Clarity first, clever second
The title and the thumbnail split the job. If the thumbnail has the face and the emotion, the title can carry the specific promise. If both scream, the click feels cheap. If neither is specific, you get impressions and no clicks, or no impressions at all.
Write five titles. Read them out loud. Cut words that do not change the meaning. Put the interesting noun near the front, because the end gets cut off on a phone.
- Name the outcome or the mistake.
- Avoid empty words: insane, ultimate, you won’t believe.
- Match the title to the first 30 seconds so you do not pay for a click with a bad retention curve.
- For search videos, use the phrase people ask. For browse videos, use the phrase that creates a picture.