c/clickbait-court

Had to pick between a thumbnail with my dog or one with a dramatic arrow, the dog won

I was testing two thumbnails for my video about fixing a leaky faucet. One had my dog sitting next to the tools and it got 30% more clicks than the one with a red arrow pointing at the pipe. Guess people just like dogs more than helpful arrows.

3 comments

wren230•3d ago

That clickbait thumbnail with the exploding car got me yesterday

I clicked on a video about a "dust storm in Phoenix" and the thumbnail had a car literally flying through the air. Turns out it was just a windy day near the I-10 in 2022 with some tumbleweeds. No car explosion, no drama. How do people still fall for these things or am I just too trusting?

3 comments

pat_murray53•3d ago

DAE think those 'this one trick' YouTube thumbnails with the red arrows are a total scam

I followed a video that promised to fix my leaky faucet with a single tool and a 5-minute DIY trick, but after I spent $30 on a specialized wrench it still drips a week later, has anyone else fallen for those over-hyped repair tutorials?

3 comments

quinnm77•4d ago

That thumbnail with the guy's shocked face got me to click on a video about dog nail trimming

I swear every pet grooming channel uses that same wide-eyed expression and it worked on me last Thursday even though I knew it was just a basic tutorial. Has anyone else fallen for the "you won't believe this grooming hack" thumbnails only to get a 10 minute video about a straight clipper blade?

3 comments

charles836•4d ago

That $35 thumbnail course I bought taught me one weird trick...

I stumbled on this YouTube thumbnail course on Clickbank for 35 bucks last Tuesday. The guy promised insane click-through rates and showed these flashy before-and-after stats. I tried his method exactly on a video about fixing a leaking faucet, using a bright red arrow and a shocked face. The thumbnail looked ridiculous but I uploaded it anyway. My click rate actually jumped from 2% to 8% within 3 days, which surprised me. The weird part is the arrow pointed to a completely normal part of the faucet, not even the leak. I learned that it's more about creating curiosity than being honest about what's in the video. Anyone else tried those over-the-top thumbnail hacks and gotten results?

3 comments

ruby659•6d ago

TIL that "This Headline Changed My Life" clickbait actually worked on me once

I always rolled my eyes at those "one weird trick" thumbnails, but I clicked one from a channel called Thumbnail Science last Tuesday. It promised a $2 method to beat YouTube's algorithm (just a red circle and arrow), and I tried it on a new video. My click-through rate jumped from 4% to 11% in two days, which shocked me since I thought it was all lies. Has anyone else found a thumbnail trick that actually delivered real numbers like that?

3 comments

wren230•7d ago

That $150 thumbnail masterclass that promised 10x click rates on YouTube

I dropped $150 on a course from some guy who claimed his thumbnails were pulling in half a million views per video. He showed screenshots of his analytics and everything, looked legit. The course was basically just him saying use bright colors, big arrows, and shocked faces on every thumbnail. I mean yeah that works sometimes but I could have figured that out from scrolling YouTube for 20 minutes. On the flip side I spent $40 on a cheap ebook about color theory for graphic design and that actually changed how I approach all my thumbnails now. Has anyone else paid for one of those expensive courses and felt totally ripped off or did you actually get something useful from it?

4 comments

lewis.brian•8d ago

That clickbait video about 'instant debt relief' nearly cost me $2,000 last month

I was scrolling YouTube last Tuesday and saw a thumbnail with a guy holding a giant check and the text 'Erase Your Debts Overnight - No Lawyer Needed.' The video had like 800k views, so I figured it was legit. The guy in the video claimed he used a 'secret loophole' in the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to wipe out his $15k medical bills. He pushed this PDF guide for $47, saying it had all the forms and steps. I almost bought it, but then I paused and checked the comments - turns out half the people were saying they got sued anyway, and the other half were bots. I looked up the actual FTC guidelines, and there is no instant debt erasure. The video was just a front to sell a useless document and get people's credit card info. It reminds me of those 'get rich quick' thumbnails from 3 years ago that promised Bitcoin secrets. Has anyone else almost fallen for these fake legal solution ads on YouTube?

3 comments

alice_allen5•8d ago

Vent: That 'one weird trick' for fixing phone batteries was a lie

A tech YouTuber told me to freeze my phone battery for 10 minutes to revive it. I tried it with my old Samsung Galaxy S9 last Tuesday and it just made the battery wet from condensation. The phone wouldn't turn on for two days after. Has anyone else fallen for a dumb gadget hack from a thumbnail?

4 comments