From 30 Minutes to 30 Seconds: My Personal Productivity Hack with Hailuo Prompts

From 30 Minutes to 30 Seconds: My Personal Productivity Hack with Hailuo Prompts

I’m going to tell you about the most ridiculous productivity breakthrough I’ve ever had. And it involves a Chinese AI video tool that most people can’t even pronounce correctly. Hailuo. Not “Halo” like the video game. “Hi-LOO-oh.” Trust me, I butchered it for weeks. But here’s the thing – this tool completely transformed how I … Read more

Case Study: How I Generated 5X More Relevant Content for YouTube Shorts Using Jason Prompts

Case Study: How I Generated 5X More Relevant Content for YouTube Shorts Using Jason Prompts YouTube Shorts were kicking my ass. Let me just put that out there. I thought I understood content creation. Been writing for years, know my way around social media, figured video content would just be another format to master. Boy, was I wrong. For months, I was creating these Shorts that felt generic, got barely any views, and honestly made me question whether I had any clue what I was doing. Then I started using my own tool properly (yeah, I know how that sounds), and everything changed. This isn't some magical success story. It's about finally understanding what YouTube Shorts actually need and using better prompts to create it consistently. The Numbers That Made Me Face Reality Before I get into the story, let me show you what "5X more relevant" actually means in real numbers: Before Jason Prompts (January-March 2024): Average views per Short: 847 Comments per video: 3-8 Subscriber growth from Shorts: Maybe 12 people over 3 months Time spent per video concept: 45-60 minutes of back-and-forth with AI Videos that felt "on-brand": Maybe 1 out of every 5 After Jason Prompts (April-June 2024): Average views per Short: 4,200+ Comments per video: 25-60 Subscriber growth from Shorts: 180+ people in 3 months Time spent per video concept: 8-12 minutes total Videos that felt "on-brand": 4 out of every 5 Not exactly viral numbers, but for a small channel in a competitive niche, this felt like hitting the lottery. My YouTube Shorts Reality Check Let me paint you a picture of where I was in early 2024. I'd been creating long-form content for my marketing consulting business - blog posts, detailed guides, comprehensive tutorials. Good stuff, but reaching maybe 200 people per piece. Then everyone started talking about YouTube Shorts. "Easy content!" they said. "Just repurpose your existing material!" they said. "Film yourself talking for 60 seconds!" So that's exactly what I tried. My first Shorts were disasters. I'd stand in front of my camera, try to condense a 2,000-word blog post into 60 seconds, and end up with these rushed, confusing mini-lectures that helped nobody. The comments section was brutal. When there were comments at all. The Prompt That Started My Downward Spiral Here's the prompt I was using back in January (brace yourself for the cringe): "Create a YouTube Shorts script about digital marketing tips." That's it. That was my entire prompt. The AI would give me something like: "Hook: Want to boost your digital marketing? Tip 1: Post consistently on social media Tip 2: Use relevant hashtags Tip 3: Engage with your audience Call-to-action: Follow for more tips!" Generic doesn't even begin to describe it. This could've been for any marketing channel, any audience, any industry. There was zero personality, no specific value proposition, nothing that would make someone choose my content over the thousand other marketing Shorts posted that day. But I didn't realize how bad it was yet. I just kept using variations of this terrible prompt and wondering why my videos weren't working. The Moment I Realized I Was Doing Everything Wrong March 15th was my rock bottom moment. I published a Short about "5 Social Media Mistakes Small Businesses Make." Typical listicle format, nothing special. It got 97 views. Ninety-seven. But here's what really got to me - I found another creator's video on almost the exact same topic that had 15K views. Posted the same week as mine. I watched their video obsessively, trying to figure out what they did differently. Same basic information, same general format. But their video had something mine completely lacked: specificity. Where I said "post consistently," they said "if you're a local restaurant, posting behind-the-scenes kitchen prep at 2 PM hits your dinner crowd perfectly." Where I said "use relevant hashtags," they showed actual hashtag research for a specific type of business. Where I gave generic advice, they gave actionable, specific guidance for a clearly defined audience. That's when it clicked. My prompt wasn't just bad - it was creating content that could apply to anyone, which meant it was useful to no one. The First Jason Prompt That Actually Worked By April, I'd been developing Jason for other people's content needs, but I hadn't really used it systematically for my own Shorts. Which is embarrassing to admit, but there you have it. My first real Jason prompt for YouTube Shorts looked completely different: Context Setup: Creator: Marketing consultant with 8 years helping small local businesses Channel focus: Practical marketing advice for service-based businesses under 50 employees Audience: Business owners who are overwhelmed by marketing advice and need simple, specific actions Niche: Local businesses (restaurants, salons, contractors, etc.) Content Goal: Help viewers implement one specific marketing tactic this week Address a common misconception or mistake Position me as someone who understands small business constraints Format Requirements: 45-50 seconds total Hook that identifies specific problem One main point with concrete example Clear next step viewers can take today Voice Guidelines: Helpful but not preachy Use real business examples, not hypotheticals Acknowledge time/budget constraints Sound like a consultant, not a guru The prompt Jason generated was night and day different from my old approach. Instead of asking for "digital marketing tips," it asked for content that solved specific problems for specific people in specific situations. My First Success (And What It Taught Me) The first video I created using this Jason-generated prompt was about Google Business Profile optimization for restaurants. Super specific, super tactical. Instead of generic advice like "optimize your Google listing," the script focused on one specific action: "If you're a restaurant owner, go to your Google Business Profile right now and add your most popular dish to the menu section with a photo. Most restaurants skip this, but it's the first thing people see when they're deciding where to eat." That video got 3,400 views in the first week. More importantly, I got comments like: "Just did this for my pizza place - thanks!" "Why don't more people talk about the menu photos?" "Finally, specific advice instead of vague tips!" The difference wasn't just in views - it was in engagement quality. People were actually implementing what I suggested and telling me about it. The Pattern That Changed My Entire Approach Once I had that first success, I started analyzing what made it work differently than my old content. Three things stood out: 1. Audience Specificity: Instead of "small businesses," I talked to "restaurant owners." Instead of "social media," I focused on "Google Business Profile for restaurants." 