The Problem With Finance YouTube Thumbnails

[@ThePlainBagel]

Happy Friday! Get the exclusive NordVPN deal (with a 30 day money-back guarantee) here: nordvpn.com/theplainbagel

[@kaustubhprakher5831]

your content is dope af, keep making it!

[@corinthianloyless6799]

I watch many Financials videos everyday. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and poise. Keep doing what your doing. This space needs reason and standards. You are a good example. Good on you.

[@krombopulosmichael6162]

First, VPNs are fantastic. More people should use them. Second, this should be called Bagels paradox; the quality of finance content is inverse to the suggested disaster of the thumbnail.

[@CainXVII]

By now I would not get Nord VPN simply because I am so tired of their incessant ads. Companies should take that into consideration... Being from Sweden it being named Nord doesn't come with very positive connotations either

[@ArDeeMee]

Agreed. This thumbnail IS the worst. ;)

[@PBoyle]

I'm taking your advice and moving away from this sort of thing. No more negative clickbait! I'm only putting bikini girls in my thumbnails going forward.

[@iaskosam]

You may go in risky areas with such gender bias, though. Tough world out there

[@olliemoore11]

...and Rolex watches, lambos, yachts, champagne.

[@MrSupernova111]

I'll watch more of your videos if you do.

[@holdenSFZ]

This man gets it

[@DaveyBooBoo]

Patrick boyle in a bikini thumbnail would go a long way

[@TwicebakedJake]

Graham Stephan is the biggest abuser of dramatic finance thumbnails. He's pretty upbeat but his thumbnails always look like it's the end of the world.

[@GrahamStephan]

I like to believe that's the 'best of both worlds' - I try my best to deliver neutral, upbeat, positive information with a proactive, long-term approach....but reaching people that need to hear that message is really, really difficult without doing something that they would want to click on, in the first place.

[@MrSupernova111]

Do you mean the same clown that calls himself a financial guru but turns around and endorsements FTX while his clueless followers get taken to the cleaners on their FTX investments?

[@bestdocincanada6620]

@@GrahamStephan U have 4.3 MILLION SUBS perhaps the biggest of all finance channels! I like to believe with tht number of subs, Most of your viewers would watch as long as their notification are on.

[@BookofProverbs]

@@GrahamStephanI cannot help but respect your honesty and explanation. Some of your thumbnails are pretty dramatic tho 😂

[@opiniononion]

@@bestdocincanada6620 he didn't get there without click bait thumbnails

[@martinomburajr.5905]

Man, I just wanna say, your honest approach to youtubing isn't going unnoticed. You are building a core following of people that want level headed analysis and want to learn from your nuance rather than being told what will happen in an ever complex market. Thanks for your hard work 🙏

[@mostcallmerob]

this is absolutely a blow at the "finance" trifecta - Andrei Jikh, Meet Kevin, and Graham Stephan and I love it.

[@voicedbird]

I've unfollowed so many of these idiots based on their thumbnails.

[@linkindaniel92]

For sure, I don’t watch the first 2 but I am subscribed to Graham. I’ve learned a lot of finance thanks to him but he has fallen victim of those thumbnails haha

[@agentsnorlson7913]

A lot of people in that agency they formed do that, except at least Spencer Cornelia

[@OrvinReyes]

"Blow" is overreaching, it's just a swipe

[@TheRedemptionRain]

Jeremy is the absolute worst, THE absolute worst stock picker of them all

[@Blezerker]

I feel like Richard just becomes more and more disappointed every single time he discusses finance influencers 😂

[@blessedsnake8246]

Who wouldn't

[@Sirronkcuhc1]

This channel and Patrick Boyle are the only finance KZbinrs I watch partially because of this

[@spector3881]

Also try Ben felix! Super well researched and no clickbait

[@afib4968]

Same here. Patrick Boyle is like a lesson in school which is just the way I like my information delivered

[@chickenbuttermasala8458]

Too real

[@efovex]

Add Money & Macro to that list.

