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 has 5 videos worth modeling to help you write great titles and save time on research.
Btw, if you want to see all of the titles and thumbnails from Creator Hooks in one place, check out Creator Hooks Pro.
Stuck In A Pickle
Title: 3 Common Mistakes Made by Recreational Pickleball Players (& most players 4.0 and below)
Formula: 3 Common Mistakes Made by [Specific Subset of Audience] (& most [General Audience])
Hook score: +341
Why this works:
List – Lists make it easy to understand what the video is about and builds curiosity.
Negativity – Nobody wants to make mistakes, so they watch this video to avoid them. Plus, the thumbnail includes a warning.
Curiosity – The thumbnail builds curiosity by opening a loop.
Specific Audience – If you’re a recreational pickleball player, you feel like this video was made just for you. This makes you more likely to watch it.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about the 3 common mistakes they’re likely to make, and encourage them to click by specifically calling out who the video is for.
Examples of this hook in action:
- 3 Common Mistakes Made by Beginner Guitar Players
- 3 Common Mistakes Made by Backyard Gardeners
Sir Mix A Lot
Title: 10 Mixing Tips That Changed My Life
Formula: 10 (Industry) Tips That Changed My Life
Hook score: +445
Why this works:
List – Lists make it easy to understand what the video is about and builds curiosity.
Desire – “Changed my life” is a strong desire that many people have.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about the industry-specific tips that changed your life.
Examples of this hook in action:
- 10 Money-Making Tips That Changed My Life
- 10 Baking Tips That Changed My Life
The Perfect Foundation
Title: HOW TO APPLY FOUNDATION FOR BEGINNERS | NINA UBHI
Formula: How To (Common Task) For Beginners
Hook score: +643
Why this works:
Beginner Tips – Beginners are the biggest, hungriest subset of any audience.
Desire – A big portion of this creator’s audience wants to learn how to apply foundation perfectly.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience how to do a basic skill that many of them want to do, and let beginners know this video was made specifically for them.
Examples of this hook in action:
- How To Invest In Crypto For Beginners
- How To Water Your Lawn For Beginners
Excelent Video
Title: I no longer VLOOKUP(), I use this other function instead…
Formula: I no longer (Common Action), I use this other (Action) instead…
Hook score: +886
Why this works:
Negativity – This video is about stopping using a common function.
Curiosity – Since VLOOKUP is a common and useful function, it’s counterintuitive to stop using it. Plus, this title opens up a loop at the end by not telling you what the other function is.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about a common and useful tool you no longer use, and hint that you’ve found a better tool.
Examples of this hook in action:
- I no longer use an iPhone, I use this phone instead…
- I no longer bow hunt, I use this instead…
MindBlown
Title: 8 Mind-Blowing Websites You Probably Didn’t Know Existed
Formula: 8 Mind-Blowing (Tools) You Probably Didn’t Know Existed
Hook score: +6956
Why this works:
List – Have I told you lists make it easy to understand what the video is about and build curiosity?
Curiosity – Describing these websites as “mind-blowing” and that “you probably didn’t know existed” builds curiosity.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about the mind-blowing tools they didn’t know existed.
Examples of this hook in action:
- 8 Mind-Blowing National Parks You Probably Didn’t Know Existed
- 8 Mind-Blowing YouTube Tools You Probably Didn’t Know Existed
Flop of the Week
Title: MY GO TO BEAUTY TOOLS AND MONTHLY SKINCARE REGIME 2022 | NINA UBHI
Hook score: -78
Why this flopped: I think this video flopped because of the word “and”.
Most successful videos are about a single topic, but this video is about two topics.
In your titles, you want to make a big promise and deliver on it.
When you start including multiple topics in your title you confuse your audience.
And if you confuse you lose.
Alright, that wraps up this week’s Creator Hooks!
Have any questions about the hooks in this edition?
Reply to this email and let me know!
And if you know a fellow creator who needs help with writing better titles, please forward this email to them and send them to creatorhooks.com.
Here’s to the war on boring content.
– Jake
P.S. Follow me on Twitter for more title tips @jthomas__
P.P.S. If you want to see all of the videos from Creator Hooks in one place, check out Creator Hooks Pro.