Your YouTube thumbnail is a little picture that packs a whole LOT of punch!

Knowing how to make a YouTube thumbnail should be one of your top priorities, because it is what people see first. It has to be attention-grabbing, scroll-stopping and in just a few seconds must convey to the viewer exactly why they should click YOUR video over and above all the rest.

So why are some thumbnails so much more effective at getting clicks and views than others?

If you’re here reading this post now because you’re not getting the clicks and views you want with your videos and you’re ready to once and forever master how to make a custom  YouTube thumbnail CLICKABLE, then you’re in the right place, because in this post, we’re going to look at how to make clickable custom thumbnails for youtube videos quick and easy by following a tried and tested strategy.

Fortunately, it’s not that hard to stand out from the crowd and create more effective thumbnails. Even better news, thumbnails are not a one-and-done deal, so armed with this new strategy you can easily update the thumbnails on your older, underperforming videos, to give them a new look and a second chance at success.

I’m also going to cover some of the more practical elements such as youtube thumbnail size and how using a youtube thumbnail template can speed up making custom thumbnails so it’s fast and easy every time. I’ll include my recommendations for free tools you can use, plus the software I personally use, which has everything you need in one easy-to-use tool.

If your videos are appearing in search, suggested, or elsewhere on the platform and are not getting clicked, that sends a negative signal to the algorithm that your videos are not as appealing as the others around them. A poorly structured thumbnail can cost you clicks, views and watch time and will eventually hurt your rankings. 

It is one of THE most critical elements of your video creation process and sadly, no matter how professionally produced your videos are, or how good the content is, fewer people are going to watch your videos if your thumbnail is not doing its job.

This post is primarily going to focus on where the rubber really meets the road, which is the anatomy of what makes a more effective, high-converting thumbnail and the psychology behind what you need to include in your thumbnails to get those all-important clicks. I firmly believe that using a formula for every single thumbnail you create will significantly help your channel, and the great thing is, you can apply this method regardless of which tools and software you use to create thumbnails.

As I said at the start of this post, your thumbnail packs a whole lot of punch when designed correctly and that’s why I make my thumbnails very early on in the video creation process. First I decide on the topic for my video, my video idea. Second I do some research around the idea to make sure there is enough interest. Then I carry out my keyword research process to choose the best video title for the idea. If keyword research is something you struggle with, or if you just want to check out my keyword research process I’ve included a link to a video that will walk you through it step by step at the end of this post.

Once I have my video title, I get to work on my custom thumbnail, before I even think about filming the video.

To clarify, in case you’re not aware, a custom thumbnail is an image you create separately and upload to YouTube and is specifically designed for attracting views. It is not a still frame taken from within the video content itself. If you find you are not able to upload a custom thumbnail, check that you have verified your channel as this option is not available until you do. I cover this in more detail, in a video that I’ve shared a link to at the bottom of this post. 

So what exactly is the anatomy of a high converting thumbnail? Well based on my own extensive research and my own results, here are the four crucial elements I always include in my thumbnails.

ELEMENT #ONE

Incorporate your logo or brand colours as part of the youtube thumbnail background layer.

ELEMENT #TWO

Use vibrant colours for text or objects, that contrast well with your brand colours, and try to only use three or four at the most.

ELEMENT #THREE

Include an image of a person’s face.

ELEMENT #FOUR

Use compelling words, make them big and bold and stick to the same fonts you use in your other online assets.

To speed up this process, I’ve created a couple of basic templates that I start from every time and I recommend you do the same.

I’m talking about the consistent use of font styles, colour schemes, and the unchanging overall aesthetic appearance of your thumbnails. I have a folder of images that I can easily access. The text size is big, bold and easy to read. Sometimes I include an object or graphic to help illustrate or emphasise a point. Arrows are good for this because they naturally draw the eye. Remember, simplicity and clarity are your friends. If your thumbnail is too busy, with lots of small text, images and colours, it will be very hard to read, especially on mobile and as a result, people will scroll right past it.

There are two main benefits to following this strategy…

First, is familiarity, it’s human nature to be drawn to what instinctively looks familiar, so if your audience recognizes your brand at a glance and it feels familiar to them, they are more likely to click and watch your video. As your channel and brand grow over time, this will become more and more effective.

The second benefit is that by having a strategy in place and a template to start from, you can create custom thumbnails that you know have a high likelihood of getting the click, super fast and easy every time.

Now that you understand what to include, you have the first half of the equation. So let’s dive into the psychology of how it works.

So why do people click on certain thumbnails and not others?

Well, it’s because the thumbnails they click suggest the promise or expectation of a benefit or an experience for that person, inside the video.

Your thumbnail is the perfect real estate to include some context about the content of your video and the goal is to make it easy for your audience to determine with just one look, that it’s exactly what they’re looking for and what the benefit will be for them if they watch it. 

Don’t fall into the trap of simply repeating the video title on the thumbnail, this is just wasted potential. Instead use short compelling phrases and emotive language that naturally builds from the video title and piques curiosity or creates an emotional response. This is what increases clickability, and is often referred to as a hook. 

The golden rule to remember here is that this is a picture and therefore showing is better than telling, so keep words to a minimum if you can.

I also want to address the elephant in the room at this point, which is clickbait…

Clickbait gets a lot of negative press and deservedly so when it’s bad clickbait. Bad clickbait draws you in with the promise of one thing, only to present you with something entirely different, so basically an untruth.

Good clickbait, on the other hand, lends emphasis and intrigue and suggests an idea that you then deliver through your video content, which is absolutely fine.

