With the perpetually growing community of vloggers on YouTube, many creators have adopted clickbait tactics as a clever way to get more views. By carefully crafting a clever title, these creators entice viewers to click on their videos rather than someone else’s.
However, when using a clickbait title, you have to be sure to deliver a great video as well. Even if the video isn’t exactly what the title says, be sure to deliver on your promise in one way or another. Never use a title that purposefully misleads viewers or falsely advertisers your content.
Here are five clickbait title tricks that can help you get more views.
1. Criticize something popular.
If there’s one thing social media thrives on, it’s disagreement. Rather than agree to disagree, people love to debate about everything under the sun. If your video title alludes to an unpopular opinion of something popular, then even the people who love that trend most will click on your video.
One thing a lot of viewers can’t get enough of is beauty vloggers. However, with the increasing demand for beauty content, these creators often have to reach further and further for ideas. Because the tips beauty vloggers share with their viewers can sometimes be ridiculous, comedy vlogger Spankie Valentine decided to make her own beauty vlogger using their worst makeup tips. However, her video is more to make her viewers laugh than it is to hate on other creators.
2. Discuss social media drama.
Another growing trend on YouTube is drama channels. When something goes down with their favorite YouTubers, viewers flock to drama channels to find out what’s really going on. You can attract viewers by giving your own two cents on the latest social media scandal.
After social media star Tana Mongeau’s failed attempt to create her own convention, vlogger Evan Edinger made a video sharing his thoughts on what happened. Though he doesn’t usually discuss drama, the video brought in more views than Evan’s typical content does.
3. Make an ostentatious claim to bring attention to an issue you care about.
To really grab your viewers’ attention, use your title to make an ostentatious claim. Make it unbelievable, obnoxious, or outlandish. However, don’t make such a claim without a purpose. After using the title to bring viewers in, use the video itself to say something worth listening to.
For example, Gabbie Hanna recently uploaded a video titled “Why My Life Is Better Than Yours.” Rather than bragging about her lifestyle, however, Gabbie used the video to call out a business that unfairly gave her preferential treatment for having a large social media following.
4. Name drop popular YouTubers.
One of the quickest ways to draw an audience is to put a popular YouTuber’s name in your title. Not only will your fans watch it, but so will fans of the creator you name dropped. Ideal videos for this kind of titles are reaction videos, tutorial recreations, and video responses.
When special effects makeup artist Mykie decided to recreate a makeup tutorial, she chose a video by James Charles. Because James is such a popular vlogger, his name helped draw more than a million viewers to Mykie’s video.
5. Add parentheticals.
Make a side comment on your video title using parentheticals. Many vloggers use this trick to highlight the emotions of their videos. For example, if you made a vlog about going to an amusement park, then you may title it “Girl With A Fear Of Heights Rides Roller Coasters (scary).”
You can also use parentheticals to highlight sarcasm in your video titles. For example, Simply Nailogical titled one of her recent videos “Full Face With Multi-Chrome Makeup (is this safe? lol).” However, in the video, she walks viewers through all of the safety precautions she took and the allergy tests she did before using the multi-chrome makeup she bought.
Clickbait titles work like tabloid magazine headlines. They bring a lot of attention to a video by making it stand out. When used responsibly, a clickbait title can provide the boost in views your next video needs.
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Kristen Harris enjoys listening to a wide range of music, from Taylor Swift to, on occasion, Celtic instrumental. She also spends her time writing, reading, and baking.