2. Actionable Immediacy: Instead of "you should optimize," I said "go do this right now." Instead of general principles, I gave specific steps. 3. Context Awareness: I acknowledged real constraints like "I know you're busy running your restaurant" instead of assuming unlimited time and resources. These weren't revolutionary insights, but Jason helped me build them into every prompt systematically instead of sometimes remembering to include them. Scaling the Success Over the next two months, I used Jason to create prompts for different video types: Problem/Solution Shorts: Jason would help me identify specific problems my audience faced and create prompts that addressed them directly. Behind-the-Scenes Shorts: Instead of generic "day in the life" content, Jason helped me create prompts for showing specific processes that would help my audience. Myth-Busting Shorts: Jason generated prompts that challenged common misconceptions in my niche with specific counter-examples. Tool/Resource Shorts: Rather than generic "best tools" lists, Jason helped me create prompts for specific tools solving specific problems for specific business types. Each prompt type had different context requirements, audience considerations, and outcome goals. Jason made sure I didn't forget the important elements that made content actually useful. The Unexpected Side Benefits As my Shorts became more relevant and specific, something interesting happened beyond just view counts. Better Audience Quality: People who found me through Shorts were more qualified prospects. They weren't just browsing marketing content - they were actively looking for solutions to specific problems I could help with. Easier Long-Form Content Ideas: Successful Shorts revealed which topics my audience actually cared about, giving me endless ideas for longer content. Improved Brand Positioning: Consistently specific, helpful content positioned me as someone who understood real business challenges, not just someone repeating generic marketing advice. Time Savings: This one surprised me. Better prompts meant less iteration, less revision, and less time spent wondering "what should I create next?" What I Learned About YouTube Shorts Specifically Working with Jason taught me that successful YouTube Shorts need different context than other content formats: Time Constraints: 60 seconds max means every word matters. Prompts need to specify exact timing and pacing. Visual Requirements: Shorts are visual-first. Prompts need to consider what viewers will see, not just hear. Algorithm Considerations: Shorts live or die by immediate engagement. Prompts need to prioritize hooks that work in the first 3 seconds. Mobile Viewing: People watch Shorts on phones, often without sound. Prompts need to account for this viewing context. Discovery Intent: People find Shorts while browsing, not searching. Content needs to stop scrolling behavior immediately. Regular content prompts don't account for these specific platform requirements. Jason helped me build them in systematically. The Metrics That Actually Matter After six months of using Jason for Shorts content, I've learned that view counts tell only part of the story. The metrics that actually matter for business growth: Comments Quality: Are people asking follow-up questions or sharing their own experiences? Profile Visits: Are viewers curious enough about you to check out your other content? Subscriber Conversion: Do Short viewers subscribe at higher rates than other traffic sources? Business Inquiries: Do Shorts viewers eventually become consulting clients? Using Jason improved all of these metrics because the content was more relevant to my actual target audience instead of generic marketing browsers. What This Actually Means for Content Creators This isn't a story about going viral or gaming the algorithm. It's about creating content that actually serves your audience instead of creating content that could theoretically serve anyone. The "5X more relevant" improvement came from finally understanding what my audience actually needed and using tools that helped me create it consistently. Jason didn't make me a better creator overnight. But it did help me apply what I was learning more systematically and avoid the generic content trap that had been killing my engagement. Most content creators are making the same mistake I made - using prompts that are too vague to produce genuinely useful content. Better prompts lead to better content. Better content leads to better audience relationships. Everything else follows from there. Ready to Try This Approach? If your YouTube Shorts (or any content) feel generic and aren't connecting with your audience, the problem probably isn't your expertise or your personality. It's probably your prompts. Generic prompts create generic content. Specific, context-rich prompts create content that actually helps specific people solve specific problems. That's not magic - it's just better communication with AI tools. But the results can feel pretty magical when you're finally creating content that resonates with your audience. What's been your biggest challenge with YouTube Shorts? Share your experience below - I'd love to help you think through better prompting strategies for your specific situation.

YouTube Shorts were kicking my ass. Let me just put that out there. I thought I understood content creation. Been writing for years, know my way around social media, figured video content would just be another format to master. Boy, was I wrong. For months, I was creating these Shorts that felt generic, got barely … Read more