Growth Strategies for YouTube Videos: 6 Effortless Approaches

How to Get Your YouTube Video Seen - 6 Easy Steps

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

With an estimated 60 hours of video being uploaded to YouTube every minute you might be left wondering how to get your YouTube video seen in the huge sea of content. The good news is that a large number of these videos are not optimized in the correct format and taking some extra time to make sure that every video you post is well optimized for YouTube’s search engine can give you an instant advantage.

Here’s how you can get your YouTube video ranked higher in search results and attract more views in 6 easy steps.

• Step 1: Find Good Keywords for Your YouTube Videos
• Step 2: Make Full Use of Your Video’s Tags
• Step 3: Post a Transcript in Your Video Description
• Step 4: Write Searchable YouTube Video Titles
• Step 5: Optimize Your Video Description for YouTube SEO
• Step 6: Use Custom Video Thumbnails

1. Find Good Keywords for Your YouTube Videos

The keywords that you choose to use with your video will be the greatest factors in determining whether your video will actually be found by viewers searching for content like yours on YouTube. You need to be intelligent and choose strong keywords that are highly related to both your video and your niche on YouTube. Without the use of good keywords, your video will simply become lost in the endless stream of content being uploaded to YouTube, and audiences who might enjoy it will never get a chance to see it.

Consider doing some keyword research into your video’s subject using the Google Keyword Planner in or a variety of otherkeyword tools . Make sure the most important keywords are in your tags, title, and description.

2. Make Full Use of Your Video’s Tags

Tags are essential. A lot of creators either skip tags or only put in 1-5, and their actions will benefit you if you choose to use a lot.

Loading up your tags with keywords that are relevant to your video and genre will help your video appear in the viewer’s search results, which will earn you a lot more views. When users are looking for specific information, like how to recover lost data, just including things like ‘lost data’, ‘data recovery’, and even the full phrase ‘how to recover lost data’ in your video’s tags will give you a greater chance to actually appear in search engine results.

Including the maximum amount of tags possible will help to give YouTube the maximum amount of information to use in order to place your video in the results of different searches or to have it come up as ‘related’ to other videos. Users that only post 3 or 4 tags with each video could be missing out on countless amounts of traffic for their content.

3. Post a Transcript in Your Video Description

If you have a script or a transcript for your entire video you should consider posting it in the description of your video in order to improve your search engine ranking. This can also help for users that would like to have a written article to accompany your video and for indexing your video in search engine results. There are so many people that don’t make proper use of their video descriptions on YouTube that doing so will give you an advantage.

4. Write Searchable YouTube Video Tiles

By including your 1 or 2 most important keywords in the title of your video you will help YouTube sort your video into the correct search results. Generally, your most important keywords will be things like the name of the game you’re playing or the brand of makeup you’re reviewing.

Try to write titles that are searchable and which also get potential viewers excited about your content. Do not try to be mysterious or clickbait-y in your video title. Big channels can be very successful with those strategies because they’re already guaranteed a certain number of views, but this will almost always backfire for small channels.

Phrases such as ‘review’, ‘how-to’, and ‘tutorial’ get searched for a lot, so always include them in your titles when they apply to your videos.

5. Optimize your Video Description for YouTube SEO

Video descriptions should generally include around 4000 characters (about 900 words) in which you describe the content of your YouTube video, include important keywords, provide links to your other social media accounts, and ask viewers to subscribe. Using up all the space in your description is a good way to ensure you’re getting the maximum search value out of it.

If you use a lot of products in your videos (i.e. you make cooking videos, so your favorite frying pan is in a lot of shots) then it is a good idea to look into affiliate programs. Amazon has one of the best. If you become an affiliate you can post links to the products you use in your video description and, if a viewer follows one and buys something (even if it’s not the thing you liked to) you’ll earn a commission. This won’t help you with search rankings, but it’s a nice bonus.

6. Use Custom Video Thumbnails

A custom thumbnail is an excellent way to make your videos stand out (check out these awesome thumbnail makers ). A good thumbnail is its own piece of quality, customized, visual content that has the power to draw in audiences from search engine results. Make sure to take thumbnail-specific photos and perfect those images with text and graphics in Photoshop or a free alternative like Canva.

