Why the Biggest YouTubers ALWAYS say this in their videos

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.

Decision Time

saying goodbye thumbnail

Title: How to Know When It’s Time (Saying Goodbye to Your Dog)

Framework: How to Know When It’s Time (Big, Emotional, Negative Decision])

Hook score: +349

Why this works:

Negativity – This is about a big, emotional, negative decision that many people feel very strongly about and have probably debated internally for a long time.

How you can use this framework: Tell your audience how to know when it’s time to make that tough decision they’ve been battling with. And in the thumbnail, mention the signs it’s time to make that decision.

Examples of this framework in action:

  • How to Know When It’s Time (Quitting Your Job)
  • How to Know When It’s Time to Break Up With Him

Similar, But Different

grow like china thumbnail

Title: Economist explains why India can never grow like China

Framework: (Authority Figure) explains why (Entity) can never (Achieve Goal) like (Similar Entity)

Hook score: +428

Why this works:

Authority – Starting this off with “Economist Explains” makes this video feel more trustworthy.

Curiosity – India and China are similar enough that where it’s counterintuitive that India could never grow like China (this is coming from a simple Florida man, so apologies if this outlook is wrong.)

Negativity – There’s a bit of competition, conflict and drama in this title that makes it interesting.

Bold Statement – A bold and polarizing statement like this grabs attention and invites people who both agree and disagree with the statement to watch the video. It would’ve been much less powerful if the title was, “Economist explains why India probably won’t grow like China.”

How you can use this framework: Have an authority figure explain why one thing will never be as good or achieve a goal as well as something similar.

Examples of this framework in action:

  • Engineer explains why Electric Cars will never take over Gas Cars
  • Billionaire CEO explains why Remote Companies will never beat In Person Companies

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Secret Lies

camper van thumbnail

Title: 9 Huge LIES about Buying a $100,000 Camper Van Nobody Talks About (RV Life)

Framework: 9 Huge LIES about (Big Action) Nobody Talks About

Hook score: +461

Why this works:

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

Negativity – “Huge LIES” does a great job bringing the drama and grabbing attention.

Curiosity – “Nobody Talks About” makes you feel like you’re getting in on a secret.

How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about the huge lies nobody talks about.

Examples of this framework in action:

  • 9 Huge LIES about Buying a $2,000,000 Condo In NYC Nobody Talks About
  • 5 Huge LIES about Building Your Own Garden Nobody Talks About

Total Trust

rich put everything in trust thumbnail

Title: Why The Rich Put EVERYTHING In Their Living Trust

Framework: Why (Authority Figures) (Extreme Action)

Hook score: +1896

Why this works:

Authority – This title builds credibility because it’s about what the rich do with their money.

Curiosity – This builds curiosity two ways:

  1. Putting “EVERYTHING” in a living trust is extreme, which builds curiosity.
  2. This opens a loop and makes you wonder why they put everything in their living trust.

Desire – This creator’s audience wants to make more money and be like the rich.

How you can use this framework: Tell your audience why authority figures in your niche do something total and extreme.

Examples of this framework in action:

  • Why Chefs Cook EVERYTHING In The Oven
  • Why The Biggest YouTubers ALWAYS Say This In Their Videos

Benevolent Vandalism

changed freeway sign thumbnail

Title: He secretly changed this freeway sign, helped millions of drivers

Framework: He secretly (Illegal Action), helped (Large number of entities)

Hook score: +10610

Why this works:

Curiosity – This builds curiosity three ways:

  1. “Secretly” changing a sign makes this feel rebellious and secretive.
  2. It’s counterintuitive that vandalizing something would help lots of people.
  3. We know he changed the sign and helped millions of drivers, but we don’t know what he changed and how it helped people, so this opens a loop.

How you can use this framework: Tell the story of how somebody did something illegal that helped lots of people.

Examples of this framework in action:

  • He secretly hacked into this government website, helped millions of citizens
  • She secretly switched these food labels, helped dozens of people lose weight

Click Trigger of the Week

Click triggers are triggers that make people click.

You can see different click triggers in the “Why this works” sections below each video in this newsletter.

This week’s Click Trigger of the Week is Authority.

There were two titles in this edition that used authority, but let’s dive into this a little bit deeper.

Using authority in your titles can accomplish one or both of these goals:

  • Build trust and credibility in your video
  • Grab people’s attention and interest

And there are two ways to use authority in your packaging.

The first way is to use somebody’s name. This is best if a person is well known.

Here are some examples:

warren buffett thumbnail

simone biles thumbnail

(This is actually uses both strategies, which leads us to the next one…)

The second way is to use somebody’s position. This way is best if a person is not as well known, but their position holds a lot of authority.

Here are some examples:

harvard professor thumbnail

accountant explains thumbnail

To use authority in your titles, drop somebody’s name or position to either build more credibility or get a little extra attention by fans of the authority figure.

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.

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