How to Make VIRAL YouTube Thumbnails

Learn how to create viral YouTube thumbnails by understanding clickable concepts, storytelling, and design principles to boost your channel's views.

Key Takeaways

A thumbnail must tell a story and create curiosity to be clickable.
Simple, bold, and clear design elements outperform overly complex thumbnails.
Using proven thumbnail formats can help creators find viral concepts faster.
Consistency in visual identity strengthens channel recognition and viewer retention.
Iterative concept development is key to discovering the best thumbnail for your video.

What the video covers

Thumbnails are crucial for video clicks and overall success on YouTube, regardless of video quality.
A clickable thumbnail tells a story and evokes curiosity, making viewers want to click.
Common thumbnail elements include bold text, clean backgrounds, and images that relate to the video's content.
Five popular thumbnail formats are identified, including Transformation, Prime Text, Best Moment, Closeups, and others.
Psychology behind thumbnails from top creators is analyzed to understand what makes them effective.
Good thumbnail design must be simple, easy to understand at a glance, and visually distinct.
Consistency in color palette, fonts, and layout helps create a memorable visual identity for a channel.
Examples from various niches and creators demonstrate how storytelling in thumbnails increases click-through rates.
Design alignment, size considerations for different traffic sources, and visual clarity are essential for success.
Creators are encouraged to draft multiple thumbnail concepts and iterate to find the most clickable version.

Chapters

What makes a YouTube thumbnail clickable?

A clickable thumbnail tells a story and creates curiosity in the viewer's mind, encouraging them to click to learn more.

What are some popular formats for viral thumbnails?

Five popular formats include Transformation, Prime Text, Best Moment, Closeups, and other storytelling-based designs that evoke curiosity.

How important is design consistency for a YouTube channel?

Consistency in color palette, fonts, and layout helps build a strong visual identity, making the channel and its content more memorable to viewers.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

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How to make the BEST YouTube thumbnails and go viral! You can spend several days writing a killer script, recording a perfect voiceover, and editing an engaging video... but all these efforts will go to waste if you make a bad thumbnail. Because, of course, until people click on a video, they are not going to watch it...

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thumbnail. Because, of course, until people click on a video, they are not going to watch it...

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And yet, most people have no idea how to create a clickable thumbnail! If this is you, then this video is very important for your channel!

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Because today, I'm going to share literally everything I know about making the most clickable YouTube thumbnails!

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Because today, I'm going to share literally everything I know about making the most clickable YouTube thumbnails!

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more!!! This video is going to be very interesting, let's begin!! So whenever the topic of creating thumbnails comes up, everyone says to make a clickable thumbnail!

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I will explain how to find viral concepts for thumbnails, regardless of your niche. We'll discuss the psychology behind the thumbnails of the biggest creators on YouTube, and then we'll also talk about the 5 core principles necessary for an eye-catching design and much more!

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We have a cool image, bold text, and a clean background... design-wise, this thumbnail looks good... but let me ask you...

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This video is going to be very interesting, let's begin! So whenever the topic of creating thumbnails comes up, everyone says to make a clickable thumbnail!

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Even the other element, the student's picture, is not adding any special value to the thumbnail except telling us that this video is about students...

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Thumbnails should be clickable. But what exactly is a clickable thumbnail? To understand this, let's take a look at this example.

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On the other hand, look at this example. Even though this thumbnail might look very simple at first, BUT, it is secretly telling a story.

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We have a cool image, bold text, and a clean background... design-wise, this thumbnail looks good... but let me ask you...

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And we know that highlighting notes is a very common study technique that many students can relate to, who are the target audience of this video.

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Is there anything clickable about it? I don't think so. We already knew what the video was about from the title, so this text is repetitive.

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This immediately makes viewers curious because they want to know why they shouldn't do this.

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Even the other element, the student's picture, is not adding any special value to the thumbnail except telling us that this video is about students...

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Now, do you think the first thumbnail could do the same job? Absolutely not! There is no story, no psychology, no curiosity, and that's why it is not clickable!

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So overall, this thumbnail looks good but it's not creating a story or evoking any emotion in the viewer's mind...

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All successful thumbnails on YouTube create a story in the viewer's mind... and make viewers curious...

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On the other hand, look at this example. Even though this thumbnail might look very simple at first, it is secretly telling a story.

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This makes viewers curious about what will happen with Ryan when he goes down the yellow slide, which makes them click.

