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How To Create Engaging
YouTube Thumbnails

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YouTube thumbnails are an important part of any successful video. A good thumbnail acts as a visual representation of your content and can be the difference between a viewer clicking on your video or scrolling past it. If you’re an entrepreneur looking to make an impact with your YouTube videos, read on to learn more about creating compelling thumbnails that will engage viewers and help grow your channel.

According to Google, video thumbnails let your audience view a quick snapshot of your video. You can choose from the options YouTube automatically generates, or upload your own if your account is verified. You can also add thumbnails in the YouTube Studio app on your mobile device.

This article will focus on creating and uploading your own thumbnail.

The most important thing to keep in mind when designing a thumbnail is to focus on making it stand out. The average user scrolls through hundreds of videos each day, so you want yours to stand out from the crowd. This means using bright colors, clear imagery, and text that stands out from the background. It also helps if the thumbnail includes something related to the topic of your video—it doesn’t have to be an exact screenshot, but it should give viewers an idea of what they can expect from watching the video.

Thumbnails are used to entice the viewer to watch your video. So, you should always create thumbnails that will grab attention and engage your audience. Make sure the style of your thumbnails aligns with the style of your channel. Also, keep the color and contrast aligned with the look of your channel.

Your thumbnails can be more than just images from screengrabs from your video. When creating your own thumbnail, use this framework:

* The ideal dimensions are 1280 pixels wide x 720 pixels tall with a minimum width of 640 pixels
* The image cannot exceed the 2MB limit
* The ideal aspect ratio is 16:9 as this allows all apps, web players, and devices to sync with the video
* Allowed formats are PNG, JPG, BMT, and GIF
* View your thumbnails on all devices to ensure they appear clear and that they look good on each device

In addition to making sure your thumbnail stands out from other videos, there are some other tips for making sure yours is eye-catching and engaging. For example, try experimenting with different font sizes and colors—this can help emphasize certain words or phrases in your thumbnail and make them stand out more. Additionally, playing around with different compositions can help you find new ways to make viewers interested in clicking on your video. Try using a wide shot or closeup of something related to the topic of your video; this will draw people in and make them more likely to click.

The text you add to your thumbnails will cause people to stop and read so keep it brief, engaging, and informative because you will only have their attention for a brief moment. The description of the video should be written in a natural and organic language. It should also include 1-2 keywords that best describe your video.

Another important and equally crucial part of uploading your video is adding relevant tags. Tags let people discover your content on YouTube. The key phrase that should help rank the video higher has to be your very first tag. After that, add tags in the order of importance.

You can use tools like TubeBuddy and VIDIQ to help you with keywords, generating thumbnails, discovering relevant tags, graphing insights, and doing A/B testing.

The first step is to select your favorite design which could be a screenshot or photo that you have taken or a background image. Then customize the thumbnail by adding your own text to it. This text could be the title of the video or a catchphrase that hooks the audience to the YouTube video. Remember, you only have a few moments to hook them.

Arrange and edit the text so that it is easy to read and understand. The title should be concentrated around keywords that are appropriate for the video. Try to make the people curious which will get them to click on your video. Make it unique by setting the font style that best aligns with your channel so you have consistent branding.

Choose a color and a font for each block of text that is minimalistic yet readable. This is where you make it beautiful while avoiding making it cluttered. Always remember to use the same fonts and styles for all video thumbnails.

After you are done with all the editing, save it and download it in one of the four formats, PNG, JPG, BMT, or GIF.

Once you have created your thumbnail, it is time to upload it to your channel:

* Click the ‘Create’ button Then ‘Upload Video’
* Choose the file to upload
* Scroll down on the ‘Details’ screen
* Click on the ‘Upload Thumbnail’ button
* Select the thumbnail image that you want and click ‘next’

That’s it. Now you have a customized thumbnail that creates curiosity so viewers will want to engage.

Just as a side note, there has been some talk about the inline player replacing the thumbnail. Thumbnails are still a crucial part of getting videos viewed so for now, they are still crucially important.

What is the inline player, anyway?

The Inline Player is a video preview that pops out from your thumbnail and plays the video in silence. It will play the entire video as long as you have your cursor over the thumbnail regardless of the length of the video. This feature shows exclusively on the YouTube homepage.

The popout will close if you move your cursor away from the thumbnail but will not remember your place if you hover over it again. It will start from the beginning. You can move the timeline while you hover over the thumbnail to view any part of the video or if you click on the video, it will continue from the point where you clicked in full view. If you right-click, it will start at the beginning. These views count toward watch time. If subtitles are available on the video, they will show during the inline viewing. This is convenient since the videos are silent.

This feature can be disabled on your account. If you go to ‘Settings’, then ‘Playback and performance’, scroll down to ‘Browsing’, and toggle the ‘Inline playback’ button off. This is an option for someone who doesn’t care for this feature.

The image and text of your thumbnail have a direct impact on the number of views your video will receive. Follow these steps to create new thumbnails or optimize those you already have to get more search traffic.

These changes and upgrades can be done by your team, by you if you have the time, or by a company with people to help maximize your reach. If you would like to have your thumbnails updated and your tags and keywords added to your descriptions, contact us. We will be happy to help.

Creating engaging thumbnails is essential for any successful YouTube channel. By focusing on making sure yours stands out from other videos, using bright colors, clear imagery, and text that pops off the page, you’ll be able to create eye-catching thumbnails that will draw viewers in and encourage them to watch your content!

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