Custom thumbnails come with new metadata for your video and they can often be indexed in Google image searches along with the video content that you create. This means that you will have access to a text search via Google (your video title and description), video searches via Google, a video search via YouTube, and an image search via Google too.

In order tocreate a thumbnail that stands out and attracts more views, you should first search for your video’s title on YouTube and see what kinds of thumbnails come up. You want your thumbnail to be enough like the results that viewers recognize it as being on the same topic, and different enough that it doesn’t fade into the crowd (a good strategy is to use a splash of color the other creators haven’t included).

If you are interested in generating more traffic to any YouTube video be sure to follow these 6 steps for how to get your YouTube video seen (and check out 4 more here! ).

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

With an estimated 60 hours of video being uploaded to YouTube every minute you might be left wondering how to get your YouTube video seen in the huge sea of content. The good news is that a large number of these videos are not optimized in the correct format and taking some extra time to make sure that every video you post is well optimized for YouTube’s search engine can give you an instant advantage.

Here’s how you can get your YouTube video ranked higher in search results and attract more views in 6 easy steps.

• Step 1: Find Good Keywords for Your YouTube Videos
• Step 2: Make Full Use of Your Video’s Tags
• Step 3: Post a Transcript in Your Video Description
• Step 4: Write Searchable YouTube Video Titles
• Step 5: Optimize Your Video Description for YouTube SEO
• Step 6: Use Custom Video Thumbnails

1. Find Good Keywords for Your YouTube Videos

The keywords that you choose to use with your video will be the greatest factors in determining whether your video will actually be found by viewers searching for content like yours on YouTube. You need to be intelligent and choose strong keywords that are highly related to both your video and your niche on YouTube. Without the use of good keywords, your video will simply become lost in the endless stream of content being uploaded to YouTube, and audiences who might enjoy it will never get a chance to see it.

Consider doing some keyword research into your video’s subject using the Google Keyword Planner in or a variety of otherkeyword tools . Make sure the most important keywords are in your tags, title, and description.

2. Make Full Use of Your Video’s Tags

Tags are essential. A lot of creators either skip tags or only put in 1-5, and their actions will benefit you if you choose to use a lot.

Loading up your tags with keywords that are relevant to your video and genre will help your video appear in the viewer’s search results, which will earn you a lot more views. When users are looking for specific information, like how to recover lost data, just including things like ‘lost data’, ‘data recovery’, and even the full phrase ‘how to recover lost data’ in your video’s tags will give you a greater chance to actually appear in search engine results.

Including the maximum amount of tags possible will help to give YouTube the maximum amount of information to use in order to place your video in the results of different searches or to have it come up as ‘related’ to other videos. Users that only post 3 or 4 tags with each video could be missing out on countless amounts of traffic for their content.

3. Post a Transcript in Your Video Description

If you have a script or a transcript for your entire video you should consider posting it in the description of your video in order to improve your search engine ranking. This can also help for users that would like to have a written article to accompany your video and for indexing your video in search engine results. There are so many people that don’t make proper use of their video descriptions on YouTube that doing so will give you an advantage.

4. Write Searchable YouTube Video Tiles

By including your 1 or 2 most important keywords in the title of your video you will help YouTube sort your video into the correct search results. Generally, your most important keywords will be things like the name of the game you’re playing or the brand of makeup you’re reviewing.

Try to write titles that are searchable and which also get potential viewers excited about your content. Do not try to be mysterious or clickbait-y in your video title. Big channels can be very successful with those strategies because they’re already guaranteed a certain number of views, but this will almost always backfire for small channels.

Phrases such as ‘review’, ‘how-to’, and ‘tutorial’ get searched for a lot, so always include them in your titles when they apply to your videos.

5. Optimize your Video Description for YouTube SEO

Video descriptions should generally include around 4000 characters (about 900 words) in which you describe the content of your YouTube video, include important keywords, provide links to your other social media accounts, and ask viewers to subscribe. Using up all the space in your description is a good way to ensure you’re getting the maximum search value out of it.

