All YouTube videos have thumbnails, and being able to pick an ideal one and render it good-looking is very important. One’s thumbnail is his foremost impression. It’ll direct people to watch his video or ignore it and move to the next. You’ll surely love to start creating and designing thumbnails that are outstanding, captivating, clear, high-quality, and on-brand. That might seem difficult; however, it isn’t. It’s actually easy to carry out and with this guide, you’ll learn everything about making great thumbnails.
Wondering how to make good YouTube thumbnails to start attracting more people and boosting your brand’s growth. Read on to find out!
What are YouTube Thumbnails?
YouTube thumbnails are the first things users see whenever they’re browsing on the platform for a video to watch. They are tiny and clickable motionless images that people will ignore and go to the next video or select to watch.
What is the Importance of YouTube Thumbnails?
One’s thumbnail is a crucial factor that can make or mar his videos. It is essentially the only tool among others that can make viewers select one’s video to watch it. Therefore, the goodness of one’s video does not matter if his thumbnail isn’t enticing users to view it.
YouTube thumbnails make first impressions; therefore, ensure that they are great and memorable. Perfect thumbnails drive better traffic, improve one’s brand, and grab the attention of viewers. Top YouTube creators always utilize good thumbnails and spend enough money for the right video thumbnail.
Making Good YouTube Thumbnails
We have listed the ideal ways of creating thumbnails that’ll stand out, appear well, and be efficient at attracting viewers. With these tips, you’ll know proper directions to take whenever you’re creating YouTube thumbnails. They include;
1. Utilize the Right Image Size
Prior to doing any other thing, one must know the right dimension and size for his thumbnails. With that, one will be aware of what he is dealing with and then utilize the knowledge for making great use of his custom thumbnails. Following the guidelines of YouTube is usually the best.
Your image has to be 1280 x 720 pixels, then your width must be 640 pixels or above. 16:9 is a good aspect ratio and it’s quite common everywhere on YouTube except for Shorts. To get more info, you can also read this thumbnail-size blog post of Views4You.
From this blog post, you will learn about the best YouTube thumbnail size for your video and the rules you’ve to follow to start creating an amazing thumbnail. You will also know the YouTube thumbnail dimensions and the rules for aspect ratio, file size, etc., among other things.
2. Utilize an Amazing Photo for the Thumbnail’s Background
You’ll surely want people to notice you and want to be able to grab their attention. An amazing photo will give one’s video context and be like a teaser. Additionally, it’ll let one’s audience familiarize better with his style. Even though one can utilize stock images and designing tools, it is recommended to utilize one’s own excellent quality photos for YouTube thumbnails.
Making use of a still photo from the video is one of the simplest ways of getting a thumbnail. At times, YouTube will pick multiple still images from one’s video in an automatic manner which he can utilize for thumbnail.
But that may not really appear good and will not receive a lot of clicks. Some YouTubers snap a still, then start editing it making use of image software for making it good. That’s highly recommended.
3. Make Branded Templates
As one of the YouTube creators, it is ideal to ensure consistency with one’s branding. Utilize an exact theme for every video and media. One should pick a theme that he likes and be consistent with it. Everyone’s thumbnail has to utilize an exact color, design, and font in order for his videos to be recognized fast.
At all times, one must add his logo in his thumbnail because he can utilize it for spreading brand awareness. Your logo mustn’t be exceptionally large and attention-grabbing; however, it should be easily noticed. A thumbnail corner is an ideal spot for one’s logo. Do not put it at the bottom right because your video length can cover it.
4. Include Text
One will benefit a lot when he adds text to his YouTube thumbnails. A major benefit is that it’ll give one’s audience context about his video. Images alone can’t convey a proper message, even if it’s very captivating and nice.
One must communicate the thing his video is based on, and text will do that. Therefore, put your video’s main theme into compelling, attractive, and brief title for grabbing the attention of viewers. Also, you’re free to utilize information from your video that’ll stand out and attract people.
A sample is when you have spent $300 on a product or another thing, you would like to include “$300” as text anywhere in your thumbnail. You’re even free to include a text such as, “This worth it?”
5. Start Building a Known Brand
Going ahead to build a brand that can be recognized is a crucial part of growing one’s channel that’s sometimes overlooked. Powerful identity on YouTube remains important when you want to start building followers and attain success in your niche. One’s YouTube brand stands as the way the world will see him.
A lot of creative elements exist which one is free to utilize for enhancing one’s brand identity, such as his website, media logo, color, image, typography, etc. utilized in his platform. One will surely want his thumbnail to follow his business identity and retain consistency with other elements such as his intro and channel art.
6. Utilize Good Thumbnail Makers
There are many thumbnail makers online that will aid you and render everything much easier. They will aid one in finding the perfect fonts and good quality images. A lot of these thumbnail makers offer free versions, and you’re also free to go for their pro version in order to access extra features.
One’s thumbnail reflects his channel and all his videos; therefore, one has to ensure that it appears outstanding, and it’s suited to his style and business. Good thumbnail makers will aid one in doing that because they’ll guide him in the entire process.
7. Utilize Contrast
One will like for his YouTube thumbnail to be easily read; therefore, he must start focusing on color contrast. Utilize high-contrast colors for attracting users! Do not use white, red, and black because they’ll blend together with your page since they’re exact with the YouTube branding.
Rather, one should utilize colors that make his thumbnails pop! Oranges, greens, yellows, and blues are great colors. One can even try using a color that contrasts with what his competitor is making use of in order for it to be linked with your business.
Anytime one wants to design a thumbnail, he should ensure that his text color is contrasting adequately with his background color.
8. Do Not Mislead People
If one misleads and lures users to watch his videos making use of an inappropriate thumbnail and headline, it will really damage his brand and general reputation. This is called ‘clickbait’ and no one likes it. Also, YouTube hides videos having high bounce rates.
Therefore, being honest is better. One’s YouTube thumbnail has to just give context about his content, therefore, do not abuse or utilize it for getting additional views just because you want plenty.
If one chooses a photo that doesn’t match his video, it’ll lead to serious harm and damage. You wouldn’t like people to know you as one of the clickbait creators! That’ll tarnish one’s reputation in this industry.
9. Test Various Designs
Testing unique designs is a great idea so you can see what’s working and what isn’t. Always monitor your audience analytics. In a case where one notices that a particular video thumbnail receives lots of clicks, he should make a thumbnail similar to it for his next videos and check whether there’s an exact effect.
Contrarily, when one discovers that his thumbnail is not leading to clicks as he expected it to, he should try a new one. The YouTube platform gives users the freedom to change their thumbnails immediately after their videos have been published. Therefore, when you are seeking to lure people to watch a specific video, try to edit its thumbnail to be better and more inviting.
Final Thoughts
Your YouTube thumbnails are as crucial as your video. When I didn’t use good thumbnails on YouTube, my videos were not able to grab the attention of viewers and remained unwatched till I started using good ones. That is the reason why as a content creator, you must not overlook the importance of using the right thumbnail.
It isn’t difficult to create and design one and when you do, it’ll result in an enormous difference for one’s channel, business, and reach. You mustn’t be so creative or an expert designer to make a unique YouTube thumbnail, so go ahead in creating one today.