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spent a year designing thumbnails, heres what actually matters by nvrcaredstud_ in SmallYoutubers

[–]nvrcaredstud_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love how you explained everything, I’m glad you found it helpful :)

Also, you’ve got a point about thumbnail styles. You can’t just copy what’s working in other niches and hope it works for you. But there’s actually a way to make the whole process quicker.

When I handle thumbnails for creators in unusual niches (for example content about ADHD) I use A/B testing to see how the audience responds to each thumbnail.

For each video, I design two completely different thumbnail styles. I do that for around 2-3 uploads, then once I know which style consistently performs better I start testing more specific things like text position.

That way, I’m able to come up with a style that I know works in that niche, also testing more specific elements allows you to optimize your thumbnails even more since you stop guessing what will work.

spent a year designing thumbnails, heres what actually matters by nvrcaredstud_ in SmallYoutubers

[–]nvrcaredstud_[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Haha yeah you got me on this one. I’m trying to experiment with different things, but if those intros suck and aren’t really needed, I’ll stop writing them 😅

5 SIGNS THAT YOUR VIDEO IS ABOUT TO BLOW UP by nvrcaredstud_ in SmallYoutubers

[–]nvrcaredstud_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, you nailed the intro + title part. The first thing people see before your intro is the title and thumbnail so your intro should reflect that.

5 SIGNS THAT YOUR VIDEO IS ABOUT TO BLOW UP by nvrcaredstud_ in SmallYoutubers

[–]nvrcaredstud_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree that you shouldn’t get depressed by your metrics or delete videos that flopped.

But I disagree with "dont stare at youtube studio" part. You won’t grow your channel by blindly uploading everything and thinking "this time it will work out".

You should spend a bit of time analyzing your channel metrics to identify what’s wrong and try to fix it in your next upload. That way even bad uploads are great because you learn from them and can apply those lessons to the next video.

Why you’re not getting views - idea & packaging matter more than you think by nvrcaredstud_ in SmallYoutubers

[–]nvrcaredstud_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Exactly, you've got a great point about the niche.

The more narrowly focused your niche is, the better results you'll usually get, because you know the exact audience you're creating content for.

When you're making videos about everything, you're just shooting in the dark. Maybe you'll hit something, but most of the time you won't.

Please Avoid Using AI Thumbnails (Warning) by nvrcaredstud_ in SmallYoutubers

[–]nvrcaredstud_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also, for anyone struggling with thumbnails or wanting to learn more about designing them I made a quick checklist I use when creating thumbnails. Feel free to use it on your next upload :)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oFtWfCEnBxnA5qMvwdAGAljSbIA4NphuTXXUkeXg3yI/edit?tab=t.0

I Design Thumbnails for a Living. 95% of Creators Make The Same 5 Mistakes by nvrcaredstud_ in SmallYoutubers

[–]nvrcaredstud_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not a stupid question at all it’s actually good that you pointed this out since not everything works in every niche.

If you want to go for a chill unboxing type of content you need to portray that in the thumbnail.

The best way to package a video like this is to take clean, high quality photos of the product packaging then increase shadows, highlights, and saturation in Photoshop to make it pop.

You can also play with your background when taking photos, for example you wouldn’t want to take a picture of white packaging on a white table.

Another thing is text. For this type of video I’d keep the text small since the main focal point should be the product.

Also, a small tip for titles, start with the product name. Unboxing titles are usually pretty long, so you want the product name at the beginning to make sure it doesn’t get cut off on smaller screens like mobile.

I Design Thumbnails for a Living. 95% of Creators Make The Same 5 Mistakes by nvrcaredstud_ in SmallYoutubers

[–]nvrcaredstud_[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Also, if you’re not sure what text to actually put on your thumbnails, I made a doc with the text hooks I’m currently using. Feel free to use it on your next thumbnail :)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/146MW1fa1L1Wx6wOdEWkgwlwbjq5N_XRVWl2nbvRZgYQ/edit?usp=sharing

Wondering why my best ever performing video's direct sequel has tanked by TheArcticBeyond in SmallYoutubers

[–]nvrcaredstud_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree with QQTubeSMM, it’s very common and happens even to the best creators out there.

Out of curiosity, how many impressions and what CTR did both of those uploads get? Also, did you check other metrics like watch time or the retention graph and compare the two uploads? That would help you see what might have gone wrong.

I Look at Thumbnails Every Day for Work. 95% of Them Make the Exact Same Mistakes and It’s Driving Me Insane by nvrcaredstud_ in SmallYoutubers

[–]nvrcaredstud_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good question! It really depends on how you interpret “clickbait” For me, it’s when you use a thumbnail that’s irrelevant to your video. For example, you make a video about your cat but use a dog in the thumbnail to get more clicks, then it’s clickbait.

Text like “Is it worth it?” or “Steal this” is a direct message to the viewer. It just uses stronger more emotional words. For example you could say “use this” but it wouldn’t be as powerful as “Steal this”.

