The Ultimate Guide For Writing Video Titles That People Can’t Resist Clicking
VIDEO CONTENT STRATEGIES
8 min read
Meaning
Title is the name or headline given to a YouTube video, which appears in search results, suggested videos, and on the video’s watch page. It is essential for grabbing viewers’ attention and providing a clear idea of what the video is about.
Importance
A compelling title is crucial because it determines whether viewers will click and watch the video. A well-crafted title should be descriptive, concise, and engaging, as it plays a significant role in attracting potential viewers and improving the video’s visibility in search results, leading to increased views and audience engagement.
Best Strategies & Tips (Step-By-Step)
(1) Craft Effective Titles: When crafting titles for your YouTube videos, whether they fall under educational categories like “how-to” or “DIY”, or entertainment genres like vlogs and gaming, it’s crucial to keep the following elements in your mind:
(A) Complement The Thumbnail: Create titles that align with the visual elements in your thumbnail, ensuring they work together to grab viewers' attention and convey the content accurately.
(B) Evoke A Question: Craft titles that raise a question in the viewer’s mind. By including thought-provoking phrases or statements, you arouse curiosity and encourage viewers to click and watch your video for answers or insights.
(C) Spark Curiosity: Focus on titles that ignite curiosity in your audience. Utilize intriguing words, phrases, or hints that capture attention and make viewers curious about the content within your video. This curiosity will encourage them to click and explore further.
(2) Title Length Optimization: Keep the titles short. YouTube has a 100-character limit for titles. The truncation length is different on every YouTube page. The titles above 60 characters almost always get truncated. You should keep your titles between 40 and 50 characters, as that is the optimal length for them.
(3) Proper Keyword Research: Optimize your titles through proper keyword research. This ensures your videos become easily discoverable by aligning with popular search terms, enhancing visibility, attracting relevant viewers, and boosting engagement and growth potential.
(A) Evaluate Search Volume & Overall Score: Check the search volume and overall score of each keyword and related keywords to determine their competitiveness and audience reach.
• Impact Of High Search Volume: A keyword with a high search volume will have high competition but a larger audience.
• Impact Of High Overall Score: A keyword with a high overall score will have less competition but a limited audience.
(B) Use Mixed Keywords: Utilize both high-search volume and high overall score keywords to cover a broader audience.
(C) Utilize Tools: Use keyword research tools to identify relevant and trending keywords, optimizing your titles for improved discoverability, expanded audience reach, and higher search result rankings. Some of the best tools are as follows:
• RyRob
(4) Accurate & Professional Titles:
(A) Informative & Neutral Representation: Ensure your title accurately represents your video content in a neutral, informative, and factual manner.
(B) Appropriate & Professional Tone: Create titles that are appropriate and maintain a professional tone, avoiding monotonous or overexaggerated language.
(C) Handle Sensitive Topics With Care: Approach sensitive subjects with sensitivity and professionalism to avoid being perceived as inflammatory or offensive.
(D) Avoid Clickbait: While intrigue is good, misleading titles can harm your reputation. Make sure your title reflects the actual content.
(E) Avoid Excessive Capitalization: Refrain from capitalizing all letters in your YouTube titles, as this practice can make the title difficult to read and may come across as shouting or screaming in text form. This not only hinders readability but can also convey an aggressive or unprofessional tone. It's important to maintain a balanced and readable format in your titles to ensure they appeal to a wider audience and convey the right message.
(F) Avoid Emoticons: Avoid using emoticons because they may not be universally understood or recognized by all viewers, potentially causing confusion or alienating certain audiences. Additionally, they can make the title appear unprofessional and may not align with the content’s tone or target audience.
(5) Types:
(A) Curiosity: Craft titles that make people curious and eager to click and watch. You can create curiosity in the following ways:
• Reveal A Secret: Revealing a secret is one of the best ways to spark curiosity and grab your audience's attention because we all like to feel like we're part of something exclusive.
Example: The One Thing That Will Make You More Productive Than Ever Before
• Open A Loop: When you begin a story in your title without finishing it, it creates curiosity, compelling your audience to click and discover the full story.
Example: How To Make $10K/Month With These Proven Strategies
• Ask A Question: Ask an interesting question in your title to get people curious and make them want to find out the answer.
Example: What Would Happen If The Internet Suddenly Disappeared?
• Challenge Assumptions: Grab your audience’s attention by challenging their assumptions and letting them know that what they believe is entirely incorrect. This will make them curious to click and find out why they’re mistaken.
Example: The Truth About Happiness That Will Change Your Life
• Use Contrast: When you combine opposite words, it catches our attention because it doesn't seem logical.
Example: The Dark Side Of Social Media That No One Wants To Talk About
• Talk About The Future: We are naturally curious about the future because it's full of unknown possibilities.
Example: The Future Of Healthcare Is More Affordable Than Ever
• X Vs Y: Set up a direct comparison in your title to engage viewers’ interest in a head-to-head showdown.
Example: Android Vs iPhone: The Ultimate Smartphone Battle
• Add A Constraint: Capture attention by talking about limits or problems in your title and suggest ways to tackle them.
Example: How To Deal With A Tight Budget For Home Renovation.
• Weird: Embrace the strange and unusual things in your title to catch the interest of people who enjoy quirky and unconventional stuff.
Example: Exploring The Strangest Traditions From Around The World
• Epic Or Extreme: Engage in the most epic or extreme activities, or discuss the grandest and most exciting topics. Use the words ending with "est” to amplify the impact of your content.
Example: The Fastest Car On Earth That Will Make Your Head Spin
(B) Deep Desires: Discuss the big dreams and goals that people have, the ones they really want to achieve, not just the things they sort of want.