[@DaveyBooBoo]

Can’t forget our boy coffeezilla

[@nimravus01]

I needed this video. I haven't clicked on a Kevin, Graham, or Andre video in a while after I started noticing this phenomenon on my own. I used to really value their content, but now I'm not so sure they're still in it for the right reasons. Hopefully they come around, but we'll just have to wait and see. Keep doing what you're doing.

[@09198384558]

I stopped watching them years ago. I guess they haven't come around from what u said

[@nimravus01]

@@09198384558 It would seem so. I especially got fed up with Graham when, for a while, almost all of his videos were about crypto. I used to watch him and Kevin for their landlord videos because I own a rental property too. I also liked the videos about credit cards. Sadly, I don't think he or Kevin have made anything lately covering either of those topics. And, of course, all the doom-and-gloom thumbnails too.

[@ArDeeMee]

@@nimravus01 Don‘t fall for the sunk cost fallacy. It is perfectly reasonable to unsubscribe from a channel you don‘t watch anymore. It is also reasonable to ban channels with the most annoying thumbnails (which is what I do).

[@sugarly69]

Graham is over. I suspect he is paying people to say nice things on his channel.

[@GhettoWorms]

Thank you for addressing this. The god awful ones with the obviously fake tweets from people like “WE JUST CRASHED THE MARKET LOL” - Jerome Powell. I’ve literally stopped watching certain KZbinrs because it was almost insulting how stupid their thumbnails were.

[@g.t.c7647]

True. The fake tweet thumbnails were bad. What got me to stop watching certain channels was talk of the coming “depression.” Never mind that the depression was an event and not part of the biz cycle. This coming “depression” talk was not accompanied by any metrics or measurements for why they think we’re headed for a “depression.”

[@zesky6654]

To be fair most of their viewers are that stupid.

[@_0______00__________0_______0]

I was just about to post exactly this.

[@HHmz-rp8ht]

You seriously need to take a shower after watching Graham Stephen's videos these days. the guy uses the dirtiest tactics to grab views for the same recycled content he's been putting since the pandemic started

[@eneco3965]

@@g.t.c7647 Let's face it, there's ALWAYS someone making videos about how the market's about to crash or that a recession is just around the corner. If they make enough videos about this shit they'll eventually be right and bring it up a ton in the future to make themselves seem credible.

[@yahbalinho]

CoffeeZilla, Plain Bagel are the real deal in finance youtube channels. Huge respect 👏👏

[@theondono]

And Patrick Boyle!

[@KineticKitten]

Ben Felix hasn't been mentioned yet, lemme rectify that

[@MortalRoomba]

Yeah don’t forget the bald one

[@aimemaggie]

and the financial diet

[@jmitterii2]

Coffeezilla isn't just a finance thing... but scammer buster. But yeah! Another good one.

[@player_3]

You're one of the channels, for whom I disable Ad-blocker and gladly watch 1 minute ads to the full.

[@luis55401]

What you exposed in this video is exactly the reason why I watch your channel. The algorithm brought me to you after I rejected click bain videos from Graham. Thank you for your work!

[@johnsmithe4656]

I know that Graham talked specifically about this before. He IS gaming the KZbin algorithm, his girlfriend says the Algorithm is his god. He tells people to make KZbin videos to make money and even talks about how to make the perfect thumbnails. I was watching him way back in 2019 and he was saying all this. He's totally gaming the system and he's proud of it. None of these fintube influencers feel any responsibility for what they say, they just want the money, and they're totally open about it.

[@pbkillstrike]

Same here. I subbed to Graham at the start of COVID but his videos just cause me to scroll past in disgust now. I used to look to him for financial knowledge as a supposed self made multi millionaire (who admits that he got in at literally the perfect moment). After seeing enough clickbait videos that basically boil down to "Well, this [incredibly disastrous event] COULD happen, but I think the guys in charge are smart enough to avoid it", I don't see him as worth anyone's time anymore.

[@johnsmithe4656]

@@pbkillstrike Graham Stephan was useful to me back in 2019. I was spending too much on bullshit and not saving enough and he told me not to buy coffee from Dunkin Donuts anymore. These days it's instant coffee from Costco ONLY! He USED to be all about telling people not to waste their money, and that was good for me for a while. I also took his advice on credit cards, got a whole bunch and improved my credit score. But yeah, he totally changed once he decided to get into crypto. He started talking about basically get rich quick schemes and he lost all credibility. Sad story, really.

