If you are on the internet, you are involved in A/B testing just like some of us know or love to be involved in simple math.
Let’s talk about the most common example witnessed every day. Anytime you log into Netflix on your desktop computer, the default home page features a different show. This is what I remember now, but I also remember a travel show for some reason. There have also been instances where I watched a show because the thumbnail caused interest.
“If you want your video to gain traffic, you must get people’s attention. An important thing to understand about social media publicity is that it is getting more attention because the platform has become crowded and more intrusive.” Says Mark Sider of Greater Than. “However, titles are about attention getting. They must stay away from being sensational or trigger clickbait.”
In this post, we’re sharing 11 results from titles A/B Testing that you can use to increase your Youtube traffic.
A/B testing on YouTube isn’t perfect, and these results might not necessarily work for you, either. But this is what I wanted to share with you today, in the hopes of inspiring you to try new things on your channel.
1. “How To” vs. List
In 3 tests of “how to” vs. list titles, list titles had a higher CTR in all 3.
Example:
“How To Make YOUR Videos Look CINEMATIC” (1.90% CTR)
“5 Tips To Make YOUR videos Cinematic” (2.51% CTR)
⬆️⬆️ 32%
2. Labels
Instead of talking about specific subjects, give subjects a broad label. For example, instead of talking about the details of a new product launch, simply talk about the launch itself. This will help your audience understand the bigger picture and keep them engaged.
Example:
“What Happened to Shabazz Muhammad?” (4.52%)
“The Most Overhyped NBA Prospect” (5.68%)
⬆️⬆️26%
3. Shorter Titles
The average character length in titles that lost the A/B test (had a lower CTR) was 48.26
The average character length in titles that won the A/B test (had a higher CTR) was 44.82
Obviously not a big difference, but interesting to note.
4. Question vs. Statement
Statements did better than questions in 4 out of 5 tests.
They didn’t win by a lot though — an average of 8%. But a win is a win.
Example:
“Is This Brooklyn’s Best KEPT FOOD SECRET?🤐” (6.25% CTR)
“Brooklyn’s Best KEPT FOOD SECRET” (6.8% CTR)
⬆️ ⬆️ 9%
5. Word “Habit”
I’ve seen the word “habit” do well on YouTube often, and it won in two A/B tests here.
Definitely something worth exploring more.
Example:
“THIS Is Killing Your Golf Swing” (4.66% CTR)
“THIS Habit Is Killing Your Golf Swing” (5.13% CTR)
⬆️⬆️ 10%
6. Word “Beginners”
Calling out beginners worked several times here.
Example:
“The Best Camera For Content Creators In 2022” (5.81% CTR)
“The Best Camera For Beginners In 2022” (7.33% CTR)
⬆️⬆️ 26%
7. Word “Change _____ Forever”
The phrase “Change __ Forever” actually worked 3 different times in titles here.
Example:
“It’s The KEY To Awesome Photos” (3.69% CTR)
“This Will Change The Way You Take Photos Forever” (4.04% CTR)
⬆️⬆️ 9%
8. Word “Do THIS”
The phrase “Do THIS” builds curiosity by opening a loop. Adding it to titles worked several times in this project to increase the CTR.
Example:
“The Secret To Great Portrait Photography” (4.87% CTR)
“The Best Portrait Photographers All Do THIS” (5.32% CTR)
⬆️⬆️ 9%
9. Negativity
It may not seem like it, but making your headlines negative can be one of the easiest ways to increase your CTR as it creates curiosity in the audience mind to what they need to avoid.
Example:
“How Billionaire Jeff Bezos Spends All His Money” (2.30% CTR)
“Dumb Things Jeff Bezos Wastes His Billions On” (3.13% CTR)
⬆️ ⬆️ 36%
10. Extremes
Taking things to an extreme often worked well, The easiest strategy here is to use words that end in “-est” like greatest, highest; superlative. ultimate, last, uttermost, remotest. extravagant, immoderate, excessive, fanatical, uncompromising, unreasonable.
Example:
“How To Survive The Golden Retriever Puppy Teething Phase” (5.86% CTR)
“Hardest Thing Golden Retriever Puppy Owners Go Through” (7.08% CTR)
⬆️ ⬆️ 36%
11. FOMO
FOMO is anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on social media.
While the fear of missing out is a great motivator for marketing, any human who interacts on the social media can tell you it can also be exhausting and fill anxiety into your mind. Have you spent a late night or two endlessly scrolling through Instagram and feeling overwhelmed at all the fun happening around you, while you are all alone? I’m sure I have.
Example:
______ You May Have Missed!
12. Use Brackets [BONUS]
Sometimes, it is the little things – like adding brackets to your titles – that can make a big difference.
Scott Nelson of MoneyNerd says, “Using brackets in the title boosts my click-through rate, I couldn’t believe the results when I first used it.
Example:
[12 Tips] How To Write Compelling YouTube Video Title
Conclusion
If you want to drive more traffic to your YouTube channel, you should definitely try A/B testing your titles or just follow these results to derive more traffic to your YouTube videos. This article provided 12 A/B testing titles that resulted in more traffic. So, what are you waiting for? head on to YouTube to get started.