30-Day YouTube Topic Plan With Content Pillars

Channel Content Pillars & 30-Day Topic Grid turns one paragraph about a video channel (niche, audience, videos per week, formats, optionally your weekly hours) into 3-4 content pillars and a 30-row topic grid. It plans before you script; it does not write scripts, read your analytics or promise any result.

Phase 0 — Intake. Needs the niche and audience, videos per week and the formats you make. Asks at most 3 questions, only if one is missing.

Phase 1 — Pillars and weights. 3 or 4 pillars, each with who it serves and the concrete reason a viewer comes back (a series, a lookup, a follow-along, a ritual), plus row quotas and a simple S/M/L effort scale in hours.

Phase 2 — The grid. 30 rows: day, week, pillar, working title, format (only formats you named), a one-line angle and effort S/M/L.

Phase 3 — Validation. Row count, pillar balance, duplicate angles, formats, title length and unsupported-claim words, weekly production load against your stated hours, pillar mix per week, and a SFW and safety check.

Phase 4 — Reviewer panel. Four reviewers (Pillar-Balance Auditor, Viewer-Question Reader, Production-Load Inspector, Originality & Safety Scout) check the grid blind, cross-examine each other, and a verdict tags findings CONFIRMED, CORROBORATED or DISPUTED. Fixes are applied and listed.

Sample output

Output from running this Skill on a sample problem (the grid tables were computed with a script as the Skill requires; the review passes were written in order, one lens at a time):

Input ([HAND-WRITTEN FICTIONAL SAMPLE - invented for testing.]):

My channel is Balcony Beans, about eight months old: growing vegetables and herbs on small rented apartment balconies, for city beginners who can't dig soil or change the building. I post 2 videos a week, solo, and have about 6 hours a week for everything from idea to upload. I make 8-12 minute tutorials, Shorts under a minute, and an occasional 20-minute Q&A. I'm planning the next 15 weeks, starting in early spring.

Channel: Balcony Beans - renting beginner balcony growers in apartments - 2 videos per week - tutorials, Shorts and Q&A - 4 pillars - 30 rows - capacity stated (6 hours per week).

## Essentials
- Niche and audience: growing vegetables and herbs on small rented apartment balconies, for city beginners who cannot dig soil or change the building (given).
- Videos per week V = 2 (given). Formats given: 8-12 minute tutorials, Shorts under a minute, an occasional 20-minute Q&A (given).
- Capacity: solo creator, about 6 hours per week for everything from idea to upload (given). Planning window: the next 15 weeks, starting early spring (given).
- Language: English (assumed, from the paragraph). Topics to avoid: none given. Channel age: about eight months, so older videos may overlap; nothing was provided about them (assumed: no overlap check possible).
- Effort scale used: S = 2 h, M = 4 h, L = 8 h (working assumption, not a measurement). All essentials are present, so no questions were asked.

## Pillars
| Pillar | Role | Serves | Why viewers return | Formats | Rows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 First Balcony Steps | Newcomer entry | Renters with a balcony and no growing experience, setting up their first pots | A numbered beginner path: each video is the next step, and the Starter Plan row lets them check where they are | Tutorial, Short | 9 |
| 2 Plant Rescue | Reference for return viewers | Growers with a sick or odd-looking plant right now | A lookup library they come back to each time a new symptom appears; the Q&A row answers their own comments | Tutorial, Short, Q&A | 7 |
| 3 Balcony Seasons | Return viewers | Followers who want to know what to do this month and see one real result | One tomato pot followed in three check-ins (rows 13, 22, 30) plus short seasonal task videos | Short | 7 |
| 4 No-Drill Setups | Search entry for renters | Renters who cannot drill or alter the building and need a fix that is allowed | A lookup for the moment they add a pot, a shelf or shade; the setup Q&A row collects the follow-up questions | Tutorial, Short, Q&A | 7 |

## Topic grid
Day = posting slot 01-30 in order. At 2 videos per week, Week = ceil(day / 2), so the 30 slots cover 15 weeks.

