The YouTube Formula

15Title and Thumbnail: Success Starts with a Click

What is the most important metric for YouTube success?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions I get year after year. The answer is easy, and it goes something like this: everything starts with a click. If the people don't click, they won't watch, no matter how amazing your video is, end of story. How do you get viewers to click? You earn their attention. Getting viewers to click is the biggest struggle I see for creators and brands alike. You have to get people to focus on your content outside of all distractions.

My son Logan decided to run for student body president at his high school, so he asked me to help him with his marketing. Of course, I was thrilled to help; I love new campaigns and talking strategy, but this time it was for my son. We talked about the importance of grabbing people's attention with a message or slogan. It needed to be easy to remember and simple to explain and share, and it needed to stand out above the other campaigns. He said, “Dad, you know I hate attention. I hate the spotlight.” It's true; since he was a little kid, Logan was always uncomfortable with attention. I pushed him a little, saying maybe he needed to get out of his comfort zone. But then he said, “I don't want to be fake. I'm just me.” Boom. An idea struck me. His campaign messaging would be, “No Slogan, Just Logan.” It effectively grabbed people's attention and was easy to remember. The slogan reminded his peers that they ...