Creator Hooks

Hey there!

Welcome to Creator Hooks — a weekly breakdown of 5 videos that are crushing it right now, why they work, and how you can use the same strategies to grow your channel.

Two quick notes before we dive in. The first is that you can read previous editions of Creator Hooks here.

And the second note is that this week’s edition is brought to you by Creator Now.

Creator Now is a live cohort-based bootcamp for up & coming creators to grow their YouTube channels. It’s a 6-week competitive sprint hosted by YouTube star, Airrack.

You’ll receive personalized feedback on your videos, take private workshops by YouTube's brightest minds, and complete challenges for cash prizes.

This upcoming bootcamp runs from April 2 - May 15th and will be focused on short-form content, featuring workshops from creators like SeanDoesMagic, Cheeky Boyos, Isaiah Photo, and more!

Use the code “CREATORHOOKS” at checkout to save $50 at creatornow.club.

(Note: use the code at checkout, not as an affiliate code to make an account.)

Alrighty, let’s get to it!

Dividend Ends

(be sure to download images to see the thumbnails)

Title: The Fastest Possible Way To Retire Off Dividends - Live Off Dividends

Formula: The Fastest Possible Way To (Reach Goal) - (Goal)

Hook score*: +327

Why this works:

Deep Desire - This creator’s audience wants nothing more than to retire off dividends.

Extreme - This isn’t “how to retire off dividends fast” — it takes it to an extreme and shows you the fastest way possible.

Time - And this isn’t just a how to video, it shows you the fastest way. If you’re sick of the rat race, "the fastest possible way” makes your eyes light up.

How you can use this hook: What does your audience want more than anything? Show them the fastest possible way to achieve that goal for a great hook.

Examples of this hook in action:

The Fastest Possible Way To Hit 1,000 YouTube Subscribers
The Fastest Possible Way To Lose 10 Pounds Of Fat

Run Forrest

Title: How Running Changes Your Body (Once a Week is Enough!)

Formula: How [Activity] Changes Your Body ([Refute Objection])

Hook score: +337

Why this works:

Curiosity - This title opens a loop by telling you that running changes your body, but not how.

Deep Desire - This title insinuates that running will help you reach your fitness goals, and that’s reinforced by the shredded dude in the thumbnail.

Refuting an objection - You might see this video is about running and assume you need to run every day to change your body, but this title refutes that objection by slipping “Once a Week is Enough!” at the end.

How you can use this hook: What’s an activity that can help your audience reach their goals, but they’re not necessarily excited about? Hint that it can help them, and refute a common objection at the end.

Examples of this hook in action:

How Writing Changes Your Brain (Only 5 Minutes A Day!)
How Twitter Dark Mode Changes Your Eyes

Which are you?

Title: LAZY VS. PRO VIDEO EDITOR

Formula: LAZY VS. PRO (Profession)

Hook score: +340

Why this works:

Comparison - People love a good competition like this one.

Curiosity - Lazy and pro are total opposites, so this builds curiosity.

How you can use this hook: Pick two opposite adjectives to describe someone in your niche. Pit them against each other for a great hook.

Examples of this hook in action:

Lazy vs. Professional Resumes
Lazy vs. Smart Software Developers

Gadget Gangster

Title: *NEW* AMAZON MUST HAVE GADGETS 2022 | MOST USEFUL PRODUCTS I USE DAILY | BEST GADGETS FOR YOUR HOME

Formula: *NEW* (Must-Have Items) (Current Year) | Most Useful Products I Use Daily

Hook score: +386

Why this works:

New - People love *NEW* products, and this creator did a good job of highlighting that this video is about new products.

Timely - To reinforce that these products are new, this title has the current year in it.

How you can use this hook: What are some new gadgets that your audience would be interested in? Make a list of them and riterate the fact that they’re new by adding in the current year.

P.S. At 99 characters, this is officially Creator Hooks longest featured title. I wouldn’t recommend a title this long, but it worked!

Examples of this hook in action:

New Non-Alcoholic Drinks To Try In 2022
*NEW* Shopify Apps To Sell More Products In 2022

Heart Tuggers

Title: Do Mom Cats Miss Their Kittens After Adoption?

Formula: Do (Emotional Question)?

Hook score: +1075

Why this works:

Emotion - This is a really emotional question.

Curiosity - This is a question many people have asked themselves.

How you can use this hook: What’s a common question that nearly everyone in your audience has asked AND carries a lot of emotion?

Examples of this hook in action:

Is Crossfit bad for you?
Do YouTubers enjoy their lives?

Flop of the Week

Title: Kitten Poop: Everything You Need to Know to Keep Them Healthy

Hook score: -82

Why this flopped: This framework: “[Subject]: Everything You Need To Know” can be a good framework if the subject is something people are very interested in.

But not many people are interested in kitten poop unless there’s a problem.

The video published right before this one was titled: “Ew! These Kittens Have Tapeworms in their Poop! (Learn how to identify and treat tapeworms!)”

It got four times as many views, probably because it addresses a problem in the title.

Lesson: use the above framework with a great subject or, if it’s a smaller subject, lead with why the audience should care (and leverage fear and curiosity).

Alright, that wraps up this week’s Creator Hooks!

Have any questions about the hooks in this edition?

Reply to this email and let me know!

And if you know a fellow creator who needs help with writing better titles, please forward this email to them and send them to creatorhooks.com.

Here’s to the war on boring content.

- Jake

P.S. Follow me on Twitter for more title tips @jthomas__

*The hook score is a calculation of how many views the video got more than the average for that channel. The higher the score, the better the video did.