Do YouTube Thumbnails need to look authentic?
Lately, many designers on my X timeline have been discussing whether YouTube thumbnails need to look realistic. While there's no clear rule on when to use authentic thumbnails versus creating curiosity gaps, it's crucial to define what drives your content.
Let me explain:
Lately, many designers on my X timeline have been discussing whether YouTube thumbnails need to look realistic. While there's no clear rule on when to use authentic thumbnails versus creating curiosity gaps, it's crucial to define what drives your content.
Let me explain:
Spectacle Driven Content
‘MrBeast's’ thumbnails that exaggerate the video’s concept are perfect for spectacle-driven content like challenges as they aim to provoke curiosity.
High-quality thumbnails that effectively create curiosity gaps enhance video ideas, making them more appealing to a wider audience across various niches such as IRL challenges, videos that are targeted towards a younger audience, and (science) experiments.
Spectacle Driven Content
‘MrBeast's’ thumbnails that exaggerate the video’s concept are perfect for spectacle-driven content like challenges as they aim to provoke curiosity.
High-quality thumbnails that effectively create curiosity gaps enhance video ideas, making them more appealing to a wider audience across various niches such as IRL challenges, videos that are targeted towards a younger audience, and (science) experiments.
II. Personality Driven Content
Personality-driven content thrives on viewer loyalty and connection, often transcending the need for intriguing thumbnails.
This doesn’t mean the thumbnail can be anything though, using an interesting thumbnail will always be a great way to attract a new audience, potentially converting them into loyal followers based on the content's appeal.
Thumbnails with a more genuine approach could work especially well for niches like vlogging or beauty and fashion, and niches that are based on trust such as education, health, and review channels.
II. Personality Driven Content
Personality-driven content thrives on viewer loyalty and connection, often transcending the need for intriguing thumbnails.
This doesn’t mean the thumbnail can be anything though, using an interesting thumbnail will always be a great way to attract a new audience, potentially converting them into loyal followers based on the content's appeal.
Thumbnails with a more genuine approach could work especially well for niches like vlogging or beauty and fashion, and niches that are based on trust such as education, health, and review channels.
III. Hybrid Content
YouTube channels differ a lot, so saying things like "realistic thumbnails are the new meta" doesn't really make sense. For example, some channels or videos mix a strong personality with interesting ideas, attracting a wide audience.
It's hard to set a clear thumbnail style for these videos; it often makes more sense to decide what works best for each video. However, combining authentic edited pictures with intriguing concepts, usually works well. That's why many people like Ryan Trahan's thumbnails—They maintain their realness while still sparking curiosity, which appeals to a lot of viewers.
Besides that, creating an unique visual style in thumbnails is a great way to stand out, regardless if it looks realistic or not.
III. Hybrid Content
YouTube channels differ a lot, so saying things like "realistic thumbnails are the new meta" doesn't really make sense. For example, some channels or videos mix a strong personality with interesting ideas, attracting a wide audience.
It's hard to set a clear thumbnail style for these videos; it often makes more sense to decide what works best for each video. However, combining authentic edited pictures with intriguing concepts, usually works well. That's why many people like Ryan Trahan's thumbnails—They maintain their realness while still sparking curiosity, which appeals to a lot of viewers.
Besides that, creating an unique visual style in thumbnails is a great way to stand out, regardless if it looks realistic or not.
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