Example: The Ultimate Guide To Finding Your Dream Job
(C) Negativity: Use mildly negative angles to evoke curiosity and attract clicks from intrigued viewers. You can use negativity in the following ways:
• Pain Points: Address your audience’s pain points to effectively grab their attention and distinguish yourself from others talking about the same desires and benefits.
Example: 5 Reasons Your Website Is Losing Traffic
• FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out): FOMO is a psychological phenomenon where people feel anxious about missing out on something interesting or valuable. Using FOMO in titles makes people curious and more likely to click and watch your video because they don't want to miss out on something interesting.
Example: The Secret To Making Engaging YouTube Videos That People Can’t Stop Watching
• Warnings: Include a warning in your title to tap into our genetic inclination to listen to warnings. This will make your audience more likely to watch your video.
Example: 10 Warning Signs Your Videos Are Not Working
• Drama: Make your title full of suspense and excitement to get people interested and excited.
Example: The Most Shocking Betrayal That Changed Everything
• Fear: Create a title that makes people feel a little scared or worried, so they get curious and excited.
Example: The Haunting Mysteries Of An Abandoned Hospital
• Mistakes: People are eager to watch your video about the mistakes you made or the common mistakes people generally make, as nobody wants to make mistakes themselves.
Example: 5 Mistakes Beginners Make When Starting A YouTube Channel
• Regrets: By sharing your regrets, you can connect with your audience and enhance your channel, as our culture often focuses on this topic.
Example: The One Thing I Wish I Had Done Differently When Starting My YouTube Channel
• Confirms Suspicions: Reveal hidden truths or validate suspicions to captivate viewers’ attention.
Example: Exposing The Secrets Of Fast Food Ingredients
(D) Escape Negativity: Help your viewers to overcome negative feelings, thoughts, and situations, so they can lead a happier and more fulfilling life.
Example: How To Overcome Self-Doubt And Find Inner Peace
(E) Specific Goals: In your titles, focus on your viewer’s specific goals rather than just talking about benefits. This approach will be more effective in grabbing their attention and connecting with them.
Example: How To Make $1,000 In A Month As A Freelance Writer
(F) Time Frame: Inform your audience about the estimated time it will take to achieve their goals.
Example: How To Lose 10 Pounds In 2 Weeks
(G) Timeliness: Create a video about what’s on everyone’s mind at the moment. Mention the current year to show that your video is up-to-date and relevant right now.
Example: The Biggest Tech Trends To Watch In 2023
(H) List: Craft captivating titles using a list format for your content.
Example: 5 Most Dangerous Animals in the World
(I) New Opportunity: Introduce your audience to a fresh opportunity, demonstrating a new approach to achieving their goals.
Example: This New App Could Revolutionize The Way We Travel
(J) Show, Don’t Tell: Instead of trying to persuade your viewers about the benefits of something, show them by simply sharing what you did. Let them watch your video to discover the outcomes.
Example: I Ate Only McDonald’s For A Week, Here's What Happened
(K) Authority Or Credibility: Establish your standing as a knowledgeable and reliable source in your title to gain viewers’ trust and confidence.
Example: Warren Buffett's Advice For Investing In 2024
(L) Refute An Objection: By challenging an objection and letting your audience know they don’t have to do something they don’t want to, you’ll capture their attention and generate excitement about your video. Avoid making big promises and focus on addressing their concerns to engage them effectively.
Example: You Don’t Need To Be Rich To Travel The World
(M) Daily Habits: There’s something appealing about an activity that easily fits into your daily routine. You don’t have to remember how often to do it, you just make it a part of your everyday.
Example: 5 Habits That You Should Follow Every Day To Increase Your Productivity
(N) Beginners: Offer valuable guidance specifically tailored for beginners, helping them reach their goals. Beginners are eager to learn and represent a significant portion of the market.
Example: How To Invest In Stocks For Beginners
(O) Specific Audience: Create videos that target a particular group of viewers. If you try to appeal to everyone, you won’t connect deeply with anyone. Instead, focus on creating content about a specific subject that a particular audience is interested in watching.
Example: 10 Things You Need to Buy Before You Turn 30
(P) Tell Your Own Story: Sharing your own story using “I” is less forceful than using “You”, and nobody can argue that you’re wrong when you simply share your personal experiences.
Example: The 5 Biggest Mistakes I Made When I Started My Business
(6) Broad Labels: Use broad labels for subjects, instead of talking about specific ones, as this approach can often (but not always) increase the CTR (Click-Through Rate).
(7) Question Vs Statement: Choose statement titles over questions for a more effective approach.
(8) “How-To” Vs List: Prefer list titles over "how-to" titles, as they tend to perform better.
(9) Words: Use words like “Change”, “Habits”, “Stop”, “Why”, “Regret”, “Don’t”, "Everything", "Secrets”, "Every Day", "Beginners”, “Tips”, “Mistakes”, "Without", “How”, “Insane”, “Worst”, “Ultimate”, etc.
(10) Phrases: Use phrases like "Changed My Life", "The ___ Truth About", "I Stopped", "I Regret", “Do This”, “In [Time Frame]”, “You’re Doing It Wrong”, “This Is What I’d Do”, “Change ___ Forever”, “How To”, etc.
(11) Utilize AI Tools: Use AI-powered tools to craft compelling titles that captivate your audience, improve discoverability, and enhance SEO (Search Engine Optimization). AI can analyze keyword trends and suggest optimized titles, increasing the visibility and clickability of your videos. Some of the best AI tools are as follows:
(A) vidIQ [Affiliate]
(B) TubeBuddy [Affiliate]
(C) CreatorML
(D) Gemini
(E) Perplexity