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.
See me in action
Title: Turning CONCEPTS into CHARACTERS! | Narrative Academy
Framework: Turning (Something amorphous) into (Something tangible)!
Outlier score: 4.1x
Why this works:
Curiosity – The transformation of concepts (something intangible) to characters (something tangible) builds curiosity and interest. It also shows progress, which people like.
How you can use this framework: Take something intangible and make it tangible.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Turning LEFTOVERS into 5 Star Meals!
- Turning SCRAPS into Amazing Outfits
The European Mind Cannot Comprehend
Title: Europeans Can’t Believe How Impossible It Is to Invade the USA
Framework: (Group) Can’t Believe How Impossible It Is to (Polarizing activity)
Outlier score: 6.2x
Why this works:
Curiosity – This builds curiosity and makes you wonder how impossible this topic actually is.
Epic – “Can’t Believe How Impossible” gives this video a bit of an epic feeling.
Negativity – Invading the USA is a controversial, polarizing topic, which does a great job of grabbing people’s attention.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience that one group can’t believe something polarizing about another group.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Historians Can’t Believe How Brutal the Roman Empire Was
- College Players Can’t Believe How Impossible The MLB Is
Do This Before You Publish Your Next Video
The best YouTubers create multiple titles and thumbnails and compare how they look together BEFORE they publish their videos.
Creator Hooks’ Studio feature lets you do just that, plus:
- See how they actually look on YouTube next to other videos
- See how your combos will look on different devices
- Give you different views of your thumbnail to simulate how people will look at it (like the blur test and the tiny test)
You can use this tool for free here: https://app.creatorhooks.com/studio
Getting spicy
Title: Motor Doping IS Possible. We’ve Done It.
Framework: (Cheating) IS Possible. We’ve Done It.
Outlier score: 6.2x
Why this works:
Negativity – Doping and cheating are controversial topics that grab people’s attention.
Curiosity – This builds curiosity in two ways:
- It challenges assumption that motor doping isn’t possible.
- It makes you wonder what the results were.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience that cheating is possible and you’ve done it.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Cheating the YouTube Algorithm IS possible. We’ve Done It.
- Brainwashing People IS possible. We’ve Done It.
Gimme all of it
Title: Career Strategy For People With Too Many Interests
Framework: (Entity) Strategy For (People with specific problem)
Outlier score: 9.2x
Why this works:
Specific audience – This calls out a very specific group of people and makes them feel like this video was made just for them.
Desire – Many people are looking for help with their careers.
How you can use this framework: Give your audience strategy for people who struggle with a specific problem or are in a specific situation.
Examples of this framework in action:
- The Best National Parks For People Who Love Hiking But Hate Crowds
- Dating strategy for people who’ve never had a relationship
Stunning chap
Title: This 13-Year-Old Refuses to Wear Modern Clothes
Framework: This (Person) Refuses to (Activity you’d assume they’d do)
Outlier score: 19.7x
Why this works:
Curiosity – This kid is unexpected and unique, and both of those attributes build curiosity. It’s counterintuitive that a teenager wouldn’t wear modern clothes.
Also, the contrasting image of the young kid in old school clothes adds to the curiosity.
Negativity – “Refuses” is a great word that adds conflict to this video.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about the person who refuses to do something we assume they would do.
Examples of this framework in action:
- This Millionaire Refuses to Invest In The Stock Market
- This Rock Star Refuses To Listen To Popular Music
Flop of the Week
Title: Making my characters CUTER!
Outlier score: 0.36x
Why this flopped: I don’t really have data behind this, but here’s my hunch: people don’t want improvements on things, they want something totally new.
“Cuter” is meh because people are attracted to different things, not slight improvements on the same thing.
I’m wondering if “Making my nice characters EVIL” would’ve done better because there’s more contrast. (I know this isn’t what this video is about, but this is more along the lines of what I’m thinking would work better here.)
Or “Small tweaks that Totally Changed My Characters Vibe” (again, contrast).
Or even “Making my characters HOT AF!” (this may not be her vibe, but it might’ve done better because it’s bolder).
Putting this into different context, a video titled “Making my YouTube videos BETTER!” likely wouldn’t do as well as “This Changed My YouTube Channel Forever”.
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.