There are mixed opinions on this subject amongst creators, personally, I believe that as long as you don’t overpromise and you always deliver on your promise with your content, then good clickbait is ok to use. 

If it makes sense for your channel, always include an image of a person’s face in your thumbnail

Preferably your face, if you are your brand. It’s not absolutely necessary, but it will help to evoke more emotion than a graphic or text alone. Also, you and your face are unique and therefore your channel becomes unique. In my research, I found that thumbnails with faces get more clicks on average than without faces. This is due to the fact that people tend to relate more to people, especially when they are displaying an emotion. This could be shock, anger, fear, joy, surprise or happiness. The way to convey emotions in an image is to use slightly exaggerated poses.

I’ll share a tip with you right here right now, that I learnt the hard way… to get good quality images of yourself to use in your thumbnails, incorporate some time into your filming plan and make several different poses and hold them for a few seconds each, preferably at the end of your video. This will save you a lot of time in the editing process because you won’t need to scrub through the footage trying to find a point to take a screen grab where your eyes aren’t half shut, your mouth is open or your arms are flailing around like a mad thing. It also means you look the same on the thumbnail as you do in the video, in terms of your clothing, hair, etc, which again creates more familiarity and trust.

In terms of the general layout of your thumbnail design, that’s where your imagination comes into play, but remember less is more. A top tip here, depending on the language of your target audience, is to always arrange the elements of your design in the same direction as your audience reads. In my case, this is left to right and top to bottom, so I would put the most important element on the top left side, but for you, it may be different. 

Also, avoid using the very bottom right corner of your thumbnail, this is where the time is displayed on YouTube and anything in that area will be obscured. Look at other thumbnails in your niche for inspiration and then mix it up a bit. So for example, if most thumbnails in your niche show a person on the left or right side, then put yours in the centre. Often just one difference is enough to catch the eye of your potential audience.

Now that you have the whole equation of the anatomy and psychology of a high-converting youtube thumbnail design, let’s cover some of the more practical elements

The recommended youtube thumbnail size is twelve eighty by seven twenty with a minimum width of six hundred and forty pixels. However I like to use nineteen twenty by ten eighty resolution, both will work fine. The aspect ratio should be sixteen by nine, or landscape, as it’s the most used in YouTube players and previews, except for shorts of course.

When it comes to youtube thumbnail download and upload, the best format is Jaypeg, to keep the file size as small as possible, but you can use PNG also.

Your finished image must be under the 2-megabyte Youtube upload limit.

There are quite a few tools to choose from for your youtube thumbnail maker, here are my top recommendations:-

Some great free options are Canva, Snappa, Adobe Express web version, Google Slides and Keynote for Mac.

I still use Canva for some design elements, but now I mostly use a tool called Thumbnail Blaster because it does everything I need in one great tool. It connects directly to your YouTube channel so you can see all of your videos inside the tool and it will automatically upload the thumbnails you create straight to your chosen video on YouTube.

An added bonus is that using this tool, or one like it, makes it an absolute cinch to change your older underperforming thumbnails with new updated ones.

With it, you can create UNLIMITED thumbnails and there are 30 editable thumbnail templates to choose from. Customising the templates is easy with a simple drag-and-drop editor, so you don’t need to be a design wizard or have photoshop level skills. You have total editing and customization freedom.

 There is a split-testing module which is priceless because you can let your audience choose the thumbnail they prefer, often not the one you’d expect or choose yourself!

It also includes a 1000 plus graphics library. It not only works with YouTube, but also Facebook, Instagram or any other video platform out there. All for a ridiculously low one-time investment. 

So, that’s it for clickable thumbnails, but before you go be sure to check out the free blueprint below and my step-by-step tutorial videos for YouTube Keyword Research and Growing Your Channel Fast!

Grab my FREE YouTube Video Ranking & Growth Blueprint here, where you’ll discover the tips, tools, and secrets of how to rank your videos, get more views, and grow your channel on YouTube Free Blueprint

➽ RELATED CONTENT: Keyword Research for YouTube Videos – How to Get More Views and Subscribers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmKmFLak-H8

Check out my playlist for How To Grow Your YouTube Channel FAST – 7 Tips and Tricks for BEGINNERS here – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8Dubg_jwdzf58SXwdoVO18prwNpsIaz

➽ LINKS (When available, we use affiliate links and may earn a commission!)

➤ THUMBNAIL BLASTER TOOL – see inside here

➽ Tools I Can’t Live Without That Will Elevate Your Videos:

➤ TECHSMITH – CAMTASIA  Video editing and screen recording software

➤ GROOVE DIGITAL Groove Digital

➤ ACTIVECAMPAIGN Active Campaign

➤ RANK TRACKING, ANALYSIS & REPORTING TOOL – Pro Rank Tracker Pro Rank Tracker

➤ VIDDYOZE –  Video Animation Software and so much more…

➤ KEYWORDS EVERYWHERE – Keywords Everywhere

➤ MORNINGFAME (This tool is by invite only – if you use this link you will get your first-month FREE MorningFame Invite

DISCLOSURE: I sometimes review or link to products & services I regularly use and think you might find helpful. Wherever possible I use referral links, which means if you click one of the links in this video or description and make a purchase I may receive a small commission or other compensation. Mostly however I use my affiliate link so that YOU can get a free trial or a better price, or benefit in some other way. I know you’re a smart cookie, but the FTC needs me to ensure you are crystal clear about all this. If for some reason you have an aversion to using my link, we’re all adults here, simply go to the main URL of the site and use that instead, we’ll still be friends.

I’m a big fan of Amazon, and many of my links to products/kit are links to those products on Amazon. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and related sites.