If you’ve been on YouTube for a while, you’ve probably seen at least a few creators change their thumbnails after a video was uploaded. The reason for this is simple; a good thumbnail can be the difference between a video flopping or going viral. Often, multiple thumbnail variations are tried once a video goes live, with the live video analytics being carefully monitored to see which version preforms the best. While this is usually good for videos in the long run, the important early performance is risked when taking this approach to thumbnail selection. Luckily, there’s now a method of testing thumbnails before the video is uploaded!
Using ThumbnailTester you can easily generate a test link with up to 20 thumbnail (and 20 title) options, which can then be shared with your actual audience for data collection. Not only is this a way to test the thumbnails before you upload with easily readable data, it also allows you to test more thumbnails than you are effectively able to after a video goes live.
The benefits of testing thumbnails are not hard to see. If your thumbnail gets the attention of a potential viewer, and on top of that looks interesting enough to make them click, you will get more views and, in turn, further algorithmic reach. The days where just uploading great content was enough to reach the top are unfortunately past, and pleasing standing out in a grid of videos can be challenging – even for experienced thumbnail creators. Sometimes a thumbnail that looks good to you is too difficult to understand for your potential viewers, or maybe it looks too simple. Without testing, you may never truly know.
When a ThumbnailTester test is taken, participants are presented with two main test parts. In the first part, split into two segments, the participant is asked to click the first thumbnail they see from your channel from a grid of 20 videos. In semi-random center positions of this grid, up to three of your uploaded thumbnail alternatives are displayed. When a thumbnail is clicked, data is collected on which thumbnail was selected, which were shown but not selected, and how long it took the participant to find the thumbnail. In the second part of the test, the participant is asked to select and rate their favorite thumbnail and title based on how likely they are to click it. The data from the completed test, which usually takes less than a minute, is sent to the creator dashboard where it is compiled into easily readable graphs and lists.
To summarize, testing thumbnails is essential to maximize the views on a video. It makes sure the thumbnail grabs the attention of the viewers and is interesting enough to pull them in. A good resource for creating these tests is ThumbnailTester.com.
We hope you’ve learned something today and invite you to read our other posts, if you found this interesting. Good luck with your thumbnail creation!