If you use a lot of products in your videos (i.e. you make cooking videos, so your favorite frying pan is in a lot of shots) then it is a good idea to look into affiliate programs. Amazon has one of the best. If you become an affiliate you can post links to the products you use in your video description and, if a viewer follows one and buys something (even if it’s not the thing you liked to) you’ll earn a commission. This won’t help you with search rankings, but it’s a nice bonus.

6. Use Custom Video Thumbnails

A custom thumbnail is an excellent way to make your videos stand out (check out these awesome thumbnail makers ). A good thumbnail is its own piece of quality, customized, visual content that has the power to draw in audiences from search engine results. Make sure to take thumbnail-specific photos and perfect those images with text and graphics in Photoshop or a free alternative like Canva.

Custom thumbnails come with new metadata for your video and they can often be indexed in Google image searches along with the video content that you create. This means that you will have access to a text search via Google (your video title and description), video searches via Google, a video search via YouTube, and an image search via Google too.

In order tocreate a thumbnail that stands out and attracts more views, you should first search for your video’s title on YouTube and see what kinds of thumbnails come up. You want your thumbnail to be enough like the results that viewers recognize it as being on the same topic, and different enough that it doesn’t fade into the crowd (a good strategy is to use a splash of color the other creators haven’t included).

If you are interested in generating more traffic to any YouTube video be sure to follow these 6 steps for how to get your YouTube video seen (and check out 4 more here! ).

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

With an estimated 60 hours of video being uploaded to YouTube every minute you might be left wondering how to get your YouTube video seen in the huge sea of content. The good news is that a large number of these videos are not optimized in the correct format and taking some extra time to make sure that every video you post is well optimized for YouTube’s search engine can give you an instant advantage.

Here’s how you can get your YouTube video ranked higher in search results and attract more views in 6 easy steps.

• Step 1: Find Good Keywords for Your YouTube Videos
• Step 2: Make Full Use of Your Video’s Tags
• Step 3: Post a Transcript in Your Video Description
• Step 4: Write Searchable YouTube Video Titles
• Step 5: Optimize Your Video Description for YouTube SEO
• Step 6: Use Custom Video Thumbnails

1. Find Good Keywords for Your YouTube Videos

The keywords that you choose to use with your video will be the greatest factors in determining whether your video will actually be found by viewers searching for content like yours on YouTube. You need to be intelligent and choose strong keywords that are highly related to both your video and your niche on YouTube. Without the use of good keywords, your video will simply become lost in the endless stream of content being uploaded to YouTube, and audiences who might enjoy it will never get a chance to see it.

Consider doing some keyword research into your video’s subject using the Google Keyword Planner in or a variety of otherkeyword tools . Make sure the most important keywords are in your tags, title, and description.

2. Make Full Use of Your Video’s Tags

Tags are essential. A lot of creators either skip tags or only put in 1-5, and their actions will benefit you if you choose to use a lot.

Loading up your tags with keywords that are relevant to your video and genre will help your video appear in the viewer’s search results, which will earn you a lot more views. When users are looking for specific information, like how to recover lost data, just including things like ‘lost data’, ‘data recovery’, and even the full phrase ‘how to recover lost data’ in your video’s tags will give you a greater chance to actually appear in search engine results.

Including the maximum amount of tags possible will help to give YouTube the maximum amount of information to use in order to place your video in the results of different searches or to have it come up as ‘related’ to other videos. Users that only post 3 or 4 tags with each video could be missing out on countless amounts of traffic for their content.

3. Post a Transcript in Your Video Description

If you have a script or a transcript for your entire video you should consider posting it in the description of your video in order to improve your search engine ranking. This can also help for users that would like to have a written article to accompany your video and for indexing your video in search engine results. There are so many people that don’t make proper use of their video descriptions on YouTube that doing so will give you an advantage.

4. Write Searchable YouTube Video Tiles

By including your 1 or 2 most important keywords in the title of your video you will help YouTube sort your video into the correct search results. Generally, your most important keywords will be things like the name of the game you’re playing or the brand of makeup you’re reviewing.

Try to write titles that are searchable and which also get potential viewers excited about your content. Do not try to be mysterious or clickbait-y in your video title. Big channels can be very successful with those strategies because they’re already guaranteed a certain number of views, but this will almost always backfire for small channels.

