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.
Humpty Dumpty’s Demise
Title: The Medieval Disaster You Didn’t Learn About in History Class…
Framework: The (Negative Event or Entity) You Didn’t Learn About in (Subject) Class…
Hook score: +517
Why this works:
This thumbnail is incredible because it’s such a clear, yet weird picture you can’t help but stare at. But the title is good too. Here’s why it works so well:
Negativity – People love hearing about negative things like disasters. Plus, “You Didn’t Learn About in History Class…” gives you a little bit of FOMO.
Curiosity – “You Didn’t Learn About in History Class…” also makes you feel like you’re getting in on a secret.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about a negative event or thing they didn’t learn about in school, and pair it with a weird, curiosity-building thumbnail.
Examples of this framework in action:
- The Resume Killer Hiring Managers Won’t Tell You About…
- The Cheat Code You Didn’t Learn About in Math Class…
Next Up
Title: Adobe is horrible. So I tried the alternative
Framework: (Leading Product or Method) is horrible. So I tried the alternative
Hook score: +520
Why this works:
Negativity – This starts out with a common complaint that this creator’s audience has, which does a great job of grabbing their attention.
Curiosity – This opens a loop and makes you wonder what happened when he tried the alternative.
Authority – Since Adobe is the most popular product in the space, it grabs people’s attention.
New Opportunity – If you think Adobe is horrible and would like to find an alternative, this title gets you excited and gives you hope.
How you can use this framework: If there’s a product many people use but hate, say that it’s horrible and show what happened when you tried the alternative.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Cold emailing is horrible. So I tried the alternative
- Dating apps are horrible. So I tried the alternative
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Here’s The Truth
Title: The REAL Truth About Growing Avocados from Seed – (this took 6 years)
Framework: The REAL Truth About [Doing activity from scratch] – ([Proof of effort])
Hook score: +649
Why this works:
Curiosity – “The REAL Truth” makes you feel like you’re getting in on a secret.
Credibility – Saying this took 6 years makes this video feel more believable.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about the real truth of doing something and prove why you’re worth listening to.
Examples of this framework in action:
- The REAL Truth About Learning Spanish – (5 years in)
- The REAL Truth About Becoming a Scratch Golfer – (this took 25 years)
Howdy Y’all
Title: 13 American Accents Ranked EASIEST to HARDEST to Understand
Framework: 13 (Entities) Ranked EASIEST to HARDEST to (Action)
Hook score: +1299
Why this works:
List – Lists make videos feel more tangible (you know exactly what the video will be about) and they add some curiosity.
Curiosity – Ranked lists build curiosity because you want to know what’s the best, worst, and where you’re at on the list.
How you can use this framework: Rank things in your niche from easiest to hardest (or on a similar attribute).
Examples of this framework in action:
- 15 Coding Langues Ranked EASIEST to HARDEST to Learn
- 5 Popular Instruments Ranked EASIEST to HARDEST to Play
This Is Literally For You
Title: If you’re single but want a girlfriend, this video was literally made for you…
Framework: If you’re (Problem State) but want a (Solution), this video was literally made for you…
Hook score: +1449
Why this works:
Specific Audience – This title makes it crystal clear who this video is for, which makes the target audience way more likely to click.
Negativity & Desire – Calling out the problem (being single) and the exact solution (getting a girlfriend) does a great job at grabbing the audience’s attention and getting them to click.
Curiosity – The thumbnail opens a loop because you want to know what saved his dating life.
How you can use this framework: Call out people who are in a current state, but want something specific, and tell them your video was literally made for them.
Examples of this framework in action:
- If you’re making $100k but wanna be a millionaire, this video was literally made for you…
- If you’re struggling with your faith but want to be more like Jesus, this video was literally made for you…
Flop of the Week
Title: I make youtube videos so you can just copy me
Hook score: -92
Why this flopped: This video probably flopped for several reasons. Let’s talk about the title first.
This title violates the #1 rule of writing YouTube titles: be clear, not clever.
This video is about his process for making YouTube videos, but that’s not very clear from the title.
There are two ways we could improve it. The first is to make it more clear.
Something like, “My Step By Process Process For Making YouTube Videos in 2024”
But the second is to talk not about what the video is about, but about the end goal.
Something like, “This Simple Process Helped Me Hit 100,000 YouTube Subscribers”
The other reason this video probably flopped is because it’s about the wrong topic. People seem to want to watch this channel for tech tips. Here are some of his best videos:
- Adobe is horrible. So I tried the alternative (833K views)
- The Linux Experience (695K views)
- First PC Building Experience (519K views)
A video about how to grow on YouTube doesn’t really fit here.
If you want to avoid these mistakes, write clear titles and make content your audience wants to watch on your channel.
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.