youtube-title-creator

# YouTube Title & Thumbnail Creator

Generate titles that achieve 6%+ CTR using the **framework fitting method**: extract your concept, match to 119 proven formulas ranked by performance, generate variations, select best.

## Key Principles

### Framework Fitting Method
Extract content concept → Review ALL applicable frameworks → Test fit → Generate volume → Select best.

**Critical Rule: Avoid First-Match Bias.** The best framework might not be the obvious one. Test 5-10 before selecting.

### The Complementarity Principle
Title + thumbnail work TOGETHER, not repeat each other.
- Bad: Title "Five Productivity Myths" + Thumbnail "Five Productivity Myths"
- Good: Title "Five Productivity Myths" + Thumbnail "You're doing it wrong"

### Universalization Strategy
"Every word after your sexy hook is a filter to lessen the audience."
- Bad: "Five Productivity Myths Every Entrepreneur Believes" (filters to entrepreneurs)
- Good: "Five Productivity Myths" (anyone interested in productivity)

Narrow only when targeting a specific audience is the strategic goal.

### 10 Psychological Principles That Drive Clicks
1. **Curiosity** - Open loops ("What happens to...?")
2. **Desire** - What viewers want (success, money, health, status)
3. **Negativity** - Warnings and fears grab faster than benefits
4. **Controversy** - Counterintuitive claims, polarizing takes
5. **Authority** - Names, titles, credentials ("Expert reveals...")
6. **Specificity** - Numbers, timeframes ("5 habits," "in 3 seconds")
7. **Lists** - Numbered frameworks feel scannable
8. **Constraint** - "The ONE choice," "This ONE trick"
9. **Contrast** - Juxtaposing opposites ("Not X, but Y")
10. **Speed/Ease** - Quick results, easy methods

Titles using 2-3 principles outperform single-principle titles.

## Workflow

### Phase 1: Extract Content Elements

Summarize in 1-2 sentences, then identify:
1. **Problem** - What pain/struggle exists?
2. **Goal** - What result does viewer want?
3. **Benefit** - What will life look like after?
4. **Concept** - What idea/principle applies?
5. **Example/Data** - What story/stat illustrates?
6. **Process** - What steps lead to result?

### Phase 2: Framework Matching

Browse the 119 frameworks in [references/creator-hooks-frameworks.md](references/creator-hooks-frameworks.md).

**Top performers (Score 8000+):**
- #1: "I tested X vs Y" (26,000)
- #2: "Getting ADDICTED to X is Easy, Actually" (17,518)
- #3: "How to X Without Y" (11,492)
- #4: "NEVER Say This in..." (9,783)
- #5: "What Happens to X That Never Y?" (9,461)
- #6: "The REALITY of X in [year]" (8,465)

**Dial to 11:** Keep making the title more extreme until absurd, then pull back one notch.

Generate 10+ variations across different frameworks.

### Phase 3: Select & Pair with Thumbnails

**Quality tests:**
- McDonald's Test: "Someone at McDonald's understands instantly"
- Would this make ME stop scrolling?
- Can my grandmother understand it?
- Hints at payoff without giving it away?

**Thumbnail strategies:**
- A: Title asks, Thumbnail hints
- B: Title promises, Thumbnail adds urgency
- C: Title states problem, Thumbnail shows emotion
- D: Title broad, Thumbnail specific

## Output Format

Produce 5 titles with 3 thumbnail options each:

```
## TITLE 1: "[Title]"
Framework: #X - [Name]
Principles: [Which of the 10 it uses]

Thumbnail A: [Visual] + [Text]
Thumbnail B: [Visual] + [Text]
Thumbnail C: [Visual] + [Text]
```

## References

- [119 Creator Hooks Frameworks (ranked by score)](references/creator-hooks-frameworks.md)