Social Media Title Testing

A framework for testing content titles before creation to maximize engagement, based on Ali Abdaal's YouTube success strategy.

Core Title Testing Philosophy

• Test titles before creating content
• Aim for 20+ variations per piece of content
• Use "viral replication" strategy - study successful content titles in your niche
• Don't create content until title is finalized, as it shapes the entire piece

Testing Methods

• Use social media polls across platforms:
  • Twitter polls
  • Instagram polls
  • YouTube community posts
• Look for clear winners among options
• Study view-to-subscriber ratios of similar content
• Use VidIQ Chrome extension to analyze competitor metrics
• Leverage Thumbnailtest.com for A/B testing

Title Optimization Process

• Generate 20+ initial title variations
• Study successful titles in your niche and adjacent niches
• Look for titles with high view-to-subscriber ratios
• Test top candidates via social media polls
• Select winning title before content creation
• Continue testing even after publishing through:
  • A/B testing thumbnails
  • Refreshing old content with new titles
  • Monitoring performance metrics

Key Success Metrics

• Title is the #1 predictor of video success
• Good titles can drive 1M+ views
• Aim for 5%+ click-through rates
• Focus on view-to-subscriber ratio as key metric
• Track engagement across different platforms

Implementation Tips

• Study competitor titles that went viral
• Adapt successful formats to your niche
• Test constantly, even on old content
• Let data drive decisions
• Ensure title shapes content direction
• Don't start creating until title is validated

The framework emphasizes thorough testing and validation before content creation, treating the title as the foundation for success rather than an afterthought.