Need Advice Picking Thumbnails

[Jeff Goober]

So I am trying to UP my thumbnail game..I have a bunch of thumbnails that I made and I just need to title them and begin filming videos for them soon, I'm just hoping they work out in the end because my most popular videos are always just random images from the video that I sometimes brighten up. Now some of my popular videos are old but my most recent one is the same..just a still clear image. Most of my videos are being found from Search, Not sure if that helps or means anything but I thought I would throw that in there.

Has anyone experimented with changing their thumbnails to those cringe YouTuber fake reaction thumbnails that everyone tells you to make nowadays..I have made a few But I see videos all the time that are popular with just a normal CLEAR picture as a thumbnail...I know this isn't the old youtube anymore where most videos were like that..I miss old Youtube =(

 

[SaraSmilez]

IΓÇÖm very new, but in my experience so far..... the thumbnail is everything. I feel it is one of the most important parts as your thumbnail is the key deciding factor if someone clicks on your video. IΓÇÖve never searched for something and thought... ΓÇ£well the thumbnail is not that great but maybe the video isΓÇ¥. I would recommend use for big bold words that stand out and look at other peoples videos similar to yours that have lots of views and subscribers and see if you can find a pattern in the thumbnail then try it out see if it works. ThatΓÇÖs what I did hope this helps.

 

[Stanley | Team TB]

You really need to test things out. Last year I went through Derral Eves 30 Day Creator Challenge and one of the steps was to go through thumbnails and peer review. I did so with some really professional YouTube channels (whom I very much respect). The consensus between the entire group was that I needed to make my thumbnails more fantastic and attention grabbing. I needed the big goofy faces and the compelling text. I needed the bright colors and bold fonts.

The thumbnails that passed that peer review were some of the worst performing thumbnails I ever made. Not because anything those guys said was wrong, but because I was trying to make thumbnails for them instead of for my audience. My audience wants a big, clear picture of a fish on a pretty day at the beach. They want an artsy photograph with few frills. No text. If I put my face on it I need to be genuine, not selling some goofy smile.

Now that is my experience. You need to do the same for your audience. You need to experiment and try some things out. The TubeBuddy Legend Licenses have a really cool tool for this called 'Click-Magnet' which takes a deep dive into what aspects of your thumbnail are performing best. As much as I would love to sell you on a Legend upgrade (seriously, it's sick) you can do the same on your own. Study your thumbnails over the course of a few months. Do they perform better with a big picture of a goofy face? Do they perform better when you use text? Does your audience prefer big red thumbnails or dull, muted colors? Trends can change over time so this is actually a practice you should consider maintaining for the tenure of your channel.

 

[Kindred]

I feel like the normal clear picture things only works if you're already big - I don't think it would work as well for my channel as its much smaller than the big you tubers who use those

 

[HowIDoThingsDIY]

I've been playing around with this a lot. I tried goofy faces and such. I think the most important thing is that its a high quality photo that sort explains what the video is about. You also need some text that catches the eye that is also a little descriptive. Canva is a must have for thumbnails.