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 see all of the titles and thumbnails from Creator Hooks in one place, check out Creator Hooks Pro.
Fishing Frenzy
Title: Fishing the Gulf Pier When Something Wild Happened!
Formula: (Activity) When Something Wild Happened!
Hook score: +1036
Why this works:
Curiosity – “When Something Wild Happened” starts a story, but doesn’t finish it, so it builds a ton of curiosity.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about how you were doing something, but then something wild happened.
Examples of this hook in action:
- Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner When Something Wild Happened!
- Running The Thanksgiving Turkey Trot When Something Wild Happened!
Secret Stash
Title: The Secret Weapon That Got Me $17,000 in VA Disability Benefits
Formula: The Secret Weapon That Got Me (Big Achievement)
Hook score: +1200
Why this works:
Curiosity – “The Secret Weapon” builds curiosity by making you wonder what it is.
Desire – This creator’s audience would love to get $17,000 in VA disability benefits.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about the secret weapon that got you something awesome.
Examples of this hook in action:
- The Secret Weapon That Got Me $100,000 In Sales On Black Friday
- The Negotiation Hack That Got Me $10,000 Off My New Home
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Vitamin Warnings
Title: You’re Probably Taking your Vitamin D Wrong, and it Could be Dangerous (& Ineffective)
Formula: You’re Probably (Activity) Wrong, and it Could be Dangerous (& [Other Unwanted Effect])
Hook score: +1352
Why this works:
Negativity – This title gets the audience’s attention by giving them a warning.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about something they’re doing wrong.
Examples of this hook in action:
- You’re Probably Using Your iPhone Wrong, and it Could be Dangerous
- You’re Probably Booking Flights Wrong, and it Could be Costing You Money
Bikepacking Beliefs
Title: 5 MYTHS about Bicycle Traveling / Bikepacking vs. Reality // Tips & Tricks // Cycling the World
Formula: 5 MYTHS about (Activity) / (Activity) vs. Reality // Tips & Tricks // (Activity)
Hook score: +1555
Why this works:
List – Lists make videos feel more tangible (you know exactly what the video will be about) and they add some curiosity.
Curiosity – “Myths” add a lot of curiosity because they’re things you think are true but aren’t, so you want to know what the truth is.
*Note: I think this title is too long and if I was using this framework, I’d only model the first part.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about the myths about something in your industry.
Examples of this hook in action:
- 5 MYTHS about Freshwater Aquariums / Instagram Aquariums vs. Reality
- 5 MYTHS about Painting Your Own House
Time Tricks
Title: 4 ONE-MINUTE Habits That Save Me 20+ Hours a Week | Time Management For Busy People
Formula: 4 ONE-MINUTE Habits That (Achieve Goal) | (Activity) For (Specific Audience)
Hook score: +14160
Why this works:
List – Lists make videos feel more tangible and they add some curiosity.
Time Frame – Time frames also make videos feel more tangible and “one-minute habits” is a great example of this.
Desire – This creator’s audience loves to save time.
Specific Audience – This title calls out a specific audience with “Time Management For Busy People”.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about the one-minute habits that help them achieve their goals, and finish the title by calling out a specific group of people.
Examples of this hook in action:
- 4 ONE-MINUTE Eating Habits That Got Me A 6 Pack | Healthy Eating For Busy People
- 5 ONE-MINUTE Habits That Saved My Marriage
Flop of the Week
Title: How do you prove a service connection for sinusitis?
Hook score: -85
Why this flopped: A lot of people say that you should make videos about the questions you get from your audience.
This feels like that’s what happened here, and this is why I don’t love this advice.
In this case, it seems like it’s way too specific of a question to do well on YouTube because it has a small potential audience.
So here’s a question I always like to ask myself before coming up with a video idea: is there a big enough potential audience for me to meet my view goals for this video?
Alright, that wraps up this week’s Creator Hooks!
If you know a fellow creator who needs help with writing better titles, please send them to creatorhooks.com.
Here’s to the war on boring content.
– 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.