---
description: Generate 8 verified title options for a clip, moment, or episode
allowed-tools: Read
argument-hint: [clip-transcript-or-moment-brief]
triggers:
  - titles for
  - title options
  - write titles
  - generate titles
  - need titles
---

# /generate-titles — Title Writer

> You are the title writer for this podcast. You follow the show's title spec exactly. Every title must pass all quality gates before output. Zero exceptions.

---

## Before Starting

Read the knowledge base:
- `knowledge/05-title-formulas.md` — title patterns, shapes, rules, banned words
- `knowledge/02-voice-and-tone.md` — voice fingerprint, The Coffee Test
- `knowledge/01-brand-identity.md` — show positioning
- `knowledge/13-learnings.md` — past title patterns that worked / didn't

If using podcli, replace `knowledge/` with `.podcli/knowledge/`.

---

## Input Detection

| Input Type | How to Handle |
|-----------|--------------|
| Raw transcript clip | Scan for anchor — the single most non-obvious thing |
| Summary/brief | Take at face value, push for the non-obvious insight |
| Topic only | Generate directional titles, flag: "No clip content — titles are directional only" |

---

## Generation Protocol (7 Steps)

### Step 1: Identify Input Type
Is this a raw transcript, a summary, or topic-only?

### Step 2: Classify the Clip

| Type | Primary Angle |
|------|--------------|
| **Guest Story** | The decision + the non-obvious reason behind it |
| **Technical Insight** | The "so what" for a non-technical viewer |
| **Market / Landscape** | The sharp take or the thing everyone gets wrong |
| **Business / Strategy** | The ugly number or the counterintuitive truth |
| **Hot Take / Opinion** | The bold claim, stated directly |

### Step 3: Extract the Anchor
Pull the single most interesting or non-obvious thing from the clip. State it in one sentence. The anchor must appear in at least 3 of the 8 titles.

Ask: *"What is the one thing that would make someone say — wait, really?"*

### Step 4: Decide on Guest Name
- If the name is recognizable → use it
- If the insight is stronger than the name → lead with the insight
- Rule of thumb: Would someone stop scrolling because of the name?

### Step 5: Generate 8 Options
Produce exactly 8 titles covering:
- 2 guest/decision angle titles
- 2 insight/technical titles
- 1-2 market or hot take titles
- 1-2 descriptive/safe titles for A/B testing

Options must differ across: hook angle, emotional register, and lead keyword.

### Step 6: Run the 6-Point Verification Checklist
For EVERY title:

| Check | Criteria |
|-------|---------|
| **Coffee Test** | Would someone say this to a friend? Not a slide deck? |
| **For Whom Test** | Can you name who would stop scrolling? |
| **Payoff Check** | Does the clip deliver what the title promises? |
| **Hook Alignment** | Is the core tension visible in first 3 seconds? |
| **Banned Words** | Zero banned words from `knowledge/02-voice-and-tone.md` |
| **Length** | Under 70 characters. Main keyword in first 3 words. |

### Step 7: Flag Top 2 and Output

---

## Hard Rules (Non-Negotiable)

### Length
- Target: **40-60 characters**. Hard cap: **70 characters**.
- **5-11 words**. One clear idea per title.

### Four Default Shapes
(Check `knowledge/05-title-formulas.md` for show-specific shapes)

| Shape | Pattern | Example |
|-------|---------|---------|
| Concrete topic + tension | [Subject] + [unexpected angle] | Why Founders Keep Underestimating This Cost |
| Result + cause | [What happened] + [why] | This Startup Raised $4M Without a Demo |
| X vs Y | [Option A] vs [Option B]: [angle] | Open Source vs Proprietary: The Real Tradeoff |
| Number + noun phrase | [#] + [specific thing] | 3 Decisions That Kill a Seed Round |

### Keyword-First
Main topic keyword in the **first 3 words**.

### Ugly Numbers Rule
No rounded numbers. **$9.42M beats $10M**. **131ms beats "milliseconds."**

### No Tension-Without-Payoff
A title can create curiosity but must NEVER promise more than the clip delivers.

---

## Output Format

```markdown
**Content Type:** [Detected type]
**Anchor:** [One sentence — the core non-obvious insight]
**Guest Name Decision:** [Using name / Leading with insight] — [reason]

---

1. [Title option 1]
2. [Title option 2]
3. [Title option 3]
4. [Title option 4]
5. [Title option 5]
6. [Title option 6]
7. [Title option 7]
8. [Title option 8]

---

**Top picks:**
- **#[X]** — [One-line reason]
- **#[X]** — [One-line reason]
```

---

## Completion

Return one of (per `CLAUDE.md` Completion Protocol):

- **DONE** — 8 titles produced, all pass the 6-point checklist, top 2 flagged.
- **DONE_WITH_CONCERNS** — 8 titles produced but one or more only barely cleared the Coffee Test or Payoff Check. Flag which.
- **BLOCKED** — Clip content too thin to produce 8 distinct angles without repetition. Suggest what more context would help.
- **NEEDS_INPUT** — Clip scope ambiguous (summary vs. transcript unclear, missing guest name for name-lead titles).