Phrases such as ‘review’, ‘how-to’, and ‘tutorial’ get searched for a lot, so always include them in your titles when they apply to your videos.

5. Optimize your Video Description for YouTube SEO

Video descriptions should generally include around 4000 characters (about 900 words) in which you describe the content of your YouTube video, include important keywords, provide links to your other social media accounts, and ask viewers to subscribe. Using up all the space in your description is a good way to ensure you’re getting the maximum search value out of it.

If you use a lot of products in your videos (i.e. you make cooking videos, so your favorite frying pan is in a lot of shots) then it is a good idea to look into affiliate programs. Amazon has one of the best. If you become an affiliate you can post links to the products you use in your video description and, if a viewer follows one and buys something (even if it’s not the thing you liked to) you’ll earn a commission. This won’t help you with search rankings, but it’s a nice bonus.

6. Use Custom Video Thumbnails

A custom thumbnail is an excellent way to make your videos stand out (check out these awesome thumbnail makers ). A good thumbnail is its own piece of quality, customized, visual content that has the power to draw in audiences from search engine results. Make sure to take thumbnail-specific photos and perfect those images with text and graphics in Photoshop or a free alternative like Canva.

Custom thumbnails come with new metadata for your video and they can often be indexed in Google image searches along with the video content that you create. This means that you will have access to a text search via Google (your video title and description), video searches via Google, a video search via YouTube, and an image search via Google too.

In order tocreate a thumbnail that stands out and attracts more views, you should first search for your video’s title on YouTube and see what kinds of thumbnails come up. You want your thumbnail to be enough like the results that viewers recognize it as being on the same topic, and different enough that it doesn’t fade into the crowd (a good strategy is to use a splash of color the other creators haven’t included).

If you are interested in generating more traffic to any YouTube video be sure to follow these 6 steps for how to get your YouTube video seen (and check out 4 more here! ).

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

With an estimated 60 hours of video being uploaded to YouTube every minute you might be left wondering how to get your YouTube video seen in the huge sea of content. The good news is that a large number of these videos are not optimized in the correct format and taking some extra time to make sure that every video you post is well optimized for YouTube’s search engine can give you an instant advantage.

Here’s how you can get your YouTube video ranked higher in search results and attract more views in 6 easy steps.

• Step 1: Find Good Keywords for Your YouTube Videos
• Step 2: Make Full Use of Your Video’s Tags
• Step 3: Post a Transcript in Your Video Description
• Step 4: Write Searchable YouTube Video Titles
• Step 5: Optimize Your Video Description for YouTube SEO
• Step 6: Use Custom Video Thumbnails

1. Find Good Keywords for Your YouTube Videos

The keywords that you choose to use with your video will be the greatest factors in determining whether your video will actually be found by viewers searching for content like yours on YouTube. You need to be intelligent and choose strong keywords that are highly related to both your video and your niche on YouTube. Without the use of good keywords, your video will simply become lost in the endless stream of content being uploaded to YouTube, and audiences who might enjoy it will never get a chance to see it.

Consider doing some keyword research into your video’s subject using the Google Keyword Planner in or a variety of otherkeyword tools . Make sure the most important keywords are in your tags, title, and description.

2. Make Full Use of Your Video’s Tags

Tags are essential. A lot of creators either skip tags or only put in 1-5, and their actions will benefit you if you choose to use a lot.

Loading up your tags with keywords that are relevant to your video and genre will help your video appear in the viewer’s search results, which will earn you a lot more views. When users are looking for specific information, like how to recover lost data, just including things like ‘lost data’, ‘data recovery’, and even the full phrase ‘how to recover lost data’ in your video’s tags will give you a greater chance to actually appear in search engine results.

Including the maximum amount of tags possible will help to give YouTube the maximum amount of information to use in order to place your video in the results of different searches or to have it come up as ‘related’ to other videos. Users that only post 3 or 4 tags with each video could be missing out on countless amounts of traffic for their content.

3. Post a Transcript in Your Video Description

If you have a script or a transcript for your entire video you should consider posting it in the description of your video in order to improve your search engine ranking. This can also help for users that would like to have a written article to accompany your video and for indexing your video in search engine results. There are so many people that don’t make proper use of their video descriptions on YouTube that doing so will give you an advantage.

