- This YouTube expert has studied over 1,000 viral videos,
cracking the YouTube algorithm in the process.
Now I know what you might be thinking,
"He's just another one of those gurus
who likes to exaggerate things.
He can't actually crack the YouTube algorithm," right?
Well, he's come as close as
with countless small channels thanking him on Twitter
for helping them escape the YouTube hell of low views.
And now that I know this formula,
it sounds incredibly simple.
So simple, in fact, we used it on this very video.
(fingers snapping)
The truth is, YouTube's been telling us
how to beat the algorithm for years,
but nobody pays attention.
All you need to do really
is hover over this little icon in the YouTube Analytics,
and there it is.
You can increase the chance
of YouTube suggesting your content
by increasing your click-through rate
and your video watch time.
And today we're gonna focus on click-through rate.
I'm not saying watch time's not important,
but if people don't click,
then watch time is irrelevant.
So with that being said,
what makes you think people click on videos?
Now, I like to think that you,
the vidIQ nation, are a bunch of well-educated creators,
and you're going to say two things,
title and thumbnail.
And you're not wrong,
but which is more important?
Now, again, you lot are smart people,
and most of you are likely to say thumbnails
because it's the first thing you see
when you're browsing on YouTube.
But let me present to you evidence A and evidence B.
These videos are getting hundreds of thousands of views,
if not millions of views,
and the thumbnails are awful.
Truly, truly awful.
So let me ask you again,
which is more important,
a thumbnail or a title?
And your answer should be,
yes.
But today's focus is titles,
because that's what Jake Thomas,
our YouTube expert, specializes in.
Jake publishes a free weekly newsletter
called "Creator Hooks"
that picks out the best YouTube titles
and turns them into templates
that can be used by any creator
for any topic, any niche.
And we've got him on the line right now.
So, Jake, we don't have time to cover everything you know,
but if you wanna have three minutes,
give us a shortcut,
a title template for viral videos
that works for small channels.
(air whooshing) Off you go.
- "The BEST R6 Attacker NOBODY Plays,"
I love this title.
It's simple, but it builds a ton of curiosity.
First, there's contrast between "Best R6 Attacker"
and "Nobody Plays," right?
It's kinda counterintuitive.
Why is nobody playing this R6 Attacker
if they're so good?
Also, it's a cliffhanger.
Who is this R6 Attacker?
So you've gotta click and you've gotta find out who it is.
And then finally,
you kinda feel like you're getting in on a secret.
You know, why does nobody play this attacker?
What does this person know
that not everybody else knows, right?
So, and this title can be used
for a bunch of different industries.
Another example is "The Best Relationship Advice
No One Told You." (air whooshing)
"We Ran Every Day For 30 Days,
Here's What Happened."
There are four things I love about this title.
First is the timeframe.
Timeframes make videos feel more tangible
so you know exactly what the video is gonna be about.
Also, in this case,
the timeframe makes this video feel more attainable, right?
Like, "If they can do this for 30 days,
I can do the same thing for 30 days."
The second thing I like about this title
is that they're talking about things you can do every day.
Again, doing things every day makes 'em feel
a little bit more tangible, right?
And then also, they're easy to kinda plug
into your daily routine.
The third thing I like about this title
is that they finished with curiosity.
Here's what happened.
Opens the loop, and it makes you wanna click
to figure out what actually happened.
And then finally, this title is accessible to anybody.
Like you don't have to be a running expert
or a fitness expert to do something every day
and then go make a video about it.
There are a couple of other titles
that use these same elements to go viral.
And you can use the same thing.
Like, "What Happens If You Jump Rope
for 30 Minutes Every Day?
Five Dog Training Exercises
You Should Do Every Day At Home,
What Happens to your Body
When You Eat Chia Seeds Every Day,
Ex-Employee Warns Us About Taco Bells Meat."
This is a simple, but powerful title.
First off, it uses authority.
This is a story from an ex-employee, right?
Like someone who has kind of insider knowledge
of what actually goes on at Taco Bell.
So it's more believable and more credible.
Also, it confirms our suspicions.
We've all wondered, "Is Taco Bell's meat actually meat?"
Or like, you know, "Why does it give people
so many tummy problems?"
Just that kinda feeling about Taco Bell.
It confirms those suspicions.
Then it also works, because it's a warning.
Warnings do a great job at grabbing our attention.
And then finally, this title is relatable.
It has a broad appeal,
because almost everybody has had Taco Bell.
Another title that went viral using a really similar format
is "YouTube Employee Reveals New Secrets
for Growing Your Channel." (air whooshing)
"Top 10 Most Devastating Wild Card Losses of All-Time."
First off, this is all about drama and negativity, right?
It's not like, "Best Comeback Wins of All Time."
It's most devastating losses,
and people on YouTube love drama.
And then you've got the fact
that this is really epic and extreme.
It's extreme, because these are the most devastating losses.
The words "The Most" actually give this title more power,
and then it feels kinda epic,
because it's talking about losses of all time, right?
So it just,
you really increase the scope of this video
and it feels way more powerful and way more dramatic.
And here are two other titles
that use similar strategies to go viral,
"Inside Tokyo's TINIEST Luxury Apartment,"
and "20 Greatest Discontinued Foods of All Time.
I wished I knew these BEFORE I upgraded to Windows 11!"
This is powerful for two reasons.
First off, it's about regret,
"This is what I wished I knew," right?
Regret is such a powerful emotion
that almost anybody can use on their YouTube channel
because everybody wants to avoid regrets.
So people are really tuned in to clicking on those
and seeing what does this person regret
and how can I avoid that?
Also, this builds a lot of curiosity.
What are these things
that he wishes he knew before he upgrade?
Another example of a title using a similar structure is
"Five Tips I Wish I Knew Before
I Started Motion Design."
- What, I'll tell you what,
that's a whole chunk of actionable,
valuable stuff right there,
which brings us back to the title of this video.
We like it, because it indicates personal involvement
in the research conducted,
which adds credibility and authority to the title.
The high number demonstrates
the sheer scale of the research,
along with a random number
that creates a little bit of intrigue.
Viral is a common buzzword within YouTube language
that creators all positively associate with.
And correct the algorithm reveals
the objective of the study.
Again, a very common and basic desire
of the average video creator
is to understand the algorithm more.
And by cracking the algorithm,
we've just sprinkled a little bit
of sensationalism on top.
- Sensational.
- But while we really do like this title,
we haven't fallen in love with it
because it might not work
and we can't put all of our eggs in one basket.
So here are a couple of alternatives on screen now,
which a video may be called "When You Click on it."
That's titles taken care of,
now it's time for thumbnails.
There's an expert in this video waiting to help you.
(upbeat music ends)