Category Doesn't matter. Show Action

You have to NAIL THE CONCEPT! Why is the user going to click?

That is what you need to answer when creating the thumby

THumbnail Job - Read the title TItle job - Get you over the line to get into the video

How? A good thumbnail...

1. Evokes emotion and / or shows action

Thumbnail/Niche (Reusable Types)

• I Asked [subset of people] how they [action].....

• Before/After Comparisons

  • Price now vs then
  • Health Now vs then
  • Cheap old vs expense modern Food comparison
  • Day/Night in the life

• Conversation Bubbles

• Status Quo Challenging - Using what's written on the sign to challenge the status quo

  • Image: Idea is to use a poster board, and the text on it is something that challenges an idea that many people believe to be true. Hold that sign up in your video

  • Title: Biggest Myth In Education

  • Poster: You Are NOT A Visual Learner

  • Human: Slight Smirk

  • Poster: Videos Don't Grow Channels

  • Human: Somber/Stoneface

  • Title: This Stops 95% of Youtube Channels Growing

• Interview

  • Face & Text for this niche is the reusable
  • Use text to show emotion(challenging something controversial/big/important)
  • Make Sure the facial expression for the tn looks natrual and harmonizes with the title
  • Text is doing the grunt work pulling the people in.
  • Face is the reinforcer

Applied: Jon Youshaei Changing Youtube Education

Goal of TN: They wanted it to look like a pause moment from the video. The hand, flashdrive, mic and background are all fake.

2. Takes inspiration from what has previously worked. Don't Steal.

Applied 1: Jon's most viral video was inspired by the below thumbnail. He made it work for his niche/story.

Casey: The Original Jon: Inspired by Casey Nestiat Video Jay: Inspired by Ex-Youtube Employee Video

Applied 2: Wired: The Originator Jay Clouse: Inspired by Wired's 'Accent Expert Breaks Down 17 Actors Playing Real People' Series

• Expert on one side of image
• In the middle of a sentence
• Visual reference of what is being critiqued and is recognizable by the target audience

What he did?

• Expert on opposite side of OG

• Thumbanil (Visual) of a clip that expert is responsible for (Recognizable by the target audience)

• 3rd panel reinforcing what the video is about (scriptwriting)

• Changed to his style

• Made it fit his audience

• Inspired by a thumbnail that had already worked

Results - 72k

Make it yours!

3. Relies on the concept more than the design

It's all about the psychology of the click.

Psychology of the click > Design. Niche doesn't matter!

• Examples:
  • Ali Abbdal Videos
    • How I Type REALLY Fast (156 Words Per Minute)
    • The Book That Changed My FInancial Life
    • How to Invest for Beginners
    • 6 Side hustles Students Can Start in 2023

1. Has to Stand Out On The Home Page
   • Example Video: This Is How Airplane Engines Are Tested - 5.3 Million Views Chicken looks to be getting thrown into the propellers(silly)

2.3 Element Rule

• No more than 3 focus areas a viewer has to look at. All three should blend together
  • Example: Person, Blood From Finger, Shark
  • Example: Chicken, Plane Engineer, Human Throwing Chicken
  • Example: Human holding poster, Words on poster
  • Example: Person, Textbox on Image, Background Studio

Testing?

• ThumbnailPreview.com

Enough proof?

Thanks, Thomas!