How To Make Better YouTube Thumbnails

Do you want to attract more viewers and get more watch time on your YouTube videos?

In the video below, I’m going to share with you 5 killer tips to make better YouTube thumbnails that will get viewers to click on them. I’ll also share three tools to easily create your thumbnails, examples of good thumbnails from other YouTubers and some very important things to keep in mind when making your thumbnails.

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So what makes a good eye catching thumbnail?

1. Choose an image that describes your video.
During the filming of a video, take shots that you can use later on for your thumbnails. Each video deserves a unique thumbnail.

2. Design an image that motivates your viewers to click on it.
Make sure you use a high resolution images so your thumbnail displays clearly at all sizes and all screens. Your thumbnail image should have a resolution of 1280×720 pixels. Check out other thumbnails on YouTube to see if your thumbnail will stand out from the others. Consider adding branding such as your face, logo, text to make the image more interesting.

3. Tell a story with your thumbnail and title.
Make sure your thumbnail and title, tell a cohesive and compelling story about your video. Try to captivate your viewers by adding an element of intrigue, empathy or other emotion. Create a few title and thumbnail combinations and ask your friends which one would they click on.

4. Make sure your thumbnails look great at all different sizes.
Over 50% of all YouTube views now come from mobile, therefore make sure your thumbnails look great whether on a large screen or a small screen so mobile users don’t have to squint and strain to figure out what the video is all about. Make sure your font is big enough to read on small and large screens.

Here are 3 examples of well designed
thumbnails from other YouTubers.

VSAUCE makes good use of faces.
Team Edge displays a clear logo in the bottom left of their thumbnails.
Zak George’s Dog Training rEvolution tells a story in their dog training thumbnails.

5. Measure the effectiveness of your YouTube thumbnails.
Go to YouTube analytics, see if your thumbnails are attracting and engaging viewers. The beauty of custom thumbnails is that you can change them at any time. Visit the audience retention report for a specific video,and examine the first 10 to 15 seconds. If you see a sudden drop off, this may mean that your video didn’t meet the expectations of the title and thumbnail combination. Consider updating the thumbnails and titles of videos that see a sudden dip in audience retention at the beginning of your video.

Here are 3 online tools to create your YouTube custom thumbnails.

1. Canva is a free online graphics tool where you can chose many different templates to create your thumbnails.
Click here to watch the video tutorial

2. TubeBuddy is a free Chrome extension where you can create thumbnails right inside your YouTube channel.
Click here to watch the video tutorial

3. YouTube Slicer is a paid thumbnail generator that allows you to easily create YouTube thumbnails from over 80 different templates.
Click here to watch the video review

Here are some important things to keep in mind when creating your YouTube thumbnails.

  • Use high contrast images
  • Use complementary colors
  • Pick an image that intrigues
  • Make sure your text is clear and bold
  • Consider branding your thumbnails
  • Add a logo or image so it’s clear that the thumbnail belongs to your channel
  • Upload custom thumbnails for videos that don’t have one
  • Replace your old designed thumbnails with newly designed thumbnails so your video gets more clicks
  • Continually test, experiment and analyze to make better thumbnails

Let me ask you an important question
Are you happy with the current design of your YouTube thumbnails?
Post your answer in the comments below. I would love to read them and others would too.

If you want to learn how to grow your audience on YouTube and
generate views and subscribers on autopilot check out my
YouTube Marketing Course at: TubeVideoBootCamp.com

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