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.
P.S. Last month I ran 103 YouTube Title A/B tests to see how the strategies I’ve shared in this newsletter work.
See what happened here.
Dog Days
Title: Not My Best Day As A Dog Breeder
Formula: Not My Best Day As A (Occupation)
Hook score: +350
Why this works:
Negativity – Negativity does a great job at getting people’s attention, and this title uses it in the title (“Not My Best Day”) and in the thumbnail (“Worst Mistake”).
Curiosity – This title builds curiosity by starting a story, but not finishing it. You can’t help but wonder what was her mistake and what happened after reading this title.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about “not your best day” and the worst mistake you’ve ever made.
Examples of this hook in action:
- Not My Best Day As A New Dad
- Not My Best Day As A YouTuber
Flexible Transformation
Title: The ONLY 3 Stretches You Need for Better Flexibility
Formula: The ONLY 3 (Exercise or Tool) You Need for (Goal)
Hook score: +610
Why this works:
Desire – This is all about a big desire for her audience.
List – Lists make videos feel more tangible and add a little bit of curiosity.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about the only 3 things they need to reach their goals.
Examples of this hook in action:
- The ONLY 3 Revenue Streams You Need to Become a Millionaire
- The ONLY 3 Lures You Need to Catch Big Bass This Fall
A/B Test Your Titles & Thumbnails
One of the most effective ways I’ve grown my channel (and clients’ channels) is by A/B testing thumbnails and titles.
It’s helped me increase CTR so I can get more views AND it’s helped me get better at writing titles and making thumbnails by showing me what works and what doesn’t.
I just did a big project where I ran 103 YouTube title A/B tests using a simple tool called ThumbnailTest.
(Affiliate Link)
Debt Doomer
Title: The FED Just Gave a Serious Warning To All Americans With DEBT
Formula: The (Authority) Just Gave a Serious Warning To All (Specific Audience)
Hook score: +647
Why this works:
Curiosity – This title builds curiosity by starting a story, but not finishing it. You can’t help but wonder what warning the Fed gave after reading this title.
Negativity – We’re genetically wired to listen to warnings, and this creator uses that to his advantage in this title.
Timeliness – The word “Just” makes this title feel like news, and, in general, we’re more interested in news than education.
Authority – “The FED” brings credibility to this video.
Specific Audience – If you’re an American with debt (which is a ton of people), then you’re way more likely to watch this video because it feels like this was made just for you.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about a warning that an authority in your industry just gave to a specific group of people.
Examples of this hook in action:
- Google Just Gave a Serious Warning To All SEOs
- Shopify Just Gave a Serious Warning To All Ecom Store Owners
Vinyl Victory
Title: MIND-BLOWING VINYL HACKS THAT WILL CHANGE THE GAME!
Formula: Mind-Blowing (Object) Hacks That Will Change The Game!
Hook score: +670
Why this works:
Curiosity – “Mind-Blowing” hacks is a fun (although maybe extreme) way to build curiosity.
Desire – This channel’s audience would love vinyl hacks.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about the mind-blowing hacks that will change the game for them.
Examples of this hook in action:
- Mind-Blowing Instagram Hacks That Will Change The Game!
- Mind-Blowing Travel Hacks That Will Change Your Life!
Normies
Title: My Simple Productivity System (for normal people)!
Formula: My Simple [Goal] System (for normal people)!
Hook score: +675
Why this works:
Desire – This creator’s audience loves simple productivity systems.
Specific Audience – By calling out normal people in the title, all us normal people feel like this video was made for us. It also kinda refutes an objection. People might think, “these hacks won’t work for me,” but by ending the title with “(for normal people)”, it gets rid of that excuse.
How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about a simple system you use to help them (“normal people”) achieve their goal.
Examples of this hook in action:
- My Simple 6-Pack System (for normal people)!
- My Simple Job Search System (for normal people)!
Flop of the Week
Title: What Product Marketers ACTUALLY Do in Tech Companies!
Hook score: -89
Why this flopped: The video above (the one about normal people) calls out a massive audience with a great benefit. That’s a good formula for a successful video.
But this title is about a much smaller audience (product marketers).
I would assume that almost everybody wants a simple productivity system, but much fewer people care about what product marketers actually do at tech companies.
Here’s a question I always ask when evaluating an idea (BEFORE making the video):
“Does this topic have a big enough audience for my view goals?”
Alright, that wraps up this week’s Creator Hooks!
If you know a fellow creator who needs help with writing better titles, please send them to creatorhooks.com.
Here’s to the war on boring content.
– 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.