Clickbait is Unreasonably Effective

[00:00] - Can I tell you something I'm bad at?

[00:02] I am terrible at making clickbait.

[00:05] Up until two years ago,

[00:06] my most popular video

[00:09] being dropped from a dam

[00:12] It takes off like a rocket and shoots out

[00:14] way further than you'd expect.

[00:16] This video was embedded

[00:18] on literally hundreds of news websites.

[00:20] And in its first week, it

[00:25] but almost none of those views

[00:29] Why?

[00:30] Because I gave it this thumbnail

[00:32] and I called it "Strange

[00:37] This video is sponsored by KiwiCo.

[00:39] More about them at the end of the show.

[00:42] Now, I believe within YouTube,

[00:43] I'm used as an example of how

[00:47] As if to demonstrate just how bad

[00:48] a title and thumbnail this is,

[00:50] someone else re-uploaded the

[00:53] "Basketball Dropped From Dam."

[00:55] And within a few weeks,

[00:58] tens of millions of views on YouTube.

[01:01] This is when YouTube gave

[01:03] That's the system that

[01:05] when someone else re-uploads

[01:08] but I still wasn't very good at clickbait.

[01:11] So for this video, I called in an expert.

[01:14] I wanted to see your reaction face.

[01:16] Can you give me like a reaction face?

[01:17] Like what's a good thumbnail face?

[01:19] - Oh, I got you.

[01:20] This is a thumbnail face.

[01:22] (Derek laughs)

[01:24] I have like 10, I go through

[01:28] (Derek laughs)

[01:30] And then we just take the best one,

[01:31] I probably have like

[01:33] and we can just Photoshop

[01:36] That way, I don't have to do it anymore.

[01:38] - When I started on this

[01:41] clickbait was less important.

[01:43] Subscribers were what mattered,

[01:45] because most of the views

[01:47] And videos went viral usually

[01:49] by getting a lot of attention elsewhere,

[01:51] like on Reddit or Facebook,

[01:53] not due to the YouTube algorithm.

[01:54] But once you had a big

[01:57] well, then your next video

[02:00] from those subscribers.

[02:01] So YouTube would take that popular video

[02:03] and share it with more people.

[02:04] And so you'd get more subscribers

[02:06] in a positive feedback loop.

[02:09] But soon, YouTube realized

[02:12] the best experience for the viewer.

[02:14] They discovered that

[02:17] from channels they were

[02:20] less watch time and less engagement

[02:22] with the site as a whole.

[02:24] Plus, they knew that

[02:26] to drive traffic to viral hits was risky,

[02:28] since those other platforms might disable

[02:30] the traffic at any time.

[02:32] So they needed to make YouTube

[02:35] They wanted people to come to YouTube,

[02:38] see videos that interested them,

[02:39] click on at least one of them

[02:42] Ideally get sucked down

[02:45] and spend hours on the site

[02:48] The ultimate resource is people's time

[02:50] and attention, and every platform

[02:52] is trying to capture as

[02:56] So, to make YouTube

[02:58] they had decrease the

[03:01] make it less like a podcast app

[03:03] where you only get the

[03:05] and more like Reddit,

[03:06] where stuff with the most

[03:10] But that necessarily meant increasing

[03:12] the importance of clickbait.

[03:14] Now, there seems to be a paradox

[03:17] People almost universally

[03:21] but you also see it everywhere.

[03:23] So why is this?

[03:25] Well, one of the problems

[03:27] on the definition of clickbait.

[03:29] When I google it, the top definition is,

[03:31] on the internet, content

[03:34] is to attract attention

[03:36] to click on a link to

[03:39] We could call this type I clickbait,

[03:42] and there doesn't seem to

[03:44] I mean, if you didn't

[03:46] and get people to click on your links,

[03:48] then you wouldn't really

[03:50] But there is a second definition.

[03:52] One that I think more people ascribe to,

[03:54] which is something such

[03:57] to make readers want to

[03:59] especially when the link leads to content

[04:01] of dubious value or interest.

[04:04] Wikipedia says, "A defining

[04:07] is that it is sensationalized

[04:09] And it also talks about teasers

[04:11] that intentionally withhold information

[04:13] to exploit the "curiosity gap."

[04:15] They give you enough

[04:18] but not enough to satisfy that curiosity.

[04:21] Here are two actual titles

[04:25] Nine out of 10 Americans

[04:27] about this mind blowing fact.

