However, you shouldn’t need to do that if you follow the best practices recommended below.īest Practices for Creating Custom YouTube ThumbnailsĬreating custom thumbnails is not as easy as taking a picture and uploading it to YouTube. The good news is that YouTube allows you to change thumbnails, even after you publish your videos. But you can use photo-editing tools like Canva or stock photos to design your own thumbnails. Regrettably, YouTube does not have a built-in tool for designing video thumbnails. If you want to upload a custom thumbnail, you will be asked to verify your account through email or registered phone number. You can create a thumbnail for your video while uploading it on YouTube. How Can You Create Great YouTube Thumbnails? That’s how important YouTube thumbnails are. Even a viewer who is not familiar with Komo will be tempted to click on his videos and a big part of that is due to his eye-catching thumbnails. The pictures not only give a glimpse of the stunning locales Matt covers in each video but also establishes his personal brand. Note the consistent styling, bold typography, and earthy palettes he has used in all of his thumbnails. Check out the thumbnails created by celebrated photographer, Matthew Komorus aka Matt Komo. By creating repeated impressions through thumbnails, you can improve your brand’s recall value. If you use a signature style in your thumbnails, viewers can start associating your brand with it. Thumbnails, though a small component of your entire video marketing strategy, can boost your branding in a big way.
They also give a hint about the context of a video. There are several other reasons why YouTube thumbnails are important.Īn attention-grabbing thumbnail can get many eyes on your content and get it initial traction. They can either compel viewers to click on a video or simply ignore it. Your YouTube thumbnails give viewers the first impression of your videos. It is the first thing that people see when they are browsing through the platform.Ī good first impression lasts a long time.
By 2022, videos will constitute 82% of the global internet traffic, Cisco predicts.