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.
The Future
Title: 5 Consumer Trends That Will Define 2026: What’s Next in Social Media & More | GaryVee
Framework: 5 (Niche) Trends That Will Define (Upcoming Year): What’s Next in (Niche)
Hook score: +341
Why this works:
List – Lists make videos feel more tangible (you know exactly what the video will be about), and they add some curiosity.
Future – Talking about the future builds curiosity because there’s tension between the fact that everybody wants to know what the future holds, but nobody actually knows what it holds.
Year – Dropping in the upcoming year is a great way to grab your audience’s attention.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about the trends that will define your niche in the next year.
Examples of this framework in action:
- 5 Housing Trends That Will Define 2026: What’s Next in the Real Estate Market
- 5 AI Trends That Will Define 2026: What’s Next in Generative AI
Money Trees
Title: The Secret To Growing $100,000 On A Small Farm (No Tractor Needed!)
Framework: The Secret To [Achieving a big goal] [With constraint] ([Biggest excuse eliminated])
Hook score: +550
Why this works:
Curiosity – This title builds curiosity in two ways:
- Dropping the word “Secret” is a simple way to build curiosity about your topic.
- There’s contrast between “$100,000” (a big gain) and “Small farm”.
Desire – This creator’s audience would love to grow $100,000 on their farm.
Refute objection – This title refutes two objections:
- “Small Farm” refutes the objection that you need a big farm to grow $100,000.
- Many people might think a tractor is too big and expensive, so “(No Tractor Needed!)” resolves that.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about the secret to achieving a big goal with some constraints, or without their biggest obstacles.
Examples of this framework in action:
- The Secret To Earning $100,000 As A Small Creator (No Team Needed!)
- The Secret To Earning $100,000 As A Photographer (No Studio Needed!)
- 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
Thanos Pricing
Title: I Won 3 NCAA Titles…But It Cost Me Everything
Framework: I (Achieved big goal)…But It Cost Me Everything
Hook score: +1399
Why this works:
Credibility – By starting this title with “I Won 3 NCAA Titles”, she shows you her experience and why she’s worth listening to. It also serves up this next reason that makes this title so good…
Negativity – People love dramatic stories like this.
Curiosity – This title builds curiosity in two ways:
- There’s contrast between “I Won 3 NCAA Titles” (yay) and “Cost Me Everything” (uh oh).
- It opens a loop and makes you wonder what happened and what it cost her.
How you can use this framework: Tell the story of how you (or somebody else) achieved a big goal, but it cost you everything.
Examples of this framework in action:
- I Got My Dream Job…But It Cost Me Everything
- Abe Lincoln is America’s Favorite President…But It Cost Him Everything
The 1%
Title: What The 1% Teach Their Kids About Money
Framework: What The 1% Teach Their Kids About (Niche)
Hook score: +1478
Why this works:
Authority – The fact that this video is about the 1% makes it feel more credible and desirable.
Desire – People want to know what the 1% know about money so they can make more money, too.
Curiosity – This opens a loop and makes you wonder what they teach their kids about money.
Believability – The fact this is what the 1% teach their kids about money, and not what they’re trying to teach you (and potentially influence you for their gain), makes it more believable. You know they have their kids’ best interests at heart, so it feels more possible that you’ll actually get helpful information.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about what the 1% (or other elite group) teach their kids about something.
Examples of this framework in action:
- What The 1% Teach Their Kids About Charisma
- What Happily Married Couples Teach Their Kids About Relationships
Discipline Decree
Title: The Japanese Rule That Teaches Kids Self-Discipline (Not Blind Obedience)
Framework: The [Authoritative culture] Rule That [Achieves goal] (Not [Shallow result])
Hook score: +4048
Why this works:
Authority – Since many people view Japanese people as self-disciplined, the fact that this the “Japanese Rule” builds more trust and interest.
Desire – Many parents want their kids to be more self-disciplined.
Refute Objection – Many people don’t want their kids to have blind obedience, so this title refutes that objection
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about the rule from an authoritative place that teaches a goal while avoiding an unwanted problem.
Examples of this framework in action:
- The Navy SEAL Method That Creates Strong Leaders (Not Yes-Men)
- The Swedish Rule That Creates Happy Employees (Not Workaholics)
Flop of the Week
Title: Why Every Brand Needs to Know About Pop Culture Trends To Win | Tea with GaryVee 91
Hook score: -78
Why this flopped: Here are some of this channel’s most popular videos:
- “How Anyone Can Make $1M in 24 Months: Social Media & Marketing Playbook for 2026” (143K views)
- “This Is How You Actually Grow in 2026: Social Media & AI Strategy” (72K views)
- “The Ultimate AI Playbook for 2026: Be Early. Go All In.” (141K views)
These successful videos feel like they’re all directed at creators or entrepreneurs, but this flop is directed at brands.
Now this might be a more profitable video in the short term, but generally speaking, if you’re trying to maximize views and grow your channel long term, you want to make videos for one audience (in this case, brands OR creators).
This helps YouTube know who to show your videos to and it makes it easier for people to binge your channel.
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.