[04:30] And someone gave some kids some scissors.

[04:32] Here's what happened next.

[04:34] I think we can all agree

[04:36] of bad type II clickbait.

[04:39] Now, imagine a clickbait

[04:42] you have how misleading

[04:45] And on the other, how much information

[04:47] is intentionally withheld

[04:50] Well, then these two titles

[04:54] And these are the zones

[04:57] At the other extreme,

[04:58] you have things that are so

[05:02] You could call this the dead zone.

[05:05] Now, here is where you would find

[05:07] "Strange applications

[05:10] I mean, I didn't tell you

[05:13] Now, in the middle is where you

[05:17] But honestly, I think type

[05:20] are so different, that

[05:22] the same word for them.

[05:23] Instead of type I clickbait,

[05:25] my friend and YouTuber, Brady

[05:29] I mean, it might sound

[05:33] Instead of type II clickbait,

[05:34] we could use clicktrap,

[05:40] What's important to recognize

[05:43] there is no one true title and thumbnail.

[05:47] Each video could have

[05:49] of different legitbait titles.

[05:51] For example, how does a zero-G plane work?

[05:55] I went on a plane that does

[05:58] What happens to fire on a zero-G plane?

[06:01] Now, the most enticing

[06:04] are found close to type II clickbait.

[06:07] I'm reminded of the infographic

[06:09] showing that on social media,

[06:11] the greatest engagement

[06:13] of what's allowable.

[06:14] But remember that everyone's

[06:17] is different, and everyone's perceptions

[06:19] of words and images are different.

[06:20] So these are not clear boundaries.

[06:22] They're actually kind of fuzzy.

[06:25] What for one person might be legitbait,

[06:27] for someone else, could be a clicktrap.

[06:30] What's clear is that on a site

[06:32] where click-through rate is important,

[06:33] clickbait of all types is inevitable.

[06:36] How important to a video's success

[06:38] is the title and thumbnail?

[06:40] - Very important. Of course.

[06:41] If they don't click on the video,

[06:42] they don't watch it.

[06:43] You can't get 10 million views

[06:45] unless 10 million people

[06:48] So, I mean, it's literally that simple.

[06:50] They don't click on it,

[06:52] - So, why is clickbait everywhere?

[06:55] Well, because it works.

[06:57] More enticing thumbnails get more clicks.

[06:59] Despite some people's claims

[07:01] that they won't click or they'll unsub,

[07:03] it's just like evolution.

[07:04] Whatever survives, multiplies

[07:09] If you don't begrudge

[07:11] so it can reach the highest leaves,

[07:13] can you begrudge a YouTuber the red arrow

[07:16] that allows them to

[07:18] I talked about this in

[07:21] To be successful as a YouTuber,

[07:22] you need to optimize two things,

[07:24] watch time and the click-through

[07:27] That's the number of times

[07:28] the title and thumbnail are clicked,

[07:29] divided by the total number

[07:32] That's the number of impressions.

[07:34] Now at the time,

[07:34] this was something of a revelation for me

[07:37] because I always thought my

[07:39] And then a title and thumbnail

[07:41] that adequately represented

[07:43] But now I've realized that

[07:46] is at least half the job.

[07:49] This is not just because

[07:51] get you more clicks,

[07:52] but because better titles and thumbnails

[07:54] will get you way more impressions.

[07:57] YouTube has limited real estate

[07:59] with which to show you

[08:02] And so it's not enough

[08:04] even if people watch all of it,

[08:06] you also have to make

[08:08] that gets clicked,

[08:10] with other really good

[08:12] That's the only way you can expect YouTube

[08:14] to give you more impressions.

[08:16] Now, the big development

[08:19] is YouTube introduced real-time metrics

[08:21] like views, impressions

[08:24] Now, I suggested this

[08:26] So what you can bet will happen

[08:28] is that creators will launch a video

[08:30] and then they'll be sitting there

[08:31] with all these different

[08:33] and they'll be swapping them out

[08:35] and looking at what that

[08:38] and then going with the one

[08:39] that leads to the greatest

[08:42] And this is basically what has happened.

[08:45] Let me give you my favorite example.

[08:47] Last year, I made a video about asteroids,

[08:50] which I thought was really good.

[08:51] I called it "Asteroids:

[08:54] which is something Stephen Hawking said.

[08:56] And people were very

[08:58] They thought it was maybe one of my best,

[09:01] but the performance

[09:03] In its first day,

[09:06] out of my previous 10 videos.