[@oo--7714]

@@johnsmithe4656 You should be calm, honestly it’s just entertainment content on the internet, most stuff on KZbin is entertaining, including finance channels. Most people watch stuff on KZbin to be entertained and that’s why most thumbnails are provocative. Parasocial relationships between viewers and content creators are meaningless, and you shouldn’t feel too sad that the KZbinr is changing their content to stay relevant on a platform and cultural line that changes every year, they don’t know or care about you, and you probably wouldn’t cry if they disappeared either.

[@johnsmithe4656]

@@oo--7714 Thanks for the advice Hoss. I'll try to remember that KZbinrs are in it for the money, I really had no idea..... 😆

[@FinancialShinanigan]

Scarier than flames in thumbnails is Plain Bagel's disappointed look in the thumbnail

[@09ThunderOne]

😂😂😂

[@nameblocked]

About time someone called out Graham the runt, Andrei the trickster, Jeremy the clueless and Meet Kevin the scammer.

[@elrond7887]

You are my favorite finance guy on KZbin for a reason, thank you for making this video. I’ve since unfollowed all the other guys recently, they became the problem.

[@jacques_crafford]

So stoked to see these crooks getting called out for a change, love this channel and everything it stands for!

[@caml1720]

from the bottom of my heart, thank you for being a successful youtuber that isn't so chained to their channel metrics that talking about this candidly would be some kind of self-report

[@gogogomes7025]

There is many reasons you are the only finance creator i follow, and being the plain, simple, boring, straight to the point and serious it's some of them.

[@09198384558]

Hence a good ol' Plain Bagel

[@timp7412]

What really sets you apart is your ability to be the "wet blanket," and your willingness to share reasonable and educational content without relying on clickbait. Thank you.

[@LendriMujina]

Knowing I'm so vulnerable to the pull of negativity is precisely *why* I hate when people do this so much. It's like getting caught in the gravity of a black hole; once you just happen to drift too close, all light ceases to exist and escape is a distant dream.

[@stevenbalaoingsb]

I absolutely love your content for being level headed, sensible, and pragmatic rather than alarmist and sensational. Hope you had a great birthday!

[@User71956]

If I wanted sensationalism, I’d just turn on the news.

[@davidbumpstead9833]

Thank you!! This is the best summary of "be critical and do your own research" I have found when speaking about KZbin. I'll be bookmarking this and showing it to all my friends when they say they want to learn more about investing!

[@ink2467]

this is why you're the only financial youtuber I watch. my feeds are 99% other topics

[@Bismarckkkk]

I wrote my university thesis on Daniel Kahneman, loss aversion, and cognitive biases relating to investing. Really well done video. Barry Staw is another great writer on the broader topic of cognitive bias. Lots of super interesting research!

[@greggmny]

Thank you so much for addressing this. It's a trend that needs to end.

[@MooShaka89]

Bro. I know this doesn't matter and no one will read it but I love every word of what you said and I sincerely appreciate you for going out of your away to gry to fix your community without force but through this kind of pressure I really respect it.

[@alessandromorelli5866]

Reference to that one guy that posts the "its over" thumbnail at least once per month

[@g.t.c7647]

Which one of the handful of channels that do it?

[@AlexaVojackova]

Graham Stephan?

[@isoeparno]

Graham Stephan?

[@kvikende]

Used to watch (some) of these and im glad i found channels like yours. during the covid crash i sold myself out of the market because of those videos. i think speed-running crash to bubble has been helpful to see my emotional responses to fear and fomo, and the importance of not amplifying those emotions.

[@BKXIX]

Just wanted to say thanks for actually putting in the effort to go through and delete all the bot comments! It's always annoying seeing those comments all over top creators channels scamming people.

