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.
Btw, if you want to save more time and see all of the titles and thumbnails from Creator Hooks in one place, check out Creator Hooks Pro.
Spaghetti Remix
Title: Italian Chef Reacts to Filipino Chef Cooking Spaghetti 3 Different Ways
Framework: (Person) Reacts to (Adjacent Person Doing Contrasting Activity)
Hook score: +337
Why this works:
Curiosity – The contrast of Filipino chef cooking an Italian dish builds curiosity and makes this video more interesting.
Authority – Since this creator is an Italian Chef, he has lots of authority when it comes to cooking spaghetti, so you trust his opinion and want to watch this video more.
How you can use this framework: If you’re an expert, react to somebody who’s not an expert in your field trying something you’re good at.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Rapper Reacts to Country Artist Singing Over Hip Hop Beat
- Movie Director Reacts to Popular YouTube Videos
No Name No Problem
Title: I Created an Anonymous Rapper to “Prove its not Luck”
Framework: I Created an Anonymous (Entity) to “Prove its not Luck”
Hook score: +372
Why this works:
Curiosity – This title builds so much curiosity because it starts a story and makes you want to know what happened.
Credibility – Creating an “anonymous” rapper makes you feel like this will be a legitimate challenge that leads to a (hopefully) replicable result.
Refute Objection – A lot of people who want to be music artists probably think it’s luck that other people have made it, so this title tackles that objection head on.
How you can use this framework: Create an anonymous project and show your audience how it’s done.
Examples of this framework in action:
- I Created an Anonymous YouTube Channel to “Prove its not Luck”
- I Started A Real Estate Company From Scratch to “Prove its not Luck”
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In The Zone
Title: I Tried Zone 2 Training for 3 Months. This Happened
Framework: I Tried (Trend) for 3 Months. This Happened
Hook score: +509
Why this works:
Curiosity – This title opens a loop and makes you want to know what happened.
Timeliness – Zone 2 Training is trending right now, so this video rides that wave.
Time Frame – Trying something for a specific time frame makes the video more interesting because it’s more tangible and you know exactly what this video is about. The time frame also helps with this next point.
Credibility – Since he actually did zone 2 training for 3 months it makes this video more believable.
How you can use this framework: Try a trending thing for a time and share what happened.
Examples of this framework in action:
- I Tried Decluttering for 3 Months. This Happened
- I Posted a YouTube Short Every Day for 30 Days. This Happened
If It’s Free It’s For Me
Title: 10 Free AI Animation Tools: Bring Images to Life
Framework: 10 Free (Trend) Tools: (Action)
Hook score: +514
Why this works:
List – Lists make videos feel more tangible (you know exactly what the video will be about) and they add some curiosity.
Desire – Not only is this creator’s interested in AI tools, but everybody loves free tools.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about a list of free tools they can use.
Examples of this framework in action:
- 10 Free Fitness Tools: Get Shredded Fast
- 10 Free Lightroom Presets: Take Beatiful Pictures Fast
Grass Isn’t Always Greener
Title: Struggles of African Immigrant Working in Canada
Framework: Struggles of (Specific Situation)
Hook score: +39833
Why this works:
This video was a massive breakout from a new channel and I’m not *exactly* sure why it did so well, but I have a few theories:
Negativity – People love negativity and drama. Talking about struggles and how a country isn’t worth it definitely fits that.
Confirmation – A lot of people in the comments are essentially saying “Yes, I know! This has been my experience too.” When you confirm what lots of people are thinking, but may not be openly talked about, they’ll want to watch and comment.
Specific Audience – When you go too specific on YouTube it’s easy to have too small of a potential audience. But people living in Canada, Africans, and immigrants seem to rally around this video saying this is what they’re feeling. If you (and the YouTube algorithm) can find a specific audience that has strong feelings about your content, you can win big.
How you can use this framework: Talk about the struggles of a specific group of people.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Struggles of New Moms After Giving Birth
- Struggles of Christians In A Sinful Society
P.S. Big thanks to this creator, Iram, who reads Creator Hooks and sent this to me!
Flop of the Week
Title: 7 Generative Fill Techniques You Need To Try
Hook score: -96
Why this flopped: I don’t think there was one major reason this video flopped, but a combination of several reasons:
- This video is for Photoshop users. Photoshop is a paid tool, while Midjourney, ChatGPT, and many other AI tools he mentions in his channel are free to use. It’s possible his audience is more into free tools than paid tools.
- The title is a little bland. He could spice it up by saying this video is for beginners, it’ll help people make images fast, they don’t have to have any graphic design experience, etc.
- The thumbnail is kinda boring. It’s just the Photoshop beta logo, no really cool showing of what it can do. (Yes, it technically shows what generative fill can do, but in a boring and nonobvious way.) Plus, his face is not in the thumbnail. This is important because when you look at his channel, this thumbnail doesn’t really look like it fits the rest of his channel, and he appears to have a pretty strong brand (so putting his face in the thumbnail would probably help).
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 with 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 see all of the videos from Creator Hooks in one place, check out Creator Hooks Pro.