Outlier Transfer: The Method To Create Viral YouTube Videos

Outlier transfer is one of the most successful methods to create viral videos on YouTube. It’s used to create videos that truly separates themselves on YouTube. What are outlier transfers? Why do they work so well to craft viral videos? And how can you apply them correctly on YouTube?

What Is Outlier Transfer?

To understand Outlier Transfer we first need to understand what a outlier is. Outliers are YouTube videos that have performed exceptionally well compared to the average video. They are essentially very successful videos. E.g, if a channel has 10 000 subscribers and produces a video with 1 000 000 views it is a outlier video with a 100x ratio.

These videos signals that something went really well. What exactly that went well can be a variety of factors such as the demand for the video topic, the video’s presentation (title and thumbnail), the video’s execution, or something else.

Outlier transfer is the method in which we use some successful ingredient from a previous outlier, to increase the success of our own video. Think about it like using a high quality engine part in a new engine; it just makes sense to use something that is proven to work.

The main ingredients in a outlier is broken down into the following:

1. The topic(s) in demand

These can rise in interest over time, or spike in interest due to something news related. Many topics have seasonality, meaning their interest spike during different periods of the year. Demand can typically be tracked using Views Per Hour, Views Per Day or Volume (Views-Subscribers).

2. The video title format(s)

There are many examples of video title formats, and the list is basically endless. “I survived 100 days”, “I spent $10 000 on x”, “1 year of x” transformation, “x but x does y”, “if x was in real life”, etc. The point is to use a proven title that has done well in the past.

3. The video thumbnail format(s)

The same goes for video thumbnail formats; there are so many ways to portray a video. The point here is that the unique combination of topic, video title and video thumbnail (that are all outliers) can create a powerful cocktail.

The example shown here illustrates how investments, land ownership and architectural resources was used to create a very successful video. The more difficult the ingredients are to obtain, the better, as it will be limited in supply (videos on YouTube).

In other words, the outlier transfer method is not limited strictly to these ingredients, but can also be expanded to things that belongs to a video’s blueprint. This can be everything from the graphics, the footage or the video editing, but more typically they are limited things such as skills or expertise people involved with the video have, experiences, resources, partnerships, early-access, cultural access, locational access, and more.

When creating a new viral video, you therefore have many levers to pull! Some YouTubers doing outlier transfer use only 1 ingredient to craft their new videos, while others use a combination of different variables. So how do you progress?

The Start point Before Outlier Transfer

Outlier transfers is not a instant success. It’s dependent on variables such as topic demand and novelty (how new your video concept appears to the audience, e.g angle).

In most cases, you will create a new video within one of these four quadrants. Let’s look at a example to show 4 potential outcomes.

Scenario #1

In the first scenario you are recreating a already existing video, but aiming to significantly improve it. There’s already competition, but you are beating them all with the quality of your video. This is a good path to take if you know that you can pull it off (beating the competition significantly requires skills and intuition, so this is typically a approach for YouTube veterans).

Scenario #2

In the second scenario, you are creating a new video based on proven demand within a topic, but you are significantly changing the angle of the video. You essentially know the demand is there, and you also create something new, which tends to be a recipe for success.

Scenario #3 This is the scenario you want to avoid, and yet so many people go into this trap. They create something that already exists at a time when there’s no demand for it. Creating something that exists could hypothetically work if you improve the quality of something significantly, but doing so in a dead market makes it incredibly challenging.

If you have a substantial audience (million+ subscribers), you could still take this route as you are no longer as reliant on video ideation alone, but can rely on audience too.

Scenario #4

The fourth scenario is creating something new based on something that performed well historically. Recent demand is very important, but if something has performed well historically, it could end up working again. This typically requires inspiration from outliers that were really successful (outliers with very high view counts). The risk is somewhat higher here than in scenario 3, as the demand is not confirmed. But it could also allow you to create a entire new market, which attracts a lot of attention.

Having these scenarios at the back of your head can be useful before executing on outlier transfer. Now let’s look at some practical examples of how you can pull off Outlier Transfer.

Examples of Outlier Transfer

The Mega Outlier Transfer

Mega outliers are videos that are outliers on steroids; basically a outlier among outliers. Doing outlier transfer on mega outliers hinges on the insane interest and success of the original video. Typically mega outlier transfers works best when the original outlier has been out for some time, and the dust have settled.

This channel used this mega outlier, to produce a very successful video, simply by using the same topic and same angle for a new niche. Using mega outliers is typically a blue ocean strategy within your niche, and this means it’s by no means a guaranteed success. But it could really pay off if successful.

Topic transfer

Posting 4 years later, the video re-used a topic that had historically attracted demand “capsule hotels”.

Title transfer

This is also a good example of a title transfer, where the channel used a outlier topic but repacked the title from “a tour” to “cheapest vs most expensive”. That gave the video a completely new angle that really worked.

Thumbnail transfer

This shows how a thumbnail transfer can happen. The thumbnail is divided in three, and shows three different alternatives. It’s a great way to give a large sneak peak into the video. Thumbnail transfer alone is typically not sufficient, and often requires title transfer as well (for a new angle).

When you should use what, depends on the outliers you find and the demand in your niche. I created this chart to provide some navigation:

In general, for Outlier Transfer to be successful: -You should create a video that is compatible with your channel offering and that helps grow your audience, not just gain views. This means the outlier video you create should be similar and compatible with your other content.

-The outlier transfer should result in you doing something better that makes you stand out amongst the existing video supply. You take a existing concept, but you provide some new value to the viewers

-You take inspiration from outliers that succeeded based on the idea, format or topic, not the execution. The outlier you take inspiration from also worked across multiple niches, confirming it’s validity.

-You ideally have confirmed demand in the niche you operate in and are going to publish your video in. This means there’s high viewer interest in your niche currently.