconds long. Our chapters generator formats and checks them for you, and the full rules are in how to add chapters to a YouTube video.

Links

Add links you mention in the video, related videos or playlists, and a subscribe link that opens the “Subscribe?” prompt. If a link is an affiliate link or sponsored, say so clearly — that’s both honest and often legally required.

What not to do

• Don’t paste a block of unrelated keywords. It reads as spam and can break YouTube’s policies.
• Don’t copy the same long description to every video. Keep a reusable footer, but write the top part fresh.
• Don’t use misleading hashtags that have nothing to do with the video.

Save it as a default

In YouTube Studio → Settings → Upload defaults, you can store a default description. Put your reusable parts there (links, subscribe line) and write the first lines and chapters for each video.