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. You can now bookmark ideas straight from this newsletter into Creator Hooks by clicking the “Bookmark this video” link below each thumbnail.
Reliable Rankings
Title: Engineer Ranks Every Car Brand BEST To WORST For Reliability
Framework: (Authority Figure) Ranks Every (Entity) BEST To WORST For (Attribute)
Outlier score: 12.2x
Why this works:
Authority – The fact that this is an engineer ranking these car brands builds trust.
Desire – This creator’s audience is interested in reliable car brands.
Negativity – Nobody wants an unreliable car, so dropping in “WORST” grabs the audience’s attention.
How you can use this framework: Have an authority figure rank every option of something in your niche from best to worst on a specific attribute.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Doctor Ranks Every Fast Food Chain BEST To WORST For Healthiness
- Flight Attendant Ranks Every Airline BEST To WORST
Stupid but Genius
Title: This Stupid Trick Helped Me Play Everywhere On The Guitar!
Framework: This Stupid Trick Helped Me (Achieve goal)!
Outlier score: 22.5x
Why this works:
Desire – This creator’s audience would love to play the guitar better.
Curiosity – It’s counterintuitive that a stupid trick would have a big benefit.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about a stupid trick that helps you achieve a goal.
Examples of this framework in action:
- This Stupid Trick Gave Me Unlimited Motivation
- This Stupid Trick Added 20 Yards To My Driver Swing
New in Creator Hooks
You can now create projects in Creator Hooks!
You can add all of these items to a project:
- Chats
- Titles and thumbnail text
- Studio workspaces
- And bookmarked videos
This will help you keep all ideas and inspiration for each video organized in the right place so you can save time and create better videos.
You can create a project here or sign up for Creator Hooks for free here.
The Magic Moment
Title: Your DOG Waits Their WHOLE LIFE For You to DO THIS! (Don’t Betray Them)
Framework: [Entity] Waits [Long Time] For You to DO THIS! ([Warning])
Outlier score: 42.6x
Why this works:
Curiosity – This opens a loop and makes you want to know what “THIS” is.
High Stakes – “Your DOG Waits Their WHOLE LIFE” does a great job of making this thing feel important.
Negativity – This ends with a warning to add even more stakes to this video.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience that there’s a huge buildup for a single action, and end with a warning about what happens if they don’t do it.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Your WIFE Waits Her WHOLE LIFE For You to SAY THIS! (Don’t Disappoint Her)
- I Waited My WHOLE Life To See This City (It Was Worth It)
From Dreamer to Doer
Title: I DREAM BIG BUT DO NOTHING. the neuroscience behind why & how to fix
Framework: (Problem). the neuroscience behind why & how to fix
Outlier score: 47.9x
Why this works:
Negativity – This starts off with a relatable problem to grab the right audience’s attention.
Authority – Instead of just “how to fix it”, this title builds trust by promising to explain the neuroscience behind it.
How you can use this framework: Grab your audience’s attention by stating a relatable problem, then promise to explain the science behind it.
Examples of this framework in action:
- I FISH FOR HOURS BUT NEVER CATCH ANYTHING. the science behind why & how to fix it
- I’VE PLANTED DOZENS OF CROPS BUT THEY NEVER GROW. the science behind why & how to fix it
A little Birdie told me
Title: What Larry Bird Told Caitlin Clark Changed Everything
Framework: What (Authority Figure) Told (Other Authority Figure) Changed Everything
Outlier score: 95x
Why this works:
Curiosity – This builds curiosity in two ways:
- It makes you wonder what he told her.
- “Changed Everything” is open-ended, so it makes you wonder what changed.
Authority – This doubles up on authority figures with Larry Bird and Caitlin Clark.
Epic – In addition to building curiosity, “Changed Everything” also gives this video an epic feeling.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about how what one authority figure told another has changed everything.
Examples of this framework in action:
- What Peter Thiel Told Elon Musk Changed Everything
- What My College Professor Told Me About Studying Changed Everything
Flop of the Week
Title: Just Got a Guitar? Start Here
Outlier score: 0.11x
Why this flopped: This title does one thing really well: it targets beginners. They’re the biggest, hungriest part of every audience.
But why did it get so few views?
There could be a million reasons, but I think the title could be a little better. Here are some ideas:
“The Best Guitar Lesson For Beginners In 2026”
This a little plain, but 1) the video was published at the very end of 2025, when 2026 was on everybody’s mind and 2) it’s more clear and straightforward, which is fine in this case because it’s a proven idea.
“The 8 Minute Guitar Lesson Every Beginner Needs To Watch”
Time frames and the word “Every” have proven to do very well on YouTube.
“I Wish Somebody Told Me This When I First Tried To Learn Guitar”
The other two titles above are more straightforward, but if that’s not working, like maybe because this idea is too competitive right now, then we could try something like this that focuses more on building curiosity.
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.