Shorts Script Audit: Hook, Dead Zones, Fix List
Audit a short-form video script: first 3 seconds, dead zones, payoff vs promise, text load and CTA, with a keep/tighten/cut beat table, 3 alternative hooks and a fix list. Shorts Hook & Retention Audit takes a short-form video script you already have (YouTube Shorts, Reels or TikTok, about 15-60 seconds, with or without timing) and audits it before you film. Four independent reviewers check it blind, cross-examine each other, then give one board verdict. It audits; it does not write the video. (To write a twist story from a seed, use a script-writing Skill such as Twist-Ending Shortform Script Planner. This one audits any existing script.)
Example input
[HAND-WRITTEN FICTIONAL SAMPLE - invented for testing.] Please audit this script. Platform: YouTube Shorts, about 40 seconds. Title: "The 3 mistakes killing your sourdough starter" 0:00-0:05 [VISUAL: creator at kitchen counter, jar of starter] [TEXT: Sourdough Starter Mistakes] "Hey guys, welcome back to the channel, today we're talking about sourdough starters." 0:05-0:12 [same shot] "A lot of you have been asking why your starter keeps dying, and honestly I get it, mine died three times when I started out." 0:12-0:19 [VISUAL: close-up of jar with grey liquid on top] [TEXT: Mistake 1: Chlorinated tap water. Let it sit overnight or use filtered water so the good yeast survives.] "Mistake number one: using chlorinated tap water straight from the tap. Let it sit out overnight or use filtered water." 0:19-0:21 [VISUAL: pouring water into the jar] "Easy fix." 0:21-0:30 [VISUAL: jar on a fridge shelf, then back on the counter] [TEXT: Mistake 2: Fridge, never fed] "Mistake number two: keeping it in the fridge all week and never feeding it. Cold slows the yeast down to almost nothing, so feed it at least once a week." …
Example output
YouTube Shorts | 40 s (user timestamps) | hook type: None | delivery: PARTIAL (2 of 3) | 2 dead zones
## Intake
- Platform: YouTube Shorts. Title/promise: "The 3 mistakes killing your sourdough starter". Timing from the user's timestamps (not estimated). Spoken words: 129 (avg 3.2 words/s, high; heuristic).
- Visuals and on-screen text are marked, so text load is measured. (assumed) the title is shown as the video title, not on screen.
## First 3 seconds (heuristic)
- Hook type: None (greeting plus topic announcement: "Hey guys, welcome back to the channel").
- Promise in the spoken hook: Missing. "3 mistakes" appears only in the title. First deliverable arrives at 0:12; the problem ("why your starter keeps dying") is named at about 0:07.
- First word: "Hey" = Filler. Hook delay: about 5 s of greeting and channel intro before anything is promised.
- On-screen text "Sourdough Starter Mistakes" matches the topic, but states no payoff.
## Beat table
| Beat | Time | Content | New | Words/s | Text w/s | Flag | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1 | 0:00-0:05 | Greeting, topic announced | V (opening shot), I-weak | 2.6 | 0.6 | filler opener | TIGHTEN |
| B2 | 0:05-0:12 | "Mine died three times" backstory | I-weak | 3.6 | - | DEAD 0:05-0:12 (7 s, only weak); speech above 3.2 | TIGHTEN |
| B3 | 0:12-0:19 | Mistake 1: chlorinated tap water | V, I, T | 2.9 | 2.6 (18 words on screen) | text above 12 words; duplicates voiceover | TIGHTEN |
| B4 | 0:19-0:21 | "Easy fix." pour water | V | 1.0 | - | none | KEEP |
| B5 | 0:21-0:30 | Mistake 2: fridge, never fed | V, I, T | 3.3 | 0.6 | 9 s, two ideas (problem and fix); speech above 3.2 | TIGHTEN |
| B6 | 0:30-0:35 | CTA: follow plus bio link | none | 4.2 | - | DEAD 0:30-0:40 (10 s, only weak); 2 asks; before promised item 3 | TIGHTEN (move) |
| B7 | 0:35-0:40 | Sign-off, loaf shot | V-weak | 3.6 | - | pure sign-off | CUT |
## Open loops and payoff
- Promise (title): 3 mistakes killing a starter. Spoken promise: none.
- L1 "why your starter keeps dying" opens B2 (0:05), partly closed B3 (0:19), B5 (0:30).
- L2 "3 mistakes" (title) opens at 0:00, **NEVER CLOSED**: mistake 3 never appears.
- Delivery verdict: **PARTIAL** (2 of 3 delivered; "Mistake number one/two" in speech sets up a third that is missing).
## CTA and clarity
- CTA at 0:30 (75% of runtime, est. from timestamps). 2 asks (follow, link). It arrives before the promised third item, so it is premature. It relates to starters, so topic fit is fine.
…Real output from running the skill on a sample problem, shortened. The skill file itself is not published here.