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. If you want to save more time and use a title generator that uses all the titles from this newsletter, check out Creator Hooks Pro.
Texas Terror
Title: We Chased Driverless Trucks In Texas. What We Saw Will Scare You.
Framework: We (Investigated new technology). What We Saw Will Scare You.
Hook score: +424
Why this works:
Credibility – This isn’t just an armchair opinion — they actually went and gathered firsthand information, which makes this video feel more credible.
Negativity – Scary things do a great job of grabbing people’s attention and interest.
Curiosity – This opens a loop and makes you wonder what they saw.
How you can use this framework: Go get firsthand information about a new technology and build curiosity by only telling the audience which emotion they’ll feel about it.
Examples of this framework in action:
- We Tested AI Video Generators. What We Discovered Will Scare You.
- We Tried Viral TikTok Beauty Products. What We Found Is Horrifying.
Inflection Point
Framework: WTF Happened In (Specific time)?
Hook score: +1859
Why this works:
Curiosity – This builds curiosity by asking a big, bold question.
The thumbnail complements this perfectly by showing that something big happened in 1971.
How you can use this framework: Ask what happened at a specific point or time, and show a big change in a graph.
Examples of this framework in action:
- WTF Happened In My Latest Video?
- WTF Happened To New York City?
- Write better YouTube titles
- Grow your channel
- Save time
Check out Creator Hooks Pro here.
P.S. Here’s a big win from a Creator Hooks Pro customer:
“I got this title directly from Creator Hooks Pro’s title generator. It’s a 1 of 10 and it’s brought in 5 clients worth over $25k in less than 3 weeks”
– Jeff Hampton, Hampton Law, 360K Subscribers
The Truth Hurts
Title: You Don’t Want Love—You Want to Be Picked So You Feel Worthy
Framework: You Don’t Want (Desirable entity)—You Want (True desire)
Hook score: +1945
Why this works:
Curiosity – “You Don’t Want Love” is counterintuitive to people who assume they want love.
Negativity – Telling people what they don’t want does a great job of grabbing attention.
Desire – This resonates with the audience and reveals to them what they truly desire.
Note: This format is only effective if you know your audience’s hopes, desires, and fears. The best creators know their audiences better than their audience knows themselves.
How you can use this framework: Make a counterintuitive statement telling the audience they don’t want what they think they want, and tell them what they actually want instead.
Examples of this framework in action:
- You Don’t Want To Be Rich—You Want To Be Wealthy
- You Don’t Want A Clean House—You Want to Feel In Control
Burrito Ballin
Title: I Left The U.S. For India And Built A $23M Burrito Business
Framework: I Left (Advantageous place) For (Seemingly less advantageous place) And (Achieved big goal)
Hook score: +2444
Why this works:
Curiosity – This builds curiosity three ways:
- It’s counterintuitive because you think he’d have a better chance at building a $23M business in the U.S. than in India.
- It’s counterintuitive that a burrito business can be so big.
- And maybe I’m just an ignorant Florida man, but I don’t associate burritos with India, so that’s also counterintuitive.
Desire – This creator’s audience would love to build a $23M business (bonus points if it involves burritos).
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience how you, or someone else, left an advantageous position for a less advantageous position, but achieved something amazing.
Examples of this framework in action:
- I Ditched My $5,000 Canon For A Polaroid And Took Better Photos
- I Stopped Counting Calories And Lost 20 Pounds
Melody Memory
Title: 50 Recognizable songs you don’t know the name of
Framework: 50 Recognizable (Entities) (Counterintuitive statement)
Hook score: +3562
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 – The contrast between “recognizable songs” and “you don’t know the name of” builds curiosity.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about a list of things they’d recognize, but don’t truly know.
Examples of this framework in action:
- 20 Recognizable actors you don’t know the name of
- 10 Psychological Hacks You See Every Day But Don’t Realize It
Flop of the Week
Title: What It Really Takes To Transform Vehicles Into Homes
Hook score: -99
Why this flopped: One of the golden rules of marketing is to talk about benefits, not features.
This title feels like it’s doing the opposite — talking about features, not benefits.
Talking about “what it really takes” isn’t as exciting as what you actually get: a sweet home made out of a vehicle.
If it were me, that’s what I’d focus my title on. Something like, “Turning A Van Into Your Home Will Change Your Life Forever”. This is focused more on what you get (change your life forever) than what it takes.
Here’s the lesson: think about the outcome your audience will get from your video, and make the title about that.
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 write better titles and grow your channel, check out Creator Hooks Pro.