Transcripts
1. Welcome: Let me guess. You
spend hours designing your YouTube thumbnails only to watch your
videos get ignored. It's so frustrating, right? I know exactly how that feels, and I was there, too. You pour your energy
and creativity into Tumnil thinking,
this one will work. But then crickets. I used to think that making a nice looking
thumbnail was enough. But then I learned that a
thumbnail isn't just a picture. It's a psychological trigger, and it's the make or
break moments between someone clicking your
video or skipping it. And once I cracked the code, boom, my video started getting
tens of thousands of s. Right now, you might be stuck with low CCR click through rate, wondering why your thumbnails aren't grabbing your attention. And if your thumbnails
aren't working, your videos don't
even get a chance. But imagine this instead. Every time you upload, your video gets pushed
by the algorithm. Your watch time skyrockets. Your channel finally starts
growing the way it should. And that's where we're headed. Now, you might have watched
so many tutorials before. Maybe you've even tried
copying viral thumbnails, but here's the problem. Most advice out
there, it's generic. We'll use bright
colors, make big faces. That's surface lava. And what I'm teaching you in this skill share course
is so different. This isn't about making
pretty thumbnails. This isn't about making
persuasive thumbnails, thumbnails that
create curiosity, trigger emotions,
and drive action. So are you ready to finally
get the clicks you deserve? So let's dive into.
2. The Psychology of Clicks: Is so much for joining
the Skillshare course, and our first lesson is about
the psychology of clicks. So thumbnails are like
digital billboards. They don't just compete
with other videos. They compete with everything else vying for attention online. And today, we're diving into
what makes people click, the psychology behind it and the thumbnail styles that
are so powerful, they will turn casual scrollers
into dedicated viewers. So let's start off with
section number one. Why do people click the
psychology of thumbnails. So we will understand
the fundamentals first, which is why do people click? So there are mainly two reasons why people click on a YouTube
thumbnail or video. The first one is curiosity. Humans have a built in
need to resolve curiosity. And an example of that
would be the thumbnail that has a tail that says, What's inside the $10,000 box. The question forces viewers
to click for the answer, and that's the first type of trigger that makes people
click on thumbnails. And the second type is emotions. People are drawn to feelings they can relate to or aspire to. An example of that
would be a thumbnail of someone gasping
in awe or crying, and those things can convey or evoke similar feelings
or emotions in viewers. So use curiosity and
emotion together. And if your thumbnail
can make someone ask a question and
feel something, you're on the right track. So now let's move
on to Section two, which is proven thumbnail
styles that work. So the first type of a proven
thumbnail style that I've seen so many times working
is moments thumbnails. So you may be thinking, What are moment thumbnails? They capture the moment right before a very powerful reaction. And for example, a
person is about to open a mystery box with
an intense expression. So that's an example of
a moment's thumbnail. And you may be taking
white works because viewers are drawn to
the unresolved moments. They want to see the reaction, and they want to know
what happens next. And the next type of a YouTube thumbnail style that I say so many times working
is story thumbnails. Story thumbnails
set up tension or a question introducing
the first act of a story. An example of that would
be a thumbnail with a person dangling
from a cliff edge, period with the text,
Will they survive? That is that creates a
very great curiosity. And the reason why it works
is because it's impossible to resist a setup like this because
people crave resolution. The next type of
proven thumbnail style that works is the
results tumbil. And the goal of the results thumbnail is to showcase a desired outcome
or the end goal. Example of that would be
before and after shots. In the before side, there
could be a dirty room transformed into a spotless
space on the right. And the reason why it works is because viewers want to
know how you got there. They're invested in your
journey. Here's my pro tip. If you want to create
results thumbnails, use bold text like
before and after or the secret revealed to
reinforce the results. Then next up, we have
NOLD thumbnails. And I highly recommend you to take notes while you're watching these videos on skill share because if you don't
write them down, you may forget some of these. So make sure that you jot down. So the four type of thumbnail styles that
