Tips to Create Eye-Catching YouTube Thumbnail Images

Millions of videos are uploaded to YouTube daily, and the competition for views and subscribers is fierce. With so much content vying for attention, creators need to find ways to stand out from the crowd. One powerful tool in their arsenal is the YouTube thumbnail image.

Effectiveness of YouTube thumbnail images

Think of a YouTube thumbnail image as the billboard for a YouTube video. Creators want that billboard to be eye-catching and give enough information to get people to click on the video. Sometimes, viewers don’t even look at the video’s title and instead choose to watch based solely on their interest in the thumbnail. According to Mainstream Marketing, compelling thumbnails can increase your engagement by more than 150%.

The importance of a thumbnail is something most YouTube influencers are thinking about every time they make a video. Making something custom may take some time, but it’s ultimately worth it. In fact, according to YouTube Creator Academy, 90% of the best-performing videos on YouTube have a custom thumbnail. They are just as important for SEO as the title and tags.

Besides customized YouTube thumbnails increasing a video’s click-through rate, they are also necessary to create consistency on your channel. Giving your channel a specific look that viewers can pick up on immediately when they see an image makes you stand out above the rest. Plus, YouTube thumbnails can evoke emotion, making viewers click out of curiosity or care. That’s why you’ll see quite a few creators using photos showing emotion or keywords to grab the viewer’s attention.

Even if there’s no emotion within the thumbnail, it’s still a visual representation of what the video is about. A customized thumbnail should show some pieces of what’s happening in the video at a glance. And finally, a customized thumbnail looks more professional by creating cohesion on your channel, but also by showing that the creator took the time to make an eye-grabbing graphic.

Tips for creating compelling YouTube thumbnail images

Here are a few tips to make your YouTube thumbnail image irresistible.

Use bright, clear photos

Whether you’re using a screenshot from within the video or having AI create an image for you, make sure the photos used are bright and eye-catching. You can edit photos to make them more appealing, take them on a camera or smartphone, or make sure the screenshots you’re using are bright and clear. Viewers are unlikely to click on a dark and blurry thumbnail photo.

Create a catchy headline

Adding text to a customized thumbnail may help you with SEO. However, ensure you’re not adding too much text and the words are big enough to see. Test different options to see what works best for you. Again, imagine someone is scanning the YouTube homepage. What would make them stop on your thumbnail? What image or text would jump out the most? Whatever that is, use that.

Make sure video thumbnails are the correct size

Don’t make the mistake of using the wrong size thumbnail. If your thumbnail is not according to the specifications, then it might not show up properly and might be hazy. YouTube thumbnails should be 1280 pixels by 720 pixels with an aspect ratio of 16:9. Make sure your thumbnail size is a minimum of 640 pixels wide and under 2MB.

Work with the right tools

Some programs like Canva and PicMonkey have pre-made templates that you can use to get started on making a customized YouTube thumbnail. You can add your own photos and then decide which colors, fonts and layouts you’d prefer. Plus with these programs you can also save your work, making it easy to make a cohesive thumbnail for your next videos.

You can also try AI tools like FormAI to get ideas or generate interesting images quickly.

If your thumbnail isn’t working, try changing it out within the first day with a different option. Anything past that won’t really help with SEO.

In the end, thumbnails are one of the most important parts of a YouTube video. If you want your video to stand out among the millions of others, using these YouTube thumbnail tips will get you on your way to your next viral video.