YouTube Tips Is a stupid face on your thumbnail necessary to get lots of clicks?

[Damon]

You cannot know someone by seeing their face, but people like to believe that they can, and prefer to live under the illusion that seeing someone's face is necessary to know something about them.

Yup, honestly how many times have you heard on a news report of some serial killer where they interviewed the neighbors, "Oh, seemed like a nice kid."

Its like: You've been living next to this person for three decades, yet they had no idea that a serial killer was living right next door. You had no idea that the BBQ ribs you had at his cookout last 4th July were his aunt Sally's, whom he kept in the deep freezer for six months.

I don't mean any hurtfulness by my next statement, but we're seeing this right now in Ukraine. How many reports have you heard that said, "Oh, Putin never would have done this five years ago! This must not be the same Putin!" Really!? How can you possibly know that? Well, they looked at the poster boy photos of Putin and thought they knew who he was just by the look on his face. That same face threatens a nuclear assault.

 

[MattCommand1]

Then why is it when I show my face I get so few clicks compared to showing other things? Some of us just ain't got no pretty face.

Damon, I can't speak to your attempts to use your face on thumbnails. But your face is just fine to me.

 

[Damon]

Thx.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

Yup, honestly how many times have you heard on a news report of some serial killer where they interviewed the neighbors, "Oh, seemed like a nice kid."

Its like: You've been living next to this person for three decades, yet they had no idea that a serial killer was living right next door. You had no idea that the BBQ ribs of you had at his cookout last 4th July were his aunt Sally's, whom he kept in the deep freezer for six months.

I don't mean any hurtfulness by my next statement, but we're seeing this right now in Ukraine. How many reports have you heard that, "Oh, Putin never would have done this five years ago! This must not be the same Putin!" Really!? How can you possibly know that? Well, they looked at the poster boy photos of Putin and thought they knew who he was just by the look on his face, yet this same face is threatening nuclear assault.

I hear you brother. It is the harsh reality of life. I once knew this guy for five years. He was a respected deacon in his church. I went to parties at his house. I built him a workshop. I took his kids fishing. One day I am watching the news and see him and his wife in handcuffs being loaded into a police car. He was a stockbroker and ran a Ponzi scheme on his church and stole 3 million from his own church members. I was in my early twenties (so you know it was a looong time ago) and it was a really hard lesson to learn about this reality of life we are talking about.

This thing in Ukraine is hopefully waking the world up. We humans have not evolved one iota. We had convinced ourselves that the horrors of WW2 were something of the past that would never be repeated because we, and as humanity, had become better than that. But the reality is, we have not. We look at these big things and think those are what really matter, but the reality is, big things start as small things. The small decisions and compromises we make each day in our interactions with others are where this starts.

We tell ourselves, it is okay to make this compromise because this is a small and insignificant matter, but we would never do it if it was something really important or if we were in a position of authority. But, the truth is, how we act in the small things is exactly how we would act if it were a big thing and if we were given authority. It is a concept taught by Jesus himself. If you are not faithful in the small things, you will not be faithful in the big things. Until humanity learns the truth of these words, we will never progress and become better.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

Damon, I can't speak to your attempts to use your face on thumbnails. But your face is just fine to me.

I agree. He is a whole heck of a lot better looking than me. I was ugly even as a child. My bother was the looker. I remember people saying to my mom. "OH! Your son Robert is so handsome, and uh, yeah, Victor is a nice boy." LOL!

But you know what? I found a woman that loved me for me and we have been married for 40 years. Even ugly guys can win.

 

[BraveStar]

"Is a stupid face on your thumbnail necessary to get lots of clicks?"

Here are my thoughts. First, I wouldn't call them stupid faces. They are faces intended to get your attention. Silly, funny, maybe even corny. But not stupid. Not sure why you feel offended by these faces and am not sure why you believe they are aimed at someone dumb. In my opinion I think you are reading to much into something that was not intended for you. This sounds like someone complaining that Pepsi made a dumb commercial when they don't even drink Pepsi.

Thumbnails, titles, video length, quality of the content and the hardware used to make it, it all matters when I make a decision to watch a video and follow a content creator. I watch what I like and ignore what I am not interested in. I'm not a fishing guy, therefore @Damon and @Stanley | Team TB content are not in my interest no matter how cool their thumbnails are or how great the content is. You never know. I might find a video or two interesting, like maybe a fish almost as big as the guy holding it, and more often then not the thumbnail is what catches my eye.

