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.
2023 Changes
Title: 7 SEO Predictions for 2023 (and How to Prepare!)
Formula: 7 [Industry] Predictions for [Upcoming Year] (and How to Prepare!)
Hook score: +392
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 – Talking about the future (this was published in December 2022) builds curiosity because the future is obviously unknown, but we all want to know what will happen.
Timeliness – It’s currently the end of 2022 and everybody is thinking ahead to 2023.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about your predictions for the future.
Examples of this hook in action:
- 7 Real Estate Predictions for 2023 (and How to Prepare!)
- 7 Job Market Predictions for 2023 (and How to Prepare!)
No Excuses
Title: How to Build Muscle At Any Age (7 TIPS!)
Formula: How to [Achieve Goal] [Refute Objection] (7 TIPS!)
Hook score: +655
Why this works:
Desire – This creator’s audience wants to build muscle, especially as they get older.
Refute Objection – This is all about refuting the objection of, “I’m too old to build muscle.”
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 hook: Tell your audience how to achieve a goal and refute their biggest excuse in the title.
Examples of this hook in action:
- How to Build Wealth Even If You’re Poor (7 TIPS!)
- How to Take Great Photos In Bad Lighting (7 TIPS!)
The Easiest Way To Spy On Your Competitors
Two of my favorite tools for spying on my competitors:
1) vidIQ’s Trending Tool
2) vidIQ’s Competitor Dashboard
Their trending tool lets you see what videos are getting views on a channel 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.
Download vidIQ for free here.
(Affiliate link)
Horrifying History
Title: The Creepiest Historic Hauntings In The British Isles | Historic Hauntings | Absolute History
Formula: The Creepiest (Objects) | (Keyword)
Hook score: +903
Why this works:
Timely – This was published the day before Halloween when everybody was thinking about scary and creepy things.
Curiosity – Taking things to the extreme (“The Creepiest” ) builds curiosity because it’s unique.
Negativity – This is all about fear and scary things, which grab your attention.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about an extreme, trending thing.
Examples of this hook in action:
- The Creepiest Websites You’ve Never Heard Of
- The Weirdest Christmas Family Traditions I’ve Ever Heard
Curler Craziness
Title: Shark Released Their Hair Styler… OMG!
Formula: (Company) Released Their (Product)… OMG!
Hook score: +910
Why this works:
Curiosity – “…OMG!” opens a loop because it’s vague, but makes you want to know what she thought about the hair styler.
Timeliness – This feels like news (people love news) because it’s about a newly-released product.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about a newly-released product.
Examples of this hook in action:
- YouTube Released Their “YouTube Wrapped”… OMG!
- Nike Released Their New Running Shoe… OMG!
Prime Time
Title: Forget the Oven, This is How I Make a Prime Rib Now
Formula: Forget (Common Tool), This is How I (Activity) Now
Hook score: +3200
Why this works:
Negativity – This title is about moving away from the old way of doing things.
Curiosity – “This is How I Make a Prime Rib Now” builds curiosity by opening a loop. It’s a cliff-hanger and makes you wonder how he makes prime rib now.
Desire – This creator’s audience would love to make prime rib that looks like the one in the thumbnail.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience how you’re moving on from an old way of doing things.
Examples of this hook in action:
- Forget Meditation, This is How I’m Staying Focused Now
- Forget Amazon, This is How I’m Selling Products Online Now
Flop of the Week
Title: How To Stay Healthy While Traveling (7 TIPS)
Hook score: -80
Why this flopped: I know this is a topic that’s commonly talked about in fitness, but I don’t think it’s that big of a pain point.
How much do you really care about eating healthy while you’re traveling?
I think building muscle when you’re older (see the video from this creator mentioned earlier) is a much bigger pain point.
Plus, the thumbnail doesn’t really look like it’s about fitness. It’s a girl in a bikini with the words “Travel Tips”. Looks like a travel video to me, so this creator’s core audience might just gloss over it.
And finally, since this title flopped, I might try to write it from a negative angle. Something like:
- “Don’t Do This If You Want To Stay Healthy When Traveling”
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.