4. Write Searchable YouTube Video Tiles

By including your 1 or 2 most important keywords in the title of your video you will help YouTube sort your video into the correct search results. Generally, your most important keywords will be things like the name of the game you’re playing or the brand of makeup you’re reviewing.

Try to write titles that are searchable and which also get potential viewers excited about your content. Do not try to be mysterious or clickbait-y in your video title. Big channels can be very successful with those strategies because they’re already guaranteed a certain number of views, but this will almost always backfire for small channels.

Phrases such as ‘review’, ‘how-to’, and ‘tutorial’ get searched for a lot, so always include them in your titles when they apply to your videos.

5. Optimize your Video Description for YouTube SEO

Video descriptions should generally include around 4000 characters (about 900 words) in which you describe the content of your YouTube video, include important keywords, provide links to your other social media accounts, and ask viewers to subscribe. Using up all the space in your description is a good way to ensure you’re getting the maximum search value out of it.

If you use a lot of products in your videos (i.e. you make cooking videos, so your favorite frying pan is in a lot of shots) then it is a good idea to look into affiliate programs. Amazon has one of the best. If you become an affiliate you can post links to the products you use in your video description and, if a viewer follows one and buys something (even if it’s not the thing you liked to) you’ll earn a commission. This won’t help you with search rankings, but it’s a nice bonus.

6. Use Custom Video Thumbnails

A custom thumbnail is an excellent way to make your videos stand out (check out these awesome thumbnail makers ). A good thumbnail is its own piece of quality, customized, visual content that has the power to draw in audiences from search engine results. Make sure to take thumbnail-specific photos and perfect those images with text and graphics in Photoshop or a free alternative like Canva.

Custom thumbnails come with new metadata for your video and they can often be indexed in Google image searches along with the video content that you create. This means that you will have access to a text search via Google (your video title and description), video searches via Google, a video search via YouTube, and an image search via Google too.

In order tocreate a thumbnail that stands out and attracts more views, you should first search for your video’s title on YouTube and see what kinds of thumbnails come up. You want your thumbnail to be enough like the results that viewers recognize it as being on the same topic, and different enough that it doesn’t fade into the crowd (a good strategy is to use a splash of color the other creators haven’t included).

If you are interested in generating more traffic to any YouTube video be sure to follow these 6 steps for how to get your YouTube video seen (and check out 4 more here! ).

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Boosting Views Through Imaginative Video Thumbnails

How to Make Video Thumbnails for YouTube

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The video thumbnails you use for YouTube are vital to getting views and subscribers. There are a lot of things that go into making people watch your videos, but your video thumbnail might be the most important factor.

Here are 5 easy tips for creating thumbnails that get views.

1. Have a Consistent Layout
2. Use Your Face
3. Use Graphics/Emojis That is On Topic
4. Make Your Text Huge
5. Keep It Clutter-Free!

Contest now closed.

Edit Your Videos Before Creating Video Thumbnails

1. Have a Consistent Layout

Your thumbnails all must look like part of the same set. You want viewers to recognize your videos like yours, and they are more likely to do that if you build up a standard layout that they can start associating with you.

An example of a standard layout could be you in the middle of the screen wearing an expression that matches the theme of your video, with your title written underneath your face. Every individual thumbnail would still be different, but you and the text would always be in the same spot.

2. Use Your Face

People feel automatically connected and drawn into images that make eye contact. This makes thumbnails which feature faces more click-able than thumbnails which don’t, in most genres (i.e. if you make food videos then this may not apply – featuring the food might be more important than featuring your face). Check out more tips like this here .

Also, if somebody recognizes you in your thumbnail from a previous video of yours, that will go a long way towards making them click.

3. Use Graphics/Emojis that are On Topic

Anybody can take a screenshot of themselves in their video and use it as a thumbnail. To make your thumbnails look polished, consider using small images (like emojis or hearts) to stand out. This will add color and personality to your thumbnail.

Make sure the images you choose are relevant to the topic of your video.

