How Important is it to Have the Right Thumbnail?

A staggering 720,000 hours of video content is uploaded on YouTube every single day, but only a part of it makes it big. Do you know why? (Source TubeFilter)

While multiple factors are at play, Google confirms one of the most important ones is a custom thumbnail. 90% of the videos that perform the best use custom thumbnails! (Source: Google)

Think about it, have you ever considered what makes you click on a video while scrolling through YouTube? There's a good chance that it was the YouTube thumbnail of the video. Let’s use an example to make it easier to understand. We’ll use the world-famous MrBeast here.

MrBeast uses various forms of YouTube thumbnails, including storytelling and apparent visual clarity. You can follow in the footsteps of the greats to get where they are. But what makes those thumbnails so special?

Let’s take a look at those factors!

Stop the Scroll: How Thumbnails Get You Noticed

Linus Tech Tips comparing tech with himself in the middle, this thumbnail stops the scrolling viewers with the subjects.

Having the right YouTube thumbnail design that grabs the viewer’s attention while scrolling through their feed can do wonders for your content. Crafting a catchy and engaging YouTube video thumbnail can be a little tricky, though.

Now, you must be thinking about what elements you should use in your thumbnails, right?

Don’t worry; I’ve got you covered!

Google Guidelines for YouTube Video Thumbnails

A stack of wooden pieces with etchings of various standardizations. These blocks are depictions of compliance with different YouTube guidelines.

Before diving into custom YouTube thumbnails, let’s look at what YouTube wants in their video thumbnails so we know what we are working with. A craftsman gotta know their tools, right?

Here is a list of topics or YouTube thumbnail best practices to follow for thumbnail creation on YouTube:

Size: The recommended size is 1280 x 720 pixels, with a minimum width of 640 pixels.
Aspect ratio: A 16:9 aspect ratio is recommended because it's the most common in YouTube players and previews.
File type: Thumbnails can be in JPG, GIF, or PNG format.
File size: YouTube thumbnails should be under 2 MB for videos and 10 MB for podcasts.
Design: Thumbnails should be simple, use contrasting colors, and avoid misleading or irrelevant images.
Text: Thumbnails should be short, with the most important words near the beginning. Limit all caps and emoji, and use them carefully to emphasize special elements or emotions.
Composition: The main subject should be where the lines intersect when dividing the image into thirds horizontally and vertically.
Community Guidelines: Thumbnails must follow YouTube's Community Guidelines, which prohibit nudity, sexual content, suicide, self-harm, and vulgar language.

The formalities are done. Let’s dive into the types of thumbnails various creators use for their content.

Which Thumbnails for Which Genre?

Entertainment
Entertainment YouTube channels usually appear in the YouTube thumbnails, wearing sharp expressions and pointing towards the audience as if inviting them to the content.

Educational
Educational channels often use text-inclusive YouTube thumbnails with graphics showing the subject.

Gaming
Gaming channels often use images from the games, including backgrounds, close-ups of characters, and even the YouTubers wearing expressions.

Vlogging/Lifestyle
Vlogging and Lifestyle YouTubers use images with regular life elements that show the highlights of their day-to-day lives; these thumbnails usually follow lighter tones.

Tech and Tutorials
These thumbnails are usually subject-focused with minimalistic backgrounds, texts, and well-defined contrasts.

Fitness & Health
These thumbnails are usually focused on the YouTuber with a contrasting background, the lighting is adjusted to enhance the subject.

Music
Music videos have a huge variety of thumbnails. Some focus on the artist, instrument, or album cover, while others have a special thumbnail for the music video to make the audience watch.

Documentaries
Documentaries use high-quality and well-crafted thumbnails to draw the viewers' attention; these thumbnails usually depict scenery or strongly focus on a single subject.

Comedy
These thumbnails show strong emotions of laughter and happiness and usually focus on the host with a light-colored background.

Travel
The travel channel's thumbnails focus on scenic imagery with or without a subject in the foreground. These thumbnails are full of bright colors and good composition.

Elements to Create Perfect YouTube Thumbnails

Use Sharp Images

MKBHD showing various iPhone 16 models, this image is an example of using sharp images in thumbnails.

Using high-quality YouTube thumbnail images is a must to level up your thumbnail design game. Believe me, it makes a world of difference. No one wants to look at pixels, right?