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We have a picture of Ali Abdaal holding study notes where different lines are highlighted...

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Notice the red circle highlighting the banana, and the bold text which says, 'They Actually Work.' We also have this character looking a little nervous because of the action of character 1 eating a banana.

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And we know that highlighting notes is a very common study technique that many students can relate to, who are the target audience of this video.

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Now I'm sure that after seeing these examples, you will also try to create a thumbnail that tells a story in the viewer's mind.

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And this is where the fun begins... In the text above, it clearly says, "Don't do this."

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To tackle this problem, I explored different channels on YouTube from 45+ niches and found 5 most popular thumbnail formats that perform very well on YouTube....

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This immediately makes viewers curious because they want to know why they shouldn't do this.

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In these types of thumbnails, there are 2 parts, where one side shows the start of the story, and the other side shows the end result.

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How will this affect their studies? What are the repercussions? And it's because of this curiosity that viewers click on the video.

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So overall, this creates a story in the viewer's mind that there's a process by which we can go from this to this....

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Now, do you think the first thumbnail could do the same job? Absolutely not! There is no story, no psychology, no curiosity, and that's why it is not clickable!

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Another favorite format of mine is the Prime Text Format. These types of thumbnails can be used in almost every niche, and they create a powerful story in the viewer's mind when combined with text and title...

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A clickable thumbnail is one that tells a story and hence makes the viewer curious.

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The next format on this list is the Best Moment format. These thumbnails are mainly used on vlogs, pranks, challenges, and similar channels, where the best moment of the video is used as the thumbnail.

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All successful thumbnails on YouTube create a story in the viewer's mind and make viewers curious.

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But still, this image alone tells a great story because it raises many questions in our minds, like how did the glass break?

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Take a look at this thumbnail from Ryan Trahan. In the screenshot of the theme park review, it says, "Don't try yellow slide," and in the picture, it is clearly visible that Ryan is on the yellow slide.

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And many such questions that lead to curiosity and make us click. And there are many more examples like Surprising parents with their Dream House and anti-gravity boxes prank, where the best moment of the video is used to make us curious...

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This makes viewers curious about what will happen with Ryan when he goes down the yellow slide, which makes them click.

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This format is mainly seen in cooking, art, and makeup channels because the whole purpose is to show the end result as clearly as possible and grab the viewer's attention.

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"8 Psychological Tricks that Actually Work!" In this thumbnail, we have this humanoid character eating a banana.

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This creates curiosity in the viewer's mind to see the blurred image, making them click.

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Notice the red circle highlighting the banana, and the bold text which says, "They Actually Work." We also have this character looking a little nervous because of the action of character 1 eating a banana.

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Now that you know how important a clickable concept is, next time you go to make a thumbnail, draw at least 3-4 completely different concepts in the copy, draw their variations as all creators do, and eventually, you'll get your ideal concept.

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Overall, this thumbnail tells a great story and makes us wonder what this psychological trick is and why we should click on the video.

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And this part is extremely important because even the most clickable concepts won't work if they are not designed well...

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Now I'm sure that after seeing these examples, you will also try to create a thumbnail that tells a story in the viewer's mind.

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So! What is considered a Good Design? After studying dozens of successful thumbnails, I found that all designs have these three qualities...

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But the problem is that most of the time, it is difficult for us to come up with such concepts, especially if you're a new creator.

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That's why your design should be such that it stands out in the crowd and grabs attention....

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To tackle this problem, I explored different channels on YouTube from 45+ niches and found 5 most popular thumbnail formats that perform very well on YouTube.

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No, our eyes just scan those thumbnails... And that's why it's important that the thumbnail design is so simple that it is understood at a glance what the video is about...

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So, if you're finding it difficult to think of a clickable concept, you can try one of these 5 formats: Starting with no. 1, and my favorite: Transformation format.

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Immediately, in our minds, the perception is created that if the thumbnail is so unprofessional, then, of course, the video will be at a beginner level, and we won't get any value from it.

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In these types of thumbnails, there are 2 parts, where one side shows the start of the story, and the other side shows the end result.

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Starting with the first core aspect: Colors. When we open YouTube, our eyes are presented with dozens upon dozens of thumbnails...

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The starting image is usually very relatable and common, and the end result is something that viewers desire or something that is very shocking.

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And exactly, colors play a very important role in this... If you can create CONTRAST between the colors of different elements in your design, your thumbnail will instantly become eye-catching.

