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The Packaging Playbook
Creator Intelligence Report — What worked, why, and how to use it
Week of Feb 16 – 22, 2026 • Global
5K
Videos Analyzed
9.9B
Total Views
11
Title Formulas
6
Hook Patterns
This week’s packaging winners: The highest-performing title archetype was Transformation (avg 3.4M views). The best hook pattern was Question Hook. Shorts under 60s continued to dominate volume (66.0% of top 50). This playbook gives you copy/paste formulas derived from 5K viral videos generating 9.9B views.
Title Formulas That Won
Title archetypes ranked by average view count among all 1M+ videos. Use these as templates — not scripts.
Transformation (7 videos this week)
3.4M avg views
Engagement: 0.0440 • Very High
[Duration] [Activity] Transformation
From [Bad State] to [Good State]
I Changed [Thing] for [Time Period] — Results
Extreme (18 videos this week)
2.6M avg views
Engagement: 0.0216 • High
The Most [Adjective] [Thing] in the World
I Survived [Extreme Situation]
Nobody Has Ever Done THIS Before
Story (79 videos this week)
2.4M avg views
Engagement: 0.0165 • Average
The True Story of [Dramatic Event]
What Really Happened to [Person/Place]
Storytime: How I [Unusual Experience]
Tutorial (58 videos this week)
2.3M avg views
Engagement: 0.0157 • Average
How to [Desirable Outcome] in [Short Time]
[Number] [Topic] Tips That Actually Work
The Only [Skill] Guide You Need
Emotional (59 videos this week)
2.2M avg views
Engagement: 0.0177 • Average
This Made Me Cry (Not Clickbait)
[Person] Surprised [Loved One] With [Gift]
The Most Heartwarming [Thing] You'll See Today
Comparison (127 videos this week)
2.2M avg views
Engagement: 0.0132 • Average
[Thing A] vs [Thing B]: The Truth
$1 vs $1000 [Product] — Worth It?
[Old Way] vs [New Way]
Reaction (50 videos this week)
2.1M avg views
Engagement: 0.0154 • Average
[Person] Reacts to [Trending Topic]
First Time Watching [Popular Content]
Professional [Role] Reacts to [Amateur Work]
Question (269 videos this week)
2.0M avg views
Engagement: 0.0199 • Average
What Happens When [X] Meets [Y]?
Did [Famous Person] Really [Action]?
Why Is Everyone Talking About [Topic]?
Challenge (44 videos this week)
2.0M avg views
Engagement: 0.0228 • High
I Tried [Extreme Thing] for [Time Period]
Can [Person] Actually [Challenge]?
[Number] People vs [Impossible Challenge]
Reveal (22 videos this week)
1.8M avg views
Engagement: 0.0285 • High
The [Topic] They Don't Want You to See
[Celebrity/Brand] Finally Revealed [Secret]
We Opened [Mystery Item] and Found THIS
Hook Patterns
The first 3–5 seconds determine if someone watches. These opener patterns correlated with top performance this week.
Question Hook
2.7M avg • 138 uses
Lead with a question that creates a curiosity gap
"What would happen if...?"
"Why does nobody talk about...?"
"Did you know that [surprising fact]?"
Shock Hook
2.4M avg • 367 uses
Pattern interrupt with urgency or surprise
"STOP — don't [common action] until you see this"
"Wait... is that actually [unexpected thing]?"
"Nobody told me this would happen..."
Direct Address
2.2M avg • 636 uses
Speak directly to the viewer with "you/your"
"You won't believe what we found..."
"Have you ever wondered why..."
"Your [routine/habit] is wrong — here's why"
Story Hook
2.0M avg • 77 uses
Open with a narrative setup
"So last week, something crazy happened..."
"One day, I decided to [unusual action]..."
"They said it was impossible, but..."
Number Hook
1.8M avg • 65 uses
Lead with a specific number for concreteness
"3 things I wish I knew about [topic]"
"$50,000 — that's what this cost me"
"In 24 hours, everything changed"
Urgency
1.7M avg • 134 uses
Time-sensitive language demanding immediate attention
"This is happening RIGHT NOW"
"Breaking: [event] just happened"
"You need to see this today"
Duration Sweet Spots
Which video lengths are hitting hardest this week.
Duration Videos Avg Views Engagement Velocity
Short 0-60S 3K 2.3M 0.0123 20.5K
Medium 1-3M 594 2.2M 0.0201 20.0K
Medium 3-10M 232 2.0M 0.0239 23.7K
Long 10-30M 400 1.9M 0.0348 23.1K
Very Long 30M+ 397 1.8M 0.0259 21.4K
Title Style Analysis
How title characteristics correlate with performance.
