DON’T CLICK ON THIS ARTICLE!

I’m kind of clickbait resistant in the main, but sometimes I can’t resist. My definition of clickbait is perhaps a bit wider. Deliberately vague titles, bait and switch titles which lead you to think they are something else, or wildly exaggerated Thumbnails which present an image which distorts or misrepresents the actual video content. It’s a very common trait. One example which springs to mind is Paul Messner’s recent videos “The Big Wild Camping Problem“, which has a thumbnail showing Paul apparently throwing a tent in a rubbish bin. The implication, to me at least, was that the video would perhaps have been about the mentality of some people towards cheap gear, viewing it as disposable, causing littering, or that some cheaper gear wasn’t friendly to a sustainable industry. Instead, it was a short vlog about his channel, the Youtube algorithm, and the direction his channel was taking in response. Similarly, his “The Camping Community is Ridiculous” title would, on the face of it, lead you to think it was about the various nasty elements who lurk around on here, trolling and making nasty comments. In fact, it was praising them for being so supportive. Both those video titles used a “bait and switch” technique to hook the viewer, and as someone who is aware of how these things work, I clicked on them – but only to prove to myself that the titles were “clickbait”. That’s not to say the content wasn’t enjoyable, or uninteresting. It just wasn’t what was advertised. By and large, Paul makes entertaining and enjoyable content, so I don’t want this to be seen as me having ago at him in particular. It’s a YouTube wide issue, and isn’t restricted to just the Wild camping community.

I’ve seen umpteen different videos by various creators who hint that they are going to quit making videos, only for it to become abundantly clear their intentions are nothing of the sort. That’s clickbait. Massive “gear fails” that aren’t really that massive. Yep, clickbait. Ultimately, people get wise to it. Well, some do. Many don’t, which explains the Daily Mail, and it’s bottom-feeding, clickbait-based marketing.

Anyone who makes YouTube videos wants an audience to watch them, and it’s possibly the initial click that gets them hooked, but if they want to reel them in and keep their attention, then they need, on the whole, to have a more honest relationship with their audience. Because after sitting through 40 minutes of content which fails to deliver, they are unlikely to return. Engaging content which entertains the viewer is what brings them back, not stunts which have no substance.

This article was inspired by a video on the Grizzly Gaz Youtube channel, and was initially a short response which grew into a larger blog-post.