[09:09] It was probably on target

[09:10] for about one and a half million views.

[09:13] So I tried different titles and thumbnails

[09:15] like, "Asteroid Impact:

[09:18] Or "Asteroid Impact: What Could We Do?"

[09:20] But none of these changes

[09:23] And then on day three after launch,

[09:25] I changed the title and thumbnail

[09:27] to "These Are the

[09:30] And immediately the video

[09:33] It quickly shot up from almost

[09:36] to my best.

[09:38] It now has 14 million views.

[09:42] Nothing about the video changed,

[09:43] just that one image and 38 characters.

[09:47] But because of that, the video has reached

[09:49] nearly 10 times as many people

[09:52] And the title and thumbnail

[09:55] what the video is about.

[09:56] I mean, sure, there's a curiosity gap,

[09:58] but you couldn't explain the whole concept

[10:00] in the length of the title.

[10:02] So if you see a YouTuber

[10:05] this is why.

[10:07] Because that effort can be

[10:10] I've seen people

[10:12] because they think the creator

[10:13] is trying to dupe their audience,

[10:14] get them to click on the

[10:16] but that's not it.

[10:18] The whole point is to get YouTube

[10:20] to show the title and

[10:22] We're trying to increase

[10:25] which is heavily dependent

[10:28] Now, a lot of my recent videos

[10:32] There's an initial spike

[10:34] and then a dip, and then a second bump

[10:37] after I have figured out a

[10:40] I change the title and thumbnail

[10:41] and I watch the real time view graph.

[10:44] What I'm looking for is a

[10:47] Sometimes there's no change,

[10:51] but on occasions, when you

[10:53] well then, you know you've found a winner.

[10:56] This is something all the

[10:58] Not even Mr. Beast knows exactly

[11:00] which thumbnail will work best beforehand.

[11:02] Have you ever changed

[11:05] and then the video did better?

[11:06] - Oh, of course.

[11:07] So everybody, I usually make

[11:10] and then if it's not

[11:12] we usually just swap 'em out

[11:15] 'cause the thing is like,

[11:17] I mean, you could know if you

[11:21] that could just predict what

[11:23] but you know, usually...

[11:25] Like, you can do hide and seek.

[11:26] You don't really know if

[11:28] and then someone walking

[11:30] Or if you hiding a trash can and

[11:33] So, you know, just do both

[11:34] and then see which one interests

[11:37] - I feel the same way,

[11:38] but I do feel like you have a better sense

[11:40] of this than like most people.

[11:42] - Of course.

[11:42] I mean, no one gets 40

[11:45] (both laughing)

[11:47] - But what is the point

[11:50] If you're cynical,

[11:51] you might say it's all

[11:53] And while there are certainly

[11:56] to getting more views,

[11:58] As an educational YouTuber,

[12:00] I think there are two very good reasons

[12:02] for using excellent type I clickbait

[12:04] over more straightforward packaging.

[12:07] To understand the first reason,

[12:08] let's consider two

[12:10] for my most recent video.

[12:12] I called it "The Simplest Math

[12:16] but it's a video about

[12:18] So perhaps a more straightforward title

[12:20] would have been simply to call it that.

[12:22] The problem is, if I publish a video

[12:24] called the Collatz conjecture,

[12:26] the most likely people to click on it

[12:28] are those who already know

[12:31] And the vast majority of people

[12:34] So for them, the title is meaningless

[12:37] and only the very curious

[12:39] or those who really like

[12:41] In contrast, calling it

[12:44] No One Can Solve,"

[12:46] about the video to everyone.

[12:48] And this means more

[12:50] most of whom will never have heard

[12:52] of the Collatz conjecture.

[12:53] So I get to teach them something new.

[12:55] And since the video has a

[12:58] YouTube shows it to even more people.

[13:01] So if my aim is to increase

[13:04] in the world by the

[13:06] this is the way to do it.

[13:09] The second reason we need to

[13:12] is to support the major

[13:14] We are trying to make

[13:17] on every topic we tackle.

[13:19] That means traveling to meet

[13:22] hiring people to build props,

[13:24] make spectacular animations,

[13:28] We hire expert consultants

[13:30] to double and triple check our work.

[13:32] I don't wanna make vlogs.

[13:34] I wanna make science

[13:36] that put broadcast to shame.

