Top 20 Viral Video Titles Explained in 11 Minutes

i've categorized 20 different types of youtube titles to help you increase your click-through rate but which one will help you the most the truth is the title alone can make or break a video's performance even for the world's biggest youtubers but luckily there are proven formats that professional marketers have been using for decades that the best creators lean on and the first one already worked because you just clicked on it it's a tried and tested youtube classic and the reason list titles have remained so widely used is because they make a video's value seem more

tangible to the audience top tips for healthy productivity sounds like a good video for the right viewer but 10 top tips for healthy productivity is even better because it's more quantifiable and it makes the video feel more digestible whether it's three tips to boost your confidence or the hundred most common english words the point is to offer value to the viewer value is what generates clicks and a number is a value multiplier but the number you use is less important than the format though the next type of title you might not have even seen yet

and it was used to great effect in this video here i made the nintendo switch pro controller clickier is an intriguing topic for this channel's target audience but adding the extra characters around the word clickier gets the intended point across even better but this concept even works for normal letters as well which harris used here to highlight the words best gaming headset in a bold italic font reformatting the text in a style viewers don't usually see is a unique way to stand out on the page and increase your odds at a higher click-through rate the

next title is meant to not only surprise viewers but also leave a question in their minds that is sure to make them curious in school you may have been taught that the inventor of the light bulb was thomas edison but this video is here to tell you that not only was that a lie but it also promises to explain who the real inventor was similarly henry ford didn't invent the car and donut media is here to tell you who really did when a viewer is told that something they thought was true is actually false they're

likely to click and see what the truth really is getting a viewer to watch is all about making them care to see what happens next and the next title is great at achieving just that at a glance this video looks like a normal scene from jurassic park but with a closer look and with the title giving context the viewer knows to instead expect a cat instead of a t-rex this format was really popularized within gaming with titles like minecraft but every five minutes the sea level rises showing a viewer what they weren't expecting is a

common trait of the greatest viral videos using the next title on our list can bring in viewers from two sides of a topic potentially doubling your viewership potential this can be done as simply as why dogs are better than cats where fans of both animals will be intrigued but another brilliant use of this kind of title is why dutch bikes are better and why you should want one by the channel not just bikes making it his most popular video yet whether you're comparing two things or just stating your opinion argumentative titles are all about making

a claim that viewers care about and whether they agree or not want to click to hear your take in the same way thumbnails can use color contrast to stand out titles that use contrasting themes serve to hook viewers interest as it builds a narrative for the topic for example lazy versus pro editor and the most overrated underrated camera and video gear both take advantage of contrast instead of getting one angle of value you're getting two this is a really great format to use for end of year recaps and reviews such as the best and worst

trends of 2021. because you're looking back at both sides of the coin it feels like a complete and satisfying review of a topic how would you like to hear about cities that are all right to live in need a new camera maybe you'd like to check out a review of an okay lens no people usually want to hear about the biggest and the best the best cities to live in in america and the top new games of 2022 are much more compelling because they're telling the viewer if you don't want to miss out you should

click on this video you can even use a ranking format something exercise channel athlean does all the time such as shoulder exercises ranks best to worst so viewers know how to avoid wasting their time the next type of title is so useful mr beast has a whole channel dedicated to these videos and channels like gq and wired utilize them to get tens of millions of views with their most popular videos sometimes it's navy sealed jocko willink breaking down combat scenes for movies and other times it's the cast of stranger things reacting to the internet's most

searched questions or vfx artists reacting to bad cgi another great example here is a video called pro-chef breaks down cooking scenes from movies here in the thumbnail the viewer might recognize the format as a reaction to ratatouille but the title gives it context and explains that the chef will talk about more than one cooking scene an interesting person reacting to something viewers care about is a perfect recipe for a high click-through rate you may have noticed that reaction videos often include professionals watching clips related to their expertise and there's a good reason for this a

video called what's on a graphic designer's ipad pro promises to show beginner designers what apps an expert uses and the advanced designers might wonder if there's something on the list that they're missing what professional software engineers actually do is accomplishing the same thing and the word actually suggests that even if the viewer has already seen videos on software engineering they might have missed something that this video is going to cover again the key here is value and the point is to reveal information viewers can use to achieve their goals leaning on an authority figure can

really help a video's credibility and therefore increasing ctr a punch and follow-up title consists of two parts it first makes a dramatic punch statement to grab the viewer's attention then switches to a follow-up that resolves the dilemma the punch created but it's important to do this correctly for example eight shoes that are out of style what to wear instead first makes the viewer think are my shoes out of style the second half allows the viewer to get the answer what to wear instead similarly 90 of traders lose money so how to be in the top

