There are a few simple YouTube thumbnail tips that can help you easily get more views on YouTube. This is an important element of video optimization that will do wonders for your YouTube ranking!
So let’s get started with the importance of custom YouTube thumbnails and how you can create ones that get people clicking on your content.
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If your videos show up in YouTube’s search or suggested videos and don’t get clicked, it’s sending a big negative signal to YouTube!
This tells YouTube that your content isn’t as popular as the videos around it. It can seriously hurt your channel rankings.
Thumbnails are key to grabbing people’s attention and getting those clicks. They can help people decide to click on your content rather than all the other options that are displayed.
This in turn sends the right signals to YouTube which will tell the algorithm to show your content again.
The best part is you can easily update your older videos that aren’t performing with new thumbnails – giving them a second shot at success.
One thumbnail we updated for an old video increased the views by nearly 50%. This was a long time after we released it as well! It’s never too late to give your video another chance.
In this guide we’ll run through the three most effective thumbnail tips that will get your videos more views on YouTube. Now, let’s dive in.
1. Consistent Branding
This means using the same fonts, colors, style and overall look for your thumbnails. By staying consistent, your subscribers will be able to get familiar with your content.
Familiarity is the key. People are instinctively drawn to thumbnails they’ve seen or clicked on before.
At Primal Video, we usually include an image of Justin smiling, pointing or doing something silly. This not only grabs the viewer’s attention but it acts as an anchor. It’s clear that the video is from us.
This becomes more and more effective as your brand and audience grows. If you don’t have a style yet, take a look at other YouTuber’s for creative inspiration.
2. Clearly Communicate The Video Topic
Thumbnails are a great opportunity to add some context about your video. At a quick glance, viewer’s should be able to tell what your video is about and whether it’s what they’re looking for.
You can do this with keywords, images, or a combination of both.
For example, if you have a cooking channel you might want to incorporate images of the finished meal you made during the video.
If you’re not a skilled visual storyteller, don’t worry. It can be hard to communicate effectively with just one image! So, use text to help you communicate. Just a few key words should do the job.
3. Take Specific Thumbnail Images
It might be tempting to pull an image from your timeline or finished video for your thumbnail…
But you’ll end up wasting a ton of time trying to find a halfway normal-looking shot and it’s never going to look very good.
So to save a heap of time and hassle, take some photos specifically for your thumbnail. Not only will it be quicker but you’ll have a much better final result.
You can do this before or after filming. Just throw a few poses – maybe a smile, point at something or pull a silly face, whatever works for you. It’s always good to get a few good options.
Now You Know How To Increase Views On YouTube With Custom Thumbnails
Hopefully now you understand the full power of a solid YouTube custom thumbnail and how it can help increase your views.
In this guide, we covered 3 simple tips: use consistent branding, clearly communicate your video topic and take specific thumbnail images.
Don’t forget, there are a bunch of awesome thumbnail creators out there to help you make YouTube custom thumbnails. Check out our recommended tools below.
We hope you enjoyed these tips for YouTube thumbnails. If you found this guide useful, feel free to share it on social media or with someone else who might like to learn more about our simple YouTube optimization tips.
If you’d like to learn more about how to make custom thumbnails on YouTube, you can check out our full tutorial here.
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Recommended Tools for Creating Custom Thumbnails:
Recommended Gear & Resources
Check out an up-to-date list of all the gear, software & tools we use and recommend right now at Primal Video on our resources page here!
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