When creating content for the whole Internet to see, it is important to find something that will grab the attention of viewers and draw them in. Similar to creating a title for an essay, it is good to make a title for a YouTube video that will intrigue those casually scrolling, and even if your video subject is super boring, a good title will at least get the video lots of one-time views. Without further ado, it is time to explore some good video title ideas that will rake in the viewers and bring attention to your content.
1. Include Main Topic
This may seem like a no-brainer but it is important to include what your video is about in the title. That way it will pop up when a user searches for a video on that topic. For instance, if your video is about how to wash your water bottle, but you don’t include anything in the title about washing water bottles, then no one will click on your video when they search for help on that subject.
2. Use Numbers
Using numbers in your title will help draw viewers in because it breaks up the letters and can be used as an organizational tool, which the brain likes.
3. Use Proper Grammar
Again, this is another no-brainer, but spelling errors are very common all over the internet. Using proper grammar will help build credibility and confidence in the content of your video.
4. Proper Title Length
Youtube video titles can be up to 100 characters, but in order for the entire title to be shown on a mobile device or in search results, the title should be under 60 characters. The likelihood that someone will click on your video becomes a lot lower if they can’t read the entire title from the search results.
5. Include Power Words
Power words are important because they are associated with emotions. Happy power words in the title of a video tend to bring that video more clicks and views. Some examples of happy power words include heartwarming, profound, inspiring, and light.
6. No Clickbait!
This goes along with including your main topic in the title, but if you want to be a genuine and trustworthy source, then it is important to be honest in your thumbnails and video descriptions, including the title.
7. Know Your Audience
Who are you targeting your video towards? Is it people who like to make pizza, or people who only use plastic water bottles? It is important to think about how you want to phrase your title to interest your audience as well as build credibility so your information is known as reliable, both on Youtube and among viewers.
8. Use Keywords
This suggestion is fairly self-explanatory, but it is crucial to include what your video is about in the title. If it is about pizza, then pizza is going to be a keyword that needs to be in your title.
9. Avoid Innapropriate Language
Vulgar language will not only turn people away from watching your video, but it can also be flagged by Youtube, and they may remove the video.
10. Use a Compelling Hook
Compelling hooks are most effective when using emotion, such as guilt. This can be a powerful emotion to use when creating a title. Even if it is not a topic you are interested in, you would still be likely to click on a video that said something like “Why do you still clean your water bottle? 4 reasons to leave it unwashed”.
11. Create a Sense of Urgency
Phrases such as “Watch this NOW” or “You NEED to watch this” can create a sense of urgency that will lead users to click on your video so that they don’t miss out on anything crucial.
12. Use the Word “Video”
If the word “video” is included in your title, when people search for a video specifically, yours may pop up rather than another video that doesn’t have that word in its title. For instance, if one is searching for “water bottle cleaning video”, a video that includes “video” in its title will pop up before a video simply titled “water bottle cleaning”.
13. Include the Phrase “How To”
This is an important aspect of creating a clickable title, especially if your video is an instructional video. This will help tell the audience that this video is going to provide them with the information that they are searching for.
14. Capitalize the First Letter of Each Word
This is more for aesthetics, but the Youtube algorithm also likes it when your title is structured like this.
15. Place Keywords in the Beginning of the Title
If possible, it is important to have your keyword as the first word of your title to ensure that it is at the top of any related searches.
16. Put One Word in UPPERCASE
This will emphasize the importance of the phrase or something specific within the title. It can also help create a sense of urgency or trigger FOMO, which can lead to more clicks and views.
17. Call Audience to Action
This can be a very effective part of a good title. Videos that say “Watch This” or “Learn More” included in their titles can bring in viewers because it is taking charge and is a call to action. You can get creative with the way you do this by using different power words that strongly suggest viewers watch your video.
18. Put Words in [Brackets]
Several of these suggestions might sound silly, and this is definitely one of those. However, putting words in brackets actually works very well with algorithms and is often seen as a preview of the video itself, leading to almost 40% more views.
19. Use a Headline Analyzer
There are several free headline analyzers that use algorithms, psychology, and behavioral analysis to rate your title on its effectiveness in drawing in viewers and engaging with your audience. This tool can be useful when performing research on what content brings the most views, especially if you are analyzing your own videos and content to see what you can do to improve.
20. Findability vs. Clickability
A video may have great content, but without a good title, it can be buried several pages into search results. Good findability can go back to knowing your audience, because if you have done your keyword research and know what people are searching for, you can word your title in a way that your video will be one of the first results to pop up.
Clickability is how interesting your video title sounds and how likely it is for someone to click on the video based on the title and thumbnail. Your video could be extremely findable but still not gain views because it is simply not something that sounds interesting to viewers.
21. Use Exciting Words
Using words like “unbelievable” and “shocking” can lead to more clicks on your video, but it is important that viewers watch the video all the way through so that Youtube will continue to keep your video at the top of its search results. This means that the content in the video needs to be exciting and live up to its title.
22. Use Data
Citing studies or data in your title can help build credibility and interest if the studies are accurate and relatable to your content. Remember, you don’t want any clickbait, but you DO want reliable information.
23. Pique Interest
This may be the essence of creating a good title: creating something that people are interested in watching. Using phrases such as “This is why” or “This is how” will create interest and lead to more views.
24. Use a Video Title Generator
This can be useful if you are stuck and unable to think of a catchy title. These video title generators can take keywords and place them in a title, making it easy for you to rearrange and add different punctuation in order for the video to sound more appealing.
25. Use FOMO
This method of catching the attention of viewers is used not only when making videos, but also in book titles, article titles, news headlines, and many other sources. “What Rich People Don’t Want You to Know” or something along those lines can be very intriguing, and it makes it very tempting to click on the video or read the book so that you don’t miss out on crucial information.
26. Trigger Curiousity
Little children ask some of the most fascinating and random questions, and it is because they are curious about the world around them. Offering a fresh perspective on something common in the form of a title can trigger questions in someone that will lead to them watching your video.
27. Put Your Brand Name Last
If you feel the need to include your brand name in the title of your video (perhaps to build credibility or market your brand), make sure it is not the first thing that people see. Ultimately, if someone is searching for something specific, they are not going to watch something that doesn’t sound like it is related to their search, even if they recognize the brand name.
28. Set the Tone
If your video is about something serious such as a tragic world event, it is probably not in your best interest to create a funny title for the video. Setting a more serious tone would help the viewers catch the vibe of your video before even watching it so they know what to expect.
29. Keyword Research
We’ve already talked about keywords briefly, but it is important to research your keywords and make sure they are strong ones. There are several free keyword tools that will help you understand the effectiveness of the keywords you are using and can help you know whether or not you should change them.
30. Question Format
If your video is answering a question, it may be helpful to ask that question in the title of the video so that viewers know what they are going to be watching.
31. Be Genuine
Instead of solely trying to market your content in order to get views, try to sound more genuine and like you actually care about your viewers in your title. While marketing techniques may get you views, consistent viewers and subscribers will come from being real and genuine.
32. Offer Expert Advice
Sound professional and confident in your content! It is important to understand the information you are sharing with users and you can have that confidence flow through your title to increase views.