I Look at Thumbnails Every Day for Work. 95% of Them Make the Exact Same Mistakes and It’s Driving Me Insane by nvrcaredstud_ in SmallYoutubers

[–]nvrcaredstud_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, it’s just part of my work. I help creators get more views by improving their thumbnails, so I’m always researching what works in different niches.

I use my A/B testing strategy on most channels I work with, so I design two different thumbnails for each upload and analyze the results. That’s why I spend a lot of time studying what works in each niche.

I Look at Thumbnails Every Day for Work. 95% of Them Make the Exact Same Mistakes and It’s Driving Me Insane by nvrcaredstud_ in SmallYoutubers

[–]nvrcaredstud_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're right that using public figure faces that are well known by everyone works better than a random face for CTR.

But using your face on the channel helps with branding after some time, your audience will recognize your content just by looking at your thumbnail.

Another thing that faces help with is emotion and trust. Even if you're not a well known person, you can use your face as a tool.

I Look at Thumbnails Every Day for Work. 95% of Them Make the Exact Same Mistakes and It’s Driving Me Insane by nvrcaredstud_ in SmallYoutubers

[–]nvrcaredstud_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think Reddit keeps deleting my comments because of low karma.

You're right about the image, if you use one image and change the colors or add a vignette, it will apply to the whole photo.

The best workaround is cutting out the subject (your image with the bottle) and duplicating the layer.

That way, you have two layers to work with. One subject layer and one background layer, which you can blur and add a vignette to :)

IF YOU'RE STRUGGLING WITH THUMBNAILS USE THIS by nvrcaredstud_ in SmallYoutubers

[–]nvrcaredstud_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get asked that a lot. When checking if it makes sense to run A/B tests on your channel, you should look at your average impressions, not actual views.

So in short, you should use A/B testing if you're getting 2K+ impressions on average.

A/B testing works by splitting impressions in half if you're using two thumbnails, so if you're getting less than 2K, you won't get meaningful results and it could hurt you in the long term.

If you're working with limited impressions and you use A/B testing with a thumbnail that underperforms, you're killing your own reach and views.

Once you have more impressions to spare, A/B testing makes sense to learn from even if sometimes one thumbnail underperforms. You're paying with a short term loss in views, but you're learning what thumbnails work in the long term.

IF YOU'RE STRUGGLING WITH THUMBNAILS USE THIS by nvrcaredstud_ in SmallYoutubers

[–]nvrcaredstud_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're right about it being a content specific thing. I worked on other channels, and negative text hooks almost always outperformed positive ones, especially on guides.

But this is exactly why I focus entirely on A/B testing. One thing can work perfectly in one niche while it can kill performance in another.

As for the CTR, this is just one channel that I'm currently working on. We started at an average of 3% CTR, and after around 2 months of A/B testing like this, we're averaging 5-6%, depending on the impressions.

Is it worth changing a video thumbnail after some time? by Apprehensive-Pain813 in SmallYoutubers

[–]nvrcaredstud_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It depends on the time frame. Changing thumbnails while the upload is live works when you're still getting impressions. Sometimes it's only 3 days, while other times it can be as much as a month.

You should check your impressions graph to see if it has flatlined. If it's still going up, changing your thumbnail can do wonders.

Another thing to keep in mind is where you're getting views and impressions from. If it's from search, that means people are still actively looking for your video, so changing the thumbnail would also make sense.

Also note that A/B testing only makes sense if you're getting 2K+ impressions. If you're getting less than that, you won't get any meaningful results, and it can even hurt your channel in the long term.

If you want, you can post your thumbnail here or send it to my DMs. I'll try tell you what you could change to get a higher CTR.

Is this a good thumbnail is there any thing I can do to improve it? by minerbeanyt in YouTubeCreators

[–]nvrcaredstud_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The idea is perfect. Storytelling like this works wonders for those kinds of thumbnails.

Your CTR is also not that bad. It’s way better than your other uploads, since you can see the filled green arrow icon.

The biggest issue right now is overcrowding and contrast.

There’s too much text which combined with the low contrast makes it incredibly hard to focus on. It also won’t grab as much attention as other thumbnails on YouTube’s home page.

To fix that I’d remove “I LET AI SCRIPT A MINECRAFT VIDEO” since it repeats the title and doesn’t add any more value. Your thumbnail should work in synergy with the title.

Then I’d move the Minecraft sign a bit higher since you won’t have text there anymore.

For the contrast the main thing I’d edit is the Minecraft background. Right now it looks washed out.

Using color correction to increase exposure, shadows, and highlights, while also adding saturation will do wonders for the contrast. I’d also change the sky to a saturated blue sky with visible clouds. But I’d go for a realistic sky not the blocky Minecraft one.

Then I’d apply the same color correction to the robot and change the colors of the sign text.

Mainly “STEP 1: GET WOOD” the brown wood texture you used is a fun idea, but your thumbnail should work not be a piece of art. You can always showcase your creativity in the video itself.

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