Pre-publish checklist

A 2026-08-19 SERP scan of 15 commercial queries in the faceless video category found that sites with high purchased-link ratios were absent from the top 12 in 14 of them, while low-spam-score sites held top-3 positions. That gap is not about production quality; it is about what gets checked before upload. This template is an ordered list of checks to run on a vertical documentary Short before you publish it, covering sources, captions, metadata, and rights.

The template

Copy this block and fill it per video. Each item states what it does.

PRE-PUBLISH CHECKLIST
Video title: ______________________
Date checked: ______________________

1. FACTS AND SOURCES
   [ ] Every number in the script has a named source
       (What it does: prevents a claim you cannot defend in comments.)
   [ ] Measurement dates are written next to figures
       (What it does: keeps old data from reading as current.)
   [ ] No figure appears that has no source behind it
       (What it does: removes the most common reason for a takedown or correction.)

2. FOOTAGE AND RIGHTS
   [ ] Every clip is real archive, map, or chart footage, not generated
       (What it does: matches viewer expectation for documentary content.)
   [ ] A media credit file exists listing each clip's source
       (What it does: lets you answer "where is this from" in one reply.)
   [ ] Music is licensed for monetized use
       (What it does: avoids a Content ID claim eating your revenue.)

3. CAPTIONS AND AUDIO
   [ ] Captions are burned in word-for-word, no paraphrase
       (What it does: keeps spoken and written text identical for silent viewers.)
   [ ] Caption style tested for legibility at phone size
       (What it does: catches contrast failures before 1,000 people see them.)
   [ ] Voiceover language matches the target audience
       (What it does: prevents publishing a mismatched audio track.)

4. FILE AND FORMAT
   [ ] Export is 1080x1920 vertical
       (What it does: meets Shorts' native aspect ratio.)
   [ ] Thumbnail exported separately at full resolution
       (What it does: gives you a cover image that survives compression.)

5. METADATA
   [ ] Title states the subject plainly, no clickbait gap
       (What it does: sets expectations so retention does not collapse at second five.)
   [ ] Description includes the key sources by name
       (What it does: signals credibility to both viewers and search.)
   [ ] Tags cover the topic, not just broad category words
       (What it does: helps the video surface next to adjacent searches.)

6. CHANNEL SAFETY
   [ ] Upload tool permissions reviewed: read-only scope confirmed
       (What it does: confirms the tool cannot edit, delete, or comment on your channel.)
   [ ] Access token discarded after import
       (What it does: removes a standing credential from your account.)

7. FINAL PASS
   [ ] Watched once end-to-end at normal speed
       (What it does: catches cuts, sync drift, and dead air that scrubbing misses.)
   [ ] Published file matches the render you approved
       (What it does: rules out exporting a stale version.)

How to use it

1. Duplicate the block into a note per video, dated.
2. Fill sections 1 and 2 first. If a fact fails section 1, cut the sentence rather than soften it.
3. Run section 6 once per tool, not per video, then re-confirm after any reconnect.
4. Do section 7 last, on the exported file, not the timeline preview.
5. Keep completed checklists. When a video underperforms, compare its checklist against a strong one to find which step was skipped.

A worked example

Topic: aviation disasters. The niche scores 94 for demand and 85 for saturation as of 2026-08-23, with an opportunity score of 62, the highest in the measured set. Top videos include "How the Crash of Flight 4590 Destroyed Concorde's Mystique" from Smithsonian Channel Aviation Nation at 10,982,012 views against 663,000 subscribers.

Filling the template:

1. Facts: crash date, aircraft type, and casualty count each carry a source line with the archive's name and measurement date.
2. Footage: the Concorde takeoff clip cites its archive; the credit file lists it alongside the map animation of the flight path.
3. Captions: burned in verbatim, checked at phone brightness.
4. Format: 1080x1920 export, thumbnail saved separately.
5. Metadata: description names the two primary archives used.
6. Channel safety: upload tool confirmed read-only, token discarded post-import.
7. Final pass: one full watch-through found a two-second caption lag, fixed before publish.

What this template will not fix

A checklist cannot make a weak script interesting, and it cannot rescue footage that does not match the narration. It also cannot verify facts for you; it only forces you to notice when a fact has no source. Saturation is another limit: history-documentary niches score 100 for saturation in the 2026-08-23 measurement, meaning even a clean checklist competes against channels like HISTORY with 15,400,000 subscribers. The template raises your floor, not your ceiling.

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Frequently asked questions

How long does the checklist take?

Sections 1 through 5 run in minutes once sources are gathered. Section 7 takes the length of the video itself. Budget one watch-through per publish.

Do I need this if I use a tool that renders everything automatically?

Yes, more so. Automated pipelines fail silently: a stale render, a missing credit file, a caption track that did not burn in. The checklist is how you catch those.

Should I check channel permissions every upload?

Confirm the scope setting once per connection, then spot-check after any app update or re-authentication. The rule: the tool should hold read-only access, and the access token should be discarded after import.

Can I skip the media credit file?

You can until someone asks where a clip came from. With the file, that answer is one link. Without it, you are searching an archive folder under time pressure, in public.