How I Automate 80% of My YouTube Workflow
The exact automation stack I use to go from idea to published video in half the time. Includes my Make.com scenarios, AI prompts, and project templates.
When I started on YouTube, every video took 20+ hours from idea to publish. Now it takes about 8. The difference isn't that I got faster at editing. It's that I stopped doing things manually that a machine can handle.
Here's the exact system.
The Workflow, Step by Step#
Every video I publish goes through the same 7-step pipeline:
- Idea capture -- Notion database, tagged by category
- Research -- Perplexity + Claude for competitive analysis
- Scripting -- Claude with my custom prompt template
- Recording -- Teleprompter app with the cleaned script
- Editing -- Mahmoud (my editor) gets the raw footage + script
- SEO optimization -- Title, description, tags, thumbnail brief
- Publishing -- Upload, schedule, distribute to socials
Steps 2, 3, 6, and 7 are almost entirely automated.
The Research Phase#
I used to spend 2-3 hours researching each video topic. Now I spend about 20 minutes reviewing what the AI found.
My process:
- Feed the topic into Perplexity to get the latest data and sources
- Drop those sources into Claude with a research synthesis prompt
- Claude outputs a structured brief: key points, statistics, common misconceptions, and angles competitors haven't covered
The brief goes straight into my Notion project page for that video.
Scripting with AI#
I don't let AI write my scripts. I let it draft them, then I rewrite.
The difference matters. My voice, my stories, my opinions -- those can't be automated. But the structure, transitions, and initial phrasing? AI gets me 70% there in 10 minutes instead of 2 hours.
Prompt structure I use:
- Topic + angle
- Target audience
- 3 key points to hit
- Tone: conversational, direct, no fluff
- Length: [X] minutes at 160 words/minute
SEO on Autopilot#
After the video is recorded, I run my SEO workflow:
- Title generation (5 options, scored by CTR potential)
- Description with keywords in the first 150 characters
- Tag string optimized for search + suggested
- Thumbnail brief for Ahmed (my thumbnail designer)
This used to take 45 minutes per video. Now it takes 5.
The Publishing Pipeline#
Once a video is uploaded to YouTube:
- Make.com detects the new upload
- Pulls the title, description, and thumbnail
- Creates a blog post draft on my website
- Generates social media captions for Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram
- Schedules the social posts for optimal times
I review and approve everything before it goes live, but the drafts are ready within minutes of uploading.
What I Still Do Manually#
- Recording (obviously)
- Final script review and personal stories
- Thumbnail approval
- Community engagement and comments
- Strategic decisions about what to make next
These are the high-value activities. Everything else is a system.
The ROI#
Here's the math:
- Before automation: 20 hours per video, 2 videos per week = 40 hours
- After automation: 8 hours per video, 2 videos per week = 16 hours
- Time saved: 24 hours per week
- Cost of tools: ~$150/month
- Value of saved time: Incalculable (but it's a lot)
The point isn't to remove yourself from the creative process. It's to remove yourself from the parts that don't need you.