Why do some videos go viral while others fall flat? What makes some content so popular while others fail to get a single view? The answer might surprise you.
Many YouTubers are using a very smart strategy to significantly grow their channels in a very unexpected way. Watch this video for more details:
Don’t Be Afraid of Using Clickbait Tactics
Let’s talk about clickbait, but not the kind that you’re thinking about. I believe that there are two categories of clickbait; dishonest, manipulative, and time-wasting, and useful, satisfying, and value-driven. This is the one we’re talking about.
Although clickbait has a bad reputation, it is not inherently negative or manipulative. By definition, it’s content whose main purpose is to attract attention and encourage viewers to click. Every good marketer and YouTuber knows that nothing happens until somebody clicks. From thumbnails that portray unrealistic scenes to titles that intentionally leave out information to create curiosity, it’s all done to encourage viewers to click.
Some people say that using all caps in your titles is obnoxious, clickbaity, and desperate, but we tested it. All we did was change some words to all caps in this video’s title.
As a result, the click-through rate went up by 35%, and the views went up by 40%.
Same thumbnail, the same video, just a little bit more clickbaity. Have you noticed that Mr. Beast uses the same exact face in almost every thumbnail? Nobody makes that face in real life, but it gets people to click.
Small changes to how you present your videos can determine how many people you reach, how many views your video gets, and, ultimately, how much money you make.
So what’s the trick?
How do you get yourself noticed and give your videos the best chance to grow without annoying off your viewers and breaking their trust?
Present Your Video Content in the Most Compelling Way
A key factor contributing to the success or failure of a video is how you position it to people. The framing effect is a psychological phenomenon that describes how people respond to choices or concepts based on the way they are presented or framed to them.
How something is presented makes a difference in how it is perceived. Just like most people will buy a sanitizing product that says, “Kills 95% of germs” over one that says “5% of germs survive”. On YouTube, the framing effect is used to draw viewers in by presenting your video in a way that’s more likely to attract attention.
There are two main ways to do this.
- Present your content in ways that are less straightforward and more enticing so that viewers will be curious enough to click on it.
- Wording titles and crafting thumbnails creatively, framing so that they appeal to different interests and emotions.
Let’s look at an example.
Veritasium, a science-based channel, posted a video titled Strange Applications of the Magnus Effect. While the video was entertaining and educational, nobody was clicking on that title. It was framed poorly. The title only appealed to a very specific audience, mostly people searching for or with preexisting knowledge of the Magnus effect.
To his target audience, the video was unappealing. But then he reframed it, changed the title to Backspin Basketball Flies Off Dam, and changed the thumbnail. Suddenly, his boring video became interesting. Way less straightforward than before and definitely more clickbaity, but now it appealed to more people, and the video has over 50 million views. It’s the same video, just delivered differently. Veritasium got the masses interested in science just by changing the way that he framed it. Now let’s get really tactical on how you can reframe your videos so your videos can start seeing better results.
The Art of Reframing Your YouTube Content
The first step to reframing your video is to determine the purpose, outcome, or benefit that it offers. Whether it’s for learning or having fun, consider the most interesting reason or benefit why viewers would want to click on your video.
Viewers actually respond to benefits over tactics, just like Get Abs in 2 Weeks makes for a stronger title than Do Crunches for 15 minutes a day. One is framed as an unattractive tactic, while the other is framed as an attractive benefit. Both videos are absolutely identical; only one of them is going to get more clicks. So reframe your videos with all of that in mind.
Then meet the viewers where they are. As creators, we might be the experts in our niches. However, our viewers might only be beginners. You need to cater to their level of understanding and use language that they know. State your titles clearly so viewers can easily understand them without having to have prior knowledge or do a bunch of work to understand what your video is about.
Then pair your video with a well-framed thumbnail. Thumbnails play a crucial role in reframing, even with impressive titles. If the thumbnail fails to communicate the value and spark interest, it won’t be clicked.
Thumbnails are usually extreme exaggerations of the content, and they don’t always accurately depict reality. The goal here is the same as the title; to frame the video with its true value and to use visuals to capture the audience’s attention. If you pair a well-framed title with a well-framed thumbnail, you, my friend, have a banger.
by TubeBuddy as part of