4. Make Your Text Huge

If you use text in your thumbnail (you don’t have to) then it should be to add context. For example, if the main image is just you smiling then you might need some text to let viewers know the video is a makeup tutorial.

Thumbnails might look large while you’re putting them together in your image editor, but when they’re displayed on YouTube they’re a lot smaller. That goes double if a viewer is watching on their phone. So, make sure that any text you use is large enough that it can be read easily on small screens.

5. Keep it Clutter-Free

It’s great to add text and emojis to your thumbnails, but you do need to be careful not to add too much. You never want your thumbnails to look cluttered. Viewers should be able to glance at your thumbnails and know exactly what kind of video to expect – that’s difficult to do if there’s too much to process.

A good rule for text is to use only 1-3 words. That way they won’t clutter your screen, and you can make them large enough to read on small-screened devices.

For even more tips on making great YouTube thumbnails, click here .

Use these tips to make video thumbnails for YouTube, and tell us what kind of results you get!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The video thumbnails you use for YouTube are vital to getting views and subscribers. There are a lot of things that go into making people watch your videos, but your video thumbnail might be the most important factor.

Here are 5 easy tips for creating thumbnails that get views.

1. Have a Consistent Layout
2. Use Your Face
3. Use Graphics/Emojis That is On Topic
4. Make Your Text Huge
5. Keep It Clutter-Free!

Contest now closed.

Edit Your Videos Before Creating Video Thumbnails

1. Have a Consistent Layout

Your thumbnails all must look like part of the same set. You want viewers to recognize your videos like yours, and they are more likely to do that if you build up a standard layout that they can start associating with you.

An example of a standard layout could be you in the middle of the screen wearing an expression that matches the theme of your video, with your title written underneath your face. Every individual thumbnail would still be different, but you and the text would always be in the same spot.

2. Use Your Face

People feel automatically connected and drawn into images that make eye contact. This makes thumbnails which feature faces more click-able than thumbnails which don’t, in most genres (i.e. if you make food videos then this may not apply – featuring the food might be more important than featuring your face). Check out more tips like this here .

Also, if somebody recognizes you in your thumbnail from a previous video of yours, that will go a long way towards making them click.

3. Use Graphics/Emojis that are On Topic

Anybody can take a screenshot of themselves in their video and use it as a thumbnail. To make your thumbnails look polished, consider using small images (like emojis or hearts) to stand out. This will add color and personality to your thumbnail.

Make sure the images you choose are relevant to the topic of your video.

4. Make Your Text Huge

If you use text in your thumbnail (you don’t have to) then it should be to add context. For example, if the main image is just you smiling then you might need some text to let viewers know the video is a makeup tutorial.

Thumbnails might look large while you’re putting them together in your image editor, but when they’re displayed on YouTube they’re a lot smaller. That goes double if a viewer is watching on their phone. So, make sure that any text you use is large enough that it can be read easily on small screens.

5. Keep it Clutter-Free

It’s great to add text and emojis to your thumbnails, but you do need to be careful not to add too much. You never want your thumbnails to look cluttered. Viewers should be able to glance at your thumbnails and know exactly what kind of video to expect – that’s difficult to do if there’s too much to process.

A good rule for text is to use only 1-3 words. That way they won’t clutter your screen, and you can make them large enough to read on small-screened devices.

For even more tips on making great YouTube thumbnails, click here .

Use these tips to make video thumbnails for YouTube, and tell us what kind of results you get!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The video thumbnails you use for YouTube are vital to getting views and subscribers. There are a lot of things that go into making people watch your videos, but your video thumbnail might be the most important factor.

Here are 5 easy tips for creating thumbnails that get views.

1. Have a Consistent Layout
2. Use Your Face
3. Use Graphics/Emojis That is On Topic
4. Make Your Text Huge
5. Keep It Clutter-Free!

Contest now closed.

Edit Your Videos Before Creating Video Thumbnails

1. Have a Consistent Layout

Your thumbnails all must look like part of the same set. You want viewers to recognize your videos like yours, and they are more likely to do that if you build up a standard layout that they can start associating with you.

An example of a standard layout could be you in the middle of the screen wearing an expression that matches the theme of your video, with your title written underneath your face. Every individual thumbnail would still be different, but you and the text would always be in the same spot.

