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How to Plan Winning YouTube Videos (Step-by-Step)

#Social Media Marketing#Digital marketing
2026-11-06 14:4413 min read

Content Introduction
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The video explains Think Media’s repeatable workflow for planning YouTube content in Milanote. It starts with competitor research using YouTube and VidIQ, then collects ideas, CTA notes, equipment, sponsorship details, and logistics in organized columns. The team brainstorms many headline options, uses feedback tools like ChatGPT, and gathers thumbnail inspiration from successful videos. Multiple thumbnail concepts are created and A/B tested to improve CTR and choose the strongest title and cover. The script emphasizes not settling for the first idea, keeping everything in one place, and using structured collaboration to make better-performing videos.

Key Information

  • The creators publish five long videos a week across two channels and use a repeatable planning process for every video.
  • Their main video-planning tool is Milanote, which they use to organize a project board with templates for each new video.
  • The first step in planning is competitor research: searching YouTube for similar videos, reviewing top-performing results, and checking comments for common questions and gaps.
  • They use VidIQ to see deeper analytics and identify which topics and search queries have strong demand and view potential.
  • They save competitor videos and inspiration links inside Milanote so the research stays organized in one place.
  • The next planning section, called 'notes, ideas, and plans,' is used to collect concepts, calls to action, equipment references, affiliate links, sponsorship details, and other logistics.
  • Their internal 'heading command' process is a brainstorming session where multiple team members generate 30 to 50 headline ideas instead of settling for the first option.
  • They also use external feedback tools like ChatGPT or Claude to help refine headline ideas.
  • For thumbnail inspiration, they browse YouTube for strong cover concepts, including videos with proven click performance and even unrelated videos with interesting framing or composition.
  • They create thumbnail guidance for the designer by mixing screenshots, AI mockups, and visual references so the designer understands the intended concept.
  • The team always tests at least three different thumbnail concepts because click-through rate (CTR) is a key YouTube metric.
  • They emphasize that thumbnails and titles should be meaningfully different during A/B testing; small changes often produce similar results.
  • In the example shown, the team A/B tested thumbnail and title options for a video about live streaming on YouTube, then selected the best-performing title after multiple rounds of testing.
  • The final takeaway is that successful YouTube scheduling and content planning are work-intensive but highly organized, repeatable, and accessible to the whole writing team.

Timeline Analysis

Content Keywords

Milanote

A visual planning tool used by Think Media to organize video production in one place. The team uses it to store competitor analysis, ideas, scripts, affiliate links, sponsorship details, and thumbnail concepts, making the workflow repeatable and easy for all writers to access.

VidIQ

A YouTube plugin used for deeper analytics and content ideas. It helps the team identify search demand, analyze competition, and find high-performing topics and search queries for future videos.

Riverside

A broadcast and recording software sponsor mentioned as the main call to action in the video. The script explains that Riverside is used for livestreaming on YouTube and supports both YouTube’s platform and special software setups.

YouTube A/B testing

The process of testing multiple titles and thumbnail concepts to find the version that gets the most clicks and watch time. The script emphasizes creating diverse options, running multiple rounds of tests, and choosing the strongest-performing packaging for a video.

Thumbnail design

The visual packaging of a video used to improve click-through rate. The team brainstorms multiple cover concepts, uses inspiration from competitor videos, and refines designs with their thumbnail designer to create stronger options for A/B testing.

Video planning process

Think Media’s repeatable workflow for creating videos, from competitor research and idea generation to scripting, asset collection, title testing, and thumbnail development. The process is collaborative across writers, content directors, and designers.

How to Stream on YouTube in 2026

The example video topic used throughout the script to demonstrate planning, title testing, and thumbnail creation. The team researches competitors, gathers inspiration, tests title variations, and chooses the best-performing option.

Related questions&answers

How does the team plan videos at Think Media?

The team uses Milanote to organize the full planning process for each video, including competitor research, ideas, scripts, equipment, affiliate links, advertising details, and thumbnail concepts.

What is the first step in the video planning process?

The first step is to analyze the competition by searching YouTube for similar videos, reviewing what is already performing well, and identifying demand for the topic.

Why does the team look at YouTube search results and competitor videos?

They use search results and competitor videos to confirm that people are interested in the topic, see what works well, and gather inspiration for their own content.

What tool does the team use to get deeper YouTube analytics?

They use VidIQ, a browser plugin that provides deeper analytics and content ideas for YouTube.

What is the purpose of the 'notes, ideas, and plans' column in Milanote?

That column is used to collect video ideas, concepts, calls to action, and any important details so everything stays organized in one place.

What does the team mean by the 'heading command'?

It is their internal term for brainstorming 30 to 50 headline ideas for a specific video before choosing the strongest option.

Why does the team generate so many title ideas?

They believe the best title often appears later in the brainstorming process, so they avoid settling for the first idea.

How does the team find thumbnail inspiration?

They look through YouTube for effective covers, save screenshots of thumbnails that catch their eye, and study both relevant and unrelated examples for inspiration.

Why does the team use proven thumbnails as inspiration?

They prefer thumbnails that already have strong view counts because that suggests the design is effective at getting clicks.

What is A/B testing used for in this process?

A/B testing is used to compare different thumbnail and title options to see which one gets the most clicks and watch time.

How many thumbnail concepts does the team usually test?

They usually test at least three different thumbnail concepts.

Why should thumbnail options be different from each other?

If the options are too similar, they may produce nearly identical results and not reveal which concept is actually best.

What title won the A/B test in the example?

"How to Go Live on YouTube in 2026: A Step-by-Step Guide" won the title test with 39% of the watch time.

What was the main lesson from the thumbnail A/B test?

The main lesson was that the thumbnail options were too similar, so the results were close and not as decisive as hoped.

What other information does the team store in the planning board?

They store equipment notes, affiliate links, sponsorship details, required mentions, video length, brief requirements, and other logistics.

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