[@onegrapefruitlover]

Yep. I’ve been avoiding the alarmist thumbnails using “Don’t recommend this channel” when I see a bs thumbnail. Even with creators with good and interesting content, if the topics they cover are too negative, I’ll use that option and then search for their videos every now and then to catch up. Gotta be responsible with the content we expose our brains to.

[@jonathanengland1]

FINALLY! Someone addresses this. THANK YOU for this video. Just …… Thank you!!

[@swstorm24]

Thank you for addressing this! I have noticed (ever since I binged on Coffeezilla lol) that youtube has recommended these financial channels (that I also admit I have checked out time to time) with all the thumbnails you speak of; fear mongering thumbnails and titles are so stupid, it just adds on and feeds viewers' fears and I shake my head when I noticed the algorithm-like thumbnails being used over and over again, I can definitely see how this can be unhealthy on someone's mental and I sincerely hope to people who click on those videos that they realize why they clicked on them in the first place. In addition I hope people realize that some of those youtube finance 'celebrities' had made blunders in the past (recent FTX collapse and their role in FTX Sponsorships in their channel) and shouldn't be trusted.

[@Lithilic]

This is why we come to this channel. A straightforward presentation of the issue that tries to be fair to all sides and none of the click-bait bullshit. Thank you PB!

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

I actually almost did NOT click your video because of the thumbnail! Then I saw who had uploaded the video, very nearly scrolled away anyways, thought about it for a sec because you're not the click-baity type, read the actual title of this video and then saw that this was going to be a commentary on those types of thumbnails. My aversion to those types of thumbnails very nearly made me ignore your video so...good job to you and I'm giving myself a pat on the back for doing the exact opposite of what those thumnails would want me to do 😌

[@InfinteIdeas]

I keep coming to your channel because you are measured and calm. I apperciate it in the infinite noise of KZbin

[@FinanceBlitz]

"Or whatever else we have decided is happening this week" 🤣We at Finance Blitz love your straightforwardness and honesty. 🤗❤ And speaking of honesty, I did write this comment not only to express our sincere appreciation for your work but also to get noticed by potential audience.

[@klobiforpresident2254]

Comment worked, at least I have noticed.

[@FinanceBlitz]

@@klobiforpresident2254 Happy to hear that, Mr President!

[@adamcomeau3731]

I rarely comment but this video deserves my reply, I've been getting really annoyed by the super click-bait thumbnails from the finfluencers lately looking sad or surprised on literally all of their videos and then the video message not actually being all that bad. Thanks for breaking it down that they're just playing the KZbin game.

[@TheRomanFox]

I love how this topic is being addressed. I feel like I'm always talking about this to my friends.

[@rowenarrow]

This is a great video that talks about something I have noticed and pondered on. Thank you for discussing this.

[@DJ-ti8fo]

Thank you Richard. I have actively stopped clicking on "KZbin face" thumbnails myself. Crying wolf all the time will cause that.

[@DennisFinancialDoctor]

The best Bagel picture is the top right one with the glowing red eyes.

[@roryglenn3612]

I always appreciate your intelligent and realistic videos. You describe financial reality as it is, rather than as you would like it to be. Please keep it up!

[@sokol6876]

Massive respect to you man, thank you for being so transparent with your viewers and actually sharing value with people. Credibility is not related to clicks and that's what makes you special.

[@paulmeier3462]

That's why I watch KZbinrs like you and Patrick Boyle. You are an antidote to all that fear-mongering. Thank you!

[@fncr88]

Just a comment to appreciate your honesty, transparency and helpfulness in assessing online financial information. This vid about thumbnails, others clearing the not always blatantly obvious thing that big finance youtube names get the 95% of their revenue from youtube and sponsors and not from their investments, help a lot understanding how to select channels worth subscribing. Thank you.

[@OptimizedPortfolio]

Loved the video! A similar thing happened to me - I made a title and thumbnail for a video clearly satirically poking fun at the practice and got a few messages and comments from people thinking they were "genuine," purposeful negative clickbait. I despise this trend as well and I wish it would end because I unfortunately find myself feeling forced to play the game to an extent just to try to get clicks.

[@guillermojperea6355]

Survival instinct, Negativity and Regret biases, and Loss aversion. Excellent video!!!

