<\/span><\/h2>\nAll things considered, creating a YouTube thumbnail is a piece of cake.<\/p>\n
However, creating a GREAT <\/em>YouTube thumbnail can be a bit tricky.<\/p>\nDon\u2019t worry though\u2014by sticking to these 7 thumbnail best practices, you\u2019ll be alright:<\/p>\n
<\/span>1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Make Your Thumbnail Relevant<\/span><\/h3>\nLet\u2019s start off with the basics.<\/p>\n
Your YouTube thumbnail should be 100% relevant to the actual content of your video.<\/p>\n
You can make it intriguing and mysterious, as long as they\u2019re somehow related to the actual substance of your video.<\/p>\n
But whatever you do\u2014avoid clickbait. In the context of thumbnails, it means:<\/p>\n
\n- Writing grand claims<\/li>\n
- Using inappropriate content<\/li>\n
- Adding unrealistic images<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Here\u2019s exhibit A:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I’m no aviation experts, but that can\u2019t be right.<\/em><\/p>\nYou might be wondering\u2014\u201cBut that video has 1.6M views! Isn\u2019t that good?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nYouTube doesn\u2019t only look at the total number of views. It also considers a metric known as audience retention, <\/em>which basically tells you how much of the video your viewers actually watched.<\/p>\nIf most of your viewers didn\u2019t even make it to half of the video, what\u2019s the point?<\/p>\n
And even if you do retain a significant percentage of your audience, you don\u2019t want to use clickbait-y <\/em>thumbnails and video titles, as it will affect your brand in the long-run.<\/p>\nYour thumbnail should be of high quality, captivating, and relevant.<\/p>\n
<\/span>2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Select Your Image Carefully<\/span><\/h3>\nThis is somewhat related to the previous point.<\/p>\n
You can\u2019t just add any old image to your YouTube thumbnail design.<\/p>\n
Here are your options:<\/p>\n
\n- Select a relevant royalty-free stock image<\/li>\n
- Get some pictures of yourself and add some text\/icons\/images to make it look better<\/li>\n
- Use custom illustrations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Vsauce (Michael Stevens) sometimes uses his interesting and often mysterious portraits for his thumbnails.<\/em><\/p>\nIn the end, the image should help your thumbnail stand out and blend properly with the other design elements.<\/p>\n
Just make sure that it fits within the YouTube thumbnail size and doesn\u2019t look bizarre.<\/p>\n
<\/span>3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Choose Contrasting Colors to Stand Out<\/span><\/h3>\nWhat do the best YouTube thumbnails have in common?<\/p>\n
Well, a lot of things. But one major quality is contrast.<\/p>\n
By using the right colors for the background, typography, images, and other design elements and making sure that they complement one another with the right level of contrast, you can turn any thumbnail into a magnet for impressions and clicks.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a small demonstration:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As you can see, if the color of the different elements (in this case, the background and the text) don\u2019t stand out, the viewers might not be able to distinguish between them.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a good example:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The vibrant colors of the image and the typography are all spot-on.<\/p>\n
Now here\u2019s a bad example (i.e. what not to do):<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
You might be able to comfortably read that on a large screen, but on smaller devices, like smartphones, some people would need to squint.<\/p>\n
<\/span>4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Summarize Your Video Title<\/span><\/h3>\nThis isn\u2019t necessary, but it certainly can go a long way in making your video\u2019s thumbnail more interesting.<\/p>\n
If you can, summarize your video\u2019s title (or at least the key selling points) and add it as copy to your thumbnail.<\/p>\n
Your goal is to have the least amount of words on the image as possible, like so:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
If you have a long title, don\u2019t make the mistake of using it word-for-word as the copy of the thumbnail.<\/p>\n
<\/span>5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Leverage Whitespace<\/span><\/h3>\nYou don\u2019t have to fill the entire 1280px X 720px space with design elements.<\/p>\n
In fact, I advise against it.<\/p>\n
To give your images a clean, professional look, make sure that you have a good amount of whitespace.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a nice example:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Keep in mind that \u201cwhitespace\u201d in this context doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be white<\/em>. It\u2019s just a loose term that\u2019s used to describe breathing room.<\/p>\n<\/span>6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Aim for Consistency<\/span><\/h3>\nThis is another tip that\u2019s optional.<\/p>\n
However, it can help make your YouTube channel look more professional and coherent: Aiming for consistency when designing your YouTube thumbnails.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This could include:<\/p>\n