Don't Be Original: A Viral Expert's Counterintuitive Guide to Writing Titles

The single most important piece of advice for writing a viral YouTube title is this: Don’t be original.

According to Jake Thomas, a title specialist whose frameworks have helped generate over 100 million views, the biggest mistake creators make is trying to invent something new. The key to success is not random creativity, but a repeatable, data-driven process based on timeless human psychology. This guide breaks down his expert framework for writing titles that get clicked.

What is the Real Job of a YouTube Title?

The function of a title changes depending on how a viewer discovers your video.

For Browse and Homepage Traffic: When a viewer is passively scrolling, the title's job is to be simple, clear, and get out of the way. It should instantly confirm that the video is what the viewer is looking for. Shorter titles work best here.
For Search Traffic: When a viewer is actively searching, the title needs to be more descriptive and directly signal, "This video has the exact solution you need." Longer, keyword-focused titles are more effective.

How Should Titles and Thumbnails Work Together?

A title and thumbnail should act as a complementary one-two punch, not just repeat the same information. Use them to leverage different emotions.

Example: A thumbnail might use a warning to create fear (e.g., text saying "Don't Do This"), while the title builds on it with curiosity (e.g., "10 Mistakes That Cost New Land Owners a Fortune").

The only time repeating text is effective is when the core concept is so uniquely powerful that it can stand alone.

The 3 Core Emotions That Drive Clicks

After analyzing thousands of viral titles, Thomas found that success consistently boils down to triggering one of three core emotions. The statistics have remained virtually unchanged for years:

Curiosity (60% of viral titles): Opens a loop in the viewer's mind and makes them want to know the answer.
Desire (46% of viral titles): Taps into positive outcomes and hopes. It's especially effective for videos targeting search traffic.
Fear (39% of viral titles): Uses warnings and negative outcomes to grab attention. This is highly effective for browse and homepage traffic as it taps into our biological instinct to identify threats.

The Biggest Mistake Creators Make with Titles

The most common error is directly copying titles and ideas from competitors within the same niche.

This practice makes your content derivative and ensures you will always be a step behind. The solution is to broaden your horizons and seek inspiration from outside your immediate category.

The 'Dream 10 / Model 10' Framework for Infinite Title Ideas

To systematically find fresh ideas, Jake uses a powerful two-list system:

The Dream 10: A list of your top 10 direct competitors. Study them to understand what is currently working in your niche.
The Model 10: A list of 10 channels outside your niche that have the same content style as you (e.g., talking head, vlog, educational). This is your primary source for fresh, innovative ideas.

The key is to look for frameworks, not topics. If a finance channel has success with "Best Credit Cards of 2024," a fishing channel can adapt that framework to "Best Trout Lures of 2024."

The Final Word: Your Most Important Takeaway

If you remember only one thing, let it be this: don't be original. The most effective way to write a successful title is to base it on a framework that has already been proven to work. By modeling success from other niches, you can write better titles faster and create a repeatable system for capturing attention.