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So overall, this creates a story in the viewer's mind that there's a process by which we can go from this to this.

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Is the thumbnail still attractive? Hmm, I don't think so.... Earlier, when the screenshot was white and the background was black, the contrast was created in both elements because of the light and dark shades being together.

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And it is this process that creates curiosity in the viewers, leading them to click on the video.

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And that's why it's very important that there is contrast between the colors you use for thumbnail elements.

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Another favorite format of mine is the Prime Text Format. These types of thumbnails can be used in almost every niche, and they create a powerful story in the viewer's mind when combined with text and title.

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These are all examples of contrast in a design. Speaking of contrast, I want to tell you one more secret: The Magic of Complementary Colors.

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For example, the title is "Dumbest lottery winners of all time," and the thumbnail says "Bankrupt after 84 days," which triggers curiosity and makes us wonder how did this happen?

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And the secret is that when we use complementary colors together, high contrast is instantly created in our design...

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The next format on this list is the Best Moment format. These thumbnails are mainly used on vlogs, pranks, challenges, and similar channels, where the best moment of the video is used as the thumbnail.

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Take my last video as an example, where I have used the complementary pair of red and green because of which this thumbnail looks really attractive.

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For example, Sourav Joshi's video "Glass Tut Gya, Piyush Bach Gaya." You can see in this thumbnail that there is no fancy editing, just a spontaneous shot from the video.

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Another fundamental complementary pair is blue and orange, used in Mike Shake's thumbnail, making the design very eye-catching!

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But still, this image alone tells a great story because it raises many questions in our minds, like how did the glass break?

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Especially when I see videos from new creators, literally everyone is making this mistake!! What is this mistake?

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Was it Piyush's fault? What was the reaction of other people when the glass broke?

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Look at the thumbnail; there is text saying, 'Was it Fake...' which instantly, when combined with the title, raises the question in our minds: Was the Apollo 11 Moon Landing Fake?

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And many such questions that lead to curiosity and make us click. And there are many more examples like surprising parents with their dream house and anti-gravity boxes prank, where the best moment of the video is used to make us curious.

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In fact, now the title and thumbnail together are not creating any story or curiosity in the viewer's mind...

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The fourth format on this list is Closeups. As simple as it sounds, in this type of thumbnail, there is only a closeup shot of whatever the video is about.

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Only use it to add more context to the story of the thumbnail. After this, you must have noticed that in all successful thumbnails, the length of text is very short, ranging from 2-4 words on average.

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This format is mainly seen in cooking, art, and makeup channels because the whole purpose is to show the end result as clearly as possible and grab the viewer's attention.

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Also, fewer words mean you can increase the text size, giving clarity to the thumbnail.

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And finally, we have the Blurred Result format. This is similar to the transformation format, but the difference is that in this, the result is partially blurred.

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In most niches, a bold sans-serif font works best... Due to their simplicity, they are easy to read, and that's why most thumbnails use them.

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This creates curiosity in the viewer's mind to see the blurred image, making them click.

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But yeah, in any case, avoid using a font that is too fancy. (Beep) The third aspect in this list is focus.

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And even this thumbnail format can be used in many niches. So yeah! Different niches, different formats, but one thing is common among them all, that they make viewers curious, and to satisfy that curiosity, the viewer has to watch the video.

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A common mistake creators make is that they put too many elements in their design, making the simplicity of the thumbnail disappear, and it looks unprofessional...

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Now that you know how important a clickable concept is, next time you go to make a thumbnail, draw at least 3-4 completely different concepts in the copy, draw their variations as all creators do, and eventually, you'll get your ideal concept.

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When designing thumbnails, I make sure that my design has only as many elements as necessary to tell the story of the thumbnail...

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Okay! Now that we have the concept of the thumbnail ready, it's time to convert it into an actual design.

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Initially, when I made it, there was this arrow indicating the transformation from point a to point b.

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And this part is extremely important because even the most clickable concepts won't work if they are not designed well.

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So yeah, I removed it. But of course, just removing useless elements is not enough!

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I often see that creators have very good ideas for thumbnails, but their designing skills are poor, which is why views don't come.

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Whatever your video is about becomes the main character of your thumbnail (or main focal point).

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So! What is considered a good design? After studying dozens of successful thumbnails, I found that all designs have these three qualities.

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'How the comfort zone is ruining your life.' Again, there is only one element here, a picture of a guy playing video games...

