As a content consumer, what is it that draws your attention to YouTube videos? Is the thumbnail flashy? Does it have some cool imagery? A catchy title? Whatever you see as a consumer, you should also focus on as a content creator! If you put yourself into viewers shoes, you’ll be able to understand how to make a Youtube thumbnail.
With over 2.6 billion users with logins visiting every month, creators find themselves having to vie for attention. Youtube Creators, myself included, have to make sure we take the best actions possible in order to propel our thumbnail images into the minds of the viewers to capture their attention. We are going to cover 10 tips on how to make a Youtube thumbnail that attracts views and more clicks!
10 Tips On How To Make A Youtube Thumbnail That Attracts Clicks
If you are in the creator business on YouTube and are trying to find out how to pull in viewers and get more clicks, here are 10 tips on how to make a Youtube thumbnail that attracts views and more clicks!
These tips are all coming from my own experiences as I have several Youtube channels. I’ll be pulling specific examples from my Creator Clump channel.
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Tip #1: Know Your Audience
Know who you are trying to reach because that will affect your thumbnail style. Are you a kid’s account? You will need to go for something cartoony or colorful. Is your channel based in the culinary world? How about using a close-up still image from one of your recipe videos? Is your channel full of informational videos? Try something very straightforward. If you know the base group that you create content for, then you should be creating YouTube thumbnails that you know are in their area of interest. Understand how to make a Youtube thumbnail for your audience type.
Tip #2: Use the Correct Youtube Thumbnail Size
Hate to break it to you, but in this case, size really is everything. Creating your YouTube thumbnail size is crucial to how it will turn out on the platform. You should be using a 16:9 aspect ratio for your Youtube thumbnail image, 1280p x 720p, in order to fill and fit the space needed. This sizing will allow the Youtube thumbnail to look good in its actual thumbnail form as well as when it’s displayed on the video player. This image should be in a JPG, GIF, BMP, or PNG format. Youtube thumbnail size is a basic requirement on how to make a Youtube thumbnail.
Tip #3: Have a Catchy Title
Having a catchy Youtube video title is very important on how to create a Youtube thumbnail. When you are creating your Youtube thumbnail, you can include the title as a part of the design. Your YouTube video needs a catchy, attention-grabbing title to compete with the massive amounts of videos on similar topics. You want your title to tell people what your video is about, but you can’t let it be boring. For example, which sounds better? “Everything about Dog Grooming” or “Dog Grooming 101: Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Pup Pretty”.
Tip #4: Show Your Face (Optional)
Science has shown that the human brain is designed to naturally focus on faces. This means that if you show a face in your YouTube thumbnail image, viewers are more likely to stop on your video while they’re scrolling. If you choose to use a face, pick something that displays emotion. This is something we humans are naturally drawn to. This is NOT a requirement for how to make a Youtube thumbnail, just an idea that may help boost your Youtube thumbnail clickthrough rate.
Tip #5: The “Rule of Thirds”
The fifth tip on how to create a Youtube thumbnail. With this “Rule of Thirds,” imagine that your YouTube thumbnail is split up into nine parts by lines. Your goal is to take up approximately two-thirds of the Youtube thumbnail space with the topic of your Youtube video. You should also make sure that the important info falls onto one of those spots where your imaginary lines intersect in order to make the image more dynamic.
Tip #6: Find Your Brand Image
One of the big things you want to do is make your Youtube videos recognizable by their Youtube thumbnail. Keeping the design of your YouTube thumbnails consistent across all videos will help to create that familiarity with your viewers. Some examples of this are constant fonts, colors, and imagery. You can even come up with a brand logo and pop that into each of your images when you are creating Youtube thumbnails. Brand image is a big component on how to make a Youtube thumbnail.
Tip #7: Get Your Colors Right
When you ask the question, how to make a Youtube thumbnail, making sure you choose the right colors is key. For starters, you don’t want your text to blend in with the background, nor do you want the background to overpower the text. An overly bright background could strain the eyes and thus make your text hard to read. Choose contrasting colors to make sure that these elements stay distinct. You should go for complimentary colors for the best results. To do this, you can easily look up color wheels online and find the best color scheme on how to make a Youtube thumbnail.
Tip #8: Say “No” to Clickbait
Tip eight on how to make a Youtube thumbnail, avoid clickbait! So, this is where it gets a bit tricky. You need a title and image to pull the viewers in, right? What you don’t want is to lie to them about the content of the Youtube video they’re about to watch. Being able to trust the content creators is a big key to a successful following on YouTube. Yes, you can spice up the Youtube thumbnail a little to get more attention, but you should avoid click-baiting your potential viewers. Not only will the viewers not be happy, but YouTube will start to show your stuff less and less on the search results.
Tip #9: Show Some Spoilers
Viewers like to know what they’re getting into. If you have a Youtube video that is a before-and-after style process, include both of those sides in the thumbnail. Is it a cooking video? Show off the end result of your fabulous dish. Give them at least a hint of what they can expect by the end of the video. So when you are making Youtube thumbnails, be sure to show a spoiler!
Tip #10: Try New Things
The final tip on how to make a Youtube thumbnail. If you aren’t sure yet what your YouTube thumbnail style should be, don’t be afraid to test out some different styles until you land on the one that works best for your intended audience! Keep an eye on your click-through rate after each change and take note of what is working the best for your channel, then start getting more consistent with them.
Final Thoughts
There are definitely more tips on how to make a Youtube thumbnail when creating the perfect YouTube thumbnail image, but these are some of the big ones that we thought you ought to know. Remember, it’s a process of trying to find out what works best for your viewers and your channel, so keep playing with the design until you find your winner. Best of luck, and happy creating!
