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.
Dumpling Dandy
Title: Pro Chefs Blind Taste Test Every Box of Frozen Dumplings | The Taste Panel | Epicurious
Framework: (Professionals) (Unbiased Test) Every (Non-Professional Item)
Hook score: +419
Why this works:
Authority – “Pro Chefs” bring authority and credibility here. You want to know what the pros have to say about these frozen dumplings, which makes this video more interesting.
Credibility – A blind taste test makes this video feel more credible, organic, and real.
Curiosity – There’s contrast between “Pro Chefs” and “Frozen Dumplings”, which builds curiosity and makes this video more interesting.
“Every” – The word “Every” brings a feeling of epicness and completeness to this video. They didn’t just test a few boxes, they tested “Every”.
How you can use this framework: Get professionals to do an unbiased test on cheap or unprofessional things in your niche.
Examples of this framework in action:
- College Professors Grade Real Student vs. AI Papers
- Pro Runners Blind Test Every Running Shoe Brand
Biggie Smalls
Title: The Smallest Full Frame Camera You’ve Ever Seen
Framework: The (Extreme, Counterintuitive Object) You’ve Ever Seen
Hook score: +460
Why this works:
Curiosity – This builds curiosity two ways:
- There’s a bit of contrast between “smallest” and “full frame”.
- It makes you want to know what camera this is.
Extreme – “Smallest” and “You’ve Ever Seen” both make this title extreme and unique.
Desire – This creator’s audience likes small full frame cameras.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about an extreme, unique, counterintuitive product they’d be interested in.
Examples of this framework in action:
- The Loudest Silent Disco In The World
- The Biggest Miniature Dog Is The Perfect Pet
A Simple Way To Get More Views
I A/B tested 103 YouTube Titles and put all the results into an ebook.
You’ll see:
- The original title
- The test titles
- The before and after CTR
- And why the results turned out the way they did
Here’s a sample page:
If you want to see all 103 test results and breakdowns so you can increase your CTR and grow your channel, get the ebook here.
Flying Flags
Title: These Common Behaviors Are MAJOR TSA Red Flags
Framework: These Common (Actions or Entities) Are MAJOR (Entity) Red Flags
Hook score: +511
Why this works:
Negativity – “Red Flags” does a great job at grabbing attention. Nobody wants to do these common behaviors and accidentally get in trouble.
Curiosity – This builds curiosity two ways:
- It’s counterintuitive that “common behaviors” would be “major red flags”.
- This does a good job of opening a loop and making you wonder what these common behaviors are.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about common things that are major red flags.
Examples of this framework in action:
- These Common Behaviors Are MAJOR Dating Red Flags
- These Popular Trends Are MAJOR Recession Red Flags
Cyber Scares
Title: I Finally Got a Tesla Cybertruck and It Scares the Crap Out of Me
Framework: I Finally Got a (Trending Product) and It Scares the Crap Out of Me
Hook score: +1073
Why this works:
Trending – Tesla Cybertrucks are still trending right now, which brings a lot of attention to this title.
Negativity – “It Scares the Crap Out of Me” brings some fear here.
Curiosity – “It Scares the Crap Out of Me” also builds curiosity because it’s so vague and makes you want to know why it scares him so much.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience that you finally got a trending product, but it scares the crap out of you.
Examples of this framework in action:
- I Finally Got Apple Vision Pro and It Scares the Crap Out of Me
- I Just Tried ChatGPT’s Newest Model and It Scares the Crap Out of Me
Mundane to Magnificient
Title: Turn a Handkerchief Into a Spectacular Gift in 10 Minutes
Framework: Turn a (Mundane Object) Into a (Amazing, Different Object) in (Short Time Frame)
Hook score: +3271
Why this works:
Desire – This creator’s audience loves to turn regular things in spectacular things.
Time Frame – The short time frame of “in 10 minutes” adds to that desire because it makes it feel tangible and accomplishable.
Curiosity – The contrast between “handkerchief” and “spectacular gift” builds curiosity and interest.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience how they can turn something mundane into something spectacular in a short period of time.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Turn a Blog Post Into a Viral Video in 10 Minutes
- Turn Leftovers Into a Spectacular Meal in 10 Minutes
Flop of the Week
Title: These 3 Dressings Will Upgrade Any Salad | Epicurious 101
Hook score: -77
Why this flopped: This title isn’t bad. It’s straightforward and benefit-driven, but apparently not spicy enough (this video got 67K views, but the channel averages about 257K).
Here are a few ways we could mix it up:
We could add a constraint:
“The Only 3 Salad Dressings You Need”
We could try to hype it up more:
“These 3 Salad Dressings Will Change Your Life”
Or we could make it a bit more tangible and add an even crazier benefit:
“3 Home-Made Salad Dressings To Make Him Fall In Love With You”
Of course, there’s always the fact that this audience just might not be into salad dressings, but that’s whole different topic.
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.