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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.

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Alrighty, let’s get to it!

The Mask

masking adhd thumbnail

(be sure to download images to see the thumbnails)

Title: The Problem with Masking ADHD and Autism (burnout, etc.)

Formula: The Problem Masking (Attribute) ([Symptoms])

Hook score*: +317

Why this works:

Negativity - This video is about the problem about masking ADHD and Autism.

Curiosity - This title opens a loop and makes you wonder, “what is the problem?”

How you can use this hook: Tell your audience about the problem with masking or hiding something. This works especially well if the thing you’re hiding or masking is polarizing.

Examples of this hook in action:

  • The Problem with Relying on Photoshop (lighting, etc)

  • The Problem with Masking Burnout At Your Job

Stressing Investing

index fund thumbnail

Title: Is Now the Worst Time to Invest in Index Funds?

Formula: Is Now The Worst Time to (Action)?

Hook score: +326

Why this works:

Negativity - Talking about the worst time to invest in index funds creates stress and stress causes action (and that action is watching this video to learn more).

Curiosity - Framing this as a question makes you wonder if this is actually the worst time to invest.

Timeliness - People are currently wondering if now is a bad time to invest in index funds, so this title joins the conversation people are already having in their mind.

How you can use this hook: What’s an underlying fear or suspicion your audience has about your industry right now? Ask the question everybody is already asking themselves about that fear or suspicion.

Examples of this hook in action:

  • Is Now The Worst Time to Launch an Amazon FBA Store?

  • Is it too late to start a YouTube Channel?

Ethanol Engagement

ethanol thumbnail

Title: America Was Wrong About Ethanol - Study Shows

Formula: (Authority) Was Wrong About (Controversial Subject) - Study Shows

Hook score: +492

Why this works:

Negativity - This title has lots of drama in it because it talks about America being wrong. The thumbnail text adds to the negativity by talking about a huge mistake.

Curiosity - This opens a loop and makes you wonder how America was wrong, what the big mistake was, and what the repercussions are.

Authority - People love to hear about an authority figure (like America) being wrong.

How you can use this hook: Tell the story of how an authority figure in your industry was wrong about something they took a gamble or strong stance on.

Examples of this hook in action:

  • Raoul Pal Was Wrong About Crypto - Markets Show

  • I Was Wrong About Kids & Screen Time - New Study Shows

Trick or Treat

command respect thumbnail

Title: 4 Psychological Tricks To Command Respect Immediately

Formula: 4 Psychological Tricks To (Achieve Goal) Immediately

Hook score: +516

Why this works:

List - People love clicking on lists.

Benefit - This audience would love to learn how to command respect immediately.

How you can use this hook: Give your audience 4 psychological tricks to achieve their goals immediately.

Examples of this hook in action:

  • 4 Psychological Tricks To Win A Negotiation Immediately

  • 5 Psychological Tricks To Quit Procrastinating Immediately

Piano Man

piano thumbnail

Title: Piano’s Darkest Secret

Formula: (Industry)’s Darkest Secret

Hook score: +1235

Why this works:

Negativity - Piano’s darkest secret is much more interesting than, say, piano’s biggest secret.

Curiosity - This title opens a loop and makes you wonder what piano’s darkest secret is.

How you can use this hook: This is a simple one — tell your audience about your industry’s darkest secret.

Examples of this hook in action:

  • Real Estate’s Darkest Secret

  • YouTube’s Darkest Secret

Flop of the Week

impress someone thumbnail

Title: How To Impress Someone You Admire

Hook score: -78

Why this flopped: There are a bunch of little things that add up to this video flopping.

1. Most of the videos in this email have some element of negativity, but not this one. Since the title was about a benefit, they could’ve changed the thumbnail text to something like, “Don’t Say THIS”

2. MrBeast is in this thumbnail, but almost all of the other people in the thumbnails on this channel are movie actors. Since it’s not doing well, they could try to change the person in the thumbnail.

3. Impressing someone you admire is a little bland. Instead of “someone you admire,” they could’ve said “How To Impress Your Childhood Hero.”

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__

P.P.S. See previous editions here

*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.