work is NLD thumbnails. And it means that those
thumbnails leverage the human earth to experience
something brand new. An example of that would be, I built a house out of candy, and the thumbnail of that
could be colorful and unique, and it's something very,
very unique and new. Like, building a
house out of candy, white works because people want to see things
they've never imagined. And here's my pro cet if you want to create
Nalt thumbnails, make sure that you
include bright colors and elements that instantly
communicate uniqueness. So now let's move on
to section number three of this lesson
on skill share, which is thumbnail concepts
backed by examples. So the first type is
transformation style thumbnails. As I said, it's kind
of, for example, if you imagine a fitness
video, on the left side, there could be a before section, which is a person overweight
and after section, where there is a person
who is lean and muscular. Why works because
transformation thumbnails offer hope and promise. Like, these two things
are so important, and those feelings are
kind of irresistible. And the next type of high
performance Tamil is, for example, for
cooking channels, it could be a Tamil Zoom
Din image of some sort of cheese being
pulled apart with the title named the best
grilled cheese ever. White works? Because the
Zoom creates intimacy, and the text sets a
clear expectation. And I will also give you some outlier examples
from other niches. From Finance Niche, how I made $10,000 in 30 days
with a pile of cash. Why this thumbnail work? There are two main reasons why. And if you use these
two main reasons to your own thumbnails, then you can blow up. No matter what your niche is. So the first one is curiosity
because people want to know how he made
$10,000 in 30 days. What business model
did he pursue? What did he do?
How did he do it? And the second reason
is because of results. Like, $10,000 is kind of
a goal for some people. Yeah. And from the
education niche, there is an outlier example, which is the trick no
teacher will tell you, and there is a shocked
face holding a mad book. And the reason why
it works is because of two things again,
curiosity and novelty. People want to know what is that trick that no
teacher will tell you? And the second reason is
because of novelty because no one has ever made
that sort of a video. And from the fitness example, we could give an example of the one exercise
to burn fat fast, and there's a
stopwatch and flames. The reason why it worked is because of curiosity
and results, and we've already
talked about them. Now, let's move on to section
number four of this lesson, which is high performing versus poor performing
thumbnails. I'm going to give
you an example of a poor example of
a poor thumbnail. It might be a collated thumbnail with too much sex
and no focal points. That's the mistake that
a lot of people make. Like, don't have too much text. And now I'm going to
contrast that one with a high
performing thumbnail, which the thumbnail
with just three words, three words or less. There is a bright background, and there is a single object in focus because you don't
want to overwhelm people. You can think of
Mr. B's thumbnails. They are simple,
bold, and effective, and he's mastered the balance
of clarity and intrigue. And he doesn't have over four
elements in his thumbnails. There are always three or less elements in his thumbnails. Now, let's talk about how to
apply these concepts today. First thing you do is analyze
your niche, literally, analyze it and see what
thumbnail styles dominate. But don't copy those styles. Just get some great parts of those and try to
analyze it as I did. Like, ask yourself, why
did this thumbnail work? Is it because of novelty? Is it because of a story? Is it because of a
moment thumbnail, or is it because of
curiosity or result and make sure that you use AB testing because you want
to compare thumbnails, and it has improved
the CTR of M PDOs at. Now, pick one of these styles and design a
thumbnail for your next video. You can also post it
in the discussion, and I will be so happy to give
you personalized feedback. And remember, the
best thumbnails don't just grab attention. They hold it long enough
to get that click. Thank you so much
for watching and make sure to watch
the next lesson.
3. Color Psychology and Branding: Welcome to class number three
of our Skill Share course. And this lesson is about color
psychology and branding. And in this lesson, we
will be talking about how to use color
to grab attention, and we will die way deeper. We will also talk
about maintaining consistency with your
channel branding, especially if you want to promote your product or if you want to
sell your products. So this is also really
important thing. And we will also talk about practical examples of
successful brand thumbnails. So that's what we do.
