My 5 Greatest YouTube Titles of All Time

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.

The Secret of Strength

Jesus explains thumbnail

Title: Jesus Explained the Secret to Being Resilient and Strong in Life

Framework: (Authority Figure) Explained the Secret To (Goal)

Hook score: +311

Why this works:

Authority – Jesus is an authority figure that this audience looks up to.

Desire – This channel’s audience would love to be more resilient and strong in life.

Curiosity – People love secrets and positioning your video as revealing a secret is a great way to build curiosity.

How you can use this framework: Reveal a secret to achieving a goal explained by an authority figure in your niche.

Examples of this framework in action:

  • Elon Musk Explained the Secret to Thinking BIG In Business
  • Taylor Swift Explains the Secret to Building A Cult Following

Get 30 Title Ideas in 30 Seconds

  • Beat blank page syndrome
  • Quit writing the same boring titles
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Get Creator Hooks Pro here

“Creator Hooks Pro’s title generator helped with this title and this one video has made $3,000 in Adsense alone.”

– Gjeebs, 209K subscribers

Hidden History

events that aren't taught in schools thumbnail

Title: Astonishing Historical Events that Aren’t Taught in Schools

Framework: (Epic Entities) that Aren’t Taught in Schools

Hook score: +342

Why this works:

Epic – “Astonishing Historial Events” gives this video an epic feeling.

Curiosity – “that Aren’t Taught in Schools” brings some secrecy and FOMO. This makes you wonder what the events are and why they aren’t taught in schools.

How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about epic things that aren’t taught in schools.

Examples of this framework in action:

  • Genius Study Tricks that Aren’t Taught in Schools
  • Millionaire Money Secrets that Aren’t Taught in Schools

Greatest Hits

air fry recipes thumbnail

Title: My 10 Greatest Air Fryer Recipes of All Time

Framework: My 10 Greatest (Entities) of All Time

Hook score: +474

Why this works:

List – Lists make videos feel more tangible (you know exactly what the video will be about) and they add some curiosity.

Epic – “Greatest of All Time” gives this video an epic feeling.

Desire – This creator’s audience loves air fryer recipes.

How you can use this framework: Give your audience a list of your “Greatest of All Time” things.

Examples of this framework in action:

  • My 10 Greatest Cleaning Hacks of All Time
  • My 10 Greatest Productivity Secrets of All Time

Expert Opinion

firearms expert thumbnail

Title: Firearms Expert Reacts To S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Franchise Guns

Framework: (Niche) Expert Reacts To (Trending Entity)

Hook score: +511

Why this works:

Authority – People love hearing expert opinions on what they’re working on or are interested in.

Timeliness – This video was published right around the time another S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game was released.

How you can use this framework: Get an authority figure’s reaction to something in your niche that’s currently trending.

Examples of this framework in action:

  • Copywriting Expert Reacts To AI Sales Pages
  • Personal Trainer Reacts To Horrible New Year’s Resolutions

Tight Tush

firm butt and legs thumbnail

Title: 3 Simple Moves to Firm Your Butt and Legs

Framework: 3 Simple (Activities) to (Achieve Goal)

Hook score: +1157

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 – This leverages desire two ways:

  1. This creator’s audience wants to firm their butt and legs.
  2. People love short lists of simple things.

How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about 3 simple things they can do to achieve a goal.

Examples of this framework in action:

  • 3 Simple Hacks to Grow your LinkedIn
  • 3 Simple Tricks to Save Money on Flights in 2025

A/B Test of the Week

ab test results

Many people try too hard when trying to build curiosity in their titles.

They use too many words and exclamation marks when in reality they’re often better off using simpler, but more emotional titles.

In this example, we swapped out a cliche (“hidden in plain sight”) with some FOMO (“Most Tourists Miss”).

We also simplified it by removing the word “Curious” in the beginning of the title, which made it a little easier to read.

If you want to see 100+ other test results like this, you can ​​​get the 103 YouTube AB tests ebook here​​​.

And if you want to run your own A/B tests, I used ​​​thumbnailtest.com​​​ to run this test (affiliate link).

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 Pro.

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