# 📝 YouTube Description + Title + Tags Template

**Per-video publishing boilerplate.** Every uploaded video uses these templates with the name slot filled.

---

## Title Formula

**Primary (default):**
```
Happy Birthday [NAME]! 🎂 | Personalized Birthday Song from Luna
```

**A/B variants (test 2-3 of these):**
```
🎉 Happy Birthday [NAME]! | Luna's Birthday Song with [NAME]
Happy Birthday [NAME]! 🎈 A Special Song Just for You
[NAME]'s Birthday Song! 🎂 Sing Along with Luna
```

**Rules:**
- Name is FIRST word after "Birthday" — boosts CTR (searchers see their name immediately)
- Emoji at front or right after name (🎂 / 🎈 / 🎉) — boosts visibility in mobile feed
- Cap at 70 chars to avoid truncation in mobile / search results

---

## Description Template

```
🎂 Happy Birthday [NAME]! 🎂

Wishing the most epic birthday to [NAME], who is turning [AGE] today! 
Luna (your favorite golden retriever puppy) and the whole Smart Stuff 
Studios team are celebrating YOU with this personalized birthday song.

🎵 What's in this video:
• Luna sings Happy Birthday with [NAME]'s name
• [AGE] candles on the cake — blow them out!
• Personalized birthday wish just for [NAME]
• Bright, fun animation perfect for sharing at the party

💌 [CUSTOM MESSAGE OPTIONAL — paid tier only]
"[NAME], you make every day brighter. Wishing you all the cake, 
all the presents, and all the joy in the world. We love you!"

📤 Share this video with [NAME] — text it, WhatsApp it, email it, 
or share on your family group chat. The more people who see [NAME] 
smiling, the better!

🐕 About Luna:
Luna is a golden retriever puppy with a star bandana who loves 
birthdays almost as much as she loves treats. Find more Luna 
adventures at https://findluna.smartstuffstudios.com

🎵 Song credits:
Music: "[Song Title]" by [Composer/Suno/MusicGen] 
Licensed under [CC-BY / Suno Pro License]
Lyrics: Smart Stuff Studios

📺 Watch more birthday songs:
▶ [LINK: Happy Birthday EMMA!] → https://youtu.be/[ID]
▶ [LINK: Happy Birthday LIAM!] → https://youtu.be/[ID]
▶ [LINK: Happy Birthday SARAH!] → https://youtu.be/[ID]
▶ [LINK: Happy Birthday MARCUS!] → https://youtu.be/[ID]
▶ [LINK: Happy Birthday ZOE!] → https://youtu.be/[ID]
▶ See ALL birthday songs → https://www.youtube.com/@LunasBirthdaySongs/videos

🎁 Want a CUSTOM birthday song?
Get a personalized version with YOUR message, YOUR sender name, 
and your choice of song style → https://lunasbirthdaysongs.com/custom

🐕 Luna's other adventures:
🎙️ Luna's Bedtime (podcast) → bedtime.smartstuffstudios.com
🦁 Find Luna Zoo (8 books) → zoo.smartstuffstudios.com  
🚜 Find Luna Farm (12 songs) → farm.smartstuffstudios.com

© 2026 Smart Stuff Studios
#HappyBirthday[NAME] #[NAME]Birthday #BirthdaySong #LunaBirthday 
#PersonalizedBirthday #BirthdayWishes #BirthdayCake #BirthdayParty
```

---

## Tags Formula (per upload — 500 char max)

**Always include:**
```
happy birthday [NAME], happy birthday [NAME] song, happy birthday 
[NAME] video, [NAME] birthday, [NAME] birthday song, birthday song 
for [NAME], happy birthday wishes [NAME], personalized birthday 
song, kids birthday song, luna birthday, luna birthday song, 
smart stuff studios, happy birthday to you, birthday wishes, 
birthday cake, birthday party, birthday celebration, [AGE] birthday
```

**Rotation tags (pick 2-3 per video):**
```
birthday song for kids, happy birthday 2026, birthday song with 
name, animated birthday, golden retriever birthday, luna the puppy
```

**Tag total target:** 30-40 tags per video (within 500 char limit).

---

## End-Screen Elements

Every video gets these elements configured in YouTube Studio:

### Final 20 seconds overlay (or cards)

| Time slot | Element | Target |
|---|---|---|
| 0:25-0:30 | Subscribe button overlay | /@LunasBirthdaySongs |
| 0:26-0:30 | Video card #1 | Another recent birthday video (random from top-30 names) |
| 0:28-0:30 | Video card #2 | Luna's Bedtime podcast intro OR Find-Luna-Zoo book |
| 0:28-0:30 | "More videos" playlist link | All birthday songs playlist |

### Why this matters

End-screen CTR is the #1 way birthday videos pull viewers into the rest of the channel. A viewer who watched the Sarah video will see "Happy Birthday Emma!" next and click — that's a second video view, which doubles their channel time and doubles your monetized minutes.

---

## Pinned Comment (post each upload)

```
🎂 It's [NAME]'s birthday! Drop a 🎉 in the comments to wish 
[NAME] a happy birthday — Luna will bark to say thanks (in spirit).

Want YOUR name (or a friend's) sung next? Comment the name below 
and we'll add it to the queue! 🐕🎵
```

**Why:** Pinned comments boost engagement, which boosts the algorithm. The "comment a name" CTA also surfaces new name demand.

---

## Cards (mid-video, 0:08 onwards)

Insert at 3 strategic moments:
- 0:09 — Card linking to "Top 10 most popular birthday videos" (playlist)
- 0:18 — Card linking to "Custom song order page" (revenue)
- 0:24 — Card linking to Luna's Bedtime podcast

Each card is a small "i" icon in the upper-right corner — non-intrusive but available.

---

## Thumbnail Cross-Reference

Thumbnail design + generation prompts are in `covers/cover_specs.md`.

**Naming convention:**
- Thumbnail file: `<NAME>_thumb.jpg`
- Required: 1280x720, JPG, max 2MB
- Visual hierarchy: NAME (80% of frame) > Luna mascot > background > party props