Text or No Text, that is the question.

I think it depends on your topic. I used to plaster text over my thumbnails when I started. I changed them all though sonic just have a bar on the left with some branding. But I make cooking videos so really the viewer wants to see the whole picture rather than a load of text
 
Absolutely text. Thumbnails are noticed BEFORE someone notices the title, so if the thumbnail already describes what the video is about, then it'll generate more clicks.

There's actually a popular YouTuber in my niche that I simply don't watch (Actualized) for the one simple reason that he doesn't include text in his thumbnails, and all his thumbnails are just pictures of his face. I tend to read titles in the thumbnails and focus less on the video title itself, so scrolling through his videos and trying to find one to watch is annoying for me because I'm used to seeing the titles on the thumbnails. It's a shame because he posts really good content but it's just harder for me to find videos.

This goes for any channel that doesn't include text on the thumbnails, I find it harder to pick out videos on their channel than the ones that make it immediately obvious in the thumbnail itself. I'm sure I'm not the only person who is more likely to click a video thumbnail if it has text in it either.

Just as an experiment to show how this works, here's his thumbnails vs my thumbnails side by side:

GGBcUnm.png


As an experiment, I want you to find the following videos, and time how long it takes.

On the left under his videos, find a video about how your mind distorts reality.

On the right, under my videos, find a video about how to lucid dream.

See how long it takes on both.
 
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Ive switched back and forth.
I started out with pretty awful thumbnails without text, then I switched to better ones with text, now I run the better ones without text.
Ive got big videos from each of the above methods and many more stinkers from each also.
For me I dont think it makes any difference.
 
ALWAYS use text. They did a study and most people look at the thumbnail before the title. If they look at the title and it has text, they already know what the video will be about. Just make sure to make the title on the thumbnail correlating to your actual title!
 
Yeah I usually use text on my thumbnails just to add a little bit to it. It usually adds an eye catching element for me. I prefer to go with bold text or colorful text that is easy to read and eye catching and not distracting from the rest of the thumbnail! :)
 
If text on the thumbnail, it will have to be big and bold, so that people are able to read the text when they see a small preview on your channel.
 
Id say have a small bit of text that doesnt ruin it that gives a 2-4 word description of the video. Idk this is just what I think is the best.
 
You can get by without using text in your thumbnails if the picture in the thumbnail specifically caters to the theme of the topic. Sure, thumbnails might be the first thing people look at it before clicking a video, but it doesn't necessarily mean you have to have text in them. Plenty of people get by with just using thematic thumbnails or by using more "clickbait" type of pictures. Some people get by with having their face in the thumbnail because they've become so popular (e.g. Philip DeFranco). The thing is, you want whatever you think is the most captivating picture box you can create to grab people. That can sometimes mean including text, but it can also mean just including a single object.
 
Thanks for the feedback everyone, really appreciate it!
I've gone and changed all of my thumbnails to draw in more attention.
Already start seeing results :)
 
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