Catchy Text and Typography

Plane dropping worms on Panama, creating a worm wall. This image shows Half as Interesting's catchy typography and text.

The text and typography in the Custom YouTube thumbnails are quintessential to grab the scrolling audience’s attention. The phrasing has to be concise with readable typography to make the thumbnail look clean.

Expressive Emotions

PewDiePie expressing uncertainty while pointing towards the text on a pink background. This image is an example of showing sharp emotions in thumbnails.

Expressions are the most basic yet important trait of humans. Using expressive emotions in thumbnails can be one of the most effective ways of engaging your audience.

Vibrant Colors

Gone are the days of black and white; we now use sharp colors that define the subject and the background with striking detail and capture the viewer’s eyes.

Story-telling

Using elements well doesn’t cut it; they should be used so well that the viewer can make a story from the YouTube thumbnail. Various techniques can create intrigue or tease the viewer about the content.

Why Use the Right YouTube Thumbnail?

Pro-tip: Never use something if it doesn’t benefit you. Here are the benefits of using the right YouTube thumbnail for your channel.

A group of people standing on bar graphs, with one person standing on a red bar graph that is higher than the others.

Increases Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Having the right thumbnail for your content increases the CTR. A book should not be judged by its cover, but boy, does a good cover attract viewers.

Enhances Brand Recognition
Want viewers to know what content is yours? Yeah, you’ll need to do some branding for that! Using repetitive or consistent design elements throughout your content establishes a brand identity that draws viewers to your content.

Boosts Search Ranking
Want to be on top of the search results? Let your thumbnails be the reason. Consistent and visually appealing YouTube thumbnails are the key to a higher ranking in search engines. Make sure your YouTube thumbnails follow the elements top creators use in their genre’s thumbnail templates.

Increases Viewer Retention
Well-crafted custom thumbnails are a big factor in viewer retention, enhancing the channel's subscriber count and reach.

Engages Different Audiences
Using various design elements in your thumbnails can appeal to audiences of varying ages and backgrounds, enhancing the channel's reach and viewer count.

Establishes Video Expectations
If you have the right thumbnail, the viewers instantly understand what they can expect from the videos.

Create Perfect Thumbnails with Rizzle!

A sports car moving out of the frame at a high speed, with a dark background and bold text with branding at the bottom.

After creating your YouTube videos, you will arrive at the stage of creating a custom thumbnail. Instead of relying on a free YouTube thumbnail template, go for AI-powered platforms like Rizzle, which have built-in YouTube thumbnail makers, making it easy to create thumbnails. All you have to do is upload your video, and Rizzle will give you multiple thumbnails. Besides this, Rizzle also offers the following benefits:

Access to Premium Stock Media
Rizzle has an integration with Getty Media, which gives you access to a huge selection of high-quality stock media for your thumbnails.

AI Text Generation
You don't have to go through the trouble of adding text in the thumbnails; Rizzle generates and adds suitable text for your thumbnails!

Unlimited Regeneration
If you're unsatisfied with the results, you can edit and regenerate your thumbnails as much as you like on Rizzle's thumbnail generator.

Conclusion

In the world of YouTube, the right thumbnail can make or break your video’s success. It’s often the first thing viewers notice, and it needs to grab their attention instantly. With sharp images, expressive emotions, and vibrant colors, your YouTube thumbnail becomes a powerful tool to stop the scroll and entice viewers to click.

Beyond attracting clicks, thumbnails also play a huge role in branding. Using consistent design elements across your content helps build a recognizable style that lets viewers easily identify your videos. Top creators like MrBeast use storytelling and clear visual cues to enhance their custom thumbnails—and it works.

Using YouTube thumbnail maker app like Rizzle to your advantage, make sure your thumbnails nail the visuals while fitting the criteria. Make it easy for yourself and your content to reach the masses, Try Rizzle today!

Remember, a great YouTube thumbnail boosts your click-through rate, improves your search rankings, and increases viewer retention. So, take the time to craft thumbnails that reflect your content and engage different audiences. It’s one of the easiest ways to grow your channel!

So what are you waiting for? Create YouTube Thumbnails with Rizzle today!

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Abdul Azeem

September 26, 2024