The SECRET To Making The Perfect Thumbnail

You’re reviewing your video and think to yourself

“This video is going to take my channel to new heights!”

We’ve all been there

Eagerly anticipating the results from what we believe is our best work yet

Then, that special day comes and the video is published

You sit there

Hour by hour checking your YouTube Studio analytics

But it’s not there…

That exponential view curve is missing

All you see is a flat line of views as your heart sinks in your chest

You think to yourself, “what did I do wrong?”

Wow, this email is turning into a soap opera!

The takeaway from this little story is that it’s not just the video quality that will drive performance

There are many other factors such as:

• Audience targeting

• Market demand

• Timing

• Packaging etc.

Today, I want to touch on the last factor

As this is one that will have every video falling flat if approached improperly

You may know by now that half of a video’s packaging is its thumbnail

With the other half being its title

When making a thumbnail, most people focus on things like text size, imagery, facial recognition etc.

All valid considerations by the way

But few consider contrast…

Contrasting colors more specifically is the key to having your thumbnails standing out

Let me share two thumbnails to illustrate how powerful this thumbnail consideration can be…

Contrasting thumbnail (yellow text on black background):

Thumbnail lacking contrast (yellow text on beige background):

Which text stands out to you more?

Right, the text in thumbnail number one…

It’s said that it takes on average 1.8 seconds for a viewer to decide to click on a video

If people can’t gather the intent of your video immediately

Good luck getting them to click…

Therefore, to avoid experiencing the sob story I shared earlier

Always keep contrast in mind…

If you’re concerned this thumbnail element is holding you back

I’ll soon be opening new spots for channel reviews (note: not free)

If you want to put your name on the waitlist, reply to this email “review” and I’ll personally get back to you

Happy Saturday,

Adam