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 Unchangeable Changes
Title: Why Earth’s Rotation Speed is Changing
Framework: Why (Unchanging thing) is Changing
Hook score: +312
Why this works:
Curiosity – This builds curiosity in two ways:
- It’s counterintuitive because most of us would assume Earth’s rotation speed would never change.
- It opens a loop because it doesn’t specify how it’s changing or what the effects of it are.
Also, “Change” is just one of those topics that humans are wired to pay attention to. Back in the caveman days, changes in our environment could have meant life or death, so we needed to notice them.
How you can use this framework: Explain why something that seemingly shouldn’t change is changing.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Why Stable Jobs Are Collapsing
- Why Traditional Investment Strategies Don’t Work Anymore
5 Minutes to Foxy
Title: 5-Minute No Foundation Makeup With Just 5 Products | Quick & Easy Everyday Look
Framework: 5-Minute No (Typical, but unwanted tactic) (Activity) With (Constraint) | Quick & Easy (Entity)
Hook score: +920
Why this works:
Time Frame – The time frame of 5 minutes makes this more tangible and desirable.
Constraint – The constraints of this makeup only requiring 5 products, not requiring any foundation, and only taking 5 minutes, make it more interesting and appealing.
List – The list of 5 products adds curiosity because you want to know what they are.
Refute Objection – If you don’t like foundation, this title gets rid of that objection by promising you don’t need it.
Desire – This creator’s audience is into makeup, and “Quick & Easy” adds to the desire.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about something they’re into that’s short, only requires a few things, and doesn’t require something they’d expect it to require, but don’t want it to.
Examples of this framework in action:
- 10-Minute No-Equipment Workout With Just 4 Moves | Quick & Easy Home Routine
- 5-Minute No-Bake Dessert With Just 4 Items | Quick & Easy Sweet Treat
Write Better Titles & Get More Views
I A/B tested 103 YouTube titles and put all the results into an ebook.
You’ll see:
- The original title
- The test titles
- The before and after CTR
- And why the results turned out the way they did
Here’s a sample page:
If you want to see all 103 test results and breakdowns so you can increase your CTR and grow your channel, get the ebook here.
Perfect Parking
Title: This One Parking Trick Works EVERY Time.
Framework: This One (Activity) Trick Works EVERY Time.
Hook score: +2152
Why this works:
Constraint – The fact that this is about just one trick makes you more interested in the trick and increases the value of it. It also makes for an easier decision to watch this video — you just need to learn about one trick to help your parking, not a list of 20.
Curiosity – This opens a loop and makes you wonder what the trick is.
Desire – This creator’s audience is into parking tricks.
Absolute – Words like “Every”, “Any”, “Always”, and “Never” often work great on YouTube because people are drawn to strong, bold opinions.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about one trick that works every time.
Examples of this framework in action:
- This One Guitar Trick Sounds Great EVERY Time.
- This One Golf Swing Trick Works EVERY Time.
Skinny Secrets
Title: This Walking Secret Melts Belly Fat After 50 (No Hard Cardio)
Framework: This [Easy activity] Secret [Achieves big goal] [Specific Audience] (No [Unwanted, but typically necessary activity])
Hook score: +2550
Why this works:
Desire – This leverages desire in two ways:
- Most people would love to melt belly fat.
- Doing something easy like walking to melt belly fat sounds incredible.
Curiosity – Making videos about secrets is a simple, but effective way to build curiosity.
Specific Audience – When you call out a specific audience, like “After 50”, it makes them feel like your video was made specifically for them, and they’re more likely to click.
Refute Objection – Many people don’t want to do hard cardio to lose weight, but this title gets rid of that objection by promising “No Hard Cardio.”
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about a simple activity secret that can help a specific group achieve a goal. Then at the end, promise they don’t have to do something they hate doing, but in many cases, have to do to achieve that goal.
Examples of this framework in action:
- This Listening Secret Prevents Divorces For Frustrated Couples (No Therapy Sessions)
- This Sleep Secret Reduces Wrinkles After 45 (No Botox)
Unemployed 4 Lyfe
Title: NEVER Say This in a Job Interview (or You’re DONE)
Framework: NEVER [Activity] This in a [High stakes situation] (or You’re DONE)
Hook score: +9783
Why this works:
Negativity – Warnings like this do a great job of grabbing the audience’s attention.
Curiosity – This opens a loop and makes you wonder what “This” is.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience to never do something in a high-stakes situation, but build curiosity by not specifying what it is they’re not supposed to do.
Examples of this framework in action:
- NEVER Do This When Listing Your Home For Sale (or You’re DONE)
- NEVER Do This When Visiting Europe (or You’re DONE)
Flop of the Week
Title: Stop Guessing! Use This Cabin Trick to Avoid Scratches
Hook score: -74
Why this flopped: The very first thing that came to my mind when I read this was, “What am I guessing at?”
I didn’t have any context when I first read “Stop Guessing!” and the exclamation mark told me that the first sentence was over, so for a split second, I was confused. Definitely not the first emotion you want someone to experience when they read your title.
Unfortunately, as I kept reading, I got even more confused. I haven’t really heard the term “Cabin” much in reference to cars. I know what it means, but it’s just not a term I hear that often, so it took me a second to understand what I was reading.
I’m not necessarily a car guy, so maybe I’m not the right audience, but ideally, your title is easily understood by everybody.
So there are two things I’d fix here:
- I’d remove the “Stop Guessing!” part of the title and just get straight to the meat of it.
- I’d swap out “cabin trick” for a word or term more people are familiar with, like “hood trick” or “windshield trick.”
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.