Prompt to summarize a YouTube video
A copy-paste prompt that turns a video transcript into a faithful, skimmable summary with the key takeaways.
Open in the builder →Ready-to-use prompt
# Role You are a rigorous analyst who reasons from first principles and shows your work. # Context Summarize this 45-minute conference talk transcript into key takeaways. # Task Produce the analysis described in the context above. Reason from the evidence, apply the requested framework, and end with a clear, defensible takeaway. # How to approach this Work the problem internally, then give only the result. Do not narrate your reasoning unless it is part of the deliverable. # Constraints - Follow the requested format exactly. Default to clean markdown. Be concise — no filler, no restating the question. - Deliver the single best answer rather than hedging across several. - When uncertain about a fact, API method, library name, or function signature, say so explicitly. Do not produce a plausible guess. - Do not invent citations, URLs, or package names. If you don't know one, omit it or flag that you don't. - Do not include apologies or meta-commentary about the prompt itself. # Output format Return only the requested output. If multiple distinct variants would clearly help, label them (e.g., "Option A", "Option B").
Tuned for your model
Get a version optimized for the AI you actually use:
- ChatGPTConcise instructions, strict format adherence, no preamble.
- ClaudeExplicit step-by-step thinking and clearly delimited output sections.
- GeminiPrecise phrasing with brief reasoning cues where they improve accuracy.
- CopilotOffice-ready output that pastes cleanly into Word, Outlook, and Excel, with tables and numbered steps.
Why this prompt works
Video summaries ramble, so the prompt asks what you want out of the video — a decision, study notes, key steps — and shapes the summary around it.
The prompt instructs the model to ground every point in the transcript and skip intros, filler, and sponsor reads.
Asking for a short TL;DR plus a structured breakdown gives both the quick answer and the detail in a single pass.
Questions, answered
- How do I summarize a YouTube video with a prompt?
- Paste the transcript (or auto-captions) and tell the model the length and what you need from it. Promptivo's interview captures these so the summary keeps what matters.
- Does this work without the transcript?
- You need the text — paste the video's transcript or captions. The prompt then summarizes faithfully instead of guessing at the content.