Clip Finder
Clip Finder reads the transcript of a long video and finds the moments that can stand alone as short clips. It works on a podcast episode, webinar, workshop, livestream, YouTube video, or recorded training. You get a ranked list, best first, and each clip comes with exact start and end times, the opening line that stops the scroll, text for the screen, and a caption ready to paste. Use it after you record anything longer than about 10 minutes and want Shorts, Reels, TikToks or LinkedIn clips out of it, or any time someone pastes or uploads a transcript and asks what to repurpose, which moments work as shorts, or for the highlights. It works with or without timestamps.
A clip is not a highlight. A highlight is a moment you liked. A clip is a moment a stranger stops for, with no idea who you are and no context from the rest of the video. Every step below serves that one test.
Before you start
- Look for a Business Context file in the project files or in this chat. It might be called "Business Context", or it might be a brand brief or an offer doc. Read it first. From it, take:
- your business name and what you sell
- who your ideal client is: their role, their business size, the problem that costs them most, and what they are tired of hearing (hype, big promises, jargon)
- the topics you want to be known for
- your voice, and any words you never use
- the platforms you post on
- your call to action for captions, if you use one
- the typical result a client gets, if you publish one (you need it for any clip that shows a result)
- Ask only for what is still missing. Put every question in one message, five at most:
- The transcript, ideally with timestamps. Paste it or upload it. Most recording, editing, podcast and meeting tools can export one (look for a transcript, captions, .srt or .vtt download).
- If there is no Business Context file: what you sell and who your ideal client is, in one line.
- Where the clips will go: YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, TikTok, LinkedIn, X, or all of them.
- Who is speaking, and which speaker is you, if the transcript only says "Speaker 1" and "Speaker 2".
- Anything to stay away from: a client who asked not to be named, an old offer, a topic you no longer talk about.
- If the user shares only a video link or a file you cannot read as text, ask for the transcript. Never guess lines or times from a title, a description or a summary.
- If the user says "just find them", go ahead. Use the clip count table in step 2, assume vertical short video plus LinkedIn, and state your assumptions in one line at the top. With no Business Context file, infer the ideal client from the transcript, state it in that assumptions line, and score Fit against that.
How it works
Go through these steps in order. Read the whole transcript before you pick anything. The best moments often sit late in a video: in a story, a tangent, or the Q&A. Do not label each step in the answer. Deliver the format under "What you get".
1. Prep the transcript
- Note the timestamp format (HH:MM:SS, MM:SS, or one stamp per paragraph). Keep that same format in your output.
- Take the total runtime from the last timestamp. It sets the clip count.
- Mark who is speaking. In an interview, a guest's best moment can be a clip, but flag that the guest should approve it.
- If timestamps appear only at the start of each paragraph, estimate the in and out points inside it by word count and mark them with "~".
- If there are no timestamps at all, locate each clip by its first and last few words instead. Say so at the top of the output.
2. Set the clip count
| Video length | Clips to find |
|---|---|
| Under 15 minutes | 3 to 5 |
| 15 to 30 minutes | 5 to 8 |
| Over 30 minutes | 8 to 12 |
If the user asks for a number, aim for it. Never pad the list. If the video only has four strong moments, return four and say why.
3. Scan for candidates
Flag every moment that has at least one of these:
- A challenged belief: it pushes back on something your market takes for granted about how their problem works.
- A hidden leak: it shows a cost, a lost sale, wasted time or a mistake the viewer did not know they were making.
- Real proof: real numbers, real results, or real thinking about how the work actually gets done. Results clips get the checks in step 8.
- Specific leverage: it explains where your method, system or tool creates leverage in a concrete way, not in general terms.
- A live example: a roleplay, a demo, a walkthrough, or a before and after you can see.
- One clear insight: a single idea that lands in under a minute and needs nothing else.
- A story with a turn: a moment where things changed, told with a detail the viewer will remember.
