I’ve asked some of the best creators on YouTube, “How do you write such great titles?”
And they’ve all said the same thing: “I just model what works.”
So this email will show you 5 videos worth modeling to help you write great titles and save time.
Btw, if you want to save more time and use a title generator that uses all the titles ever featured in Creator Hooks, check out Creator Hooks Pro.
Decluttering Donts
Title: *NEVER* Get Rid Of These 12 Things When Decluttering!
Framework: *NEVER* (Activity) When (Action)!
Hook score: +379
Why this works:
Negativity – This grabs your attention because it’s a warning.
Curiosity – This opens a loop because it makes you want to know which 12 things you shouldn’t get rid of.
List – Lists make videos feel more tangible (you know exactly what the video will be about) and they add some curiosity.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience to never do a list of things on their way toward their goals.
Examples of this framework in action:
- *NEVER* Eat These 5 Foods When Trying To Lose Weight!
- *NEVER* Go To These 8 Countries When Backpacking Europe!
A Disappearing Act
Title: He was the League’s Best Hitter. Then He Disappeared From Baseball.
Framework: He was the (Best Achiever). Then He Disappeared From (Entity).
Hook score: +421
Why this works:
Curiosity – This title builds curiosity two ways:
1) It’s counterintuitive that the league’s best hitter would disappear from baseball.
2) This does a great job at starting a story, but not finishing it. Why did he disappear from baseball?
Negativity – Disappearing from baseball brings a bit of drama to this title.
Authority – “League’s Best Hitter” grabs the audience’s attention.
How you can use this framework: Tell the story of somebody who was at the top of their game then disappeared.
Examples of this framework in action:
- He was the World’s Best Comedian. Then He Disappeared.
- She was Instagram’s Most Popular Influencer. Then She Disappeared From Social Media.
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Healing Hearts
Title: Your Heartbreak Will Get Better the Moment You Watch This
Framework: Your (Problem) Will Get Better the Moment You Watch This
Hook score: +477
Why this works:
Desire – This creator’s audience wants their heartbreak to get better fast, and this title promises exactly that.
Negativity – This is all about a big problem the audience faces: heartbreak.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience that their problem will get better the moment they watch your video.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Your Self Doubt Will Stop the Moment You Watch This
- You’ll Stop Being Broke the Moment You Watch This
Potato Plot
Title: What Happens if You SURFACE LAY Potatoes Instead of BURY?
Framework: What Happens if You (Unexpected Action) Instead of (Expected Action)?
Hook score: +593
Why this works:
Curiosity – This builds curiosity because it’s counterintuitive to lay potatoes on top of the soil instead of burying them in it.
How you can use this framework: Ask what happens if you do something weird, instead of a best practice.
Examples of this framework in action:
- What Happens if You Shoot Underhand Freethrows Instead of Overhand?
- What Happens if You Focus On Making Others Happy Instead of Yourself?
Mud to Magic
Title: I tried this mind-blowing ancient Japanese technique
Framework: I tried this mind-blowing ancient (Culture) technique
Hook score: +12537
Why this works:
Authority – “Ancient Japanese” grabs the audience’s attention and builds trust that this is a cool and effective technique.
Curiosity – This opens a loop because it makes you wonder what the technique is and how the creator went from dirt on the left side of the thumbnail to the smooth, round ball on the right.
Epic – “Mind-blowing” and “ancient Japanese” make this title feel epic.
How you can use this framework: Try an ancient technique to do something interesting.
Examples of this framework in action:
- I tried this ancient Greek workout
- I tried this mind-blowing ancient Chinese cooking technique
Flop of the Week
Title: Are you having a complicated Christmas?
Hook score: -78
Why this flopped: This title flopped for a few reasons.
First, do you know what this video is about? Or who it’s for?
It’s too vague.
Keywords are often a debated topic when it comes to YouTube titles, but in this case, this title could use some keywords.
Not necessarily for the algorithm, but just for the audience to know what the video is about.
Also, this video was published on December 24th. Christmas is the very next day, so this video is irrelevant after that because people aren’t thinking about Christmas anymore.
I’m all for trying to ride trends and current events, but this probably isn’t a strong and broad enough trend and they didn’t publish it early enough to make the most of the event.
Plus, the majority of this channel’s content is evergreen, so they might’ve been better off spending their time making another evergreen video that addresses their audience’s timeless hopes, dreams, and fears.
Alright, that wraps up this week’s Creator Hooks!
Hope you enjoyed this week’s edition and if you know a fellow creator who needs help writing better titles, please send them to creatorhooks.com.
– Jake
(@jthomas__ on Twitter)
P.S. Read previous editions here.
P.P.S. If you want to see all of the videos from Creator Hooks in one place, check out Creator Hooks Pro.