How crucial are good thumbnails?

MattKelly

MattKelly

Member
Hi,

Just wondering how important it is to have really good thumbnails. Do they need to always be “clickbaity”, or can they just reflect what the video is about. I’d assume a little bit of both, but I’d like to hear your opinions.
 
All the experts will tell you that "really good" thumbnails are the most crucial thing ever..Until you go to their next vlog/blog post where they regurgitate some other info that they heard someone else saying about something else being the most crucial thing ever..
Thumbnails are important though - Sometimes it's the first/only thing someone sees when deciding if they want to watch your video.. They should be bold and show what the video is about.
If you make it click-bait'ee or show something that is not in the video (ie; bikini babes on the thumbnail but none in the video) then people will click-away resulting in poor retention which will count against you.
 
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I'd say a good thumbnail is crucial for clicks, at the end of the day there are going to be hundreds of videos reflecting the same field your video is in, what will make yours stand out?

Honestly, professionalism with a bit of clickbait is the only real way to get clicks, as long as you're alright with selling a bit of integrity.
 
Zephyr Sean said:
I'd say a good thumbnail is crucial for clicks, at the end of the day there are going to be hundreds of videos reflecting the same field your video is in, what will make yours stand out?

Honestly, professionalism with a bit of clickbait is the only real way to get clicks, as long as you're alright with selling a bit of integrity.
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The NotARubicon! said:
All the experts will tell you that "really good" thumbnails are the most crucial thing ever..Until you go to their next vlog/blog post where they regurgitate some other info that they heard someone else say about something else being the most crucial thing ever..
Thumbnails are important though - Sometimes it's the first/only thing someone sees when deciding if they want to watch your video.. They should be bold and show what the video is about.
If you make it click-bait'ee or show something that is not in the video (ie; bikini babes on the thumbnail but none in the video) then people will click-away resulting in poor retention which will count against you.
Click to expand...
Alright thanks guys.
 
The algorithm that decides what videos to promote will look at both CTR (click through rate) and audience retention.

So pure 100% clickbait will have a good CTR but low retention (because people click away after a few seconds when they realise the thumbnail doesn't represent the content of the video.) Over time, that low retention rate will kill the video's chances of success. So you need to find the sweet spot of thumbnails that catch the eye and incite clicks but which still accurately reflect the content of the video. Of course the actual retention will depend on the quality of the video too, especially the first 30 seconds. ^^
 
Crown said:
The algorithm that decides what videos to promote will look at both CTR (click through rate) and audience retention.

So pure 100% clickbait will have a good CTR but low retention (because people click away after a few seconds when they realise the thumbnail doesn't represent the content of the video.) Over time, that low retention rate will kill the video's chances of success. So you need to find the sweet spot of thumbnails that catch the eye and incite clicks but which still accurately reflect the content of the video. Of course the actual retention will depend on the quality of the video too, especially the first 30 seconds. ^^
Click to expand...
Alright thanks for sharing that. Will definitely refer to this in my future thumbnails.
 
I would say an amazing thumbnail is really crucial. It helps your video stand out and if done well enough, You may gain more views just because your thumbnail caught a viewers eye hence clickbaiting being a huge thing now. I personally don't believe in clickbait and i try to create a thumbnail representing what is being done in the video/livestream. I do alot of gaming so it is quite easy to capture a screenshot from the game and turn it into a thumbnail that not only represents the video, but represents my channel.
 
Sickly Gamer said:
I would say an amazing thumbnail is really crucial. It helps your video stand out and if done well enough, You may gain more views just because your thumbnail caught a viewers eye hence clickbaiting being a huge thing now. I personally don't believe in clickbait and i try to create a thumbnail representing what is being done in the video/livestream. I do alot of gaming so it is quite easy to capture a screenshot from the game and turn it into a thumbnail that not only represents the video, but represents my channel.
Click to expand...
I agree.
 
I haven't made thumbnails for any of my videos yet and they're doing okay. I don't think there'd be a noticeable difference in views if I were to have shmancy thumbnails, but honestly it doesn't hurt to put them in
 
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