So, is it necessary? That's not a question anyone here can answer because the only real way to find out is to put it to the test. In the end you have 2 options when it comes to being a content creator. You either do what you like and hope there's an audience for it or you make content for an existing audience where the content has all the bells and whistles that grab the audience's attention even if it's something you might not like doing or using.

@Damon doesn't like intros, but I do. It is what it is. At the same time I like certain kinds of intros. If your intro is too weird, too long or too annoying I'll click away fast. It's all about the audince, what they like and you have to decide if you're making content for them or for you. You don't like silly faces? Don't use them, don't click on them. But if you're looking to grow and believe silly faces might help you'll have to swallow your pride and at the very least try them out. And if they work, well, it kinda sucks to be you if what matters are views.

That's just my 2 cents. I tend to be very honest. So sorry if I offend anyone. But I rather not sugar coat things if I don't have to.

 

[MattCommand1]

I accept the fact that "attractive" people have the edge on thumbnails. I also accept that some people become disfigured or otherwise not genetically favored to use their actual face would NOT net favorable results.

In fact, there is one Ytuber who occasionally comes on video to present and I understand why he DOESN'T appear all the time. He was not genetically-favored but his content is great.

He (and other Youtubers) who don't use their faces on thumbnails, they use OTHER people's faces! I see that frequently done. I see President Biden's, President Trump's, Elon Musk, and many other newsworthy face on many thumbnails for effect. I myself have used Star Trek's Captain Kirk as a thumbnail face.

I have seen another Youtuber, he wears an entire mask and costume and adopts an entirely different persona on video to present.

I am just offering up some possible alternative solutions for people who want to experiment. It can be other people's face on a thumbnail. I personally want to try to use other people's face in some videos if and when appropriate.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

"Is a stupid face on your thumbnail necessary to get lots of clicks?"

Here are my thoughts. First, I wouldn't call them stupid faces. They are faces intended to get your attention. Silly, funny, maybe even corny. But not stupid. Not sure why you feel offended by these faces and am not sure why you believe they are aimed at someone dumb. In my opinion I think you are reading to much into something that was not intended for you. This sounds like someone complaining that Pepsi made a dumb commercial when they don't even drink Pepsi.

Thumbnails, titles, video length, quality of the content and the hardware used to make it, it all matters when I make a decision to watch a video and follow a content creator. I watch what I like and ignore what I am not interested in. I'm not a fishing guy, therefore @Damon and @Stanley | Team TB content are not in my interest no matter how cool their thumbnails are or how great the content is. You never know. I might find a video or two interesting, like maybe a fish almost as big as the guy holding it, and more often then not the thumbnail is what catches my eye.

So, is it necessary? That's not a question anyone here can answer because the only real way to find out is to put it to the test. In the end you have 2 options when it comes to being a content creator. You either do what you like and hope there's an audience for it or you make content for an existing audience where the content has all the bells and whistles that grab the audience's attention even if it's something you might not like doing or using.

@Damon doesn't like intros, but I do. It is what it is. At the same time I like certain kinds of intros. If your intro is too weird, too long or too annoying I'll click away fast. It's all about the audince, what they like and you have to decide if you're making content for them or for you. You don't like silly faces? Don't use them, don't click on them. But if you're looking to grow and believe silly faces might help you'll have to swallow your pride and at the very least try them out. And if they work, well, it kinda sucks to be you if what matters are views.

That's just my 2 cents. I tend to be very honest. So sorry if I offend anyone. But I rather not sugar coat things if I don't have to.

I actually agree with everything you said. I am older and I use words of my generation. I call them stupid faces because that is how my generation talks. I understand that words like stupid and ignorant are trigger words for the younger generation and they get all excited about it, but that is not my fault. In my generation, we would just say, "Suck it up and deal with it", if someone got all offended by the word stupid.

The truth is, those guys that I posted the faces of are some of the Tubers that I most respect and listen to. I still think the exaggerated emotion faces they put on their thumbs look stupid. I don't think THEY are stupid, I think those faces are. It is called making a distinction. English language comprehension these days is abismal. People get hurt and offended for no reason, simply because they do not pay attention to what is said or written carefully enough to understand it properly. If I say that thumbnail looks stupid, people might take it personally as a statement about their person, when that is the farthest thing from what was said.