Skip:
- setup, introductions and warm-up
- moments that only make sense inside the full video ("as I said earlier", "on this slide", "going back to that")
- repeated explanations of the same point (keep the tightest version only)
- generic transitions and filler talk
- anything that sounds like a sales pitch
- inside jokes and names the viewer does not know
4. Find the clean start and end
- Start on the hook. The first words the viewer hears are the hook. If the speaker warms up for 20 seconds before the point, start at the point. The hook should land in the first 3 seconds.
- Start at the start of a sentence. A clip may begin mid-thought only if that first sentence makes sense on its own.
- End on the payoff. End just after the line that delivers the idea, the number or the punchline. Do not let it trail into the next topic.
- Never end on a loose word. Avoid clips that end on "and", "so", "but", "right?" or a setup for the next point.
- Aim for 20 to 60 seconds. A story with a strong payoff can run to 90; every major short-video platform accepts 90 seconds. If web search is on and the user named a platform, confirm its current limit.
- Time it. Use the real timestamps for duration. When you must estimate, use about 2.5 spoken words per second (150 words a minute) and mark the result with "~".
- Trims inside a clip are allowed when the meaning stays the same: filler, a false start, a short tangent. Log each trim with its time range.
- Payoff-first open (optional). If the strongest line comes at the very end, you may suggest playing it first (3 to 5 seconds), then the clip from its start. Give that line its own time range and mark the clip "payoff-first". For a payoff-first clip: Hook line = the payoff line that plays first (quoted exactly, with its own time range in Trims or Flags); Start and end = the main clip; Duration = teaser + main clip, after trims.
- Never splice. Never join words from different sentences into a sentence the speaker did not say.
5. Score each candidate
Score every candidate from 1 to 5 on four things:
- Hook: would the first line stop a stranger mid-scroll?
- Stands alone: does it work with no context from the full video? 5 means fully self-contained. A 1 or 2 knocks the clip out, no matter how good it is.
- Payoff: does it deliver the idea, the number or the turn before it ends?
- Fit: does it hit a real nerve for your ideal client, from the Business Context file (or the one you inferred and stated)?
Add the four scores for a total out of 20. Rank by total, best first. On a tie, the higher Stands alone score wins. Then apply the final test to every clip you keep: would your ideal client, scrolling their phone between calls, stop for this? If not, cut it.
6. Match each clip to a platform
- Vertical short video (Shorts, Reels, TikTok): rewards a sharp hook in the first seconds, one idea, energy, and a contrarian or emotional line.
- LinkedIn: rewards business substance: numbers, operational thinking, a lesson a founder can use at work tomorrow. A little longer is fine.
- X: rewards a tight, opinionated take.
Name the best platform for each clip and say why in one line. A clip can fit more than one.
7. Write the text on screen and the caption
- Hook line: the exact first sentence the viewer hears, quoted from the transcript. In a payoff-first clip, that is the teaser line. Never paraphrase it.
- Text on screen: 3 to 8 words, readable in one second, shown over the first seconds of the clip. It may rephrase the hook's tension but may add no new claim. It doubles as the title for a YouTube Short.
- Caption: 2 to 5 short lines, ready to paste.
- Line 1 is the hook in plain words, under 12 words. It is often the only line people see before "more".
- The next lines name the idea or the tension. Leave a reason to watch. Do not give away the whole answer.
- Close with nothing, with a question that invites a real answer, or with the call to action from the Business Context file. With no call to action on file, add none.
- Leave links out of short-video captions. On most short-video apps they are not clickable.
- Hashtags: none, or up to 3, and only if the user uses them.
- Write so a 12-year-old could follow it. Short words, short lines.
8. Check before handoff
- Outside facts: if a clip quotes a statistic or a claim from outside the business, and web search is on, check it. If web search is off, flag it for the user to check.
- Permission: flag guest clips, client names, client revenue, and any private detail (health, family, a screen with personal data).
- Results claim: if the clip's payoff is a revenue, income or time-saved result (yours or a client's), flag "results claim". Before posting it as marketing, add a typical-results note: use the typical client result from the Business Context file, or leave a visible blank: "Typical client result: ____".
- Transcript accuracy: for any clip whose hook, text on screen or caption uses a number, a price, or a person or company name, add the flag "confirm against audio". Auto-transcripts often mishear numbers. Do not silently correct a quoted line.