Let's get into it. Part one, why colors matter in thumbnails? Let
me tell you something. Colors are way more
than aesthetics. They are psychological triggers. And I want to give you a fact. Research shows that
colors influence 85% of the consumers
purchasing these sessions. On YouTube, your thumbnail is your products
packaging, right? And now let's talk about psychological impact of
some specific colors. And we will talk about
what colors will eBook, what sort of emotions
or sort of feelings. So the first color that I'm
about to talk about is red. Red evokes urgency
or excitement. If your thumbnail is more
about urgency or excitement, definitely make sure to use red, and it's usually used
by creators like Mr. Bees, and they highlight
action packed moments. An example of that
would be red circles or arrows pointing to intriguing
parts of a thumbnail. And if you have those
arrows or circles, red is the one that
you want to use. And the next color that I
want to talk about is yellow. Yellow is used for
optimism and energy, and it's really great for videos about lifestyle or
educational content. An example of that would
be bright yellow colors in Kaz nightstat thumbnails
to excude positivity. And if you want to evoke
positivity from your thumbnail, then definitely use yellow. The next color that I want
to talk about is blue. Blue evokes trust and columness, and it's really ideal for tech
or informational channels. For example, Marcus
Rowley uses blue tones to convey authority
or professionalism. And it really boosts
the trust in you. And the next color is green, and green represents
growth or wealth. And it's perfect for
finance and fitness niches. An example of that
would be on a video on how I made $10,000 in 30 days. There could be a
green dollar signs or green graphs that are increasing or fitness
progress bars in green. And here here's my
pro te for you. Make sure that you
use contrasting colors to make your
thumbnails pop. For example, red text
on a white background or a bright yellow object
against a dark blue. Example of that would
be on Mr. Best's video world's most dangerous
escape room thumbnail, and it uses a stark red versus blue black
for tension and JC. Now let's talk about maintaining consistency with branding. You can think about
Nike or Coca Cola. You recognize them instantly. Why? Because of the
consistent branding, and your YouTube channel
should do the same, and you may be taking how to establish thumbnail branding. So the first way is by
signature color palette. Well, I want you to pick two to three main colors that reflect your
YouTube channels vibe. Example of that would be
Ali Abdaal thumbnails, use consistent blues and whites for a clean and
professional look. And the next way that you can establish thumbnail branding is by consistent typography. You can use the same font
across all thumbnails. For example, Graham Stephan uses bold and clean fonts to
reflect his Finance niche. And the last way to establish that branding
is unique elements. You can add personal
touches like your face, and you
can test that. For example, Think
Media usually includes Sin Cal's face with a
consistent blue glow. So now let's move on to practical examples of
successful branding. So now let's analyze
thumbnails from top craters and break down why their color and branding
strategies work. So firstly, miss her Best. She uses bright yellows
and reds and greens, and they dominate
these thumbnails, and they create a sense of
urgency and excitement. Why they work?
Because these colors are universally appealing, and these colors
evoke high energy, and they match is larger
than life content. Next up, we've got Emma, she uses pastel tones, and she uses handwritten fonts, and that reflects her late
black relatable vibe. And the reason it works
is because the colors align with her brand
personality, fun and quirky. Let's talk about MTBHD
Marques Brownlee. And he uses clean thumbnails with dark blue or
black backgrounds. And they usually feature
product highlights. Why why do they work? Be because of the sleek design matches his tech savvy brand. Now let's talk about
Finance niche creators. For example, Graham, Stephen or Andrei they use consistent use
of green wealth and trust. And the reason it
works is because it reinforces the
expertise in money. And now let's talk about using colors using color
tools to level up. And if you want to know how to pick the perfect
colors every time, I will show you really, really powerful tools and techniques that you
can use right now. So the first tool is
Adobe color wheel, and you can use it to find complimentary or analogous
colors that pop together. Example of that would
be red and green or blue and orange
strong contrasts. The next tool that I
really, really like, and I've been using
it for over a year, and that is Canvas brand cake. You can build a consistent plate and you can save it for
quick tumnil creation. Next up, now let's talk
about actional takeaways, and I want to teach you how to put this knowledge
into action right now. So the first thing
you do is pick a primary color that represents
your child's energy. You can use red for action, blue for trust, yellow for
positivity, green for growth. The next thing you
want to do is to define a consistent
thumbnail styles, and you want to think about
colors, fonts, and layouts. You can also use tools
like Adobe color wheel or canvas so that you can design
professional thumbnails. The final thing that
I want you to do is finally analyzing your
competitors thumbnails. What colors do they use
and why do they work? So for today's challenge, I want you to create
a thumbnail using a specific color
psychology strategy. And you can post it in the
course discussion board, and I will personally try to give feedback on
how to improve it. So remember, mastering
thumbnails or colors isn't just about
making things look pretty. It's all about controlling how people feel when
they see your content. So let's make them click.