[13:38] And to make this possible and sustainable,

[13:40] the videos have to get

[13:43] And to do that, we have to make

[13:44] the best titles and thumbnails we can.

[13:47] YouTuber and Patreon CEO, Jack Conte

[13:49] has talked about adjusting your packaging.

[13:52] The idea is know what

[13:54] what you won't compromise on

[13:56] and that stuff goes in the box.

[13:58] All the rest, like what

[14:00] that's the packaging.

[14:02] So the video is my focus

[14:04] are the packaging that

[14:07] so I can make the type of

[14:10] Now, is it ironic that a

[14:12] is to promote a true seeking mindset

[14:14] has to experiment at the

[14:17] in order to fulfill that purpose?

[14:18] It is something that I

[14:21] You know, when I did like

[14:24] it's like, well, what probability of death

[14:26] does there have to be for

[14:28] Like 50%?

[14:29] - I love how he always overthinks things.

[14:32] (laughs)

[14:33] He's like, is my life risked enough

[14:36] where I can put I risked my life?

[14:38] I only had a 9% chance of dying

[14:40] and I need at least a 13% chance.

[14:42] You're so funny.

[14:43] He was the same way two years ago

[14:44] when he asked me all this stuff.

[14:46] I was like, "Dude, just do

[14:49] - Yeah, I mean, obviously

[14:52] are not good.

[14:53] But what I realized

[14:54] is that I don't have

[14:57] This problem of getting the

[15:01] well, it's a scientific problem.

[15:03] We're just asking which accurate

[15:06] will get the most clicks

[15:09] And that's a problem we can use

[15:10] the scientific method to solve.

[15:12] So I've hired a couple

[15:14] and we spend a lot of time brainstorming

[15:16] and making titles and

[15:19] For example, on Twitter and Patreon.

[15:21] Varitasium titles and

[15:24] not because I'm better at it,

[15:25] but because of my team and our testing.

[15:28] If you have ideas about

[15:30] please get in touch.

[15:32] The results have often

[15:34] I mean, this video seemed

[15:37] when we excluded the word

[15:40] So it became simply The

[15:44] I thought these two titles

[15:47] but Patreon had a strong

[15:51] What's interesting about this research

[15:52] is that the more clickable

[15:55] often better represent

[15:57] Let me give you some examples.

[15:59] One thing I didn't expect

[16:01] the real time analytics tools

[16:03] and allowed title and thumbnail changes

[16:04] to affect impressions,

[16:06] was that it would also

[16:09] So here is an old video

[16:12] "Why the Neutron is the

[16:15] In hindsight, it's a weird,

[16:18] So I changed it to, "Why Einstein Thought

[16:21] Nuclear Weapons Impossible."

[16:23] It's clearer, more accurate.

[16:25] And this is what happened

[16:30] I changed "Strange Applications

[16:33] to "Backspin Basketball Flies Off Dam."

[16:36] Again, more accurate.

[16:37] And the video is now

[16:40] Probably 10 million more views

[16:42] than it otherwise would have had.

[16:44] Even anti-clickbait has proven effective.

[16:47] Here's a video I originally titled,

[16:49] "Are Negative Ions Good For You?"

[16:51] Which is a question nobody asked ever.

[16:55] Now, I changed it to,

[17:00] Seriously.

[17:01] And here's the result:

[17:04] One and a half million more views.

[17:07] I think looking at these examples,

[17:09] you could easily make the case

[17:10] that YouTube has made

[17:13] It has improved the clarity and accuracy

[17:16] of my titles and thumbnails.

[17:18] what is interesting to my audience

[17:19] and how to encapsulate

[17:22] and fewer than 50 characters.

[17:24] For those of you who worry that a focus

[17:26] on titles and thumbnails will prevent me

[17:27] from picking challenging science topics,

[17:30] well, I simply ask you

[17:33] from the last year or two,

[17:34] like the ones on Gödel's

[17:36] general relativity, Penrose tilings,

[17:38] the logistic map, Newton's

[17:41] the one way speed of light.

[17:43] Good titles and thumbnails

[17:45] to tackle these topics

[17:48] who have heard of them before.

[17:50] There is a symbiotic relationship

[17:52] between views and video quality.

[17:55] The more views we get, the more people,

[17:56] locations, props and equipment

[17:59] and research we can invest in.

[18:01] This makes the next video

[18:04] If we can be good at

[18:06] the ultimate outcome is better videos.

[18:09] That is something I think

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