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.
Harsh Highlights
Title: 40 Harsh Truths I Wish I Knew In My 20s
Framework: 40 Harsh Truths I Wish I Knew (Past state)
Hook score: +361
Why this works:
List – Lists make videos feel more tangible (you know exactly what the video will be about) and they add some curiosity.
Regret – “I Wish I Knew” brings a feeling of regret, which is one of the most effective emotions on YouTube.
Specific Audience – If you’re in your 20s, you feel like this video was made for you, so you’re more likely to click.
Fear – “Harsh” brings a little bit of fear about these truths here, which increases the stakes of this video.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about harsh truths you wish you knew in your past. Bonus points: Prove why you’re worth listening to in your thumbnail.
Examples of this framework in action:
- 7 Harsh Truths I Wish I Knew Before I Moved To Las Vegas
- 40 Harsh Truths I Wish I Knew As A Young Dad
Simply Straight
Title: To Hit Driver Straight Always Do This Before Every Swing
Framework: To Hit (Achieve Goal) Always Do This Before Every (Action)
Hook score: +393
Why this works:
Desire – This creator’s audience would love to always hit their driver straight.
Curiosity – This opens a loop and makes you want to know what “This” is.
Moment – Talking about a specific moment, like “Before Every Swing” in this case, builds even more curiosity and makes this title more interesting.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience that if they want to achieve a goal, always do “this” before they start.
Examples of this framework in action:
- To Bake Perfect Bread Always Do This Before Putting It In The Oven
- To Stop Being Shy Around Girls, Always Do This Before Going Out
- Write better YouTube titles
- Grow your channel
- Save time
Check out Creator Hooks Pro here.
P.S. Here’s a big win from a Creator Hooks Pro customer:
“The Creator Hooks Pro title generator gave me inspiration for this title and it’s made $4,850 in adsense alone.”
– Jeff Hampton, Hampton Law, 360K Subscribers
lolz
Title: Women getting upset at men doing what they asked for
Framework: (Group) getting (Unexpected emotion) at (Requested activity)
Hook score: +412
Why this works:
Curiosity & Humor – This title builds curiosity and humor because it’s counterintuitive. If men do what the women ask for, wouldn’t they be happy instead of upset?
How you can use this framework: Make an ironic statement about somebody getting upset about getting what they wanted.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Clients getting upset at designers doing what they asked for
- Twitter users getting upset at Twitter for doing what they asked for
8 Mistakes
Title: 8 Things You Should NEVER Do AFTER Uploading a YouTube Video
Framework: 8 Things You Should NEVER Do AFTER (Activity)
Hook score: +884
Why this works:
List – Lists make videos feel more tangible (you know exactly what the video will be about) and they add some curiosity.
Negativity – Warnings like this do a great job of grabbing the audience’s attention and getting them to click.
Moment – Videos about specific moments, like “AFTER Uploading a YouTube Video” in this case, builds curiosity and makes this title more interesting.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about things they should never do in a specific moment.
Examples of this framework in action:
- 8 Things You Should NEVER Do AFTER Your Workout
- 8 Things You Should NEVER Do While Traveling In Europe
Michael Scott:
Title: A Once in a Lifetime Economic Reset is Coming.
Framework: A Once in a Lifetime (Epic event) is Coming.
Hook score: +924
Why this works:
Epic – “Once in a Lifetime” makes this topic feel epic.
Curiosity – Talking about things that are coming in the future is a simple way to build curiosity because: 1) nobody knows what the future holds, and 2) everybody wants to know what the future holds.
Negativity – “Economic Reset” has a negative connotation here (and the thumbnail emphasizes that), and people eat up scary, dramatic events.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about a once-in-a-lifetime thing that’s coming soon.
Examples of this framework in action:
- A Once in a Lifetime Technology Shift is Coming
- A Once-in-a-Century Age Reversal is Coming
Flop of the Week
Title: The US is Falling Behind…
Hook score: -70
Why this flopped: This is a tough one. It seems to be relatively on par with the other titles on this channel, but my guess is there’s one small difference.
If somebody told me my baby was ugly, I wouldn’t listen to them. I don’t wanna hear it. I think that’s what’s happening here.
I’m guessing this audience is proud Americans and they don’t want to hear the US is falling behind.
Instead, it might be better to go with something more neutral, but still curiosity-building, like: “The US Economy Is About To Change Forever…”
We could also use negativity, but just be negative about something else: “The Next 3 Months Look Terrifying…”
These ideas still gets the same thought across without insulting the audience’s baby.
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.