Clickbait in YouTube Videos - How It Works and Its Impact

In short, clickbait is a marketing strategy that can be used somewhere on videos or other piece of content.

The content might be sensational, which drives clicks and gets audiences to watch your content.

What are Clickbait Videos on YouTube?

Clickbait videos on YouTube refer to adding false or overhyped statements to the video title or thumbnails to draw viewers to click the videos.

While gaining views or traffic through this practice may seem beneficial, it’s important to note that this is not always a sound strategy. If the content fails to deliver on its promises, the negative impact of clickbait can outweigh any short-term benefits.

Clickbait content is spreading everywhere, irrespective of videos and blog posts. Even TikTok, YouTube Shorts Videos, Instagram reels, and other digital marketers produce clickbait videos.

That’s where the question arises: “Are Clickbait Videos Good or Bad?”

No worries. I will explain that in this detailed article, and we will figure it out at the end.

Clickbait Videos on YouTube

Firstly, we must understand how clickbait videos are defined on YouTube. Generally, YouTube does not work on creators’ mindsets to gain traffic and earn revenues. Their main vision is Audience Satisfaction.

However, as the clickbait ratio increases, it’s crucial to note that audience satisfaction takes a hit. This is when the YouTube algorithm steps in, taking serious action against clickbait videos.

It’s important to understand that YouTube’s algorithm is designed to cater to audiences’ needed videos. Its primary factor is the amount of time audiences spend on the entire video, ensuring a quality viewing experience.

Suppose the video is 10 minutes long, and the users watch an average of 3 minutes. In that case, the YouTube algorithm will put down your videos. This will directly impact your views and low traffic.

Clickbait videos initially generate more views, but if they do not satisfy audiences, the views will vanish, and your videos will only go into the trash.

Examples on YouTube Clickbait

Let’s look at some of the clickbait example videos available on YouTube. Here, I found a video on YouTube that mentioned $97,000 in the thumbnail. I thought he earned this money by uploading shorts.

But when I watched this video, he mentioned ways to generate money from shorts other than ADS. When I completed watching that video, it was not satisfying or convincing me internally to earn the huge $97,000 with the steps he conveyed.

That’s where Clickbait begins.

On the other hand, I have seen Brain Dean’s latest email marketing video, which noted on the thumbnail that it earned a monthly recurring income of $1,34,755.

He never showed his earning dashboard in this entire video. Still, the value he added to that video for email marketing to gain such revenue is entirely satisfying.

However, Brain Dean used a clickbait thumbnail; the content added is worth watching.

With the above two examples, clickbait is like a nuclear bomb to handle. The place you’re using is significant.

Note: Generally, YouTube creators use clickbait on video titles and thumbnails, which is where most video clicks happen.

How To Use Clickbait on YouTube Videos

The question is whether I can use Clickbait on my videos or not.

The answer is,

Yes, if you’re handling it very carefully.
No, if you’re terrible at handling it.

It’s all in your hands to decide and use the clickbait titles and thumbnails on the videos.

After an extended case study, we found that using a formula on YouTube clickbait videos helps drive better traffic; in the meantime, it keeps your traffic and audience retention high.

Checkout the below graph formula,

To properly use clickbait, you can use the above graph technique on your video title or thumbnails. Don’t worry; I will break down the graph step-by-step.

Core Video Value

The above graph shows that more than 50% of your video value is your core video value. It’s nothing, but you must use the originality of your video in the title or thumbnail.

For instance, if your video is a tutorial or an analysis of competitor content, a catchy title or thumbnail can significantly boost engagement. This should motivate you to craft compelling messages that draw viewers in.

In McDowell’s video, he explained how to set up the perfect home page. The thumbnail and title are very catchy, related to copying the same to replicate the output.

So, when I completed his video, it was the same as what he mentioned in the title or thumbnails. So, using 50% of originality makes your videos good watch hours.

One-Leg Bait

The one Leg Bait video gives originality and a small amount of clickbait. The usage of one-leg bait ignites the audience’s attention that there is something in this video that I’m seeking.

Eventually, it leads them to click and view the video. Apart from that, inside the video content, you must go around that bait area closely to increase the curiosity level of the audience to watch the remaining video.

It’s even better to talk about the one-leg bait at the beginning and middle of the video.

I found a video about creating AI on YouTube. Do you know where he leaves the one-leg bait?

It’s under the thumbnail at the bottom, “mentioned $2000/month.” It ignites the audience’s realization, “Oh, making animated videos brings money?”

To be honest, when I wrote this post, it generated a good amount of traffic (1.1 million views).

Two-Leg Bait

Two-leg bait uses the same concept as one-leg bait, but the difference here is that the bait is more related to the theory explaining.

For example, Bright Side channel created the video of, “a trip to the Mariana Trench.”

In the title, they leave a word, “Trip to Mariana Trench”; that’s the one-leg bait they implemented here. Actually, the Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the ocean, and no one can go that easy.

Bright Side channel creates a theoretical explanation for this video using techniques that are different from the usual videos.

In the thumbnail, they visualize the tunnel towards the Mariana Trench, rapidly increasing the curiosity among the audience to click the videos. But we know that we can’t build a tunnel as they portrayed. However, it ignites to click right, and that’s two-leg bait.

Main Bait

MainBait is the additional information that adds “push” to the video’s core value.

Ensure that when you use the main bait, you must speak at least an overview of it in the video. If you can’t be able to, then don’t use it.

Take a look at the below image,

The thumbnail mentions 300 shorts in 30 minutes:- that’s the video’s core value. In addition to that, they added $31.1k in estimated revenue:- that’s the main bait.