4. Fonts, Text, and Readability: Welcome to class number four, fonts, text and readability. Did you know that
over 90% of viewers decide whether to click your
video in less than a second. And what's one of the
first things they notice. Of course, the text. And in this lesson, I
will show you how to choose the perfect
fans, text size, and placement to
make your thumbnails not just click worthy,
but almost irresistible. So part one is choosing
the right fonts. And you may be thinking, which one would I choose? S versus Cenerfon? And I will give you my personal recommendations
and what I think about them. So Sas fonts, for example, Times New Roman or others, they are used for formal
or traditional thumbnails. For example, for channels that are about
history or education, these fonts are the
ones that I recommend. What about Sender fonts
like aerial or pop ins? They're modern,
clean and readable. And a lot of successful
YouTubers also use them. For example, think Media uses these types of fonts because
they're modern and clean. Now, I want you to
compare thumbnail with New Times New Roman versus
Poppins for tech video, which feels more engaging. Ask yourself these
sorts of questions. Next up, bolts and
simple fonts work best. I highly recommend you to avoid decorative
fonts, for example, script fonts, and they
are so hard to read, and you don't want to use them. I make sure that you go
bold for high visibility. Examples of great fonts
would be Babes Nu, and it's modern
and all cats font. Next up, we have Monset bolts, and it's clean and professional. And the other one that I
really like is impact, and it's classic for
high energy thumbnails. And here's a protip. Always check your font
at a reduced size. If it's not readable as a thumbnail preview,
it will not work. Now let's talk
about font pairing. You can use two fonts maximum for variety
without overwhelming. For example, you can use
bold for the main message in BbsNwFont and a simple
text for secondary text, for example, in robotic font. Next up, now let's
talk to you about text size placement
and what can't. I want you to understand that
text size really matters. The most critical word should
dominate the thumbnail. Make sure to keep text
legible even on mobile and make sure to test your
thumbnail at 10% scale, approximately 160
multifide by 90 pixels. And I want you to compare two
thumbnails, one with three, taking up 50% of space, another one with
small cramped text. The results, the larger text
always gets more clicks. Now let's talk about
text placement. I highly recommend you to
follow the rule of thirds. Make sure to place
text in a corner or along the edges
to avoid covering the key visuals and
make sure to avoid placing text over your face
or the central action. Example of that could be on a gave me thumbnail
where hundreds. Now let's talk
about word counts. I highly recommend you to use at maximum three words or way
fewer for the main text. So an example of that
could be lose weight fast. That's that's at max,
like three words. And here's an example of a poor thumbnail
that includes tact. Here is how to lose
weight in three weeks. It's too much, and
this will not work. This simply does not work. And I highly
recommend you to use impactful words if
you use, for example, even if you use one word
and if it's impactful, then you can get a high CTR. For example, word secret. It's very powerful
and impactful voids. And there are so many examples of them, for example, free, win, secret, yep, et cetera. Now let's talk about
common mistakes to avoid. So the first mistake is
overcrowding the thumbnail. Too much text is overwhelming. Make sure that you let
visuals complement the text. And an example of bad
thumbnail would be ten ways to save money
on groceries in 2023. That's you'll literally
be repeating the typo, and that's the worst mistake
that you can ever make. And a bata forma
could save $100 now. That's a great text because
it uses at maximum three tds. The next mistake is
poor color contrast. Make sure that text pops
against the background. Make sure that you use outlines, shadows or a color
block behind the text. An example of that could be white text on a
yellow background versus white text
on a black box. The next final mistake that so many people make
is ignoring branding. Like changing fonts every video literally
confuses viewers, and I highly recommend you to stick to a font family
that defines your channel. For example, Amstery Beasmnils usually use impact
for consistency. Now let's talk about
actionable steps. And now, choose your
primary font today, not tomorrow, not
next week but today. Test it across five thumbnails. Use no more than three words
in your next thumbnail. And if you have access
to AB testing feature, I guess, everyone has now. So create a thumbnail using the strategies we discussed
a bold readable font, Atmax three words and
clear placements. Use the rule of thuds
and put your creation in the discussion section four
feedback and remember, your thumbnail text
is like a headline. It has to grab
attention instantly. And by mastering funds
placement and readability, you're not just
creating thumbnails, you're crafting the first
step of a viral journey.
