Content on YouTube is a fickle thing. 15–30 minutes of work can sometimes lead to hundreds of thousands of views, and 15 to 30 hours of work on another day can lead to 5 views. Why does it feel so random sometimes? Why don’t people want to click on my content? And most importantly, what can I DO as a creator to mitigate this randomness?
The answer, as many of you probably already know, is through quality titles and thumbnails. But what MAKES a good thumbnail? How do I know if my thumbnail is good enough?
So, in today’s mini breakdown of growing as a creator on social media, let’s talk shop about what things you should avoid while making a thumbnail, but more importantly, what you SHOULD be doing to make an appealing image that viewers want to click on.
First, let’s look at some thumbnails I personally disliked. Now, graphics, artwork, and anything visual is an entirely subjective aspect. People are naturally going to have different opinions because individuals interpret things based on their perspectives and experiences. But there are some commonalities that all human behavior abides by, and I’ll go over those behaviors later.
Thumbnail #1
For the link to the video check the alt text!
This thumbnail I REALLY don’t like. Overall, it feels jarring for a lot of reasons:
· No Focal Point
o The way a human’s eye and brain work when examining something is that the eyes naturally drift towards the biggest, most noticeable element first, then go to the less noticeable elements to understand the context of the image.
o This thumbnail DOESN’T have a focal point. There is no element that comes to you first, making it hard for the viewer to understand the context. Do I look at the text first? Which image of Hal should I look at? Why is the background split from two different environments?
o All these elements leave a potential viewer confused, leading to them to scroll to the next video.
· Background
o The background is janky, plain, and simple. There is WAY too much going on to understand the context, especially if the person looking at the thumbnail isn’t familiar with Apex Legends and the creators. The background should always compliment the foreground to make an easy-to-understand visual experience.
· Natural Flow
o This goes hand in hand with no focal point. Where are my eyes supposed to start looking at first? With no natural flow to the thumbnail, viewers will struggle to understand the context of the video.
o What’s more important? The new Apex character vantage? Hal being mad at the changes? Hal enjoying a delicious gold helmet? It’s unclear, which again causes a viewer to become disinterested in clicking on the video.
Bad Thumbnail #2
For the link to the video check the alt text!
This is another poorly made thumbnail that I dislike. Here’s why:
· The Streamer’s Reaction
o Having a face with a reaction is an INSANELY easy way for people to relate and associate with a video. Take for example the thumbnail above. The streamer just hit radiant, which is one of the highest ranks in Valorant you can achieve. That’s a REALLY big deal to hit, so when you DO hit it, your reaction is probably like the streamer’s (association!).
o This relatability increases the chances of the video being clicked by a viewer. However, in this thumbnail, it’s NOT the focal point. I’d suggest making the reaction of the streamer itself more balanced with the element of the radiant logo. That way, you create a focal point for the eyes to be drawn into, which can then easily transition to the secondary focal point, which is the radiant logo.
· Balance and Context
o This thumbnail lacks balance. The streamer’s reaction is too small which should be the main focal point, and the ‘radiant’ and ‘gun’ elements are too BIG, which creates an imbalance, causing the viewer to question the context. What’s the more important aspect of the video; Is it the streamers reaction? Is it hitting the radiant rank? Is it the gun or gun skin that the streamer is using? These are questions that HAVE TO BE ANSWERED if you’re making an appealing thumbnail.
Now that you’ve seen what BAD thumbnails look like, let’s look at some GOOD thumbnails, and the elements they utilize to draw in a viewer.
Good Thumbnail #1
For the link to the video check the alt text!
This is one of my FAVORITE thumbnails I’ve seen. It’s from a video titled, ‘EXACTLY How to Grow a Massive Brand from ZERO Followers’, from a creator named Devin Nash. Here are the main reasons as to why I think this is a good thumbnail:
· Simple Background
o This background doesn’t detract from the main elements of the image. The white/gray background has high contrast with Logan Paul’s blue shirt along with the red iPhone and arrow. Often, high contrast colors will appeal to a viewer.
· The Facial Reaction
o The facial reaction of Logan Paul is the perfect size. It’s used as a focal point for the viewers to draw them in, as Logan is an extremely prominent figure in the content creation community and has amassed a huge following. Therefore, the title of the video is backed by the thumbnail.
· Secondary Focal Point
o Once viewers have some of the context, their eyes NATURALLY drift over to the right side of the thumbnail, where the social media logos, line chart and phone are. Both the face and the phone are evenly spaced and sized, creating a great natural balance that’s easy on the eyes.
o The red arrow helps the transition from one focal point to another so that there’s no disconnect from the two and help build the idea that the two elements are connected.
· The Green Line Graph
o This element of the thumbnail is great because it provides further context of WHAT’S happening. The referenced influencer in the thumbnail is growing exponentially on social media.
With all these elements, a viewer can perfectly understand the who, what, when where and why of the video JUST from the thumbnail.
· Who -> Logan Paul/influencers
· What -> How influencers build a brand from the ground up
· When -> In a very short amount of time
· Where -> Online, through social media
· Why -> To gain influence, and earn money by creating content
Good Thumbnail #2
For the link to the video check the alt text!
This is from another video titled ‘The Nearly Impossible Job of Managing MrBeast’ by the creator page Colin and Samir. On an unrelated note, these guys make GREAT content, and highly suggest checking them out if you’re interested in the lore of content creators and their careers.
ANYWAYS……
There are a couple of great things I like about this thumbnail:
· High Contrast Background
o The light blue background REALLY makes the foreground of the thumbnail (MrBeast’s face, the yellow and blue message bubble, and the manager) have almost a POP effect that is visually appealing.
· Context
o The title compliments the thumbnail extremely well. The message bubbles give association to how Mrbeast spends an exorbitant amount of money to make his videos, and how massive budgets and so many things going on can lead to a stressful and difficult environment
o You know EXACTLY what the content will be with these message bubbles and the manager’s pixelated face. The reveal of the quiet, hardworking manager, and what it takes to help run the largest channels on YouTube.
· Incentive to Click
o With the manager’s face being pixelated and masked, viewers have an incentive to click to find out WHO is running the Mrbeast camp.
o The thumbnail gives enough context to understand what the video will be about, who will be in it, but leaves just enough mystery on the table for viewers’ curiosity to be piqued.
· Natural Balance
o The thumbnail flows very well from left to right, which is how the majority of human eyes work (We read from left to right!)
o The first focal point is Mrbeast’s face, which then flows into the conversation of needing more money, which then flows to the mystery of who Mrbeast’s manager is.
o All the elements are well sized and have a very distinctive space in which they belong. All the elements of the thumbnail feel balanced, and flow well into each other.
So what may appear to come off as a simple thumbnail, there’s actually a lot of contextual messaging going on that makes it extremely eye catching and appealing to click. With just three elements, Colin and Samir were able to explain:
· Who -> Mrbeast and his manager
· What -> Managing Mrbeast and growing an audience
· Where -> Social media platforms
· When -> Present day, given the context of the message bubbles
· Why -> Mrbeast’s manager is a person that not many people know, and even less of his responsibilities and strategies he uses to help run the biggest channel on YouTube
So hopefully with this being explained, you’ll be able to now able identify the elements of what makes a successful thumbnail!
Hopefully you this article brought some insight as to why some thumbnails perform better than others on YouTube. I hope you guys enjoyed reading and I look forward to discussing this more with the Botisimo community in the future!
