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.
Call The Po-Pos
Title: The most illegal job application I’ve ever seen (RED FLAG Employer!)
Framework: The most illegal [Thing] I’ve ever seen (RED FLAG [Entity]!)
Hook score: +318
Why this works:
Negativity – “illegal” and “RED FLAG” both promise a lot of drama in this video.
Curiosity – This title is a cliffhanger and makes you want to know what was so illegal about this job application, so you’ve gotta click to find out.
Epic – “The most” and “I’ve ever seen” add to the drama and excitement of this video.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about the most illegal thing you’ve ever seen in your niche.
Examples of this framework in action:
- The most ILLEGAL Minecraft hacks I’ve ever seen!
- The most illegal house upgrades I’ve ever seen (RED FLAG Investment!)
Sir Don’t Mix-a-Lot
Title: Skincare Ingredients You CAN’T Mix?! | Doctorly Investigates
Framework: (Tools) You CAN’T Mix?!
Hook score: +401
Why this works:
Negativity – This is all about warning your audience about things they shouldn’t do.
Curiosity – This opens a loop and makes you want to know what ingredients they’re talking about.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about tools they cannot mix, and in the thumbnail include things they’re likely already mixing.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Investment Strategies You CAN’T Mix?!
- Delicious Food Ingredients You CAN’T Mix?!
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12 Steps To Love
Title: Make anyone OBSESSED with you in these 12 STEPS
Framework: (Achieve Deep Desire) in these (Number) STEPS
Hook score: +406
Why this works:
Desire – This title speaks to a deep desire this audience has. It’s not just “Make anyone like you” it’s “Make anyone OBSESSED with you”.
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 a specific number of steps to achieve a deep desire they have.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Speak Spanish like a NATIVE in these 5 STEPS
- Land your DREAM Job with these 12 STEPS
Gee Whiz
Title: Are these words really BAD? | Arabic101
Framework: Are these (Entities) really BAD?
Hook score: +465
Why this works:
Negativity – This is about “BAD” words, and people love bad, controversial, or taboo things.
Curiosity – This title builds curiosity by framing it as a question.
How you can use this framework: Ask if something in your niche is actually “BAD”.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Are these cities really DANGEROUS?
- Are these exercises actually BAD?
Sensitive Sally
Title: 10 Life-changing SELF CARE HABITS for the Highly Sensitive Person
Framework: 10 Life-changing (Goal or Niche) HABITS for the (Underdog)
Hook score: +841
Why this works:
List – Lists make videos feel more tangible (you know exactly what the video will be about) and they add some curiosity.
Desire – This creator’s audience wants to change their life and they want to learn about self-care habits.
Specific Audience – By calling out highly sensitive people, this title makes highly sensitive people more likely to click. And this works so well because highly sensitive people probably are more likely to watch a video about life-changing habits than, say, perfectly content people, or highly confident people.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about 10 life-changing habits for a specific group of people who are open to or looking for help.
Examples of this framework in action:
- 10 Life-changing MONEY HABITS for Overspenders
- 10 Life-saving travel habits for solo travelers
Flop of the Week
Title: How To Make More Money In Your Career!
Hook score: -70
Why this flopped: In the intro, this creator says, “I came across a question recently — somebody was asking how they can earn more than $70,000 per year.”
It reminds me of one of my new favorite quotes: “Don’t listen to a customer, listen to your customers.”
In this scenario, it means that if one person has a question, it might not be worth making a whole video about because it could be too small of an audience, but if a lot of people ask you the same question, then listen up because it may be a big question that many people have.
I’m sure many people in this creator’s audience want to make more money, but I feel like $70,000 — the number from this specific question — just isn’t exciting enough to put in the thumbnail and intro.
If it were me, I’d probably put $100,000 in the thumbnail because that feels like a big goal more people have and are really excited about hitting.
Even the creator said in the intro “$70,000 today isn’t worth what it was even a year ago,” so he knows this number isn’t all that enticing.
Ok, enough of me ranting about the thumbnail text. How can we make the title more exciting?
Here are a few options:
- We could make it more specific: “How To Make Over $100,000/Year In Your Career”
- We could make it more timely: “How To Make More Money In Your Career In 2024”
- We could make it more tangible: “How To Make More Money In Your Career In 5 Simple Steps”
- We could speak more to the audience’s desires: “How To Land Your Dream Job (While Making OVER $100,000)”
- We could add more curiosity and authority: “Job Recruiter’s #1 Secret To Negotiate A Higher Salary”
Deciding which one of these titles (or another) to go with really depends on your audience and the traffic source you’re targeting.
Plus, you can see why it’s so important to come up with your title before you write your script because each of these titles is a different angle and, ideally, you’d reaffirm your title in the intro so the audience knows this video is right for them and they’ll keep watching.
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.