5. Advanced Techniques: Welcome to the next Yoshi class about advanced techniques
in thumbnail design. So in this video,
we will be talking about the next level
of thumbnail design. Things no one is telling you, but it will make your
thumbnails so good, and they will practically
force people to click. And in this episode, we
are going to dive into the mastery of visual hierarchy, using faces, and motion
for undeniable impact. And we will also talk about
the advanced science of testing thumbnails and
make sure to stick around for insights you
won't find anywhere else. So part one is mastering
visual hierarchy. So the first way is by using focal points to guide
the viewers eyes, and you may be thinking,
what is visual hierarchy? Is the strategic
arrangement of elements in a thumbnail so that
the viewer's eye is naturally drawn to
what's most important. It's about guiding the attention almost
like telling them. Lo here first, then here. That's an example of a
visual hierarchy, yes. So an example one is
the free thumbnail. You can take a thumbnail
where the word free is a huge bold text and
front and center. And this will immediately
capture attention. Then the second dream message
could be free traffic. And that can follow as
smaller text below, and the logic text draws the
viewer in and opens the eye, and they are guided down to the second
line of information. In example number two, could be high contrast focal points. If you have a tech review video, you can place the
gadget you're viewing in the center with
high contrast. Then add your title text, text around it in a way
that doesn't compete. So let's say your
product is an iPhone. Make it pop using
a sharp contest, dark background,
and light phone. The viewers eyes go straight to the product first, not the text. And here's my pro tip. You can use color contrasts
for focal points. And if you want,
you can also use warm colors which
are red and yellow, and that could attract
the eye quicker than cool colors like
blues and greens. And this is why free
or secret is often in red or yellow because it pulls the attention
like a magnet. Now let's talk about
the importance of white space and balance, and you may be thinking,
What is white space? White space doesn't
mean empty space. It's about giving
your elements room to breeze if everything
is crammed together, and it creates visual noise making your thumbnails
harder to process. Now let me give you an example. For example, we can compare overcrowding
versus balanced thumbnail. You can take a look
at two thumbnails for a weight loss video. In overcrowded
thumbnail, you can see a tiny picture
of a person with a huge amount of text
on the sides like lose weight in eight
weeks, easy die hacks. And it's so confusing, right? But if you compare that
to a balanced thumbnail, you can imagine the same
thumbnail with a larger image of the person and large
bold text which says, lose weight fast in the center with enough space around
it so that it stands out. So white space
helps each element breathe and makes the thumbnail look professional, not rushed. So now I want you to give
you another example, and it's about balancing
text and image. Let's take a cooking tutorial. You've got a
beautiful plate dish. If the dish is centered and
the text five minute meal is at the top right
with enough margin so keep it from feeling cramped, the whole design feels way
more appealing and elegant. And here's my pro tep. White spades creates a
sense of professionalism. Think of how
minimalist tectumnils or designs use whitespace. Often, less is more. And you can use this to make your thumbnails feel
clean and intentional. Now let's talk about using faces, expressions,
and emotions. And in the first place, you have to understand why humans faces work in thumbnails. The first reason is because
of the signs of faces. Our brains are wired to
connect with human faces, and it's why thumbnails with people tend to perform better. Faces usually evoke emotions and they help establish trust. And when a viewer sees a face, their brain immediately reacts, and the brain processes information faster
than abstract images. So now I want to
give you an example for a fitness
transformation video. If the thumbnail has a
person showing before and after pictures with a
close up of the face, the emotional connection
is getting to instant. People want to know their story. People want to connect
with his or her journey. And now let me give
you another example. Let's say you have
a prank video. If the thumbnail
shows a person with a look of shock or laughter, it immediately reinforces
or sparks curiosity. The face conveys emotion. For example, it could convey emotions like anger or
