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.
Photo Perfection
Title: Learn This And People Will Obsess Over Your Photos
Framework: Learn This And People Will Obsess Over Your (Creation)
Outlier score: 5x
Why this works:
Desire – This creator’s audience would love for people to obsess over their photos.
Curiosity – This opens a loop and makes you want to know what “this” is.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience that they can “learn this” to achieve a goal.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Learn This And Playing The Guitar Will Be Easy
- Learn This And People Will Obsess Over Your Cupcakes
Buyer Beware
Title: NEVER Buy a Home Before Checking This (I’m a Lawyer)
Framework: NEVER [Activity] Before Checking This ([Credibility statement])
Outlier score: 8.31x
Why this works:
Negativity – This grabs your attention with a warning.
Curiosity – This opens a loop and makes you want to know what “this” is.
Authority – This woman tells you why you should listen to her by dropping in “(I’m a Lawyer)” at the end.
How you can use this framework: Warn your audience not to do something before you check “this”, and explain why you’re worth listening to by dropping in some credibility.
Examples of this framework in action:
- NEVER Open a Credit Card Before Checking This (I’m an Accountant)
- NEVER Buy a Used Car Before Checking This (I’m a Mechanic)
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
Sistene Secrets
Title: 6 Mysteries Of The Genius Michelangelo That Scientists Still Can’t Explain
Framework: 6 Mysteries Of (Subject) That Scientists Still Can’t Explain
Outlier score: 12.6x
Why this works:
List – Lists make videos feel more tangible (you know exactly what the video will be about), and they add some curiosity.
Curiosity – “Mysteries” and “Scientists Still Can’t Explain” both add to the curiosity here.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about a list of mysteries (or other similar thing) that authority figures still can’t explain.
Examples of this framework in action:
- 7 Mysteries Of Ancient Egyptians That Archaeologists Still Can’t Explain
- 6 Mysteries Of The Deep Ocean That Scientists Still Can’t Explain
Ninja Notes
Title: THIS Apple Notes Feature Helps You Remember ANYTHING!
Framework: THIS (Tool) Helps You (Achieve big goal)!
Outlier score: 64.7x
Why this works:
Desire – This creator’s audience would love to remember anything.
Curiosity – This opens a loop and makes you want to know what “this” is.
Epic – “ANYTHING” hypes up this title and makes it feel more interesting and desirable.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about a feature or tool that helps you achieve an epic goal.
Examples of this framework in action:
- THIS New Table Saw Cuts Wood Like Butter
- THIS Canva Feature Helps You Design ANYTHING!
ELI5
Title: Calculus Explained Like You Are 5 Years Old
Framework: (Complicated subject) Explained Like You Are 5 Years Old
Outlier score: 73.4x
Why this works:
Desire – This creator’s audience wants to learn calculus, but in a simple way.
Curiosity – The contrast between “calculus” and “explained like you are 5 years old” builds some curiosity because they’re so different.
How you can use this framework: Explain something complex like the audience is 5.
Examples of this framework in action:
- The AI Electricity Problem Explained Like You Are 5 Years Old
- Peptides Explained Like You Are 5 Years Old
Flop of the Week
Title: Photoshop Basics: 3 Tools You Need In Your Workflow
Outlier score: 0.16x
Why this flopped: Here’s a similar title that did well for this channel: “How To Make Your Colors Feel Right (Lightroom Tutorial)” (84K views).
The video that did well leads with an outcome, but this one just focuses on the tool, so that could be a reason it didn’t do well.
Here are some other options following the strategy of focusing on the outcome:
“How To Turn Ordinary Photos Beautiful (Photoshop Tutorial)”
“The Only 3 Photoshop Tools You Need To Make Beautiful Photos”
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.