This video is definitely going to upset YouTubers and business gurus who are selling expensive content creation courses because today I am revealing the only hack that you need to know to rack up millions of views and generate solid income month from your faceless YouTube channel. Trust me, all the top YouTubers are using it and I've used it for this channel for my own channel and it works no matter your niche, your experience level or whether you're running a faceless or a face-based channel. And no, you do not need luck, a massive team, or expensive gear to pull this off.
This is a real proven strategy pulled straight from marketing science and used by some of the biggest businesses in the world to launch and scale new products. Let me show you what I mean. Take a look at this video by Simon Alexander.
It didn't just perform well, it surpassed everything on his channel. See that little red bubble in the corner? That number shows exactly how much better this video performed compared to his usual uploads.
I'll show you how to get that red bubble yourself in a bit because once you know how to use it, you will cut your research time in half. So hang tight. Now look at this video.
This is built around the same core idea, but this time by a different creator and once again it blew up. Then another creator jumped on this same idea, added his own unique twist and again the video took off. And recently a fairly new channel jumped on the same idea and it exploded.
That single video crossed over 2 million views. That is huge for a channel that barely uploaded 31 videos in total. So, what's exactly going on here?
Why does this one idea keep working again and again and again, even with different styles, different creators, and different formats? It's because of a strategy that top creators and marketeers use all of the time, which is called reverse engineering. See, when you're trying to create a viral video, you usually start by experimenting with different ideas to figure out what connects best with your audience.
Now, this can work, but it takes a lot of time, energy, and money to do so. Because let's be real, not every idea you test is going to bring you significant views and money. Reverse engineering flips that entire process on its head.
So, instead of guessing what might work, you start by studying what already works. You find videos in your niche that are blowing up and you ask yourself, what made people click on that video? What kept them watching?
And most importantly, what emotion was driving the idea? Because behind every viral video, there's always a core emotion that connects deeply with people. Whether it's curiosity, fear, regret, shame, inspiration, or urgency.
Once you've gotten those answers, you rebuild that idea using the same emotional core, but with your own voice, your own angle, and your own delivery. Something that fits seamlessly with your niche, and with your audience. Now, just to be clear, you are not copying the video line by line or frame by frame.
That kind of approach will backfire eventually. It stunts your growth and it makes your channel look like a copycat. And let's be honest, that's not a reputation that you want to build on YouTube.
What you're really doing here is taking a proven idea, figuring out why it worked, and then creating your own unique version of it. So, coming back to our example, what exactly made this video go viral? What are the two elements to it?
The first is shock and a sudden realization. Most of us walk around thinking we have all the time in the world, but this video flips that idea on its head. It makes you realize just how short life is.
And that hid of urgency makes people stop scrolling and start watching. The second emotion is regret. Regret that you might leave this world without chasing your dreams, without doing the things that you've always wanted to do, without saying the things that you've always wanted to say.
Now watch how different creators use these same two emotions in their own way. Simon talks about turning 40 and reflects on the moments that made him realize how short life is and what he's doing now to live it to the fullest. Lori took the same emotional core but added her own story.
She spoke about the wakeup call that changed her life and then shared three simple insights viewers could use to stop wasting time and truly enjoy every moment. Nick Marah took the same idea but flipped the angle completely. Instead of speaking to people in their 30s or 40s, he made a video for people over 60 and showed how they can still make the most of their time.
Then you've got productive Peter who completely changed the presentation style. He shared the same emotional message, but he used stickman animations to bring it to life. So even though the core emotion stays the same, each creator brought their own unique spin to it and all of them blew up.
That's the beauty of reverse engineering. One proven idea, countless ways to deliver it. We even used this exact strategy on our own channel multiple times and the results were incredible.
Take a look at this video. We saw that this video idea was already getting tons of views. So, we added our own twist to it.
For example, the original video idea focused on faceless YouTube channel ideas for our audience. We knew that the word niche hits harder than channel ideas, so we used that instead. We also know that most people watching our channel want to build passive income, and many of them have a goal of hitting $10,000 per month.
So, we kind of leaned into that direction. same idea, same emotion, but packaged in a way that speaks directly to our audience. And the results were phenomenal.
That video pulled over 800,000 views. And that's incredible. That's the beauty of reverse engineering.
And this concept isn't just for YouTube. You see it all the time in the business world. Take Spotify for example.
It wasn't the first music streaming service. Dieser was already offering something similar back in 2007. But Spotify paid close attention to what was working, spotted the gaps, and built something better.
They cleaned up the interface, logged in stronger licensing deals, and made the entire experience feel more seamless. And because of that, they quickly became the leader in the market. So now the question that arises is, how do you reverse engineer proven video ideas in your niche and turn them into engaging, high performing content?
Let's break it down step by step. You start by identifying the top channels in your niche. These are creators that are already making content your ideal audience loves.
They are ideally your competitors but also your best source of inspiration. Create a list of these channels using Google Docs, Notion, whatever, and add their names and links to this sheet. And if you're a faceless channel, but your niche doesn't have a lot of faceless channels, that's totally fine.
You can still take inspiration from face- based channels because in the end, both types are serving the same audience. So, if you're in the self-help niche, for example, your final list would look something like this. Now make a brand new YouTube account using a fresh Gmail ID.
Subscribe to every channel on your list using this new account. This basically tells the YouTube algorithm, "Hey, I'm really into this kind of content. " And once the algorithm gets that signal, your homepage starts transforming.
It becomes a gold mine which is filled with top performing videos from the channels that you have subscribed to plus new ones that you haven't even discovered yet. So, whenever you're looking for your next video idea, all you need to do is open your YouTube feed and the best performing topics will be right there waiting for you. It's a one-time setup that saves you hours of research in the future.
