Can we talk about those "you won't believe what happens next" video thumbnails

I used to think those stupid arrow circles and shocked face thumbnails were total garbage, but I run a small DIY channel on the side. Last month I tested a normal thumbnail against one of those over-the-top ones with a red arrow pointing at nothing, and the click rate jumped from 3% to 11%. I still hate how they look, but after seeing those numbers from my 2,400 subscribers in Cleveland, I can't argue with the results. Has anyone else here had to swallow their pride and use clickbait tactics just to get views?

2 comments

2 Comments

phoenix_singh2510d agoMost Upvoted

Is it bad that I kinda respect the hustle now even though I still roll my eyes every time I see one? I tried putting a yellow circle around a perfectly normal screwdriver on my last video and felt like I was lying to grandma or something. But you know what, that video got 400 more views than my usual stuff and a comment from some guy in Tulsa thanking me for finally showing how to fix a leaky faucet without a million arrows. So maybe there's a weird balance where you can be a little shady with the thumbnail but still deliver real help inside.

shane_bell8d ago

You can be a little shady with the thumbnail but still deliver real help inside" - that's honestly how I think the good ones do it now. I read some YouTube creator blog thing the other day that called it "ethical clickbait" and it stuck with me lol. Like you're not lying about what's in the video, you're just making people actually want to click it in a sea of everything else. @phoenix_singh25 I feel you on feeling sketchy about it at first though, that screwdriver circle example is hilarious. I think the real line is when people start editing their thumbnails to show stuff that literally never happens in the video, and that's where it gets dirty. From what you said about that Tulsa guy, seems like you found the sweet spot where the outer hype matches the inner quality.