shock or even laughter, and it immediately
sparks curiosity. And those things drove yours in. People want to feel
those emotions, too. And here's my pro tep. Always opt for close up shots with clear facial expressions. Faces up close are way more
engaging than faraway images and use faces to express the core emotion of
your YouTube video. Now, let's talk about
some expressions. The first one is
reaction thumbnails. For reaction thumbnails,
for example, for a video on shocking
weight loss secrets, a thumbnail with a person
with their mouth wide open in disbelief can convey a
very, very strong emotion. And viewers will wonder
what happens to evokes such such an extreme reaction. And in a video about how I
made my first $100,000 online, a face with wide eyes and a huge smile can
exaggerate excitement, and it will make the
viewers curious. How did he do it? And here's my cro tip. Over the top emotions
always work especially well for entertainment
or reaction type videos, but make sure that you use
them strategically and don't overdo it in every single
YouTube video of thumbnail. And now let's talk about
when and how to use emotion for your thumbnails
very effectively. So reaction thumbnails are perfect for videos that include a surprise or unexpected
twist or a big reveal. It's like the visual
equivalent of a cliff hanger. For example, if you're doing a reaction video
to a viral trend showing a thumbnail
of yourself with exaggerated shock or confusion, or excitement can immediately
compel people to click. So now, here's my procet. Make sure that you use
reaction thumbnails sprayingly for big moments. Ousing them can make people lose interest in
your YouTube video. So now here are my test for iterating or improving on design based on data
on YouTube studio. The beauty of data is
that it's actionable. You don't have to
guess. You can improve your thumbnails based
on performance data. If one thumbnail underperforms, change one element at a time, but you can alter text size
or color or even placement, and you can keep testing different variations until
you find what works. And here's my biggest hit. Never stop testing.
Always experiment. Tumbnails are a moving target. What works today may
not work tomorrow. So keep iterating based on
your audience behavior. So mashing thumbnails isn't just about picking the
right colors or fonts. It's about understanding how
to guide the viewers eyes. It's about understanding
placement, and it's about evoking emotions and iterating or
improving based on data. And with these
advanced techniques, you will not only create
thumbnails that clicks, but you will also create
thumbnails that convert. Now, let's move on
to the next lesson.
6. Mistakes to Avoid: Do you know that many thumbnails
fail because of small, avoidable mistakes, and
they're so easy to fix. And today, I'm going
to show you the top mistakes most
creators make when designing thumbnails
and how you can avoid them so that
you can succeed. And stick with me, and
I will teach you how to make thumbnails that
stand out in the crowd. So part one, avoiding
minor details. The first mistake
that I see a ton of people making is too
many small details. Often graders try to fit as much as they can
into thumbnail, but this results in visual cl. Too many small details
overwhelm the viewer, and it makes it hard to
focus on the core message. Example of that could
be imagine you are making a thumbnail for
a cooking tutorial, adding a tiny image
of each ingredient, a clock overwhelming text box, and all of that will
confuse the viewer. And here's a better
approach to take. Focus on one core element. For example, show the
final dish in a clean, high quality image with bol
text like ten minute recipes. The other mistake that I
see a ton of feeble nk is unnecessary icons,
elements or logos. Things like arrows, stars, and ramojs might seem fun, and then you can use them. But there are some icons and elements that often distract from the main focus
of the thumbnail. Always ask, is it
actually important? Is it actually necessary to understand what
the video is about? Especially if it doesn't add any meaning,
it's like useless. Example of that would be a thumbnail with an arrow pointing to a person's face might
make it more dynamic. But if the arrow doesn't
relate to the content, it just makes the
design look cluttered. Now I want you to give you a better approach
or a solution. Only use icons or
arrows when they guide the viewers attention
to something very important. For example, if you want
to guide people to a kick, takeaway or the product
being highlighted, then you can definitely
use those icons or arrows. But if it doesn't
add meaning, no, don't add them.