Next, you're going to install the Vid IQ Chrome extension and sign in with the same Gmail account that you used to make this new channel. Now, go back to the channels on your list and visit them one by one. Start scrolling through their recent videos and focus on what's worked well in the last 6 months or so.
Why 6 months? Because trends change fast. What worked a year ago might not necessarily work today, but if something took off recently, there's a much higher chance that it will still connect with viewers.
Now, Vid IQ makes this part super easy. You will basically see a small number in a bubble next to each video. That number basically tells you the outlier score or how much better this particular video performed compared to the channel's performance.
The higher that number, the better it performed, and those are the videos that you want to focus on. As you go through the channels, watch out for two things. First, videos that pulled in a huge number of views.
Second, topics that keep showing up across different channels. If a particular topic is working well for multiple creators, you should create your own version of it because it is likely to work well for you, too. So, for example, in the self-help space, a video like X things I did to stop wasting my evenings after work has done consistently well across multiple different channels.
That is not a coincidence. It's a proven idea. And if you're in that niche, it makes sense for you to put your own spin on it.
Now, once you found a topic that is proven to work, your job is halfway done. Because what really decides whether someone clicks or scrolls past on that topic is the way that you package your video. And that's where reverse engineering comes into play.
Again, before you even start writing the script, the first thing you should do is figure out the title and the thumbnail. That's because your packaging sets the promise and your video basically needs to deliver on that promise. If you're not clear on what promise you're setting, you'll not be able to deliver on that promise in your video.
We've seen this again and again on our own channel as well. The videos that performed the best were the ones where we nailed the title and the thumbnail first and then build the script around that idea. So, here is how you reverse engineer your title and your thumbnail like a pro.
Head over to YouTube and search for the topic that you're planning to make a video on and then look closely at the titles and thumbnails of the top 10 videos that show up. Your goal here is to spot patterns. Pay attention to the words that keep repeating.
Notice how the titles are structured. Are they using numbers, questions, or bold claims? What's the tone?
Is it urgent? Is it emotional? Is it relatable?
You are not just looking at the surface. You're trying to understand why those videos are getting those many views. Basically, you're reverse engineering the process from the click to what actually work.
And once you understand what is driving those clicks, you can basically apply those same principles to your own title in your thumbnail with a unique spin. Now, a good rule of thumb is that if certain titles are working for multiple creators in your niche, that is not a coincidence. That's a proven format and you should absolutely use it.
Take our earlier example of X things I did to stop wasting my evenings after work. This title works because it's clear, it's relatable, it delivers a specific outcome. And since it has already been successful for so many other creators out there, there is no need to overthink it.
You can model your title on the same structure. The same goes for thumbnails. You can reverse engineer them, too.
But remember that if your title explains what the video is about, your thumbnail should make the viewer feel that emotion. What kind of emotion are you triggering that makes someone pause and click? Again, go back to those top 10 videos.
Study the visuals. Are they using facial expressions, props, text overlays, lighting, or color contrast? These small details make a huge difference.
For this particular topic, two types of thumbnails keep showing up again and again. One shows a person looking regretful, tired, and the other shows somebody endlessly scrolling through their phone, which visually represents distraction and wasted time. Now, if you are running a faceless channel and using an AI avatar, something we always recommend, you can recreate those emotions with your avatar.
Make it look disappointed, frustrated, lost scrolling through their phone. If you don't have an avatar, no worries. You can still use high-quality stock images that capture the same emotion.
What matters is that the thumbnail visually shows the feeling behind the problem. You'll also notice that most thumbnails on this topic use similar text overlays. Things like stop wasting evenings or make your 5 to9 count or your 5 to9 matters.
These phrases, they're short, they're powerful, they're directly tied to the emotional value of the video. So, here's what you can do. Create two thumbnail variations.
In the first one, show a regretful face. Add the text, stop wasting evenings. And in the second one, show somebody scrolling through their phone with the text.
Make your 5 to9 count. then AB test them and let your audience tell you which one works better for your audience. Now, once you've nailed the packaging, you're clear on what promise you're making to the viewer.
And that clarity gives you the perfect direction to write your script. A script that actually delivers on that promise. And yes, you can reverse engineer your script, too.
Let me show you how. The most important part of your script is the intro. Because if your first few seconds don't hook the viewer, the rest of the video doesn't really matter.
and beyond the hook. Your entire script should do one thing, help your viewers. Every second should remove a roadblock that they're facing and guide them one step closer to their goal.
So, how do you make sure your script is packed with value and actually help your audience? Just like before, use what is already working. Search for your topic on YouTube and watch the top 10 videos that come up.
Look for the key points that almost all of them cover. If multiple creators are mentioning something, it's probably essential. So, make sure that your script covers those points definitely.
But the catch is if this is the only thing you're doing, you're just repeating what others have already said and there is no reason for somebody to watch your video or subscribe to your channel. That's where this next step comes in. You're going to do additional research.
You're going to add in points from your own experience and you are going to answer any unanswered questions that you find in the comment sections of the videos that you have seen. Basically, when you combine proven insights, audience feedback, personal experience, and crystal clear explanations, that is when your video becomes the go-to resource on the topic. So, that's exactly how you take a proven video idea and turn it into a high-erforming, high retention video using the principle of reverse engineering.
Now, you've done this for one video, but did you know that you can actually build a longlasting faceless channel that makes you consistent income month-on-month by creating an entire system around the concept of reverse engineering. This is something I explain in this video where I show you a complete 10-step blueprint to launch and grow a profitable faceless channel in 2025. It is based on several months of research and trial and error.
So, I highly recommend you go check it out. And I'm going to see you guys very, very soon in the next one.
