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.
Base Camp Blues
Title: 12 Days Hiking to Everest Base Camp (I got sick)
Framework: [Time Frame] [Activity] ([Conflict])
Hook score: +381
Why this works:
Time Frame – The time frame of “12 Days” makes this video more tangible and helps you realize just how difficult this is.
Negativity – “(I got sick)” brings some drama to the story and gives another hint at how tough this challenge is.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience how you did something exciting, but hard.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Playing Super Mario Bros For 48 Hours Straight (I got sick)
- 24 Hours To Remodel This Whole Kitchen (We Made A Mistake)
Dollar Delights
Title: I Ate Nothing But Dollar Store Food For 72 Hours
Framework: I (Activity) Nothing But (Undesirable Thing) For (Time Frame)
Hook score: +529
Why this works:
Time Frame – The time frame of “72 Hours” makes this challenge feel more tangible and difficult.
Negativity – Nobody wants to eat nothing but Dollar Store Food.
Constraint – The constraint of only eating Dollar Store food makes this video more interesting.
Curiosity – The contrast between the fancy suit and the ribeye in the thumbnail and the Dollar Store builds curiosity.
How you can use this framework: Do something difficult and nothing else for a specific time frame.
Examples of this framework in action:
- I Did Nothing But Burpees For 90 Days
- I Listened To Nothing But Pop Country For 30 Days
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Phragile Phone
Title: Be gentle with Apples new Titanium iPhone 15 Pro Max … Yikes!
Framework: Be (Adjective) with (Company)’s new (Product) … Yikes!
Hook score: +641
Why this works:
One of the biggest rules in writing good titles is “be clear, not clever.”
This title may be toeing that line, but it works because it’s a fun way to show something is fragile, instead of saying it (which is typically much more powerful).
Curiosity – This title builds curiosity because it makes you want more details about why you need to be gentle with it and why the creator said, “Yikes!” There’s also contrast between “be gentle” and “Titanium”.
Negativity – This is a warning and hints that this product is not as good as you might think.
Timeliness – This video was published the day after this phone was released, so everybody was eager for news about it.
How you can use this framework: Show your audience that a new product is not as good as they expected.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Be careful towing with Tesla’s new Cybertruck … Yikes!
- I trained 10 years for this race… I still couldn’t finish
Move over Colonel Sanders
Title: The New King of Fried Chicken?! ($1,000 Startup)
Framework: The New King of [Entity]?! ([Accessible Description])
Hook score: +691
Why this works:
New – People love news and new things, and this title leads with “New”.
Desire – The thumbnail gets the audience excited with “$250,000 Per Month” and the title makes it feel more accessible with “$1,000 Startup”.
Curiosity – This thumbnail builds curiosity by asking a question.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about the new king of something.
Examples of this framework in action:
- The New King of Electric Vehicles?!
- The New Queen of Tennis?! (She’s only 17)
Sloppy Joe Scandal
Title: Farmer Exposes Behind the Scenes Food Industry Scandals
Framework: (Authority Figure) Exposes Behind the Scenes (Industry) Scandals
Hook score: +1288
Why this works:
Authority – Because this is coming from a farmer, this story is more believable.
Negativity – People love drama and this title promises lots of it.
Curiosity – “Behind the Scenes” makes you feel like you’re getting in on a secret.
How you can use this framework: Tell your audience about a scandal with a trusted insider as your source.
Examples of this framework in action:
- Software Developer Exposes Behind the Scenes AI Scandals
- YouTube Employee Exposes Behind the Scenes Algorithm Scandal
Flop of the Week
Title: $6M/Year Business at 20… Luck or Secret?
Hook score: -85
Why this flopped: The best YouTube titles make a bold statement that make you say, “Really? No way!” then you’ve gotta click to find out.
This title finishing with “Luck or Secret?” isn’t bold and isn’t tangible enough to make you click.
Plus, the title and thumbnail say the same thing — they don’t work together to build even more curiosity.
Here are some other ways they could’ve written this title:
They could’ve focused on the fact that he knew a secret:
“He Built A $6M/Year Business After Learning This Secret”
They could’ve focused on the constraint of him being so young:
“He Sold $9,000,000 Before He Turned 20”
Or they could’ve appealed to a deep desire that many people have:
“$6M/Year Business at 20 Following His Passion”
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.