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.
Daily Dumbbells
Title: 6 Things I Do Every Day to Stay in Shape
Formula: 6 Things I Do Every Day to (Achieve Goal)
Hook score: +367
Why this works:
List – Lists make videos feel more tangible and they add some curiosity.
Daily Tips – People like things you can do every day because they’re easy to plug into your routine. You don’t have to worry about when or how often to do them.
Desire – Everyone in this audience wants tips to stay in shape.
How you can use this hook: Give your audience a list of things you do every day to achieve the goal they want to achieve.
Examples of this hook in action:
- 6 Things I Do Every Day to Be A Great Mom
- 6 Things I Do Every Day to Grow My YouTube Channel
Retiree Regrets
Title: 6 BIG Purchases Retirees (Almost) Always Regret!
Formula: 6 BIG [Activities] [Specific Audience] (Almost) Always Regret!
Hook score: +770
Why this works:
List – Lists make videos feel more tangible and they add some curiosity.
Negativity – Our culture is obsessed with regrets, so that word catches people’s attention and gets them to click.
Specific Audience – By calling out retirees specifically in the title, retirees are way more likely to click.
How you can use this hook: Call out a specific segment of your audience and tell them about the decisions or activities they’re likely to regret.
Examples of this hook in action:
- 6 Vegetables Gardeners (Almost) Always Regret Planting!
- 6 BIG Decisions Married Men (Almost) Always Regret!
That’s So Fetch
Title: Raised Garden Beds Are So Yesterday!
Formula: (Trend) Are So Yesterday!
Hook score: +1012
Why this works:
Negativity – If you currently have a raised garden bed, you probably have a little FOMO because you’re doing something that’s no longer the best.
Curiosity – If raised garden beds are so yesterday, what’s the best trend to follow today?
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about the trends or tools that are so yesterday.
Examples of this hook in action:
- Instagram Hashtags Are So Yesterday!
- Keto Diet Is So Yesterday!
Pizza Time
Title: Eating The World’s Best Pizza in ITALY
Formula: (Activity) The World’s Best (Object) in (Place)
Hook score: +1061
Why this works:
Epic – “The world’s best pizza” is so much cooler than “really good pizza”.
Desire – The title and thumbnail are simple, but work great together to get you hungry and wanting to see more of this pizza.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about something you did that took it to the extreme. Think of things that are the best, hardest, fastest, slowest, longest, tallest, loudest, etc.
Examples of this hook in action:
- Running America’s Hardest 5K in Colorado
- I Tested The World’s Fastest Computer in Japan
Tiny Home, Big Views
Title: Building My Dream Tiny Home For Under $8000
Formula: Building My (Ultimate Goal) For/With (Constraint)
Hook score: +14338 (no, this isn’t a typo, this channel’s recent videos averaged 27K views before this monster)
Why this works:
Desire – This creator’s audience would love to build their dream tiny home.
Constraint – The fact that he built his dream tiny home for such a small amount of money makes for a great and intriguing story.
How you can use this hook: Do something epic with a constraint.
Examples of this hook in action:
- Building My Dream Photography Studio For Under $1,000
- Building My Dream Aquarium For Under $300
Flop of the Week
Title: Easy Tips for Conquering Your Fear of Flying
Hook score: -89
Why this flopped: I think this video flopped for a few reasons.
First, this channel is about going on crazy travel adventures across the world.
Tips for conquering your fear of flying doesn’t really fit with what her audience is looking for from her channel.
Second, how many people who love traveling across the world also have a fear of flying?
According to the low amount of views this video got compared to the rest on her channel, it seems like not that many.
And third, most of her thumbnails are of beautiful, brightly-colored destinations, not dark plane seats.
This video may have served a specific purpose and helped 14,000 people in her audience, which is great.
But if you’re looking to maximize views, be sure to pick a topic that a large segment of your audience wants to hear about.
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.