| Day | Wk | Pillar | Working title | Format | Angle | Effort | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 1 | First Balcony Steps | How Much Sun Does My Balcony Get? 3 Phone Photos | Short | Take photos in the morning, at noon and late afternoon and count the sunny hours; no tools needed. | S | - |
| 02 | 1 | No-Drill Setups | Railing Planter With No Drilling | Tutorial | Hang a planter with clamps so a renter changes nothing permanent; secure it against falls and check building rules first. | M | [SAFETY] falls from upper floors; building rules |
| 03 | 2 | First Balcony Steps | Which Vegetables Suit Your Balcony's Sun Hours | Tutorial | Pick beginner crops for low, medium and high sun, assuming you already know your hours from Day 01. | M | - |
| 04 | 2 | Balcony Seasons | Early-Spring Balcony To-Do List | Short | Three jobs before the first pot goes out: clean, check drainage, mark the sunny spots. | S | - |
| 05 | 3 | First Balcony Steps | How to Grow Basil in a Pot: First-Timer Steps | Tutorial | From seed or starter plant to first picking in one container, with the three most common first mistakes. | M | - |
| 06 | 3 | Plant Rescue | Why Are My Basil Leaves Turning Yellow? | Short | Check in order - drainage, watering, light - and stop at the first match. | S | - |
| 07 | 4 | No-Drill Setups | Wind-Proof Balcony Pots Without Drilling | Tutorial | Low pots, weights and screens that do not mark the walls. | M | - |
| 08 | 4 | Balcony Seasons | Sow Indoors or Outside? A Quick Rule | Short | One decision rule for the first sowing of lettuce, basil and tomato. | S | - |
| 09 | 5 | First Balcony Steps | What Soil to Use in Balcony Pots (and What to Skip) | Tutorial | Potting mix versus garden soil, what to avoid, and how to refresh old mix. | M | - |
| 10 | 5 | Plant Rescue | Leggy Seedlings: Why They Stretch and How to Fix | Short | Stretched stems from low light; move, rotate, and bury the stem for tomatoes. | S | - |
| 11 | 6 | Plant Rescue | Fungus Gnats in Pots: What Actually Helps | Tutorial | Tell gnats from fruit flies, three low-cost steps, and what to skip. | M | [FOOTAGE] needs live gnat footage |
| 12 | 6 | Balcony Seasons | Hardening Off Seedlings Before They Go Outside | Short | A five-day sun-and-shade routine; wind is covered in the wind-proofing video. | S | - |
| 13 | 7 | Balcony Seasons | Tomato Pot Diary, Week 1: Planting Day | Short | Plant one tomato in one large pot; first of three check-ins on the same pot. | S | series |
| 14 | 7 | No-Drill Setups | Self-Watering Pot From a Plastic Bottle | Short | Cut, thread a wick and fill: a cheap watering helper for a herb pot. | S | - |
| 15 | 8 | No-Drill Setups | Crate Shelf for Pots, No Tools | Tutorial | Stack crates with straps to hold pots on a small balcony; keep weight low and ask the building about load limits. | M | [LOAD?] L if a shop trip is needed; [SAFETY] load limit |
| 16 | 8 | First Balcony Steps | How to Tell When Balcony Pots Need Water | Short | Finger test and pot weight instead of a fixed calendar. | S | - |
| 17 | 9 | Plant Rescue | Aphids on Herbs: Gentle Ways to Deal With Them | Tutorial | Wash-off and mild soapy-water methods for herb plants; wash herbs before eating and follow any product label. | M | [FOOTAGE] live aphids; [SAFETY] edible plants |
| 18 | 9 | First Balcony Steps | What Pot Size for Which Plant? | Short | Rule-of-thumb pot sizes for five common crops. | S | - |
| 19 | 10 | First Balcony Steps | Lettuce in a Window Box: Step by Step | Tutorial | Sow, thin and harvest cut-and-come-again lettuce in a window box. | M | - |
| 20 | 10 | Plant Rescue | Holes in Leaves: Who Is Eating Your Plants? | Short | Match hole shapes to slugs, caterpillars or beetles. | S | [FOOTAGE] needs leaf close-ups |
| 21 | 11 | No-Drill Setups | Hanging Herb Wall Without Holes | Tutorial | Hang pocket planters on a railing or a door hook. | M | - |
| 22 | 11 | Balcony Seasons | Tomato Pot Diary, Week 5: Check-In | Short | Update on the same pot: growth, support, first flowers if any. | S | series |
| 23 | 12 | Plant Rescue | Balcony Garden Questions Answered: Soil, Sun and Pests | Q&A | Answer questions collected from comments on soil, light and pests; no new topic. | M | [INPUT] needs collected questions; fallback: swap for a Short |
| 24 | 12 | First Balcony Steps | 5 Herbs That Share One Window Box | Short | Five herbs with similar light and water needs. | S | - |
| 25 | 13 | No-Drill Setups | Renter-Safe Shade Cloth Setup | Tutorial | Clip shade cloth to a railing for hot afternoons. | M | - |
| 26 | 13 | Plant Rescue | Why Isn't My Tomato Flowering? | Short | Heat, shade and feeding causes, and what to change first. | S | - |
| 27 | 14 | First Balcony Steps | Balcony Garden Starter Plan: Your First 30 Days | Tutorial | A day-by-day starter plan that ties the earlier videos together. | M | - |
| 28 | 14 | Balcony Seasons | When to Pick Each Crop | Short | Signs of ripeness for lettuce and basil (tomato is covered in the diary). | S | [DISPUTED] pillar fit |
| 29 | 15 | No-Drill Setups | Renter Balcony Setup Questions Answered | Q&A | Answer setup and pot questions collected from comments; no new topic. | M | [INPUT] needs collected questions; fallback: swap for a Short |
| 30 | 15 | Balcony Seasons | Tomato Pot Diary, Week 9: How It Looks Now | Short | Final check-in on the same pot; show the first harvest only if fruit is ready. | S | series; [TIMING] harvest may not be ready |