percent follows the exact same approach the dramatic punch is that 9 out of 10 traders lose money no one wants to lose money so to avoid that happening this title is saying you have to watch a command title implies authority it says i know exactly how to get you what you want just do this for example do this every day to get abs leaves no room for interpretation the thumbnail provides credibility too so the viewer trusts an expert who knows how to deliver the results they're looking for you can use commands to appeal to viewers

fear of missing out and you can do this with a watch this before title for example watch this before buying a video light and do this before using your new laptop make you feel like there's an important step you need to take before going on with what you were doing if you don't watch you might be missing out so you want to click it's important to remember when making videos that your viewers are looking to satisfy a need if you were going to make a video about cooking how many chefs are at gordon ramsay's level

not many so making a video titled how to prepare an 800 steak has a very small target audience as a true educational video but how many people know how to cook at least one dish billions this is why titles that are beginner focused always do much better than advanced tutorials titles like if i had to start from zero this is what i do and how to invest for beginners cast a very wide net anyone can follow along including your target audience in the title makes them feel the video is meant especially for them this title

here uses that framework how to bulk up fast is a goal and as a skinny guy is the beginner audience called out directly and then my complete guide just helps convince that it's the perfect starting point for those beginners many videos on youtube are negative but there's a big market for positivity people prefer not to hear negativity about themselves but do like positivity about themselves or things that will affect them people want to improve their lives and avoid negative consequences so instead of making your titles about slightly improving something make it life-changing like 12 stoic

questions that will change your life or 5 life-changing books you must read in 2022. conversely negative titles work best when they imply a juicy takedown piece uncovering a scandal or a hidden controversy sunny v2 uses negative titles for many of his videos he deliberately over exaggerates negative events to make them more powerful such as why bel delphine's career died and the incredibly satisfying death of buzzfeed everybody loves a villain takedown piece and these titles promise just that many negative titles almost take a journalistic angle such as the toxic world of self-help to the viewer it

implies there's a hidden and secretive world they've been unaware of and this video will take them down a rabbit hole to learn the truth an example of the next title is my 50 favorite films it's clearly an opinion piece which works really well if your audience already knows you to be an established authority in a particular niche the title itself sounds like a direct statement you're making which is a powerful way to build an interpersonal connection with your viewers if your viewers already trust your judgment they're even more likely to be interested in your video

another example is gordon ramsay's favorite simple recipes unlike netflix or tv youtube audiences expect videos to be made by an individual creator so you have an opportunity to use a more personal touch with your titles and that's where the testimonial title comes in next when you write a title for your video what you're really doing is inviting the audience to ask a question to themselves do i want to know the answer this video will give me and nothing does this better than the next title on our list when using a question title they'll almost always

keep it short and to the point what are drowning machines why does this lady have a fly on her head how many robots does it take to run a grocery store so long as the viewer actually wants to know the answer to the question you're asking they'll click to find the answer though question titles won't work best when combined with the next title when doing a challenge video it's best to state the accomplishment directly rather than making the viewers question if they'll actually get to see you do it but let me show you what i

mean i ate a slice of pizza and space from arac is an on brand stunt his viewers haven't seen before and i survived on a penny for 30 days from ryan trahan is a more ambitious progression of his most popular series to date where he did the same thing for only seven days these titles are meant to show the viewer a feat they've never seen before now offer them a video they can watch to see it unfold one of the most common titles in use on youtube can be found on basically every channel on youtube

plastic recycling is actually a scam from climatetown is the perfect example where the title simply states the video's subject matter youtuber jake tran has been experimenting lately by pushing declarative titles to their limit recent videos include titles such as oh so it is all a scam and it's a cover-up the number one thing that matters though is that the statement is interesting to your viewer controversial or otherwise because that's when they click there's another common title you might have already used by now but do you know its true potential why are 96 million black balls

on this reservoir by veritasium compelled a whopping 85 million people to click for a very simple reason the concept is so out of the ordinary and paired with the absurd thumbnail viewers really want to hear the answer to the question and upon seeing this video anyone familiar with the us government's pentagon building might just really want to know why is the pentagon a pentagon the title on screen from phil edwards promises to explain a question people didn't even know they wanted an answer for and it's so intriguing it's no surprise it's his most popular video

yet why titles are supposed to get viewers curious about the reasoning behind something and clicking to find out more found on edutainment channels all across youtube is the next type of title and it's a foundational one leon hendrix posted our first example how he earned 15 million dollars in 12 months will intrigue any potential viewers interested in business but it's also such a fantastic claim that anybody might be interested and this video is a two for one how china turned the desert green is an interesting concept but the secondary title why it went wrong makes

the viewer even more curious they might wonder how could this have been a bad thing when viewers realize they want to hear you explain the process behind a topic they're intrigued about they'll click making how titles an effective option but most creators agree that thumbnails are even more important than titles so watch this video to see the 21 most viral youtube thumbnails you need to identify to make the most of a viral title