[@diamondwave100]

The reason I trust the Bagel over most other finance KZbinrs is that this guy has accreditations and education behind him, plus KZbin isn’t his dayjob.

[@meddings222]

I like the thumb nails because it always let's me say things like " I'm glad that's not me" and "at least all my cash isn't on fire." Really helps me put things into perspective.

[@gregyoung9980]

it always weirded me out how someone like Meet Kevin would talk about how the economy is going to crash, and then he'd plug his stupid coupon codes, leaving me with this feeling of, "how does he expect us to have money to pay for his courses if the economy is going to crash?" It was so weird to me.

[@soapoy]

Massive respect for bringing attention to the phenomenon. Me personally it has the opposite effect now when I see those thumbnails I'll wanna watch it less at this point

[@savalia.]

I totally agree with Richard. I have unsubscribed from those influencers who tries to trick for gain, rather than being genuine and focusing on proving useful content. I love real and straightforward people like you and Charlie Munger!

[@superchargedpetrolhead]

i was just thinking about this yesterday, it is almost impossible to differentiate the channels from their thumbnails anymore. But I had to say those thumbnails are incredibly effective I have clicked one to many videos like those.

[@synergygaming65]

Immediately Graham Stephan comes to mind with all of the doom and gloom.

[@anonymous1432341]

Meet Kevin is guilty too!

[@g.t.c7647]

And minority mindset too. Spooking the people they claim to want to help.

[@synergygaming65]

The videos tab of his page - his expression reads someone just ran over his dog, put the car into reverse, and backed up over it. C'mon lad, put a smile on once in a while.

[@abetts123]

My favorite is Steve van meter. All of his videos have fire in them. And I mean ALL 😂

[@jmitterii2]

@@abetts123 Steve Van Meter is the worst LOL! He's horrid at making calls, and a year ago got his momentum trader junk for free... which (not sure if he has) was considering charging for it. I couldn't make heads or tails of it. My trades were good enough. His videos were repeated nonsense. And wow if you bought TLT 2021 and into 2022... way down. I think I dumped most of the really junky ones like that in fall of 2021.

[@NATOnova]

really appreciate you being intellectually honest, even if that means less viewers (at least in the short term). also, calling this problem out specifically as it is helps shed light on this issue.

[@tap-money]

Thanks for this Richard! You are one of my favourite KZbinrs in the finance space. I am so inspired by this. Hate the fear-mongering most of these channels create... as if we don't have enough stress in everyday life!

[@starboy8357]

We need your gym workout plan plain bagel

[@skiprockjr.6881]

There was a finance YT video directly next to this one with the exact thumbnails talked about here. It was by Crypto Tips.

[@tintedglass]

Lol yes. I really don't understand the fascination with fire...

[@fsmoura]

its a metaphor for your savings going up in flames

[@ctomster]

Thanks for making this video. It validates how I feel about the thumbnails. Thanks for always explaining things in a calm and level manner like always!

[@ItsA7.3L]

Thumbnails will kill my urge to watch any KZbinr.

[@Mixima101]

Thanks for talking about this. The over the top thumbnails for not just finance but all KZbin videos drive me crazy. I can't help but imagine what a time traveller from the '90s would think about our headlines and state of journalism. It's straight up dystopian.

[@luisandrade2254]

I’m actually less likely to watch a video or read a story that is alarmist I’m just immediately repulsed. I guess my brain is built differently or something 😂

[@robobrain10000]

ik what you mean. After the third video and you realize the world isn't actually ending, the clickbait loses its effect. I just tune them out and trust them less.

