The best YouTube titles do three things. They grab attention, they create some curiosity or urgency, and they show a clear benefit.
Keep the title short, quick to read, and easy to understand, and more of the right people will click.
That’s what I cover in this video. If you’re putting yourself on video as a coach, a course creator, a network marketer, or a local business owner, your title is the first thing people see.
Get it right and you give your video a real chance.
Here’s what I walk through: why your title matters, the psychology behind a click, five templates you can use today, and how to test and improve the titles you already have.
Why Does Your YouTube Title Matter So Much?
Because it’s the first thing people see. It’s the first thing that grabs their attention.
If your title doesn’t create some curiosity, some urgency, or a clear benefit, it won’t pull people in. They won’t even want to watch your video.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen live videos pop up in my news feed with no headline at all.
There’s no incentive for me to watch, other than “Oh, there’s a friend of mine I haven’t seen in a while.” There’s no real benefit to me hopping on.
A couple of simple things can help you get better click-through rates, better views, and better engagement right out of the gate.
They are the headline and the thumbnail. In this post, I’m focusing on the headline.
What Makes a YouTube Title Worth Clicking?
Psychology is a big part of it. As marketers, we’re focused on getting people to take action. We want to trigger something in their mind, an emotion that gets them to move.
Curiosity, fear, excitement, and urgency are the ones I keep in mind when I write a headline.
I’ve also written about why curiosity keeps people watching in Three Psychological Triggers That Keep Viewers Hooked to Your Videos.
Two more things help. Keep it short, bold, and scroll-stopping. And use numbers. People like to know tips and strategies. They like “five tips for this” and “five strategies for that.”
What Are Some YouTube Title Templates You Can Use Today?
Here are five templates I put together that I think work well. I use weight loss as my example because it’s easy to see how they work. Swap in your own niche and your own outcome.
1. Stop Doing This If You Want [Outcome]
For example: “Stop doing this if you want to lose that last five pounds.” You’re inserting the desirable outcome your viewer wants. Very simple.
2. The Truth About [Topic] That No One Is Telling You
For example: “The truth about losing weight that no one’s telling you.” Same idea. Drop in your topic.
3. Number + Goal + Time Frame
For example: “Four quick tips to achieve weight loss in seven days.” You add the number of tips, the goal your viewer wants to reach, and a time frame.
4. You’re Making This Huge Mistake in [Blank]. Here’s How to Fix It.
I used this one on the video above: “You’re making this huge mistake with your videos, and here’s how to fix it.”
See how it works? You make a bold statement, that you’re making a mistake. Then you promise the fix.
You highlight the problem and give the solution in the same template, and that creates a lot of curiosity.
5. I Tried [Blank] for 10 Days, and Here’s What Happened
For example: “I tried a sugar-free diet for 10 days, and here’s what happened.” You can build this into whatever you want.
Can You Change a YouTube Title After You Upload?
Yes. A lot of people under-think this. They put a video up and figure they can never change the headline. That’s just not true.
So go back into some of your older videos. If you have headlines in there that aren’t very powerful, swap them out for more curiosity-driven ones. It’s not going to hurt your video, and it might actually help.
YouTube Studio even has a built-in A/B test. You can test up to three titles, three thumbnails, or both. When the test ends, YouTube picks the one with the most watch time.
You can read how it works in YouTube’s own help page.
Can ChatGPT Help You Write YouTube Titles?
Yes. ChatGPT can show you a whole bunch of different headline templates. Pull up a few more types, and test them against each other.
But here’s the key with any good headline. Short, quick, and easy to read.
Is Your Title Really a Hook?
Absolutely. When I’m creating a video, the hook is incredibly important to me. Your headline is the first hook. Then you’ve got a second hook, and that one lives inside the video.
The headline grabs their attention. The hook inside the video keeps it.
Want help with the second one? Start with 6 Tips for Creating an Attention-Grabbing Video Hook and The Secret Formula to Grabbing Attention With Your Video Hook.
Final Thoughts
Whether it’s a live video, a recorded video, or a short video, one of the most important things is a catchy headline. Make it a high-hook headline that pulls people in and gets them to click and actually watch.
Your next step is simple. Pick one video you’ve already posted and rewrite its title with one of the five templates above. Then leave a comment on the video and let me know which one you used.
You rock,
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