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.
Food Fears
Title: 5 Food Items That Will Skyrocket in Price in 2023 (That You’ll Want)
Formula: 5 [Niche] Items That Will [Negative Action] in [Upcoming Year] (That You’ll Want)
Hook score: +307
Why this works:
List – Lists make videos feel more tangible (you know exactly what the video will be about) and they add some curiosity.
Negativity – This is leveraging the audience’s fear of food being scarce.
Timeliness – Dropping “In 2023” in a video published in the beginning of 2023 grabs the audience’s attention because they know this video is relevant right now.
Curiosity – This video talks about the future, which builds curiosity because the future is unknown.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about things that will increase in price or become more difficult to get in the upcoming year.
Examples of this hook in action:
- 5 Cities That Will Limit Visitors in 2023 (That You’ll Want To Visit)
- 5 Stores That Will Shut Down in 2023
Florida’s Future
Title: Clermont Florida is going to BOOM (here’s why)
Formula: [Area] is going to BOOM (here’s why)
Hook score: +390
Why this works:
Curiosity – This title also builds curiosity by talking about the future.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about a place or thing that will boom in the future.
Examples of this hook in action:
- Microsoft Stock is going to BOOM (here’s why)
- Engineering Jobs are going to BOOM (here’s why)
The Fastest Way To Find Great Topics For Your Channel
Two of my favorite tools for finding topics in my niche that are working right now:
1) vidIQ’s Trending Tool
2) vidIQ’s Competitor Dashboard
Their trending tool lets you see what videos are getting views on your competitor’s channels right now (this is an awesome alternative to just sorting a channel’s videos by most popular, which may show old videos that aren’t getting views anymore).
And their competitors feature lets you add competitors to a dashboard so you can see all of their top videos in one place, instead of taking the time to go to each channel individually.
You can get a 30-day trial for just $1 here.
(Affiliate link)
Titanic Takis
Title: I Made 3-Foot Takis
Formula: I Made (Extremely Large Object)
Hook score: +494
Why this works:
Curiosity – This builds curiosity because it’s unique and extreme.
Desire – Who wouldn’t want a 3-foot Takis?!
How you can use this hook: Make something that’s much bigger than the normal version.
Examples of this hook in action:
- I Made 3-Foot iPhone
- I Bought The World’s Heaviest Dumbbell
Degree Decisions
Title: Engineering Degree Tier List 2023 (The BEST Engineering Degrees RANKED)
Formula: [Entity] Tier List 2023 (The Best [Entities] RANKED)
Hook score: +993
Why this works:
Desire – This creator’s audience loves degree rankings.
Timeliness – Dropping “2023” in there lets the audience know this is relevant right now.
How you can use this hook: This one is simple: rank objects in your niche for the upcoming year.
Examples of this hook in action:
- Seattle Neighborhood Tier List 2023 (The Best Seattle Neighborhoods RANKED)
- Top MLB Teams 2023 (The Best MLB Teams RANKED)
Did You Catch That?
Title: Things You Only Notice In Starship Troopers As An Adult
Formula: Things You Only Notice In (Entity) As An (Specific Type of Person)
Hook score: +1254
Why this works:
Curiosity – This title builds curiosity by making you wonder what these things are. It also kinda makes you feel like you’re getting in on a secret.
“Adult” – Adult things catch the audience’s attention more because they’re controversial, and people love controversy.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about the things you only notice in something as a specific type of person.
Examples of this hook in action:
- Things You Only Notice At Disney World As An Adult
- Things Only Former Servers Notice At Restaurants
Flop of the Week
Title: Pecron 1500 Pro Review – Affordable Off Grid Power Option
Hook score: -70
Why this flopped: This title is boring.
I’m not saying it’s not effective — it probably attracted buyers for the Pecron 1500 Pro and they probably got lots of affiliate sales. Plus, it’ll probably rank it search and do well in the long term.
Buuutttt… they could’ve spiced it up a bit. They could’ve turned it into a story or an experiment to get more views and maybe make more sales.
For example, he could’ve talked about how long he survived off the grid using only that power station in a video titled, “I Survived 10 Days Off The Grid With No Power.” (Btw I have no idea how long these things actually last.)
Alright, that wraps up this week’s Creator Hooks!
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition. If you know a fellow creator who needs help with writing better titles, share your referral link with them.
– 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.