[@Marcus-qw9sx]

I just wanna say, I really love the laser eyes on the top right hand corner of the thumbnail. Freaking chef's kiss LOL

[@GrahamStephan]

I thought this was a fair critique. As a creator, I've learned firsthand that there needs to be a title / thumbnail approach to pique enough curiosity for someone to learn and retain new information, otherwise - people scroll until they find something else that does. After all, if a video is titled: "Inflation Comes In Below Expectations," people have no reason to learn about a new topic - but, if it's about the Federal Reserve FLIPPING THE MARKET, there's a reason to watch, even if someone has no prior knowledge of the market. In a way, this helps people learn about the economy - even if they had no prior interest. Your China video was a perfect example of this - you were able to appeal to a large audience, who were curious about the topic, while sharing a neutral perspective that your viewers could benefit from. Our niche is a fine balance between appealing to a large audience, and actually delivering on the content that they came to watch, while also making it entertaining enough for people to stay and learn. Finance is a really, really difficult subject for people to want to watch, unless they're already interested - so, for most people - there needs to be a reason to click, that they can relate to, and from there it's up to the creator to deliver a balanced, fair argument. Since I started in late 2016, we've definitely swung from one end of the pendulum to the other, but at the end of the day - I believe our goal is to create interest around personal finance, teach people that money doesn't have to be taboo / boring, and provide a side of entertainment as the way of delivering helpful information.

[@ThePlainBagel]

That's an interesting point, and as mentioned I do think that the message of a video is more important. My follow up question would be - is there a chance the "mixed signals" from the thumbnail might impair the balanced message of the video? I also wonder if a channel your size might STILL see good uptake if you changed strategies; you are after all (from what I know of the space) the biggest finance creator, maybe that would outweigh the need to use these types of thumbnails to reach other viewers? Marques Brownlee, for example, gains millions of views each post, and most videos have very plain thumbnails and titles. I also wonder if the fact there are SO many videos with this imagery might actually make it BETTER to use a different style of thumbnail to reach more viewers. I'm still of the mindset that there is WAY too much alarmism used to grab views, but I do think you raise an good point. EDIT** For the record, I do realize that GIVEN you are the biggest KZbinr in the space, you know a thing or two about thumbnails, so I'm genuinely interested in discussing.

[@GrahamStephan]

​@@ThePlainBagel That's a good question! The issue is twofold: I've tested out other thumbnail / title styles, and every time time, the video receives 50-70% lower viewership. The results are immediate, longstanding, and don't change. This would be the difference between a 200k video and a 600k+ view video. That might still seem like a large number (200k views), but then we get to the second point: Algorithm. I've found that, after 2 videos perform below a channel average, KZbin stops pushing subsequent uploads. This means there could be a long term impact to the entire channel, should a lower percentage click / watch a video compared to historic averages. There's so much behind-the-scenes data involved, and all of this is simply from my own experience across multiple channels and 1500+ uploads, but this has consistently been the case.

[@ThePlainBagel]

@@GrahamStephan Interesting, thanks for sharing the numbers. So KZbin (as expected) does seem to explicitly reward this strategy... I understand you'll do what makes the most sense for you/your channel, and perhaps our views on how "important" this is deviate, but I think you could really help extinguish a lot of this clickbait. 😉 As someone who's built my channel primarily on boring thumbnails, I'm happy to chat further on this elsewhere if you're ever keen.

[@DMMGroup]

Thank you for bringing that out!

[@NICO-Z-TRADER]

I am a day trader and I never watch the click bait videos. I have channels I follow such as this one and Patrick Boyle and a couple of others. The issue is deeper than this: the issue is that YT is constantly bombarding your feed with these claikbaits. Regarding the other part : I personnally follow but not without a lot of attention some financial shows and interviews at CNBC or Bloomberg. I do not take advice or clues about where the market is going. But, I use it as a general guide about the market sentiment, with a BIG grain of salt. In any case, good video as usual from TPB.

[@youtubeboi855]

Really good video that goes behind superficial criticism to get views (which a lot of other KZbinrs do unfortunately). I was expecting some sort of hate towards KZbinrs who clickbait with scary thumbnails, but you didn’t do that and presented both sides of the argument coherently. Subscribed!

[@GroverGobananas]

Love that you did this, Richard. So gross seeing people peddling financial snake oil. Real people will take their suggestions and probably lose money they can’t afford because they fell for a recommendation. We are all adults and responsible for ourselves to a point, but I feel there is a responsibility not to put out dangerously misleading information in public.

