Every long episode already contains several Shorts. The problem is usually not ideas, it's pacing: posting everything in the first week and then going quiet for a month while the next episode is made.
Use the planner to see how far one season stretches at a pace you can keep up, then compare it with how long the next season takes to make. If the Shorts run out first, either cut more per episode or post a little less often.
Your plan
Choosing which moments to cut
Watch the episode once with a notepad and mark anything that would make sense to someone who has seen nothing else. Good candidates:
- The line that stops the room. "Who keeps the list?" works on its own; a scene that needs ten minutes of setup doesn't.
- A choice on a knife-edge. End the Short before the choice is made.
- A reveal of an object. A letter, a form, a photo. Viewers fill in the story.
- The last 20 seconds of the episode. Usually your strongest cliffhanger already.
Number them in order of strength and post the strongest first only if you have the rest scheduled behind it.
Questions people ask
Should Shorts spoil the episode?
Show the question, not the answer. A Short that ends on the moment before a reveal sends people to the full episode; one that shows the reveal doesn't need to.
Is three a week the right pace?
There's no proven right number. Pick a pace you can keep for months, and judge it on your own numbers in YouTube Studio.
Keep going
How many hours does one episode take?
Add up shots, re-rolls, voice and edit time to see the real hours per episode.
Before you hit publish
Ten-minute pre-publish checklist for AI drama episodes, including AI disclosure.
Twelve things to check on a thumbnail and title
Our 12-point house check for story-channel thumbnails and titles.
