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.
P.S. If you want to save more time and use a title generator that uses all the titles from this newsletter, check out Creator Hooks Pro.
Major Makeover
Title: 5 MAJOR Changes Coming to Downtown San Francisco
Framework: 5 MAJOR Changes Coming to (Entity)
Hook score: +769
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 – This builds curiosity in two ways:
- “Changes” is a great, curiosity-filled topic, and it makes you wonder what the changes are.
- The future is another naturally curiosity-filled and interesting topic.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about major changes coming in the future.
Examples of this framework in action:
- 5 MAJOR Changes Coming to the next iPhone
- 5 MAJOR Changes Coming to the NFL this Season
Salad Science
Title: Why Salads Always Taste Better At Restaurants | Techniquely with Lan Lam
Framework: Why (Entities) Always (Action) Better At (Place of authority)
Hook score: +897
Why this works:
Authority – Restaurants are an authority when it comes to good salads.
Curiosity – This answers a common question people have asked themselves.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience why something is always better when it’s done by an authority figure than by them.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Why You Get A Better Workout At The Gym Than At Home
- Why You Always Study Better With A Friend
- Write better YouTube titles
- Grow your channel
- Save time
“Creator Hooks Pro’s title generator helped with this title and this one video has made $3,000 in Adsense alone.”
– Gjeebs, 209K subscribers
Goodbye Goodwill
Title: DON’T DONATE your clothes (do this instead)
Framework: DON’T [Common, beneficial action] (do this instead)
Hook score: +1003
Why this works:
Negativity – Warnings like this do a great job of grabbing attention.
Curiosity – This builds curiosity in two ways:
- It’s counterintuitive. Isn’t donating your clothes a good thing?
- “do this instead” opens a loop and makes you wonder what the alternative is.
How you can use this framework: Warn your audience not to do something that’s common and supposedly good.
Examples of this framework in action:
- DON’T WASH your car (do this instead)
- DON’T HIRE a Lawyer for a DUI (do this instead)
Genius Mode
Title: 3 simple tips to unlock ChatGPT GENIUS mode…
Framework: 3 simple tips to unlock (tool) GENIUS mode…
Hook score: +1246
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 leverages desire 3 ways:
- This creator’s audience would love to get better results with ChatGPT.
- Everybody loves “simple” tips.
- And “Genius mode” is just such a cool name that increases the value of the video.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about tips to unlock “Genius mode” (or a similarly awesome mode) in a tool they use.
Examples of this framework in action:
- 3 simple tips to get your body into FAT BURNING mode…
- 3 simple tips to unlock EASY mode for YouTube…
Salvation Stakes
Title: 9 Celebrities Who Risked It All to Follow Jesus
Framework: 9 Celebrities Who Risked It All to (Action or goal)
Hook score: +1570
Why this works:
List – Lists make videos feel more tangible (you know exactly what the video will be about), and they add some curiosity.
Controversy – “Risking it all” adds conflict and controversy, raising the stakes of this video to make it more interesting.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about people who risked it all to do something.
Examples of this framework in action:
- 9 CEOs Who Risked It All to Save Their Company
- 9 Musicians Who Risked It All to Chase Their Dreams
Flop of the Week
Title: Make This for Your Next Wine Night to Impress Everyone | America’s Test Kitchen
Hook score: -70
Why this flopped: I love that this title is about status — impressing everyone. But why did it do so poorly compared to other videos on the channel? Two reasons:
1) When you first glanced at the thumbnail, did you immediately know what it was?
Maybe I’m just a simple man with simple tastes, but it took me a second to realize what I was looking at.
It might’ve done better if it were a slightly clearer image of clams (they are clams, right?).
Here’s a quote to remember when making your titles and thumbnails: “If you confuse, you lose.”
2) I also love that this title is about a specific moment: making food for wine night.
But how many people in this audience are making food for wine night? It’s possible it’s not that popular of a moment, or the audience isn’t struggling to make food for that moment.
If they wanted to get away from the wine night angle, they could try a title that just hypes up the clams, like, “These 10-Minute Steamed Clams Will Change Your Life”.
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 write better titles and grow your channel, check out Creator Hooks Pro.