I think Derral and Sean are a whole lot smarter than me when it comes to what works on YT. I would never say THEY are stupid. I will still click on their videos in spite of the stupid faces on the thumbs.

 

[BraveStar]

I actually agree with everything you said. I am older and I use words of my generation. I call them stupid faces because that is how my generation talks. I understand that words like stupid and ignorant are trigger words for the younger generation and they get all excited about it, but that is not my fault. In my generation, we would just say, "Suck it up and deal with it", if someone got all offended by the word stupid.

The truth is, those guys that I posted the faces of are some of the Tubers that I most respect and listen to. I still think the exaggerated emotion faces they put on their thumbs look stupid. I don't think THEY are stupid, I think those faces are. It is called making a distinction. English language comprehension these days is abismal. Peopl get hurt and offended for no reason, simply because they do not pay attention to what is said or written carefully enough to understand it properly. If I say that thumbnail looks stupid, people might take it personally as a statement about their person, when that is the farthest thing from what was said.

I think Derral and Sean are a whole lot smarter than me when it comes to what works on YT. I would never say THEY are stupid. I will still click on their videos in spite of the stupid faces on the thumbs.

If I may ask, how old are you? You can give me a range if you want. I'm just curious. I like knowing creators ages to understand their styles to see if age plays a role in their style.

 

[Damon]

Yeah, we gen-Xers use the word stupid all the time.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

[QUOTE="MattCommand1, post: 153794, member: 64619"

I myself have used Star Trek's Captain Kirk as a thumbnail face.

I have seen another Youtuber, he wears an entire mask and costume and adopts an entirely different persona on video to present.

[/QUOTE]

"I myself have used Star Trek's Captain Kirk as a thumbnail face."

I love Captian Kirk.


"I have seen another Youtuber, he wears an entire mask and costume and adopts an entirely different persona on video to present."

Are you talking about me here?

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

If I may ask, how old are you? You can give me a range if you want. I'm just curious. I like knowing creators ages to understand their styles to see if age plays a role in their style.

I don't like giving out my exact age but I can say I am old enough to remember the Vietnam war. Old enough to spend a decade exploring the Amazon rainforest in the 70 and 80s.

 

[BraveStar]

I don't like giving out my exact age but I can say I am old enough to remember the Vietnam war. Old enough to spend a decade exploring the Amazon rainforest in the 70 and 80s.

That's cool. I'm always glad to know I am not the oldest guy around. I always seem to be in that position everywhere I go. LOL. I'm a gen xer like Damon. I feel weird being a gamer in a genre full of kids and young adults.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

That's cool. I'm always glad to know I am not the oldest guy around. I always seem to be in that position everywhere I go. LOL. I'm a gen xer like Damon. I feel weird being a gamer in a genre full of kids and young adults.

That's cool. As old as I am, I game too. I have a gaming channel as well. It's growing pretty fast. Should reach 1000 subs by the end of this year.

I hope this okay. It is not a link to my YT channel, it is to my G Drive. Here is a video of me fishing in the Amazon in the early 1980s.

Fishing for Amazon Peacock Bass!.mp4

drive.google.com

 

[Stanley | Team TB]

"Is a stupid face on your thumbnail necessary to get lots of clicks?"

Here are my thoughts. First, I wouldn't call them stupid faces. They are faces intended to get your attention. Silly, funny, maybe even corny. But not stupid. Not sure why you feel offended by these faces and am not sure why you believe they are aimed at someone dumb. In my opinion I think you are reading to much into something that was not intended for you. This sounds like someone complaining that Pepsi made a dumb commercial when they don't even drink Pepsi.

Thumbnails, titles, video length, quality of the content and the hardware used to make it, it all matters when I make a decision to watch a video and follow a content creator. I watch what I like and ignore what I am not interested in. I'm not a fishing guy, therefore @Damon and @Stanley | Team TB content are not in my interest no matter how cool their thumbnails are or how great the content is. You never know. I might find a video or two interesting, like maybe a fish almost as big as the guy holding it, and more often then not the thumbnail is what catches my eye.

So, is it necessary? That's not a question anyone here can answer because the only real way to find out is to put it to the test. In the end you have 2 options when it comes to being a content creator. You either do what you like and hope there's an audience for it or you make content for an existing audience where the content has all the bells and whistles that grab the audience's attention even if it's something you might not like doing or using.