Here's my pro tip. Stick to one or two focal
points in your design. Everything else should
complement, not distract. So now, part two. The next mistake that I see a ton of people make
is backgrounds. And I highly recommend you to avoid distracting
backgrounds. And let me explain to
you how that works. A background should enhance
the focus of your design. It should not steal the show. Avoid clattered or overly
patterned backgrounds that compete for attention. An example of that
could be a thumbnail, where the background is a busy city street filled with cars and people
and neon lights. It's so hard to focus
on the main subject. And a solution is so simple
and it's so easy to fix. Make sure to use clean, simple backgrounds that
lateral focal points pop. A gradient or solid
color works really well. For instance, a thumbnail showing a product with a smooth, soft gradient
background light blue to dark blue instantly feels more professional
and way more focus. And you may be thinking, Well, I now realize that I have
to use clean backgrounds. What if I find them? Not all creators have access
to high quality images. Thankfully, there are
several resources where you can find clean
usable backgrounds. For example, on Canva, you can find a ton of a
wide variety of simple, high quality background options, but don't use the
templates there. The next place where I sometimes find clean backgrounds
is splash or pixels. You can search for minimalist
backgrounds or blurred out landscapes that can enhance your design. And
here's my protep. Blur out a portion of
the background slightly so that you can create a
depth of field effect, which makes the main
subject stand out way more. The next mistake is
repeating the title. I see a ton of people doing it. A thumbnail is meant to be an image that grabs
attention quickly. Repeating the video title
in the thumbnail adds more unnecessary text and
makes it look cluttered. If your video title is how
to lose ten pounds fast, adding the same phrase in
the thumbnail isn't helping. It's just cluttering the visual. And here's the better approach. Instead of repeating the title, you can focus on a
compelling short message, and you can use phrases
like lose weight now or quick and easy or
quick and easy tips, and they can kind of intrigue the viewer without
repeating the title. Use keywords, not
full sentences. You want to grab attention fast with as few words as possible. Highly recommend you to avoid long sentences
in your thumbnail. Example, a thumbnail
with learn how to get 1,000 subscribers in one week isn't as effective as gets 1,000 subscribers fast. And here's my pro tip. Use attention grabbing
phrases that fit your video, but they should not be
directly repeating the title. You can use power
words like free, secret, shocking,
easy, et cetera. The next mistake is limiting
the number of elements. The next mistake is
having so many, like, elements there, and
so many elements literally clutter the thumbnail. When you crowd a thumbnail
with too many visuals, your message becomes so unclear. So by avoiding these
simple mistakes, minor details which are
like those mistakes, which are minor
details, backgrounds, repeating the title and
overcrowding your thumbnails, you can create designs for your YouTube thumbnails
that are not only clean but also
highly effective. Make sure to keep your
thumbnails simple, direct and eye catching, and you can use the
power of focus, simplicity and strategic design, and you'll be well on your way to mastering
YouTube thumbnails. So now it's your turn. Take a look at your
recent thumbnails and see if it's committing
any of these mistakes. Fix it up, simplify
it, and try again. Let me know what changes you made in the discussion section, and I will give you
personalized feedback. Thank you so much
watching and make sure to give a review on this class.
Azamat Choriyev, Content Creator