[@JasonBay-RealEstateInvesting]

I made a video on my channel with Graham Stephan's Thumbnail creator (Jack Selby) to reveal some of the thought and secrets that goes into these thumb nails. Great video Plain Bagel

[@michael47lamb]

To sum it all up in a few words: "Nothing sells faster than disaster" This has been true for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. LoL

[@ChippiesBR]

Gotta be honest, when I saw the thumbnail I thought it was another channel using your face as their thumbnail...."our plain bagel would never clickbait us!!" Best finchannnel on the tubes!

[@Enki1013]

One more thingitis here: The negativity bias does get old, so I do find myself quietly coming to channels like yours, Joseph Carlson, and Minority Mindset. Even the "crazy Karen" videos, like other cringe videos, get old fast, and found myself drifting towards Litty Trends and his wholesome clips he puts in between the crazy ones as relief. Edit: I know you used one of Minority Mindset's thumbnails in video, but he was actually right in that video, nothing misleading as far as I can tell, and he usually has good practical advice and warns against emotionalism and panic in finance.

[@hommhommhomm]

That was one of your best thumbnails so far

[@astarhighabove]

We appreciate this message. I avoid such thumbnails, though should I ever click on one and the content does not deliver on the thumbnail, they have not earned a thumbs up, but actually get a thumbs down for not delivering, while I also probably watched fractions of the video. The Plain Bagel is a watch through video with thumbs up content every time.

[@danielarchila738]

Someone finally said it! I literally had to unsubscribe from a lot of accounts I used to follow because these thumbnails seem so cringy.

[@biggbeefer]

I honestly have stopped watching these finance channels because of these damn titles and thumbnails. Shame because I've been watching some of these guys for years but now every time I see "FED JUST CRASHED MARKET" I just roll my eyes.

[@brandonjones8059]

Again this is why The Plain Bagel is the best Financial KZbinr. Hits it right on the head.

[@januszkurahenowski2860]

Imagine if youtube introduced a system where you literally can only upload one thumbnail with fire and red arrows going down a month, you'd have to think strategically when it would be most beneficial to you.

[@douglasedwards4697]

Thank you for this video, I am guilty of this click bait but now I will filter my content so I can be more financially independent

[@judahlewis505]

it feels like people are coming for Andrei Jikh, Meet Kevin, and Graham Stephan. Plain Bagel, New Money, and Ben Felix are going to be the next top guys tbh

[@kyo250996]

Ngl, ben felix is top tier but I doubt people gonna sit and watch him analyse phd paper XD sad to say but people (me included) just like fast answers rather than sourced info with long analyse. I still watch him thou.

[@fritzier5475]

And benjamin of course

[@judahlewis505]

@@kyo250996 That's true he's overwhelmingly dry;however, I think in the long-run that will be his appeal because people will come to trust him more as opposed to the flashy and engaging styles of Graham or Andrei.

[@cykablyat1466]

I disagree haha. Not because these guys don't do good work but because people generally don't want real advice. It's always been this way. In the pre-youtube era people are more likely to read a book on how to get rich fast instead of the intelligent investor. The millennial money guys do this sort of thing because people want to hear about how to make 100% returns a year and do 0 work for it and will never questions the details in-between. It's the same stuff with crypto. People are buying 8% yielding stablecoins while banks are paying 0.01% savings yields and aren't asking why. The finance youtube community is awful but there's an audience unfortunately that wants to believe them even if there's every rational reason not to.

[@ydderynnad]

@@fritzier5475 And add a dash of Patrick Boyle.

[@KENTOSI]

Thanks for addressing this. I'm getting sick of seeing these recycled flame and sad-face thumbnails. I guess in my case on the bright side it's become predictably boring and I'm less prone to clicking on them.

[@johnc2438]

"COLLAPSE!" "THE END!" "RUN!" "FAIL!" "APOCALYPSE!" "IT'S OVER!"🤣

[@ArmirSaraci]

Your commentary is refreshingly honest and I look forward to your takes on finance topics

[@eliotness107]

I dont get alot of these kind of thumbnails in my homepage on youtube, because i tend to avoid those alot so the algorithm knows i dont want to see them anymore. I like your channel because its "boring" (so would normies call it). Laid back finance, perfect! Thats all i need. Thank you

[@hnlpharmd]

I use the "don't recommend channel" feature a lot on those fear porn videos whenever they pop up on my feed. KZbin tends to get the hint eventually.