## Validation
1. Row count: 30 rows numbered 01-30, none merged or skipped; 4 pillars. Pass.
2. Pillar quotas (4 pillars: 6-9 rows each): First Balcony Steps 9 (30%), Plant Rescue 7 (23%), Balcony Seasons 7 (23%), No-Drill Setups 7 (23%). Pass.
3. Duplicate angles: all 435 pairs compared. One pair failed in the draft (see changes). In the final grid no two rows answer the same viewer question; rows 11, 17 and 20 are three different pests with different fixes, and rows 13, 22 and 30 are marked series and each shows a different stage. Pass.
4. Formats: every row uses a format you named - Tutorial 12, Short 16, Q&A 2. Pass.
5. Titles: all 30 are 70 characters or fewer; no unsupported claim words, no URLs, no person or brand named; no title promises more than its angle after the change below. Pass.
6. Weekly load (S=2 h, M=4 h, L=8 h; capacity 6 h per week):

| Week | Rows | S / M / L | Hours | vs 6 h |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01, 02 | 1 / 1 / 0 | 6 | at capacity |
| 2 | 03, 04 | 1 / 1 / 0 | 6 | at capacity |
| 3 | 05, 06 | 1 / 1 / 0 | 6 | at capacity |
| 4 | 07, 08 | 1 / 1 / 0 | 6 | at capacity |
| 5 | 09, 10 | 1 / 1 / 0 | 6 | at capacity |
| 6 | 11, 12 | 1 / 1 / 0 | 6 | at capacity |
| 7 | 13, 14 | 2 / 0 / 0 | 4 | 2 h spare |
| 8 | 15, 16 | 1 / 1 / 0 | 6 | at capacity |
| 9 | 17, 18 | 1 / 1 / 0 | 6 | at capacity |
| 10 | 19, 20 | 1 / 1 / 0 | 6 | at capacity |
| 11 | 21, 22 | 1 / 1 / 0 | 6 | at capacity |
| 12 | 23, 24 | 1 / 1 / 0 | 6 | at capacity |
| 13 | 25, 26 | 1 / 1 / 0 | 6 | at capacity |
| 14 | 27, 28 | 1 / 1 / 0 | 6 | at capacity |
| 15 | 29, 30 | 1 / 1 / 0 | 6 | at capacity |

   Total 88 h over 15 weeks against 90 h of stated capacity; no week is over. Pass, with no buffer (see the panel review).
7. Mix: every week has two different pillars; longest same-pillar run is 2 rows. Pass.
8. SFW and safety: no sexual or hateful content, no real-person targeting; rows 02, 15 and 17 carry safety wording (falls, load limits, washing edible herbs). Pass.

Changes made to the draft to pass these checks:
- The sun-hours tutorial (now row 03) and the phone-photo sun check (now row 01) both answered "how much sun do I have / what suits it" [DUP]; the tutorial now assumes the hours are already known.
- The draft had 16 tutorial or Q&A rows (one of them a built tiered shelf at L = 8 h) in 15 weeks of 6 h, which put four weeks at 8 h or 12 h. Two tutorials (sowing indoors vs outside, five herbs in a window box) became Shorts, the shelf became a crate shelf with no building (L to M), and rows were reordered so no week holds two M rows.
- The draft opened with three First Balcony Steps rows in a row and a week with two rows from one pillar; reordered.
- The draft's tomato flowering title ended "The Fix That Works Every Time" - an outcome promise the angle cannot back; removed.

## Panel review
Findings cite the row numbers of the validated grid the reviewers were shown; two swaps made afterwards are listed in Changes applied, and the Topic grid above is the final one.