Emoji Usage
Style Count Avg Views Engagement
With Emoji 2K 2.3M 0.0169
No Emoji 3K 2.1M 0.0172
Title Length
Length Count Avg Views Engagement
short <40< /td> 1K 2.2M 0.0170
long 80+ 1K 2.2M 0.0142
medium 40-80 2K 2.2M 0.0191
Thumbnail Signals
Lightweight visual analysis of thumbnail images across all 5K viral videos.
Thumbnail Type Count Avg Views Engagement
Dark <=100< /td> 4K 2.2M 0.0161
Bright >140 230 2.0M 0.0212
Thumbnail Takeaway
Bright, high-contrast thumbnails consistently appear in the winners. High colorfulness (strong color contrast between channels) correlates with higher click-through across most genres. Dark thumbnails can work for mystery/horror niches but underperform broadly.
Niche Benchmarks: What Winners Look Like
If you create in these niches, here’s what the top performers looked like this week.
Youtubeshorts / Ytshorts / Shortvideo / Dance
Average
1808 winning videos • 2.2M avg views • 74% Shorts
Avg Views
2.2M
Avg Velocity
20.8K/hr
Engagement
0.0140
Top video: “決勝当日のB14🙏🏾🔥#村瀬ここも #プロスノーボーダー #オリンピック #金メダル” by Kokomo Murase / 村瀬 心椛 (50.4M views)
Can / Don / Now / Okay
High
559 winning videos • 2.0M avg views • 49% Shorts
Avg Views
2.0M
Avg Velocity
20.3K/hr
Engagement
0.0255
Top video: “Don't Pick The Wrong Sleeping Bag!” by Topper Guild (18.5M views)
Content / Social / Transcript / Media
Average
487 winning videos • 2.3M avg views • 93% Shorts
Avg Views
2.3M
Avg Velocity
20.5K/hr
Engagement
0.0150
Top video: “When You See Your Favorite Food😭🍗 #shorts” by Pretty Romantic (26.5M views)
Funny / Comedy / Viral / Trending
Average
246 winning videos • 2.4M avg views • 96% Shorts
Avg Views
2.4M
Avg Velocity
19.8K/hr
Engagement
0.0138
Top video: “You really shouldn't laugh 😭 #funny” by Reaper Highlights (18.7M views)
Est / Voc / Pero / Vamos
Very High
270 winning videos • 1.9M avg views • 52% Shorts
Avg Views
1.9M
Avg Velocity
20.7K/hr
Engagement
0.0347
Top video: “#find” by Tranky Editz (18.1M views)
Movie / Hindi / Promotional / South
Below Avg
200 winning videos • 2.2M avg views • 43% Shorts
Avg Views
2.2M
Avg Velocity
19.0K/hr
Engagement
0.0094
Top video: “Bhalobashar Rong Route | 23 ফেব্রুয়ারি থেকে প্রতিদিন সন্ধ্যে 6:30 PM ” by Sun Bangla (10.7M views)
Yang / Ini / Itu / Enggak
Average
133 winning videos • 2.4M avg views • 70% Shorts
Avg Views
2.4M
Avg Velocity
20.9K/hr
Engagement
0.0170
Top video: “Jeda Bersama KFC Kebuli Series” by kfcindonesia (9.8M views)
Https / Www / Com / Bit
High
123 winning videos • 2.2M avg views • 30% Shorts
Avg Views
2.2M
Avg Velocity
24.1K/hr
Engagement
0.0290
Top video: “CHEN'S Brain Cell - Arknights : Endfield Cosplay” by Mamat Squad (10.6M views)
Your Quick-Start Checklist
This Week’s Action Items
1. Pick your niche cluster from the benchmarks above. Note the dominant format (Shorts vs long-form).
2. Choose a title archetype from the formula cards. Adapt it to your content — don’t copy.
3. Write your hook first. Use one of the hook patterns. Film the first 5 seconds before anything else.
4. Match the duration sweet spot for your genre. If uncertain, test sub-60s Shorts first.
5. Thumbnail: bright + high contrast. If your niche allows faces, use them. Add minimal text overlay.
Generated February 23, 2026 • Data: 5K videos • 9.9B total views
Tube Econ Intelligence • Creator Tier
Every number is computed from the dataset. Every example links to a real video.