Are your thumbnails struggling to get clicks?
You’re putting in the effort, but the views just aren’t coming in.
Today, I’m going to break down why your thumbnails aren’t working,
and more importantly, how to fix them fast.
Let’s get into it!
Cluttered Design
When your thumbnails are packed with too many words, images or graphics, viewers won’t know where to focus and they’ll click right past your video. You can fix this by simplifying your design.
Focus on a single clear focal point, whether it’s a face, product or action shot, and keep the text minimal. Limit your design to three main elements like a face, object and an arrow. This helps viewers quickly understand the thumbnails message.
Ignoring Contrast & Color
Colors that blend into each other aren’t going to grab anyone’s attention. Use bright contrasting colors that make your thumbnail pop.
For example, in this thumbnail I use the background gradient colors of purple and blue, so it stands out from my competitors.
Notice how I circle the text “Hindu Dubbed” in this video on “how to reach global audiences with YouTube dubbing”. By circling the text, it immediately draws viewers’ eyes to the thumbnail and makes them curious to want to find out the solutions.
Tiny or Hard To Read Text
Keep in mind, most viewers are viewing your thumbnails on a mobile device. Therefore, if they can’t see the text, they’re going to instantly click away. Stick with bold, simple fonts and keep the text large enough so it stands out on small screens. Also, don’t include too many words in your thumbnail because it’ll just look cluttered. Only include a maximum of up to three words, and sometimes you can even make a thumbnail without words.
For example, this video is titled “Five Surprising Mistakes, killing Your Audience Retention. How to Fix” The Words On the Thumbnail, say, “Fix It Now”, so it makes viewers curious to want to click and watch a video to find out the surprising mistakes.
Here’s a thumbnail that doesn’t use any text, but I use a red arrow to draw viewers’ attention to the object in the thumbnail.
Using Low Quality Images
If the images in your thumbnail are blurry or pixelated, it looks unprofessional and will turn viewers away. To fix this, always use high resolution images so your images are crisp and clean. I always design my thumbnails with a image size of 1920 pixels wide and 1080 pixels high, and with a resolution of 72 pixels per inch. The minimal thumbnail image size to use on YouTube is 1280 pixels wide by 720 pixels high.
For example, Peter McKinnon uses high contrast and vibrant photography. These closeup shots and dramatic lighting help capture viewers’ attention and convey professionalism.
Lack of Emotional Appeal
Emotions are processed faster than rational thought. Therefore, make a thumbnail that evokes an emotional response so it instantly connects with the viewers causing it to click.
One way to do this is to include your face in a thumbnail. It could be smiling or surprised. Displaying these kind of emotions in your thumbnail can help trigger viewer engagement.
Tell A Story
Designing thumbnails that tell a story is a powerful way to capture your viewer’s attention and entice them to click and watch your video.
Here’s a thumbnail I used for a video on how to hack proof your YouTube channel. By just including the one word “HACKED” in the thumbnail, it motivates viewers to want to click and watch the video.
Here’s a thumbnail I used for a video titled “How I ranked a video on the first page of YouTube for multiple keywords” Showing how the number of views increased on my thumbnail, makes viewers curious to want to find out the solution.
Here’s a thumbnail I used for a video on “how to find hidden content gaps on YouTube” Including the text HIDDEN CONTENT with a red arrow pointing down between two mountainsides makes you as curious to want to check out the content.
In this video from Mr. Beast titled “Men and Woman Survive the Wilderness for $500,000,” the thumbnail tells a story comparing men and woman. Doesn’t the thumbnail make you curious to want to hear his story?
Misleading Thumbnails
Creating misleading thumbnails may be good for clickbait, but will hurt your channel in the long run. If you promise something outrageous or incredible in your thumbnail that’s unrelated to the content in your video, it’ll be a big let down for your viewers.
Misleading thumbnails are the classic bait and switch tactic. They might get the click once, but will turn off your viewers to want to keep coming back for more of your content. Make sure your thumbnail is a true reflection of your video content so when they click on the thumbnail, they’ll get the content they deserve. Try to capture the most interesting moment in your video and use that in your thumbnail.
No Focal Point
If you don’t have a single focal point on your thumbnail, it’ll make it more difficult for your viewers to take action. Decide on an eye-catching element such as a face or product, and build a thumbnail around it.
For example, in this thumbnail from Marcus Brownley, the focal point is the Dyson product that he’s holding up to his ear. Adding an arrow and having a contrasting background immediately draws your attention to the product.
In this video from Mr. Beast titled “I Survived 50 Hours in Antarctica”, he uses bold and contrasting colors to draw viewers attention to the thumbnail. Obviously, the main focal point in the thumbnail is himself because he’s the main character in the video.
Not Optimized For Mobile Viewing
Most creators, including myself, designed the thumbnails on a large computer screen, however, when a viewer views that thumbnail on a small device, it can look very different.
Before you upload your new thumbnail, make sure the elements on the thumbnail are clear and readable on a smaller screen so the text and images are not lost.
For example, I used large bold text on this thumbnail, so it not only can easily be viewed on a computer, but also on a smaller screen like a phone.
Inconsistent Branding
If your thumbnails don’t have a recognizable style, viewers won’t connect them to your channel. For example, on my channel, I always include my face in the thumbnail, so viewers immediately recognize which channel it comes from, even if they view the thumbnail in the search engines, suggested videos, or on the home screen.
Try to develop a consistent style across all the thumbnails on your channel. Use similar fonts, colors, and design elements for all your thumbnails. This will help build your brand and make your videos instantly recognizable.
If you rely on a single thumbnail design, it can limit the potential of your video. For example, when I first started my channel, I created thumbnail designs that I thought were great, but were actually horrible because they didn’t win the click. I kept using the same designs, then wondered why I didn’t see an increase in traffic to my videos.
Albert Einstein said:
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.”
That was exactly what I was doing.
When I changed the design of my thumbnails from thiS, to this (see image below), I saw a huge increase in traffic to my videos. I also used the a/b thumbnail testing feature from TubeBuddy to see which thumbnail resonated best with my audience.
You can now use the free. test and compare thumbnail tool from YouTube to test up to 3 different designs for your videos.
Watch this video right now to learn how to MASTER YouTube’s
Test and Compare thumbnail feature in minutes.
You’ll be glad you did!
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