An Analysis of Words in the Titles of Top 1% Videos—Revealed

“The Top 1% of Videos All Used This Word in Their Titles?”

What should you put in a YouTube title to make people click?

What kind of words will make people stop scrolling and watch your video?

This isn't something you should approach based on gut feeling alone.

There's a common pattern in the language used in the titles of top-performing videos.

So, I decided to analyze it myself.

I collected all 2,000 titles from videos ranking in the top 1% by view count and broke down which words appeared most frequently.





“Here's How the Analysis Was Conducted”

- From Korean videos uploaded in the last year
- Videos that went viral with over 50x their channel's average views
- Total sample size: Approx. 200,000 videos
- Top 1% sample size: 2,000 videos
- Criteria: No restrictions based on view count, video length, or channel size

The results revealed specific words that videos with 1M+ views commonly used.






“Top 5 Words in the Titles of the Top 1% of Videos”

- 1st – “Why” (36.2%): Sparks curiosity + Opens a narrative
- 2nd – “This” (29.8%): Creates an information gap + Drives clicks
- 3rd – “Really” (25.5%): Emphasizes emotion + Builds trust
- 4th – “Now” (22.1%): Creates urgency + Boosts engagement
- 5th – “You Didn't Know” (18.7%): Highlights a twist + Builds anticipation






“How Million-View Videos Craft Their Titles”

1. Narrative Questions Starting with "Why"

- “Why did this happen?”

→ Average CTR: 17.4% (More than double the typical average of 8%)

The word 'Why' taps into our innate psychological desire to understand the cause of things.

2. Creating a Mystery with "This"

- “You've been using it all this time without knowing THIS?”
- “You'll really struggle without THIS.”

→ It implies that the topic could be relevant to the viewer, making them eager to find out what "this" is.

3. Using "Really" to Build Trust and Emotion

- “I REALLY didn't expect it to change this much.”
- “You REALLY need to see this.”

"Really" offers reassurance. Amidst a flood of predictable content, it conveys a feeling of sincerity.

4. Creating Urgency with "Now"

- “Watch NOW before it's too late.”
- “It's not too late, even NOW.”

→ This triggers a sense of urgency, time constraints, and the fear of missing out (FOMO).

5. Highlighting the Unknown with "You Didn't Know"

- “My life got so much easier with this one feature I didn't know about.”
- “Here are the secret tips that almost nobody knew.”

People dislike feeling left out or uninformed. This keyword directly targets that feeling.






“Great Titles Precisely Target Emotions”

High-performing titles aren't just sensational; they use words that tap into specific human psychological triggers.

- ‘Why’ = Makes the viewer ask for a reason.
- ‘This’ = Makes the viewer want to find out.
- ‘Really’ = Makes the viewer want to trust it.
- ‘Now’ = Makes the viewer feel a sense of urgency.
- ‘You Didn't Know’ = Makes the viewer want to verify.

By skillfully combining these words and weaving them naturally into your titles, you can fundamentally change your video's performance.