How to write YouTube titles that get clicked: a 6-point checklist

Your title and thumbnail are the only parts of a video most people ever see. A great video with a vague title loses to an average video with a sharp one. These are the six points Vid0 scores every title on, each out of 10, where 5 is an average YouTube title and 8 or more is rare.

1. Curiosity: does it leave one question open?

A good title makes the viewer want to know something they can only learn by watching. It doesn't give the whole answer away, and it doesn't trick them either.

• Weak: "My experience learning Python"
• Better: "I learned Python in 30 days. Here's what I'd skip"

2. Clarity: can you tell what the video is in one read?

Curiosity without clarity is confusing. Someone scrolling should know the topic instantly.

• Weak: "This changed everything"
• Better: "This one setting doubled my phone's battery life"

3. Specificity: are there real details?

Numbers, names, places, prices and timeframes make a promise believable.

• Weak: "How to save money"
• Better: "How I saved ₹50,000 on a ₹30,000 salary in one year"

4. Emotional pull: is there a reason to care?

Surprise, fear of missing out, ambition, relief or humour. The feeling should match the video, not oversell it.

• Weak: "Review of the new budget laptop"
• Better: "I regret buying this budget laptop (so you don't have to)"

5. Length fit: is it about 20 to 70 characters?

Under about 20 characters there's rarely room for a real promise. Over about 70, the end gets cut off in most places YouTube shows it. YouTube's hard limit is 100 characters.

6. Front-loaded hook: do the key words land in the first 40 characters?

On phones, titles are often cut to their first 40 or so characters. Put the payoff and the words people search for at the start.

• Weak: "In this video I'll show you my morning routine for focus"
• Better: "A 10-minute morning routine for deep focus"

Run the checklist on a real title

You can check length and the first 40 characters as you type in the free YouTube title checker. The rest of the checklist takes a human read, so here's one.

Take "Hey guys, today I'm reviewing some budget headphones".

Rewritten: "I tested 7 headphones under $50. Only one is worth it" (53 characters, with the key words in the first 40).

How Vid0 scores titles

Here's the feedback on a real title, "Why Your Product Hunt Launch Is Failing (And How to Fix It)", which scored 73:

The suggested rewrites go straight at the weak points, here specificity (Zero Upvotes) and a numbered promise (3 Mistakes):

Vid0 rates each of the six points from 0 to 10 with AI, then averages them and multiplies by 10 to give a score out of 100. It also suggests three rewrites under 70 characters and a few specific fixes. The score is an estimate of how strong the packaging is, not a prediction of views. The pre-publish checklist separately flags titles under 20 or over 70 characters, filler openings and weak first 40 characters.

Write the title before you film, and check whether the topic is winnable at your size while you're at it. Packaging is step 4 of our guide to how to grow your YouTube channel; the next step is keeping viewers past the first 30 seconds.

FAQ

How long should a YouTube title be?

About 20 to 70 characters. Shorter titles rarely make a full promise, and longer ones get cut off. YouTube allows up to 100 characters.

Why do the first 40 characters of a title matter?

Phones often show only the first 40 or so characters of a title in feeds and search results, so the key words and the payoff need to be there.

Should I put keywords in my YouTube title?

Yes, if people search for the topic. Put the words they'd type near the start, but write for a person first. A title that reads like a list of keywords gets fewer clicks.

Is clickbait bad for a YouTube channel?

A title that promises something the video doesn't deliver hurts you: viewers leave early and stop trusting your titles. Curiosity is fine as long as the video pays it off.

What is a good YouTube title score in Vid0?

90 or above is excellent, 80 to 89 strong, 70 to 79 good with room to sharpen, 60 to 69 decent but unlikely to stand out, 45 to 59 needs work, and under 45 should be reworked. An average YouTube title scores around 50.