YOUTUBE HOW TO GUIDES: How to create the perfect YouTube thumbnail
Navigate Video - YOUTUBE HOW TO GUIDES: How to create the perfect YouTube thumbnail
Looking to create a great thumbnail for your latest YouTube video? Watch to find out 6 tips you should be considering when creating a thumbnail for your content.
From all across the globe, people watch more than one billion hours of video content on YouTube every day, but how can you increase the chances of your content being discovered?
Why create a YouTube thumbnail?
“A picture is worth a thousand words.”
A thumbnail is like a movie poster. It is a single image that sets expectations and summarises the content in order to help promote and draw attention towards the video content as well as provide viewers with a sneak peek of what it is about.
How does a YouTube thumbnail impact a video’s ranking?
If the thumbnail does not accurately represent the content then this can limit the content’s discoverability. If a video does not live up to its thumbnail expectations and users drop off early, then this will affect its search ranking.
Thumbnails are one of the first things a user sees alongside the video’s title. If the thumbnail is compelling and concise to the subject matter, then there is more chance that a viewer will click through to watch the content.
What should be avoided when creating a YouTube thumbnail?
Auto-generated images: The thumbnail images provided by YouTube are generated at random, meaning that it’s more than likely blurry or someone in mid-speech or even showing a section of the video which does not accurately nor compellingly describe its subject matter.
Poor background image: Thumbnails are meant to entice the viewer to click to watch, so if the image is poor quality or not sized correctly, then viewers will often be turned off from watching the content.
Too much detail: Too many images or small objects on a thumbnail can be hard to see on different devices and can often overcrowd and overwhelm the viewer.
Illegible text: It’s important not to use an image with onscreen captions or subtitles as they will make the image hard to read and will be out of context.
6 tips on how to make a YouTube thumbnail
Choose an enticing image: Everyone judges a book by its cover, so it’s essential to find an image that will reel people in, but is not misleading or clickbait.
Create a YouTube thumbnail template: Having a consistent structure in place that can be easily maintained will be time-saving and will help with content recognition.
Identify your brand: YouTube is not an exception to brand guidelines. Brand logos and colours should be used across all content to ensure its recognisable and consistent across all platforms.
Consider categorising: Categorising by icons, text or different colours can help further define the content and inform the viewer on what to expect.
Think about where it will be viewed: It’s important to consider what the thumbnail will look like embedded on the brand website or viewed on mobile devices
Need help?
We are YouTube experts who will help manage, integrate, optimise, amplify and evaluate your YouTube content and channel, ensuring you reach the right audience and drive high quality engagement and action rates.
Get in touch to find out how we can help with your YouTube marketing strategy: stuart@navigatevideo.com
