Everyone steals ideas.
That shot you saw in the movie, that idea you heard somewhere, that product that solves a problem, even this newsletter.
Most creators draw inspiration from which they create something new.
There is no shame in that.
So, here are some Viral YouTube titles, thumbnails, and Instagram reels from which you can take inspiration.
Improve (1/3)
Title: The 3 Exercises That 10x’d My Guitar Progress…
Title framework: The X [Action/List] That 10x’d My [Outcome/Progress]…
Why this works:
- list — list posts feel more structured easy to consume and more tangible. Also, it adds an element of curiosity.
- curiosity — the title suggests a massive improvement (10x) from action, making the viewer curious to see what those are.
- desire — the creator’s audience would love to improve their guitar skills.
How to use:
Find areas where the audience desires improvement and offer the list of solutions that helped you.
Examples of titles:
- The 5 Books That 10x’d My Investment Returns
- The 3 Habits That 10x’d My Productivity
- The 6 Workouts That 10x’d My Fitness
- The 3 YouTube Settings That 10x Views
Dark Truth (2/3)
Title: The Dark Truth About RV Living the Media Won’t Show You
Title framework: The Dark Truth About [Entity] the Media Won’t Show You
Why this works:
- negative — words like “Dark Truth“ add a touch of controversy to the video which gets people’s attention.
- secret — you are letting in them on a secret which is very hard to resist for a viewer.
How to use:
Discuss things/entities that people overlook in your industry.
Examples of titles:
- The Dark Truth About Vegan Diets the Media Won’t Show You
- The Dark Truth About Electric Cars the Media Won’t Show You
- The Dark Truth About Celebrities the Media Won’t Show You
Want To Find Viral YouTube Ideas Just Like This?
Introducing ViralVideoSpy
I have been building this application for the past two months, and I think it is ready to be released to an initial test group of 50 people.
I built this to find the best-performing videos on YouTube and analyze them for this newsletter and my videos.
Here’s how to use it:
Use the Outlier filters to find viral videos in your niche then save the videos you want to recreate into your account, after that you can create title variations from this screen using AI.
Note: This is still a beta version, so you may encounter some bugs. Be a sport, and send your feedback using the Contact Us page.
Going viral with minimal editing.
Here is an analysis of an Instagram reel that caught my attention a few days ago. When I wrote this letter, the video had over 3.7 million views on Instagram. Today, we will see why it went viral.
Do me a favor watch the above video and come back to read further (please don’t get lost in scrolling. I share some important tips below).
Hook Used: You wanna hear the craziest thing I’ve ever learned about the brain? this can honestly change your life
Hook Framework: You wanna hear the craziest thing I’ve ever learned about [Entity/Subject]? This can honestly [Desired Outcome].
How to use it in your videos?
Share your opinion about something you have learned that shifted your perspective or gave you an aha moment.
Examples like this hook:
- You wanna hear the craziest thing I’ve ever learned about money? This can honestly make you rich
- You wanna hear the craziest thing I’ve ever learned about marketing? This can honestly skyrocket your business.
- You wanna hear the craziest thing I’ve ever learned about weight loss? This can honestly help you drop fat fast
Why does this work?
- Interest peak
The video’s hook is so powerful, but it also comes with an interesting peak that gives a reason for the viewer to keep watching.
Let me give you 2 hooks:
- You wanna hear the craziest thing I’ve ever learned about money?
- You wanna hear the craziest thing I’ve ever learned about money? This can honestly make you rich
Which one do you think will work well?
If you picked the second one, that is correct. After the hook, it also gives an interest peak (“This can honestly make you rich “) that opens a curiosity loop in the viewer’s mind, and they want to know how.
- Editing
This video has no fast-paced editing, no fancy graphics, and no trending audio of any sort.
It is just a guy talking about something he likes and still manages to get about 4 million views.
This means that your editing elevates the brand that you want to build, and if your brand doesn’t need that don’t do it.
People tend to over-edit their videos just for viewer retention. Instead, start editing your videos for viewer satisfaction.
Make It Useful(3/3)
Title: Dynamic Island: How To Make It (Really) Useful in 2025
Title framework: [Feature/Tool]: How To Make It (Really) [Desirable Outcome] in [Year]
Why this works:
- curiosity — Words like “Really“ help emphasize this point, really.
- desire — if you have an iPhone 15 or above (which a lot of people have) you would click this video because people love and hate this island.
How to use:
Discuss how a product, tool, or feature of a product (that has a lot of hype around it) can be used to attain a desired result.
Examples of titles:
- Budget Travel: How To Make It (Really) Affordable in 2025
- ChatGPT: How To Make It (Really) Automate Your Business in 2025
- Google Ads: How To Make Them (Really) Profitable in 2025
That is it for this week, if you found this helpful, here is the previous letter.
Or check out all my letters from here. See you next Monday, God willing.
– Sayar