Countdown listicle: 5 items in 45 seconds, best one last, numbers on screen
The ranked list format, with the rule that makes it hold: each item gets shorter as the count drops and number one gets the longest shot. The prompt returns script, text plan and the caption list.
Write a countdown listicle script: top {N} {things} for {audience}. The format works because the number on screen tells the viewer how much is left and the rank promises the best is still coming. Count DOWN from {N} to 1. Structure ({N} = 5, 45 s, 9:16): - 0-3 s HOOK: '{N} {things} ranked, and number one is not what you think.' or a variant with a sharper claim you can back up. On-screen: '{N}' large. - 3-33 s ITEMS 5 to 2: 7 s each. Each item is: the number on screen for the whole item, one shot of the thing in use, one spoken line that says why it is on the list (max 14 words), and a 3-word on-screen label. - 33-42 s ITEM 1: 9 s, two shots, two lines. The reason it is first must be a reason the viewer can check. - 42-45 s CLOSE: 'What would you put at number one?' The comment is the CTA. No download ask in a listicle; if the product is on the list it is one item, shown like the others. Word budget: 110-125 words at 165 wpm. On-screen: the countdown number (bottom corner, constant per item), the item label, nothing else. Return: the ranked list with a one-line reason each (so I can reorder), then a table (time, rank, spoken line, on-screen label, shot). Things: {things} Audience: {audience} Candidates: {your list, or leave blank}
In Claude Code, paste the prompt as a message.
Example
Things: kitchen tools under twenty dollars. Audience: someone cooking at home three nights a week.
Ranked: 5 bench scraper (moves everything, cleans the board), 4 digital scale (recipes stop failing), 3 instant-read thermometer (no more cutting into chicken), 2 microplane (garlic, parmesan, zest in seconds), 1 a sharp 8-inch knife, honed weekly (every other tool is slower without it).
| Time | Rank | Spoken line | On-screen label | Shot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-3 s | Five kitchen tools under twenty dollars, ranked. Number one is not a gadget. | 5 | Hand sweeps them across the counter | |
| 3-10 s | 5 | Bench scraper. Moves the onion, cleans the board, costs less than a coffee. | BENCH SCRAPER | Scraping diced onion into a pan |
| 10-17 s | 4 | Digital scale. Recipes stop failing when a cup stops being a guess. | DIGITAL SCALE | Flour on the scale, 120 g |
| 17-24 s | 3 | Thermometer. Chicken out at sixty-five, never cut open to check. | THERMOMETER | Probe in a thigh, reading |
| 24-31 s | 2 | Microplane. Garlic, parmesan, lemon zest, all in ten seconds. | MICROPLANE | Zesting a lemon |
| 31-33 s | 2 | And it is the one guests ask about. | Bowl of zest | |
| 33-38 s | 1 | A sharp eight-inch knife. Not expensive, just sharp. | 8-INCH KNIFE | Slicing a tomato cleanly |
| 38-42 s | 1 | Hone it once a week and every other tool on this list gets faster. | HONE WEEKLY | Knife on a steel |
| 42-45 s | What’s your number one? | Face |
Tips
- The countdown number stays on screen for the whole item, not just at the cut. It is the progress bar.
- If number one is your product, the list becomes an ad and gets treated like one. Put the product at 3 and let the comments find it.
| works with | Claude Code: Runs as a skill or a prompt in the terminal; can read your files and write the result. · Claude: Paste into claude.ai or the Claude app. · ChatGPT: Paste into ChatGPT; works with any GPT model. · Any LLM: Model-agnostic: Gemini, Mistral, a local model. |
| cost | Free. No API, no key. |
| status | Unverified: written from the technique, not yet run end to end by us. |
| license | CC BY 4.0 for the text here; skills are MIT. |
| updated | 2026-11-01 |
| for agents | listicle-countdown-format.md |
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