[@ellenripley4837]

I turned off my history on KZbin so my recommendations are more random. I have to purposely search for certain subjects and this has changed how I watch KZbin a lot.

[@bigchum3984]

Admit it, you had a LOT of fun making that darkseid bait face didn’t you 😂

[@CA-vx4sn]

unrelated to finance and economics but nice bicep vein. keep up the good work at the gym.

[@MA-go7ee]

It's all of KZbin. That's what the algorithm (and people tbf) rewards. KZbin could actively try to fight click bait but they don't care - if anything it benefits them.

[@GrahamStephan]

Agreed. KZbin rewards watch time, click through, and retention. It's the same reason TikTok algorithm's are so potent - they're geared around people's interests, and then hone in as they gather more information. Thankfully, though - there will be a point of "saturation" where, if everything is viral, nothing is - so, outliers will eventually have the upper hand, until THAT becomes the norm, and the cycle repeats.

[@hnlpharmd]

@@GrahamStephan I think you mean "home in." "Home," in this case, means to lock onto and seek out. "Hone" means to sharpen. This is an extremely common error, much like saying "the proof is in the pudding" when the actual saying is "the proof of the pudding is in the eating."

[@michaelbadger1005]

I just want to say, that I have not watched the video yet, but I really liked the thumb nail. That juat cracks me up.

[@boldCactuslad]

There are browser extensions to replace thumbnails, and honestly if you aren't using one you're hurting yourself. Most have options to grab the new image from the start middle or end of the video. Also consider getting one that changes titles to be all lowercase or similar. Makes the entire website useable, it's just a gross unreadable mess of colors and mixed case otherwise.

[@shawnhoops9168]

can u recommend any?

[@GrantAllenVideo]

Bro! Litterally saw your thumbnail and was like “oh crap! It must be bad! The bagel 🥯 guy never freaks out,” and I watched your video. We’ll played sir, we’ll played.

[@IlIIIlllIlIlllI]

THANK YOU! These clickbait thumbnails and titles are grinding my gears for so long now. I needed this video!

[@khotso577]

There are enough neutral, balanced, quality channels out there that you never really need to waste time on clickbait. I can barely get through all the videos from Richard, Ben Felix, Patrick Boyle, Money and Macro, How Money Works, Coffeezilla etc etc...there aren't enough hours in the week 😅

[@pongop]

Great channels! I also recommend Value Investing with Sven Carlin, PhD =)

[@rossalbertliwag390]

Another great vid 😊 I never watch finance vids that seem over-sensationalsed, I just mark them as 'Not Interested' and ask KZbin not to show me vids from those channels 😝

[@geoffreybomber]

I’ve noticed with a couple KZbinrs have the crazy thumbnails but then the video ends with “dollar cost average as usual”, so I guess it’s not the worst.

[@luisandrade2254]

Graham Stephan’s entire channel is basically “the world is going to crash dollar cost average” now. How people still watch him is genuinely surprising to me

[@calmman32]

@@luisandrade2254 he studied and used the algorithm

[@luisandrade2254]

@@calmman32 still why do people watch him it’s literally the same thing EVERY SINGLE DAY

[@hnlpharmd]

@@luisandrade2254 Yeah, I don't know why people would continue to watch content that is branded in a deliberately misleading way. It makes about as much sense as paying someone to spit in your face.

[@calmman32]

@@luisandrade2254 good question with a few answers. He legit sold real easte and made money. He is a rags to riches story. He is entertaining and appear as honest and transparent. He is working it. I used to watch him for entertainment now and again but yeah, the end is similar in Advice: budget, live below your means, invest in yourself, dollar cost average in ETFs, grow your wealth etc and smash the like button. He is not for everyone

[@GustavKampp]

Thank you for you honest and insightful videos

[@elvisochieng6267]

I always see them as cringe but that's what gets clicks

[@John-wc9gp]

Thank you for addressing this