@Damon doesn't like intros, but I do. It is what it is. At the same time I like certain kinds of intros. If your intro is too weird, too long or too annoying I'll click away fast. It's all about the audince, what they like and you have to decide if you're making content for them or for you. You don't like silly faces? Don't use them, don't click on them. But if you're looking to grow and believe silly faces might help you'll have to swallow your pride and at the very least try them out. And if they work, well, it kinda sucks to be you if what matters are views.

That's just my 2 cents. I tend to be very honest. So sorry if I offend anyone. But I rather not sugar coat things if I don't have to.

Very well said sir

 

[MattCommand1]

"I myself have used Star Trek's Captain Kirk as a thumbnail face."

I love Captain Kirk.

"I have seen another Youtuber, he wears an entire mask and costume and adopts an entirely different persona on video to present."

Are you talking about me here?

No, I was referring to the guy on the Overlord DVD channel who constantly rails on Nu Star Trek. He adopts an entirely different character and even changes his voice. He does surprisingly well in overall performance. I am amazed by the crazy premise but it works for him.

Regarding Kirk, you may have already heard the announcement that a 3rd actor Paul Wesley has been announced to play the Kirk role before he takes over the Enterprise.

 

[MattCommand1]

If I may ask, how old are you? You can give me a range if you want. I'm just curious. I like knowing creators ages to understand their styles to see if age plays a role in their style.

Since some of you offering up GenX, I am also a fellow GenX-er albeit on the older side of that range.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

Since some of you offering up GenX, I am also a fellow GenX-er albeit on the older side of that range.

I was not aware of this. Thanks for the info. I look forward to watching. I just hope they can stay true to the Star Trek format and theme. I really think they do a great job on the new movies with Chris Pine as Kirk.

 

[spookyboo]

No, I was referring to the guy on the Overlord DVD channel who constantly rails on Nu Star Trek. He adopts an entirely different character and even changes his voice. He does surprisingly well in overall performance. I am amazed by the crazy premise but it works for him.

Regarding Kirk, you may have already heard the announcement that a 3rd actor Paul Wesley has been announced to play the Kirk role before he takes over the Enterprise.

Overlord and his buddy Nerdrotic are awesome. While I still love the new Star Trek movies (I don't know about what his video is about though) and disagree with a lot of their dislike for it, their views on a lot of the new Marvel and Star Wars stuff is spot on. I think they do well also because they livestream a lot and have guests on frequently who agree with them which pulls in many more people. There are a lot of people out there who are disappointed with what is going on with all of the remakes. Someone has to say it and it might as well be fun.

**oh he's talking about Discovery. Kirk's my cowboy. Leave him alone.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

Overlord and his buddy Nerdrotic are awesome. While I still love the new Star Trek movies (I don't know about what his video is about though) and disagree with a lot of their dislike for it, their views on a lot of the new Marvel and Star Wars stuff is spot on. I think they do well also because they livestream a lot and have guests on frequently who agree with them which pulls in many more people. There are a lot of people out there who are disappointed with what is going on with all of the remakes. Someone has to say it and it might as well be fun.

Yep. I agree. I am convinced that American movie producers have just run out of imagination. All they do is just remake old popular stuff and try to use it to push modern PC agendas. This is where they fail. People got to the movies to be ENTERTAINED, not to be educated. We got to the movies to escape the reality of life, not to have them preached at us and have elitist opinions and agendas shoved down our throats with two feet. People used to understand this and this way they could make great movies. Today, movies are just seen as a tool to brainwash society.

I think this is one reason, YouTube, TikTok, and other similar platforms are so huge and Hollywood is dying. People are tired of paying money to be told what to think by a bunch of overpaid actors and directors who think too highly of their own opinions. I say good riddance. It is time for the "In-Crowd" to become irrelevant.

This is one reason I became a YouTuber at my age. I could never get a job as an actor in Hollywood because I did not jump through their hoops and don't think their hoops or their approval actually mean anything. or ever really did. I think YouTube has proven this beyond a doubt. You don't need to go through all their required credits like acting school, theater plays, college degrees, etc, to be a great creator of content that people will enjoy and be famous. YouTube has exposed this "Illusion" of Hollywood for exactly what it is... A Lie. To borrow a line from Ratatouille; "Anyone can cook!". Youtube has proven that anyone can make entertaining content, all without all the special training that Hollywood says you need. In the words of Ego;