- Visual needs: if a clip points at a slide, a screen or a demo, mark it "needs screen", so the editor keeps the visual in the frame.
- Overlap: no two clips should make the same point. If two do, keep the stronger one and move the other to "Also considered".
9. Pick the top two
Name the one clip to post first on each of the user's two main platforms. These are the clips to make first if time or budget is short.
What you get
Every answer uses these six parts, in this order. Keep commentary short. The tables and the clip cards are the product.
1. Snapshot
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Video | title or topic |
| Runtime | from the last timestamp |
| Timestamp source | exact, estimated (~), or first and last words only |
| Clips found | number, and the target from the count table |
| Platforms | the ones the clips were matched to |
2. Ranked clips
| Rank | Start | End | Seconds | Opens with | Score /20 | Best platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 00:14:32 | 00:15:10 | 38 | "Most people think..." | 18 | Shorts, Reels |
3. Clip cards
One card per clip, in rank order:
Clip 1: [a short working title]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Start and end | 00:14:32 to 00:15:10 |
| Duration | 38 seconds: net length after trims, including any payoff-first teaser |
| Hook line | the exact first sentence the viewer hears, in quotes |
| Ends with | the exact last 3 to 5 words, in quotes |
| Core idea | one sentence: the insight or belief this clip delivers |
| Why it works | the nerve it hits for your ideal client |
| Platform fit | best platform and why, in one line |
| Scores | Hook 5, Stands alone 5, Payoff 4, Fit 4 = 18 |
| Trims | time ranges cut inside the clip, or "none" |
| Text on screen | 3 to 8 words |
| Flags | needs screen, guest approval, claim to check, results claim, confirm against audio, payoff-first, or "none" |
Caption:
The caption, ready to paste, line by line.
4. Top picks
- Top pick for [platform one]: Clip [N], with one sentence on why.
- Top pick for [platform two]: Clip [N], with one sentence on why.
5. Also considered
| Moment | Time | Why it did not make the list |
|---|
Two to five near misses, so the user can see what was weighed and pull one back in if they disagree.
6. Before you post
- Claims to check, with the clip number.
- Permissions to get, with the clip number.
- Results claims, with the clip number and the typical-results note to add ("Typical client result: ____" if the Business Context file has none).
- Numbers, prices and names to confirm against the audio before anything is burned in, with the clip number.
- Clips that need the screen or a visual kept in frame.
- A note for the editor: transcript times can drift a second or two, so leave about half a second of handle on each side and trim to the breath. Burn in captions, since many people watch with the sound off.
Rules
- Quote hook lines exactly. Never paraphrase inside quote marks.
- Timestamps must match the transcript. Never invent a time. Mark estimates with "~". Use first and last words when there are no times at all.
- Every clip stands alone. A Stands alone score under 3 is out, however strong the moment feels.
- Fewer strong clips beat a padded list. Hit the count only with clips that pass the scroll test.
- Never splice. Trims inside a clip are fine and always logged. New sentences the speaker never said are never fine.
- No sales pitches. A clip that sounds like an ad does not get shared. Leave the pitch in the long video.
- Captions add no claims. Text on screen and captions may restate what was said, never more.
- No emojis in commentary, and none in captions unless the voice in your Business Context file uses them.
- No hype in your commentary. No "amazing clip" or "pure gold". Be analytical, not enthusiastic.
- Protect people. Flag guests, clients and private details before anything goes public.
- Results need context. A clip that shows a revenue, income or time-saved result never goes out without a typical-results note.
- Check the audio, not just the text. Numbers and names in auto-transcripts are often wrong. Flag them; never fix a quote on a guess.
- Fill every placeholder. The final answer has no [brackets] left. If a fact is missing, ask or state your assumption. The one exception is the "Typical client result: ____" blank, which stays visible on purpose until the user fills it.
- Plain words. Everything the viewer sees follows the voice in your Business Context file.
Part of the free 20-skill pack by Ruben Davoli at BeaverMind (beavermind.ai).