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.
Anti-Aging Is Expensive
Title: I Tried Bryan Johnsons $2,000,000 Anti-Aging Routine
Formula: I Tried (Authority Figure)’s $(Expensive) Anti-(Problem) Routine
Hook score: +332
Why this works:
Curiosity – This builds curiosity because it starts a story and makes you wonder how trying the routine went.
Number – Big numbers grab the audience’s attention in titles because they’re pattern interrupts (titles are typically made up of mostly words).
Epic – The big number also makes this video feel more epic.
Desire – Almost everybody wants an anti-aging solution.
Authority – Bryan Johnson is getting more and more popular for his weird anti-aging stuff, so dropping his name helped get more people interested in this video.
How you can use this hook: Try an authority figure’s epic routine to help accomplish a goal.
Examples of this hook in action:
- I Tried LeBron James’ $100,000 Anti-Gravity Workout
- I Tried Jeff Bezos’ $145 BILLION Morning Routine
Unlimited Pho
Title: What Can $1,000 Get in VIETNAM (World’s Cheapest Country)
Formula: What Can $1,000 Get in [Place] (World’s Cheapest [Entity])
Hook score: +546
Why this works:
Curiosity – This title opens a question in the audience’s mind and gets them wondering what $1,000 will get you in Vietnam.
Extreme – This video is so much more interesting because it’s about the “world’s cheapest country,” not just a pretty cheap country.
How you can use this hook: Show your audience what a certain amount of money gets you somewhere.
Examples of this hook in action:
- What Can $1,000 Get in Dollar Tree (World’s Cheapest Store)
- What Can $1,000 Get on eBay (World’s Biggest Auction)
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Brown Ketchup?
Title: This is REAL Ketchup and its Mind Blowing
Formula: This is REAL (Object) and its Mind Blowing
Hook score: +677
Why this works:
Curiosity – This video’s packaging is counterintuitive. The brown stuff is clearly not ketchup, but the thumbnail text and title make you wonder if maybe it actually is ketchup, so you have to click to find out.
Later in this email, there’s actually another video that used the exact same strategy.
How you can use this hook: Show your audience something that is not what they’re expecting.
Examples of this hook in action:
- This is a REAL Camera and its Mind Blowing
- This Makes $1,000,000/Year and its Cheap
End of the Road
Title: He lived (and died) through every Backpacker’s WORST Nightmare…
Formula: He lived (and died) through every [Occupation]’s WORST Nightmare…
Hook score: +1198
Why this works:
Negativity – This title is full of fear, which does a great job at getting people to click.
Curiosity – This title opens a loop and makes you wonder what exactly is a backpacker’s worst nightmare (and what happened to this guy?).
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience the dramatic story of how somebody in your niche lived and died through their worst nightmare.
Examples of this hook in action:
- He survived every Investor’s WORST Nightmare…
- She lived (and died) through every Actress’s WORST Nightmare…
Hammer Time
Title: The Hammer, Reinvented.
Formula: The (Object), Reinvented.
Hook score: +4740
Why this works:
Curiosity – The thumbnail is counterintuitive. It definitely doesn’t look like a hammer, but when you read the title, you wonder if maybe this is the hammer of the future.
New Opportunity – People love new things and this video is apparently about a new hammer.
How you can use this hook: Show your audience an object or tool that isn’t what they’re expecting.
Examples of this hook in action:
- The Receptionist, Reinvented.
- The Football, Reinvented.
Flop of the Week
Title: 5 FATAL Mistakes that left this hiker Stranded until Death (learn from them)
Hook score: -93
Why this flopped: Most of the videos that do well on this channel are entertaining stories:
- “The Most Horrific Crime In National Park History” (329K views)
- “The Strangest Death in the History of Backpacking” (492K views)
- “He lived (and died) through every Backpacker’s WORST Nightmare…” (3M views)
Educational lists, like this one, don’t seem to do as well.
This channel isn’t that bad (they only have 2 content formats), but I’ve seen many creators treat their channels like a content dumping ground. (I think I got this term from @jamierawsthorne.) They post podcasts, tutorials, vlogs, and whatever else they create on their channel.
If it were me, I’d double down on what’s working by creating just one content format, and stop doing everything else.
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.