### Independent findings
**Pillar-Balance Auditor**
- A1, row 30 "When to Pick Each Crop" sits in Balcony Seasons but reads as a First Balcony Steps basics lesson; Balcony Seasons' other one-offs (rows 04, 08, 18) are tips too, and the only real return mechanism in that pillar is the tomato diary (rows 13, 22, 28).
- A2, No-Drill Setups: "viewers revisit as they add pots" is not much of a return mechanism and the pillar has no series (rows 02, 07, 14, 15, 21, 25, 29).
- A3, row 18 "Hardening Off Seedlings Before They Go Outside" comes five slots after row 13 "Tomato Pot Diary, Week 1: Planting Day", so the path is out of order for a viewer following Balcony Seasons.

**Viewer-Question Reader** (judged by reasoning; no search data was seen)
- R1, row 09 "Best Soil for Balcony Pots (and What to Skip)": a viewer types "what soil for balcony pots"; "Best" is an unprovable superlative.
- R2, rows 13 and 18: a viewer who plants on row 13 only meets hardening off at row 18.
- R3, rows 23 and 29 "Viewer Q&A: ...": the title is written for the creator; a stranger will not tap a label, only a content promise.
- R4, row 27 "Your First 30 Days on a Balcony: Recap Plan": "Recap" assumes the viewer has seen the other videos; a newcomer needs the plan itself.

**Production-Load Inspector** (hours recomputed from the S/M/L marks)
- L1, weeks 1-6 and 8-15 are each exactly 6 h (one M + one S); week 7 is 4 h. Total 88 h of 90 h: a single slip has nowhere to go.
- L2, row 28 "Tomato Pot Diary, Week 9: Harvest" is posted in plan week 14 but the planting (row 13) is posted in plan week 7 - seven weeks later, not eight - so "Week 9" and a ready harvest may not line up; the tomato has to physically grow between those slots.
- L3, rows 23 and 29 (Q&A, M): the 4 h assumes questions already exist; if comments run short, the row becomes research.
- L4, row 15 "Crate Shelf for Pots, No Tools" is marked M but a trip for crates and straps could push it to L.
- L5, rows 11, 17 and 20 (gnats, aphids, leaf holes) need a live problem to film; pests cannot be scheduled.

**Originality & Safety Scout**
- S1, row 02 "Railing Planter With No Drilling": a planter hung on a railing can fall from an upper floor; the angle has no securing or building-rule step.
- S2, row 17 "Aphids on Herbs: Safe Ways to Deal With Them": "Safe" is a safety claim in the title, and the herbs are eaten; the angle has no washing or label step.
- S3, row 16 "How Often to Water Balcony Pots": the most generic version of the topic; the angle ("rough guide for herbs and vegetables") adds nothing a thousand other videos lack.
- S4, row 15: a stacked crate shelf adds weight to a balcony; the angle has no load-limit step.
- S5, brand or person names, outcome promises, SFW issues, copied formats: none found after looking at every title and angle.

### Cross-examination
- [Auditor A1, row 30] challenged by Reader: "The title is about timing - which crop is ready when - which matches the seasons pillar, and moving it makes First Balcony Steps 10 rows, over its 9-row cap" / corroborated by none.
- [Auditor A2, No-Drill Setups] no challenge / corroborated by none.
- [Auditor A3, rows 13 and 18] no challenge / corroborated by Reader (R2) and Inspector: out-of-order dependency.
- [Reader R1, row 09] no challenge / corroborated by none.
- [Reader R2, rows 13 and 18] no challenge / corroborated by Auditor (A3).
- [Reader R3, rows 23 and 29] no challenge / corroborated by Inspector: titles cannot be final until the questions are collected.
- [Reader R4, row 27] no challenge / corroborated by none.
- [Inspector L1, whole grid] challenged by Auditor: "Turning tutorials into Shorts to make slack would leave First Balcony Steps and No-Drill Setups with almost no long-form entry rows" / corroborated by none.
- [Inspector L2, rows 13 and 28] no challenge / corroborated by Auditor (series intervals) and Reader (title says Week 9).
- [Inspector L3, rows 23 and 29] no challenge / corroborated by Reader.
- [Inspector L4, row 15] no challenge / corroborated by Scout (S4): the shop trip and the load are the same extra work.
- [Inspector L5, rows 11, 17, 20] no challenge / corroborated by none.
- [Scout S1, row 02] no challenge / corroborated by none.
- [Scout S2, row 17] no challenge / corroborated by none.
- [Scout S3, row 16] no challenge / corroborated by Reader: viewers want a way to tell, not a schedule.
- [Scout S4, row 15] no challenge / corroborated by Inspector (L4).