2. Use Your Face

People feel automatically connected and drawn into images that make eye contact. This makes thumbnails which feature faces more click-able than thumbnails which don’t, in most genres (i.e. if you make food videos then this may not apply – featuring the food might be more important than featuring your face). Check out more tips like this here .

Also, if somebody recognizes you in your thumbnail from a previous video of yours, that will go a long way towards making them click.

3. Use Graphics/Emojis that are On Topic

Anybody can take a screenshot of themselves in their video and use it as a thumbnail. To make your thumbnails look polished, consider using small images (like emojis or hearts) to stand out. This will add color and personality to your thumbnail.

Make sure the images you choose are relevant to the topic of your video.

4. Make Your Text Huge

If you use text in your thumbnail (you don’t have to) then it should be to add context. For example, if the main image is just you smiling then you might need some text to let viewers know the video is a makeup tutorial.

Thumbnails might look large while you’re putting them together in your image editor, but when they’re displayed on YouTube they’re a lot smaller. That goes double if a viewer is watching on their phone. So, make sure that any text you use is large enough that it can be read easily on small screens.

5. Keep it Clutter-Free

It’s great to add text and emojis to your thumbnails, but you do need to be careful not to add too much. You never want your thumbnails to look cluttered. Viewers should be able to glance at your thumbnails and know exactly what kind of video to expect – that’s difficult to do if there’s too much to process.

A good rule for text is to use only 1-3 words. That way they won’t clutter your screen, and you can make them large enough to read on small-screened devices.

For even more tips on making great YouTube thumbnails, click here .

Use these tips to make video thumbnails for YouTube, and tell us what kind of results you get!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The video thumbnails you use for YouTube are vital to getting views and subscribers. There are a lot of things that go into making people watch your videos, but your video thumbnail might be the most important factor.

Here are 5 easy tips for creating thumbnails that get views.

1. Have a Consistent Layout
2. Use Your Face
3. Use Graphics/Emojis That is On Topic
4. Make Your Text Huge
5. Keep It Clutter-Free!

Contest now closed.

Edit Your Videos Before Creating Video Thumbnails

1. Have a Consistent Layout

Your thumbnails all must look like part of the same set. You want viewers to recognize your videos like yours, and they are more likely to do that if you build up a standard layout that they can start associating with you.

An example of a standard layout could be you in the middle of the screen wearing an expression that matches the theme of your video, with your title written underneath your face. Every individual thumbnail would still be different, but you and the text would always be in the same spot.

2. Use Your Face

People feel automatically connected and drawn into images that make eye contact. This makes thumbnails which feature faces more click-able than thumbnails which don’t, in most genres (i.e. if you make food videos then this may not apply – featuring the food might be more important than featuring your face). Check out more tips like this here .

Also, if somebody recognizes you in your thumbnail from a previous video of yours, that will go a long way towards making them click.

3. Use Graphics/Emojis that are On Topic

Anybody can take a screenshot of themselves in their video and use it as a thumbnail. To make your thumbnails look polished, consider using small images (like emojis or hearts) to stand out. This will add color and personality to your thumbnail.

Make sure the images you choose are relevant to the topic of your video.

4. Make Your Text Huge

If you use text in your thumbnail (you don’t have to) then it should be to add context. For example, if the main image is just you smiling then you might need some text to let viewers know the video is a makeup tutorial.

Thumbnails might look large while you’re putting them together in your image editor, but when they’re displayed on YouTube they’re a lot smaller. That goes double if a viewer is watching on their phone. So, make sure that any text you use is large enough that it can be read easily on small screens.

5. Keep it Clutter-Free

It’s great to add text and emojis to your thumbnails, but you do need to be careful not to add too much. You never want your thumbnails to look cluttered. Viewers should be able to glance at your thumbnails and know exactly what kind of video to expect – that’s difficult to do if there’s too much to process.

A good rule for text is to use only 1-3 words. That way they won’t clutter your screen, and you can make them large enough to read on small-screened devices.

For even more tips on making great YouTube thumbnails, click here .

Use these tips to make video thumbnails for YouTube, and tell us what kind of results you get!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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