How a Simple Title Strategy Can Skyrocket Your Views

Let’s talk about something that’s often the unsung hero of YouTube success: the video title.

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Sure, thumbnails grab eyeballs, but without a compelling title to seal the deal, you might be missing out on a ton of views.

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Many creators spend so much time on thumbnails that titles become an afterthought.

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But here’s the kicker—the title and thumbnail are a package deal.

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Neglecting your title is like having a flashy billboard with unreadable text.

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It might catch someone’s eye, but without a clear message, they’ll just keep going.

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Get them both right, and you can supercharge your video’s performance.

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So, what’s the secret sauce to spicing up your titles?

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Just add:

1. Time Frames
2. Spicy Keywords
3. Constraints

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Let me show you how this works with a real example.

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Here are some titles I brain-dumped to a creator who asked me for some quick and dirty ideas off the top of my head:

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Original Title:

How To Fix Dry, Chapped Lips

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Not exactly gripping, right? Let’s jazz it up.

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Here are some enhanced titles:

1. How To Fix Dry Chapped Lips in 24 Hours
2. How To Fix Dry Chapped Lips in 1 Hour
3. How To Fix Dry Chapped Lips in 15 Minutes
4. How To Fix Dry Chapped Lips Instantly
5. How To Fix Dry Chapped Lips With This One Technique
6. The Product That Will Fix Your Dry Chapped Lips
7. Apply These 3 Products—It’ll Fix Your Dry Chapped Lips

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See how adding a time frame or a specific solution makes it more compelling?

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But I didn’t stop my brain dump there!

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I’ve learned that sometimes, flipping the focus from the problem to the positive outcome can make your title even more alluring.

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Positive Angle Titles:

1. How To Get Perfectly Smooth Lips in 24 Hours
2. How To Get Perfectly Smooth Lips in 24 Hours According to a Dermatologist
3. Apply This 1 Minute After Waking Up—It’ll Change Your Lips
4. Apply This 1 Minute After Showering—It’ll Change Your Lips
5. Apply These 3 Products—It’ll Change Your Lips
6. How Celebrities Always Have Perfect Lips & How You Can Too
7. Why Celebrities Always Have Perfect Lips & How You Can Too
8. How To Actually Get Perfectly Smooth Lips Faster
9. How To Get Perfectly Smooth Lips Forever
10. How To Get Perfectly Smooth Lips Overnight

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Why This Works:

By tweaking your titles, you’re tapping into what makes viewers click:

• Urgency and Speed: Words like “instantly,” “in 15 minutes,” or “overnight” create a sense of immediacy.
• Curiosity: Phrases like “this one technique” or “these 3 products” pique interest.
• Aspirational Appeal: Mentioning “perfectly smooth lips” or “how celebrities do it” taps into viewers’ desires.

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Testing and Refining:

It’s beneficial to run A/B tests to understand what your audience resonates with:

1. Problem vs. Solution: Do they respond better to titles focusing on the issue or the outcome?
2. Time Constraints: Are they attracted to quick fixes?
3. Specificity: Do step-by-step guides or specific product mentions grab their attention?

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Do this consistently, and you’ll develop “go-to” title formats that hit the mark every time.

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I always recommend writing down the behaviour patterns of your viewers in a notes app so that you can build up a list of things you know resonate with them.

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In case you didn’t know, I have a completely free template to help you log these title and thumbnail patterns that are working for you.

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You can get it here.

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These ideas were off the top of my head, but imagine what you could come up with by dedicating more time to brainstorming using these constraints.

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Always remember to pair your killer titles with equally compelling thumbnails for maximum impact.

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As I said above, these two things build off each other, so don’t neglect your titles!

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Have a great weekend! 👋

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Jamie

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P.S. If you found these tips handy and want to dive deeper into what’s currently working on YouTube, you might enjoy The YouTube Monthly Memo.

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Each month, I reveal trending video ideas, titles, and thumbnails that are capturing attention right now.

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Plus, we’ll have a 90-minute Zoom call where I share the latest strategies to help you stay ahead. No pressure, but if you’re keen to give your channel that extra edge, you can check it out here.

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This isn’t live yet but will be within the next few weeks - hit reply if you’d be interested in joining!

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My Favourite Things This Week

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Document I’m Reading…

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How To Succeed In Mr.Beast Production - This is a leaked internal document that Mr. Beast wrote for all team members to read.

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It’s fascinating to read and get an idea of how he runs his YouTube channel. You’ll learn a couple of things reading this, guaranteed.

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Podcast I Released…

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We Spent $800 on a YouTube Conference. Is VidSummit Worth It? - This week’s Making It episode sees our very first in-person epidode as George Blackman, Gwilym Sims-Williams and I attend VidSummit in Dallas, Texas!

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If you’re thinking about going next year and if the $800 ticket price is worth it for the YouTube secrets that get revealed, then you’re going to like this episode.

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You can watch on YouTube or listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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Hype: Giving fans a stake in the success of their favorite emerging creators

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YouTube's new Hype feature is designed to help smaller creators reach new audiences and grow their channels. By hyping videos, viewers can help their favorite creators climb the Hype leaderboard and gain visibility.

blog.youtube/news-and-events/youtube-hype

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Article I’m Checking Out…

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Hype: The New YouTube Feature That Will Change Everything - Last week YouTube announced that they’re introducing Hype. Hyping is all about helping emerging YouTube channels grow by connecting them with new audiences.

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If a video's been out less than 7 days from a creator with under 500,000 subscribers, you can "hype" it – and go beyond liking and sharing.

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The more hype it gets, the higher it climbs on a new leaderboard with the top 100 hyped videos from the week.

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It’ll be interesting to see how this impacts YouTube!

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Thanks for reading, if you want to reach out to me, just send a tweet to @WhiffenYT.

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Jamie