'Stitch this' opinion: 5 seconds of their claim, 25 seconds of your answer

The stitch format in which a short borrowed clip sets up a claim and you answer with one argument and one demonstration. The prompt picks the 5 seconds to keep and bans the straw man.

Write a stitch script replying to a clip that claims {the claim} about {topic}. The format works because the borrowed clip is the hook (the claim is stated by someone the viewer may already have seen) and the viewer stays for the answer. Rules: quote the clip fairly (the 5 seconds where the claim is clearest, not the weakest moment), answer with ONE argument, and show the argument rather than assert it.

Structure (30 s, 9:16):
- 0-5 s THE CLIP: the 5 seconds of the source where the claim is said. On-screen over it: nothing; let it play.
- 5-8 s THE TURN: me, face to camera, my position in one sentence. On-screen: the position in 4 words.
- 8-22 s THE ARGUMENT: one reason, with a demonstration (a screen, an object, two photos, a number I measured). Three spoken lines max, 12 words each.
- 22-27 s THE CONCESSION: the case where the original claim is right, one sentence. This is what makes the reply shareable rather than argued with.
- 27-30 s CLOSE: 'Stitch this if you disagree.' No download ask; if my demonstration used a product it was on screen.

Word budget: 60-70 words at 165 wpm for my part. On-screen: the position at 5-8 s, one label during the demonstration, nothing over the source clip.

Return: which 5 seconds of the source to keep (timestamps and the words), then a table (time, what is on screen, spoken line, on-screen text), then the argument in one line for the caption.

Source transcript with timestamps: {transcript}
My position: {position}
What I can show: {the demonstration I have}

In Claude Code, paste the prompt as a message.

Example

Claim: ‘You need a DSLR to sell anything handmade online.’ Position: a phone by a window is enough for a listing. Demonstration: the same mug shot both ways.

Keep: 0:04-0:09 of the source, ‘if you’re shooting on a phone, nobody is taking your shop seriously.’

Time On screen Spoken line On-screen text
0-5 s Source clip (source audio)
5-8 s Me, kitchen, phone in hand A phone by a window is enough for a listing photo. PHONE IS ENOUGH
8-13 s Same mug, two photos side by side Left is a camera with a lens that costs more than the mug. Right is my phone. SAME MUG · SAME WINDOW
13-18 s Zoom into both At listing size you can’t tell. At phone size, nobody can. LISTING SIZE
18-22 s Thumb cuts the background out, white Background off, white on. That took longer to say than to do.
22-27 s Me If you’re printing a catalogue or shooting glass with reflections, yes, get the camera. WHEN THE CAMERA WINS
27-30 s Me Stitch this if you disagree.

Caption: At listing size a phone by a window and a camera with a lens show the same mug. The camera wins for print and for glass.

Tips

  • Keep the strongest 5 seconds of the source, not the silliest. A reply to a straw man gets replied to.
  • The concession at 22-27 s is not politeness; it is what makes the viewer believe the first 22 seconds.
works withClaude 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.
costFree. No API, no key.
statusUnverified: written from the technique, not yet run end to end by us.
licenseCC BY 4.0 for the text here; skills are MIT.
updated2026-11-01
for agentsstitch-this-opinion-format.md
#stitch#opinion#reply#argument#tiktok#reach#script

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