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No. 1 - A great design grabs attention. No matter how clickable your concept is, if people's attention does not go to your thumbnail, if people do not notice it, then, of course, you will not get any views.

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Example: 'I didn't eat food for 30 days.' Here, there are 2 elements. The first is a picture of MrBeast looking hungry, and the second is text.

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That's why your design should be such that it stands out in the crowd and grabs attention.

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In this case, text is telling us that MrBeast has not eaten food for 19 days....

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No. 2 - A great design is easy to understand. It's 2024, and people don't have so much time to carefully look at every thumbnail and try to understand it.

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The second is MrBeast's face. And the third element is an arrow. And you must have guessed it; the main character here is the picture of this boy doing the trickshot.

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No, our eyes just scan those thumbnails. And that's why it's important that the thumbnail design is so simple that it is understood at a glance what the video is about.

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And MrBeast's face is conveying emotions coming from this trickshot. So, what I want to say is that no matter how many elements there are in the thumbnail, in every case, our attention is going towards that one main character, which is very important

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to tell a great story in thumbnails. After this, the fourth aspect of thumbnail design is Alignment.

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No matter how contrasting your colors are, how eye-catching your text is, how focused your main character is...

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If your alignment is bad, then you're gonna mess the whole thing. Take a look at this thumbnail...

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What if I write its text like this ... It doesn't look good, right? Why?

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It's because now there is wasted space in the design, causing our composition to look unbalanced.

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That's why, when making thumbnails, make sure that every element in the canvas is properly aligned, and no wasted space is created.

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Finally, the last aspect of thumbnail design is Optimization. When designing thumbnails, we often forget that our design will appear in different sizes to different viewers.

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If someone is a laptop user, they will see your thumbnail differently compared to someone who uses YouTube on a phone or tablet.

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Apart from this, there are different traffic sources. For example, the suggested section on the desktop, where your thumbnail looks much smaller.

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That's why it becomes very important to optimize your design for every device type and every traffic source.

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For this, you can go to a thumbnail testing website like ThumbnailPreview.com to see how your thumbnail will look on different devices and traffic sources.

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Check if every element of your design is clearly visible or not, and if not, fix it.

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Also, you'll get to see if your thumbnail stands out compared to others and if it is eye-catching.

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And these are the 5 core aspects of Thumbnail design. If you master them, your thumbnail will grab attention, be easy to understand, and look professional...

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Now, for the next topic I'm going to cover, I want you to look at a few channel pages....

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See how consistent and clean their thumbnails are... Consistent thumbnails make a channel page attractive, but along with that, it reduces viewers' decision time when choosing your video.

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This means if a viewer likes video A from your channel, the chances of them choosing video B are higher if both thumbnails are similar...

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which means more views. On YouTube, all top creators make sure that their thumbnails are consistent, and you can do this too with the help of colors, fonts, layouts, and various design elements.

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If you repeat any aspect in every thumbnail, it helps achieve brand consistency. Mostly on YouTube, creators repeat the color palette and fonts to maintain consistency.

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You can take my channel as an example... I have used the same font, Uni Sans, across all my thumbnails.

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And my color palette mainly consists of 4 colors... Black for the background and red, green, and white for other elements.

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Another example is YouTuber Tom Scott, whose thumbnails have white text over a red label.

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And, of course, the same font... It's important to mention here that even if you don't use the same colors in your thumbnails, using the same font is extremely crucial for brand consistency.

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After this, you can also achieve consistency by repeating a particular layout. An example of this is MrBeast Gaming.

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You can see he has used the same layout across every thumbnail, with the face on the left side and a game screenshot on the right.

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Finally, we have logo consistency, where channels place their logo in every thumbnail. An example would be The Food Theorists and Great Big Story.

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So, whether you repeat color palette & fonts or repeat the same layout, the main point is that you need to create a visual identity in the viewer's mind so that your channel and its content become memorable.

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Alright! So we've learned so much about making the best YouTube thumbnails, from psychology to design to branding & more... and I'm sure that if you apply these points to your thumbnails, your CTR will skyrocket!

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But there is one more thing that is even more important than thumbnails for making people click on your videos.

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And if this is not good, you won't get views no matter how good your thumbnail is....

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To know what it is, click on the video on the screen, and I'll meet you there...

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Bye!

Topics:YouTube thumbnailsviral thumbnailsclickable thumbnailsthumbnail designYouTube growthvideo marketingthumbnail psychologycontent creationYouTube tipsthumbnail formats

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