Thumbnails are definitely a huge factor when it comes to getting more views on your YouTube videos, but why do they matter so much? I’ll break it down quick and easy.
Example thumbnail from MrBeast, the biggest YouTuber at the time of writing this.
Why do thumbnails matter on YouTube?
- Let me start with the number one goal you should always be working toward with your thumbnails: grabbing internet users’ attention, and as a result, increasing the odds that they’ll click through to watch your video’s content.
- A thumbnail is there to give context to your video’s content — yes, your video’s content, and I’m saying that twice because there’s a term well known in the YouTube community called “clickbait,” where creators do WHATEVER it takes to grab a user’s attention with images or titles that have NOTHING to do with the actual content. So keep that in mind when you’re working on your thumbnails. Just saying!
- When you make good, memorable thumbnails, you’ll likely end up with a consistent visual style — meaning you might always use a certain element, symbol, or color in your thumbnails that builds recognition. Once users start recognizing your content, it becomes a lot easier for them to click on it.
What you should know about thumbnails
As I mentioned, thumbnails keep gaining importance, since more and more users and creators are showing up on the platform, all competing for your attention and that precious click of yours. So here are a few key things to keep in mind for your next thumbnail:
Tell a story
There’s something I’ve been working hard on lately as a “YouTuber” with my thumbnails, and that’s trying to build a story between the thumbnail and the video title. For example, say my video is going to be about: “The 10 Best Phones to Buy in 2024” — if that’s the hypothetical title, I’d most likely decide to put the top phone on the thumbnail — the one that looks the most premium, grabs attention, and pulls the eye toward it. As a first step to building this kind of story, I’d recommend thinking about the video’s thumbnail before you even think about its title.
Spark emotion
Something you should know about modern marketing as a concept is that it focuses heavily on sparking emotion in its prospects, consumers, or, in this case, viewers. Why? Because it’s proven that if you spark some emotion in a user, they’re more likely to check out your video. So the big takeaway here is to try to create some emotion in that thumbnail. Below I’ll leave a thumbnail that’s by no means the best in the world, but I made it with this in mind — sparking something, some kind of feeling in the viewer, enough to get them to click and bring in that big, hoped-for view!
Grab attention
And here we are, finally, at the last tip — which is actually the one we started this article with: grab attention, but do it honestly and for real. There’s a thin line between making a thumbnail that grabs attention no matter what the content actually is, and making one with the content in mind. Align the expectations between the thumbnail and the content, and make the most of it based on that.
Conclusion
Keep investing in coming up with thumbnails you consider good — ones that not only grab attention but also convey some kind of emotion and build long-term recognition. From my own experience, I can tell you this is something I’ve made a priority when creating a video, and now, with A/B testing available, I can actually check how my thumbnails are performing. So you’ve got no excuse left not to start making these great thumbnails.
