How to make the perfect Youtube thumbnail: 7 Common mistakes and 3 simple rules

How to make the perfect thumbnail for videos and avoid mistakes that will lead to a decrease in CTR? Alina Dlotovskaya from the content department of mediacube, the official partner network of YouTube, shares her observations.

The thumbnail of the video is the first thing that catches your eye while scrolling through the YouTube feed. In just a second, the viewer needs to decide whether they will watch what the service offers. Every month, our department creates more than 260 thumbnails for video creators, so our experience allows us to create the most clickable thumbnails.

The main task of a thumbnail is to tell the viewer instinctively what the video will be about. Therefore, there is a rule to use a maximum of visual “weapons”: images, associations — and a minimum of text. But this is not all that is required for a good and clickable thumbnail.

Top 7 mistakes of creators when creating thumbnails

Visual garbage

The use of unnecessary distracting details, a “noisy” background, an abundance of small objects, all this interferes with the perception of the main meaning. And if the viewer does not understand what is waiting for them, the probability that they will click on the video decreases.

Using inappropriate colors

For children’s content, it is better to use “joyful” and bright colors. The Russian-speaking audience likes neon, and viewers from Europe like simpler choices. However, everything, of course, depends on the content theme: it is difficult to imagine a minimalistic preview in pastel colors for a Minecraft letsplay.

YouTube itself does not recommend using white, gray and black colors, because a video with such a thumbnail can merge with the background of the site.

During the design process, do not forget to look at the color wheel and use complementary combinations. They are the most pleasant to perceive.

Wrong composition

Too much free space on the thumbnail or inharmonious filling of the frame reduces the viewer’s interest and forces them to scroll past the video in the feed.

No emotions

It’s no secret that the creator’s face on the thumbnail always increases the number of clicks on the video. Let the thumbnail reflect some bright emotional moment from the video.

No trigger

If you understand that the eye has nothing to catch on, it is better to review the thumbnail. However, do not use triggers such as red arrows and circles that strongly highlight a single object. Often such techniques are used by creators to “lure” the viewer with something that is not in the video, so YouTube can punish this with demonetization.

Impossible to understand the topic of the video

A thumbnail is a short retelling of what will be in the video. Ideally, the approximate plot is clear even in the absence of a title. For example, in the thumbnail of a video where a creator tries hot sauces, it would be logical to put his face, pepper and milk, which the main character drinks to neutralize the hotness. Whatever the name of the video, the viewer has already understood its subject. Remember, they only have a second to decide whether to watch or scroll past.

An abundance of unnecessary text or incorrect formatting

If you decide to use text, it should be a simple and large word or phrase on the topic, which is different from the title of the video. The font should be pleasant, readable and up-to-date. Follow the fonts fashion: it changes quickly!

In addition, the text must be positioned so that after the video is published, it is not blocked by the pop-up icons and the timecode.

No adjustment to your audience

To create a good thumbnail, you need to know your audience well: average age, geolocation, preferences — and take into account their tastes.

The basic rules of a good thumbnail

Good photo

A high-quality static photo made specifically for the thumbnail (and not a screenshot from the video) is a 50% success rate.

Many creators that mediacube works with ask for help to create a thumbnail design. As a result of working together, the creator saves time and gets a bright, up-to-date thumbnail from designers according to their tastes.

This is how mediacube designers make bright and clickable thumbnails from ordinary home photos sent by creators:

“When we work with creators, we ask you to send a clear list of requirements, references and high-quality images (images of 800x800 pixels, if it is a product, and from 1000x1000, if it is an event or a close-up of a person’s face).

It is better to take photos before, after or during the shooting of the video. If the creator does not know what he wants, or inaccurately formulates the requirements, we can help to finalize the ideas or offer design options at our discretion,” says Alina Dlatovskaya.

A clear idea of the video

The thumbnail should be made in a way that those who are not subscribed to the channel and do not know the topic of the channel can guess the plot of a video. Let the thumbnail reflect the main idea of the video. To do this, you need to think carefully about the text, image, and emotion.

Show your emotions

Based on the previous point, it is best if the thumbnail will be an emotional face of the creator. The emotion should reflect the mood of the video.

The popularity of a video is always a combination of moments: the YouTube algorithm evaluates the thumbnail, listens to all the text spoken in the video, reads the description, looks at the visual and listens to the sound. Based on these parameters, CTR and monetization are determined. Thus, a good thumbnail is not a guarantee of popularity, but it can significantly help to squeeze out the maximum clicks and views, accordingly.