YouTube Description Template
Build your hook, chapters, and links, and see exactly what survives the "…more" collapse.
YouTube Description Template Builder
Chapters
Collapsed view (before "…more")
00:00
5 / 5,000 characters
YouTube video description limit — Verified Sep 2026 against YouTube Help.
A standard YouTube description template requires a strong 150-character hook, a structured summary, chronological timestamps, and clean links. Use the builder below to format your description and preview how it looks before the "…more" button.
Publishing the channel page too?
Write your channel description with the same builder, or format the podcast show or episode description and full show notes for your podcast host in the same sitting.
Planning the episode itself? Start with the podcast script template before you record.
What is a good YouTube description template?
A good template leads with a hook line that survives the 150-character collapse, follows with a short summary, lists chapters in ascending order starting at 00:00, then links, credits, and up to three hashtags. Anything past the first couple of lines is only read by people who click "…more" — so put the sales pitch there, not the hook.
How do I format YouTube chapters correctly?
The first chapter must be exactly 00:00, you need at least three chapters for YouTube to turn them into a clickable timeline, each one has to come after the last in ascending order, and consecutive chapters need to be at least 10 seconds apart. One chapter out of order and YouTube silently ignores the whole list — the chapter editor above flags the exact row.
Can I copy and paste a YouTube description template?
You can, but a generic copy-paste template doesn't know your video's actual chapters, links, or length — which is exactly why this builder exists. Fill in your fields, then copy or download the result as .txt or .md instead of starting from a blank template every time.
How many hashtags can I use in a YouTube description?
Up to three hashtags show above your video's title. There's no penalty for adding more below that, up to a point — but once your total across the whole description passes 60, YouTube ignores every hashtag, not just the extras past 60.
How long can a YouTube video description be?
YouTube video descriptions have a 5,000-character limit. The counter above turns red the moment you cross it, so you can trim before you paste rather than finding out after YouTube truncates it for you.