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 has 5 videos worth modeling to help you write great titles and save time on research.
P.S. If you want to see all of the titles and thumbnails from Creator Hooks in one place, check out Creator Hooks Pro.
Jump Man
Title: What Happens If You Jump Rope For 30 Min Every Day
Formula: What Happens If You (Activity) For 30 Min Every Day?
Hook score: +387
Why this works:
Curiosity – This title asks a question and makes you wonder what does happen if you do this.
Daily Tips – Making a video about doing something everyday is more interesting and tangible* than making a video about doing something every now and then.
Time Frame – “30 Min” gives this video constraints and makes it more interesting and tangible*.
*When I say tangible, I mean it’s easy to know exactly what this video is about. This is the opposite of a vague title, like “What Happens If You Jump Rope Often?”
How you can use this hook: Ask the question of what would happen if you did a relevant activity every day for a specific time frame.
Examples of this hook in action:
- What Happens If You Live Stream For 30 Min Every Day?
- What Happens If You Do Wall Sits Every Day for 3 Minutes?
$100K Supplement
Title: 3 Major Ways To Earn Over $100,000 Per Month In Jamaica To Supplement Your 9-5 Income || ANNA NOVIA
Formula: 3 Major Ways To (Achieve Goal) In (Specific Place) To (Reason for Achieving Goal)
Hook score: +400
Why this works:
Too good to be true – This video is not only about a desire everybody wants, but it’s about a desire that sounds almost too good to be true (another example coming later in this edition).
List – People love clicking on list videos.
Specific audience – If you live in Jamaica, you might feel like this video was made specifically for you, so you’re more likely to click and watch.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about the three ways they can achieve a massive goal. And make them feel like the video was made especially for them by calling them out in the title.
Examples of this hook in action:
- 3 Major Ways Engineers Can Land Their Dream 6-Figure Job
- 3 Ways To Become A Professional Musician In Your 20s
Daily Dues
Title: how to change your life: 10 daily habits for 2022 *watch this if you’re feeling stuck*
Formula: How to (Achieve Goal): 10 daily habits for (Current Year) *watch this if you’re feeling stuck*
Hook score: +530
Why this works:
Desire – Many people would love to change their lives, and for those who do, most want to do so really bad.
List – People like clicking on list videos.
Daily tips – We’ve got more daily tips here, and daily habits are attractive because we can just plug them into our routine and not worry about when or how often to do them.
Timeliness – “In 2022” lets the audience know that this is what’s working right now.
How you can use this hook: Show your audience the daily habits that will change their life or help them achieve a big goal of theirs.
Examples of this hook in action:
- how to change your life: 10 daily money habits for 2022 *watch this if you’re feeling poor*
- how to change your mindset: 10 daily habits for 2022
Bout To Get A New Truck
Title: How to Write Off 100% of Your Car as a Business [STEP-BY-STEP] | Vehicle Tax Deduction | Sec. 179
Formula: How to (Too-Good-To-Be-True Action) [STEP-BY-STEP] | (Keyword-Rich Description)
Hook score: +571
Why this works:
Too good to be true – This sounds too good to be true, which makes it more interesting and exciting.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience how to do something step by step that sounds too good to be true.
Examples of this hook in action:
- How to have the Perfect Marriage (Step By Step)
- How to score a 1600 on the SAT [Step-By-Step Study Guide]
Tricks Are For Kids
Title: This Paint Trick Will Make CHEAP WHITE PAINT Cover + Hide As Well As The Most Expensive Brands!
Formula: This (Activity) Trick Will Make CHEAP (Item) (Action) As Well As The Most Expensive Brands!
Hook score: +938
Why this works:
Benefit – This video is about a benefit for the audience and it promises a lot for a little, which makes it more exciting.
Curiosity – This title opens a loop by mentioning there’s a trick, but not telling you what the trick is.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about a trick where a cheap, DIY, or unconventional method will do the job just as well as an expensive or professional method.
Examples of this hook in action:
- This Farming Trick Will Make DIY Chicken Coops Better Than Expensive New Coops!
- This iPhone Trick Will Make Your Battery Last 2x Longer
Flop of the Week
Title: GARBAGE DISPOSAL NOT WORKING?! Try These Easy Fixes! (3 Sink Disposal Repairs…More Tips + Tricks!)
Hook score: -86
Why this flopped: This title is more geared for search and will probably do well in the long term, but if you don’t have this specific problem right now, you’re probably not going to watch this video.
That’s not the case with some of the other videos on this channel, like:
- NAILS vs. SCREWS…Which Should You Choose?!
- Does SELF-PRIMING PAINT Really Work…Or Is It A Marketing Gimmick?
- The Truth About PARTICLE BOARD…Is It The Worst Material?!
Also, it seems like this creator’s audience might be more interested in building things than fixing things.
This is a bit of a tough one to nail down why it flopped, but two lessons we can learn from it:
- Have a strategy for your video (i.e. browse vs. search) and have proper expectations for it
- Get to know your audience and why they really watch your channel
Alright, that wraps up this week’s Creator Hooks!
Have any questions about the hooks in this edition?
Reply to this email and let me know!
And if you know a fellow creator who needs help with writing better titles, please forward this email to them and send them to creatorhooks.com.
Here’s to the war on boring content.
– Jake
P.S. Follow me on Twitter for more title tips @jthomas__
P.P.S. If you want to see all of the videos from Creator Hooks in one place, check out Creator Hooks Pro.