Clickbait Works. Don't Fall For It!

How YouTubers Trick You with Clickbait (And What to Watch Out For!) 

I recently saw a video with the title “Side hustle for lazy people.” Of course I got sucked into the clickbait. I’m in debt. I commute long hours. I have a 15-year-old. I’m not lazy but if it’s a side hustle for lazy people, maybe that means I could fit it into my day. Like during my 3-hour commute. Right???? Nope. 

Today we’re talking about how some youtubers use clickbait to suck you in and make easy money for themselves. 

 
Ever clicked on a YouTube video thinking you were about to learn THE secret to making $10K a month, only to sit through 20 minutes with 3 ads and vague advice and an affiliate link? You don’t need to admit it, I know you have, so have I. 

 
"Clickbait is EVERYWHERE. And while some of it is harmless, a lot of it is designed to waste your time, sell you a dream, and make the other person rich. Today, we’re breaking down the worst YouTube clickbait tactics and how to spot them before you waste your time and give them money!" 

 
"Clickbait is when a video title or thumbnail overpromises and under delivers—or just straight-up misleads you." 

If It Sounds Too Good to Be True

"You see a title like: ‘I Made $10,000 in One Day! So Can You! 😱’ and think, ‘Wow, I need to know how!’ But then the video is just them saying, ‘Well, it was actually someone on a podcast or reddit forum claims they made 10K in a day by cutting and pasting on websites and the money came rolling in. 

 Let’s talk about the most annoying clickbait tricks YouTubers use to get you to click.

🎯 Trick 1. “Lazy Side Hustles That Make $10K a Month!” 
Which is how this got me started. 
"Let’s be real—NO side hustle is lazy. These videos will have you thinking you can make thousands by doing nothing—but then they suggest starting a full business, freelancing, or flipping furniture. That’s not lazy, that’s a whole job!" 

What killed me was she has millions of followers and gets a ton of views.  

🎯 Trick 2. “You’re Doing Everything Wrong!” 
STOP doing XYZ Until You Watch This!’ These are designed to make you feel panicked—like you’re making a huge mistake.

 
Then you watch the video, and it’s just… basic advice you already knew.

🎯 Trick 3. I Paid Off $100,000 in 6 months—Here’s How!
 You click on it with such high hopes that this is going to get you out of debt and stop living the paycheck-to-paycheck hell. But then you find out they had: 
✅ A six-figure income 
✅ No kids or pets 
✅ A partner paying all the bills 
✅ A mysterious ‘side hustle’ that sounds like a pyramid scheme" 

 🎯 Trick 4. “Do This ONE Thing and You’ll Be Rich!” 
🗣 You: 
"If there were one secret to wealth, do you really think YouTubers would be giving it away for free?"  
Most of these videos just repackage basic financial advice and act like they invented it.

  If the thumbnail says ‘$500 a day’ while sitting in your living room but the side hustle is online surveys, just run.

  Now, not all clickbait is bad—some creators just use catchy titles to get you in. But if a video doesn’t deliver on its promise, that’s when it’s a problem. Take a look at their other videos. Do they all follow the same pattern?  

There’s a youtuber I used to follow. He gave great information and called out those click baiters. Here’s the problem. Those people make a lot of money spewing crap. Over the past year he’s slowly become one of them. I unsubscribed but he pops up on my screen every once in a while. 

"Have you ever clicked on a video expecting one thing and got something totally different? Drop your worst clickbait experience in the comments!