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 use a title generator that uses all the titles ever featured in Creator Hooks, check out Creator Hooks Pro.
Oh stoppp
Title: 12 Signs You’re More Attractive Than You Think
Framework: 12 Signs (Entity) Is More (Desirable Attribute) Than You Think
Hook score: +302
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 – Everybody woudl love to be more attractive than they think.
Curiosity – “More Attractive Than You Think” makes you feel like there’s something you don’t know.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about the signs things are better than they thought.
Examples of this framework in action:
- 12 Signs You’re A Better Mom Than You Think
- 7 Stats Prove Jalen Brunson Is Better Than Everyone Thinks
Cabby Cuisine
Title: Where Do NYC Cab Drivers Eat?
Framework: Where Do (People With Credibility) (Activity)?
Hook score: +317
Why this works:
Credibility – NYC Cab Drivers have lots of credibility when it comes to living in NYC, so where they eat makes you feel like you’re learning where the real locals eat.
Desire – This channel’s audience wants to know where local New Yorkers eat.
Curiosity – This title builds curiosity by asking a question.
How you can use this framework: Ask where people with credibility do the thing your audience wants to do.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Who is Jeff Bezos’ Business Coach?
- Where do MLB Players get off-season hitting lessons?
Get Your Personal YouTube Coach
vidIQ just launched their AI Personal YouTube coach to help you grow your channel.
It can help you:
- Come up with video ideas
- Write better titles
- Write your video script
- Write your tags and description
- And more
If you wanna give it a try, you can get a 30-day trial for just $1 here:
(Affiliate link)
How Embarrassing
Title: What Is Out of Style in 2024 and What to Wear Instead
Framework: What Is (Unpopular) in (Current Year) and What to (Activity) Instead
Hook score: +391
Why this works:
Negativity – Nobody wants to wear out-of-style clothes, so this title leverages that fear.
Timeliness – This video was published at the beginning of 2024 when people were considering what was in style
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience what’s not popular now, and what to do instead.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Which Crops Don’t Grow Well In The Summer and What to Plant Instead
- Which California Cities Are Decreasing In Value in 2024 and Where to Live Instead
Speed is King
Title: The mindset that changed my life IMMEDIATELY
Framework: The (Entity) that (Achieved Goal) IMMEDIATELY
Hook score: +1111
Why this works:
Desire – This leverages desire two ways: 1) Many people want to change their life. 2) Speed is important to everybody, so “IMMEDIATELY” increases the desire here.
Curiosity – This opens a loop and makes you wonder what this mindset is.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about something that changed your life (or achieved another goal) fast.
Examples of this framework in action:
- The free tool that changed my art IMMEDIATELY
- The mindset that changed my career IMMEDIATELY
Innocent Face, But —
Title: The Most Terrifying Man of the Vietnam War
Framework: The Most Terrifying (Entity) of the (Event)
Hook score: +2435
Why this works:
Extreme – Telling stories about extreme things, like “The Most Terrifying Man,” often make an interesting video.
Negativity – People love dramatic and terrifying stories like this.
Curiosity – The man’s face in the thumbnail looks pretty innocent, so the contrast between his innocent-looking face and the title builds lots of interest and curiosity.
How you can use this framework: Tell the story of the most terrifying thing or person in a specific situation.
Examples of this framework in action:
- The Most Terrifying Neighborhood in New York City
- The Most Terrifying Movie Scene In History
Flop of the Week
Title: The Crazy Soldier that Attacked One of Hitler’s Biggest Weapons
Hook score: -88
Why this flopped: This title is too watered down, complicated and vague.
“One of Hitler’s Biggest Weapons” isn’t as cool as “Hitler’s Biggest Weapon” (read the note from the title above about being extreme).
I’m not saying they need to lie and say it’s the biggest weapon, just that they might wanna take a different angle here, or consider not making this video if the idea isn’t strong enough.
Plus, what is “One of Hitler’s Biggest Weapons”? Curiosity is strongest when you think you might know the answer, and it’s weakest when you definitely know the answer or have no idea what the answer is at all.
It might be because I’m not really into this niche, but in this case, I have no idea what the answer is at all. Is it a person? An actual weapon? A group of people? The title and thumbnail aren’t helping me here.
Here are two other angles we could take:
We could use contrast: “The Low-Level Soldier Who Changed The Entire War”
Or we could model the successful title above: “The Most Terrifying Mission of WW2”
(I haven’t watched this video, so these may be inaccurate, but I just wanted to show you some other ways of thinking about titles.)
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 see all of the videos from Creator Hooks in one place, check out Creator Hooks Pro.