### Verdict
1. **[CORROBORATED]** Rows 13 and 18 are out of order (hardening off after planting) - fix: swap row 18 with row 12 so hardening off is row 12 and "What Pot Size for Which Plant?" is row 18 (applied).
2. **[CORROBORATED]** Row 28 "Tomato Pot Diary, Week 9: Harvest" is posted seven weeks after planting, not eight, and harvest may not be ready - fix: swap rows 28 and 30 so the diary is row 30 (eight weeks after row 13), retitle "How It Looks Now", harvest only if ready, flag [TIMING] (applied).
3. **[CORROBORATED]** Row 16 is the generic version of its topic - fix: angle now "Finger test and pot weight instead of a fixed calendar", title "How to Tell When Balcony Pots Need Water" (applied).
4. **[CORROBORATED]** Rows 23 and 29 have creator-facing titles and depend on collected questions - fix: titles now name the content, [INPUT] flag with the fallback of swapping in a Short (applied).
5. **[CONFIRMED]** Row 09 "Best" removed from the title (applied).
6. **[CONFIRMED]** Row 27 retitled "Balcony Garden Starter Plan: Your First 30 Days" (applied).
7. **[CONFIRMED]** Row 02: angle now includes securing against falls and checking building rules; [SAFETY] flag (applied).
8. **[CONFIRMED]** Row 17: title "Safe" changed to "Gentle"; angle now includes washing herbs and following any product label (applied).
9. **[CORROBORATED]** Row 15: angle now includes keeping weight low and asking the building about load limits; [LOAD?] and [SAFETY] flags - the effort stays M but is marked as possibly L (applied).
10. **[CONFIRMED]** No-Drill Setups' return mechanism rewritten as a lookup plus the setup Q&A row (applied in the Pillars table).
11. **[CONFIRMED]** Rows 11, 17 and 20 need live footage - [FOOTAGE] flag added; photograph the problem when it appears (applied).
12. **[DISPUTED]** Row 30 (now row 28) "When to Pick Each Crop": Auditor says it reads as a basics lesson; Reader says its timing angle fits Balcony Seasons and moving it breaks the 9-row cap on First Balcony Steps. Left where it is, flagged [DISPUTED]; your call.
13. **[DISPUTED]** No buffer: 14 of 15 weeks sit at exactly 6 h. Inspector suggests turning two or three tutorials into Shorts or leaving a spare week; Auditor says that would thin the long-form entry rows in two pillars. Left as written; your call.

### Changes applied
Rows 02, 09, 15, 16, 17, 23, 27, 29 and 30 were edited as listed above, rows 12 and 18 swapped places, rows 28 and 30 swapped places, and flags were added to rows 11, 17, 20 and 30. Phase 3 checks were re-run on the final grid: 30 rows, pillar counts unchanged, no week over 6 h, longest same-pillar run 2, no duplicate angle.

**Recommendation:** Ready to schedule, with two DISPUTED items for you to decide.

## Notes
- Confirm the (assumed) items: English titles, the 2 h / 4 h / 8 h effort scale, and that nothing already published overlaps these topics. Replace the hours with your own and re-run if they differ.
- Day numbers are posting slots, not calendar dates; the early-spring rows (04, 08, 12) assume you start in early spring.
- Confirm Shorts and tutorial length limits and any content rules on the platform's own pages; none are stated here.
- Planning only: nothing here predicts views or growth, titles were judged by reasoning without search data, and the hours are a working scale.
- Want a 12-row lighter month, titles in a second language, or a re-balance after you check your real hours?

Use cases

• Turning a vague "I should post more" into 3-4 pillars and a month of topics you can actually schedule
• Checking that a topic list is not ten versions of the same video
• Finding out before you commit whether a weekly plan fits your stated hours
• Rewriting working titles so they read like something a real viewer would search or tap

FAQ

Does it write scripts or make videos? No. It plans topics and angles; you write, shoot and edit elsewhere.

Will it grow my channel? No. Nothing here predicts or promises views, subscribers, ranking or income; it is a plan for you to test.

Does it see my analytics or search data? No. Titles are judged by reasoning only, and the S/M/L hours are a working scale you should replace with your own.

Does it know the platform's rules? No. Confirm format limits and content rules on the platform's own pages.

Is it safe for work? Yes. The Skill is SFW-only; health, money and legal topics get educational framing, not advice.

Which tools? Any SKILL.md-compatible agent (Claude Code, Codex CLI, OpenClaw). One-time download, no hosting, no API key.