Lesson 4 12 min

Social Media and SEO

Optimize your content for discovery on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and search engines using AI-powered SEO and platform-specific strategies.

Creating great content is half the battle. The other half: making sure people actually find it. SEO and platform optimization are the difference between 50 views and 50,000 views — and AI makes optimization accessible to every creator.

🔄 Quick Recall: In the previous lesson, you learned to create video and visual content with AI. This lesson ensures that content gets discovered by the right audience on every platform.

YouTube SEO

Title and Description Optimization

Optimize this YouTube video for search:

Topic: [your video topic]
Target viewer: [who you want to reach]
Main keyword: [what they'd search for]

Generate:
1. 5 title options (under 60 characters, include a number
   or specific outcome, create curiosity gap)
2. Description (first 150 characters = search snippet,
   include 3-5 target keywords naturally)
3. 10 relevant tags (mix broad and specific)
4. 3 timestamp/chapter suggestions

YouTube Title Formula

Element	Example
Number + Specific outcome	“5 AI Tools That Cut My Editing Time by 80%”
Curiosity gap	“I Tested Every AI Video Editor — Only One Was Worth It”
Problem → Solution	“Stop Losing Subscribers: The Upload Schedule That Actually Works”
Trend + Your angle	“The AI Tool Every Creator Is Sleeping On in 2026”

✅ Quick Check: Your video is about using AI for email newsletters. Which title is better: “AI Email Tips” or “I Grew My Newsletter to 10K Subscribers Using This AI Workflow”? (Answer: The second one — it’s specific (10K subscribers), implies proof (I grew), names the method (AI workflow), and gives viewers a concrete reason to click. “AI Email Tips” is vague and targets no search intent.)

TikTok and Short-Form Discovery

TikTok Optimization

Optimize this TikTok post for maximum reach:

Video topic: [what the video covers]
Niche: [your content niche]
Target audience: [who should see this]

Generate:
1. Caption with hook in first line (under 150 characters)
2. 5-8 hashtags (mix: 2 trending, 3 niche, 2 descriptive)
3. Best posting time suggestion based on [your timezone]
4. CTA that encourages saves or shares (saves > likes for algorithm)
5. 3 comment-starter ideas (first comment boosts engagement)

Platform-Specific Caption Strategy

Platform	Caption Priority	Discovery Mechanism
TikTok	Hook in first line, niche hashtags, trending sounds	For You Page algorithm (watch time + shares)
Instagram Reels	Keyword-rich caption, alt text, location tag	Explore page + search + hashtag feeds
YouTube Shorts	SEO title, description with keywords	Search + Shorts shelf algorithm
X/Twitter	Conversational hook, quote-worthy lines	Reply engagement + reposts

Instagram Strategy

Content Calendar Optimization

Plan an optimized Instagram week for my niche:

Niche: [your topic]
Current follower count: [number]
Content pillars: [3 themes you cover regularly]

For each day, suggest:
- Post type (Reel, carousel, static, Story)
- Best posting time
- Caption approach (story, data, question, controversial take)
- Hashtag strategy (which cluster for this topic)
- CTA type (save, share, comment, link in bio)

Optimize for: [growth / engagement / conversions]

Instagram SEO (2026)

Instagram now indexes caption text for search. This changes everything:

Rewrite this Instagram caption for search discovery:

Original caption: [your caption]
Topic keywords: [what people search for]

Requirements:
- Include target keywords naturally in first 2 sentences
- Add alt text description for the image
- Use keyword-rich hashtags (not just trending ones)
- End with an engagement question

✅ Quick Check: You post a Reel about “3 AI tools for writers.” It gets 500 views on Instagram but 15,000 on TikTok. Should you stop posting on Instagram? (Answer: No — different platforms serve different functions. Instagram followers convert better to newsletter subscribers and product buyers. TikTok drives discovery, Instagram drives depth. Most successful creators use TikTok for reach and Instagram for relationship-building.)

SEO for Written Content

Optimize this article for search engines:

Title: [article title]
Target keyword: [primary search term]
Audience intent: [informational / transactional / navigational]

Generate:
1. SEO title (under 60 characters, keyword near the front)
2. Meta description (under 155 characters, includes keyword
   and a compelling reason to click)
3. H2 and H3 heading structure with keywords
4. Internal linking suggestions (3-5 related topics)
5. FAQ section (3 questions people also ask about this topic)

Keyword Research with AI

I want to create content about [broad topic].

Find 10 specific article ideas by identifying:
1. Questions people actually search for (long-tail keywords)
2. Topics with moderate search volume but low competition
3. "People Also Ask" questions I could answer
4. Trending subtopics in this space (last 90 days)

For each idea, estimate:
- Search intent (informational, comparison, how-to)
- Competition level (low/medium/high)
- Best content format (list, guide, comparison, case study)

Practice Exercise

Take your last YouTube video (or plan your next one) and generate 5 optimized titles with AI
Rewrite one Instagram caption to include search keywords naturally
Create a platform-specific caption for the same piece of content across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts

Key Takeaways

Titles are the #1 discovery lever — AI generates optimized options in seconds, but you pick the winner
Each platform has different discovery mechanisms — same content needs different packaging
Instagram now indexes captions for search — keyword-rich descriptions matter more than ever
Hashtag quality beats quantity — 10-15 relevant hashtags outperform 30 generic ones
SEO isn’t just for Google — every platform has its own search and recommendation system

Up Next

In the next lesson, you’ll learn to build newsletters and podcasts with AI — creating owned media channels that don’t depend on any algorithm.

Knowledge Check

1. You publish a great YouTube video with the title 'My Thoughts on AI.' It gets 50 views in a week. What's the most likely problem?

The content isn't good enough The title has zero search demand. Nobody searches 'my thoughts on AI.' A title like 'I Tested 5 AI Tools for 30 Days — Here's the Only One Worth Using' targets a search intent (AI tool comparison), includes a number (5 tools, 30 days), and creates curiosity (which one?). AI can generate 10 title options optimized for search volume and click-through rate in seconds YouTube's algorithm is broken

2. You're posting the same content on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Should you use the same caption and hashtags everywhere?

Yes — it saves time and the content is the same No — each platform has different audiences and discovery mechanisms. TikTok favors trending sounds and niche hashtags. Instagram rewards keyword-rich captions and alt text. YouTube Shorts uses title and description for search ranking. AI can rewrite your caption for each platform in 30 seconds, optimizing for how that specific algorithm discovers content Hashtags don't matter anymore

3. AI generates 20 hashtags for your Instagram post. What should you do before using them?

Use all 20 — more hashtags means more reach Check that each hashtag is relevant to YOUR specific content, remove generic ones (#love, #instagood), and keep 10-15 that match your niche. Irrelevant hashtags signal to the algorithm that you're spamming, which can actually reduce your reach. AI generates volume; you curate for relevance Skip hashtags entirely — they're outdated

Answer all questions to check

Complete the quiz above first