Think Like a Burglar

Home-security tips told from a former burglar's point of view

Homeowners and renters who want practical, low-cost ways to make a house look like a harder target for burglars (inferred from titles, descriptions and the about text; the store page also names homeowners and renters). There are no audience statistics.

• Realistic avatar
• A photorealistic bald man with a moustache and a stern expression, in an olive field jacket over a black henley shirt. The avatar is a head-and-shoulders portrait in a dim home office; in thumbnails he sits at the frame edge, often pointing or raising a palm, over night-time house scenes.

Numbered countdown lists of 5 to 25 items in a former burglar's voice: a short story of what he used to notice, then each item from number five down, with a check-it-tonight task, a mid-video book pitch, 'comment only the number' and a teaser for the next video.

• What burglars notice from the street: marks, yard and porch clues
• Signs a home is empty: routines, mail, trash, travel posts
• Hiding places burglars check first
• Cheap upgrades and security-camera mistakes
• What an intruder checks inside in the first seconds

• [N] Things [X] Tell a Burglar [Y] (Ex-Burglar Reveals)
• [N] [Places] Burglars Always Check (Ex-Burglar Reveals)
• [N] Cheap Home Upgrades That Make Burglars Look for an Easier Target (Ex burglar Reveals)
• [N] Things That Make Your House Too Risky to Target (Ex burglar Reveals)
• [N] Security Camera Mistakes That Can Make Expensive Cameras Nearly Useless (Ex burglar Reveals)

The same man in close-up at one side, usually pointing or holding up a palm, beside a night-time house or room scene with red circles and arrows on the clue; a bold 2-4 word caption in white and yellow, some with a red 'Ex-Burglar Reveals' label and a hooded figure.

• One persona hook everywhere: the former-burglar claim is in the about text, all 10 descriptions and all 10 titles
• One title shape: 9 of 10 titles start with a number and end '(Ex-Burglar Reveals)'; the two most-viewed (628 and 598 views) are the 10- and 25-item lists
• Fixed thumbnail template in 10 of 10 stills: the same man, a 2-4 word caption, a red arrow or circle on the clue; 9 show a pointing hand or raised palm
• Steady schedule: 10 uploads in the 4 weeks from Sep 9 (about 2.3 a week, median gap 3 days), mostly 10-15 minutes long
• A product path: the Gumroad guide ($14.99, 152 pages) is linked in the about text and in the 5 uploads since Sep 23, and pitched mid-video