What is a thumbnail on YouTube?

Answer 1

A still thumbnail that serves as the preview for your video is known as a video thumbnail. It resembles a book cover somewhat. And, like a book cover, it should pique the interest of a potential viewer.

Even your computer’s operating system uses thumbnails. In the example above, you can see that, when viewing this folder of images, the computer presents a smaller representation of the actual file.

And, while a video thumbnail isn’t simply a smaller version of the actual video, like its still-image ancestor, it should provide a viewer with an idea of what they will see when they choose to watch.

You’ve probably heard that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but if that were true, book publishers wouldn’t go to so much trouble and expense to make book covers look so exciting.

And the same is true of your video thumbnail.

Why are video thumbnails important?

A great custom video thumbnail can make all the difference when it comes to a viewer clicking through to your video.

It’s a super-easy way to give your video a professional look.

If you’ve spent any time on YouTube, you’ve likely seen dozens if not hundreds of cool thumbnails. Exciting graphics, people smiling, or just looking cool and inviting.

A good thumbnail makes you want to watch the video.

And, conversely, you’ve probably seen a ton of other videos that seem to have given no thought to it at all. It’s probably just some random still image from the video.

There’s a reason for that.

By default, if you don’t choose and upload a thumbnail for your video, YouTube (and other video hosts) will pick one for you from various still shots from your video. And, I’m here to tell you it’s almost certainly going to be unflattering.

If you have a person speaking in your video, it’s almost a given that the default thumbnail will include a weird or awkward facial expression.

In the example above, I uploaded a video of me recorded from my webcam. All three of the default thumbnail options show me with a weird facial expression. Plus, there’s nothing that identifies what the video is about or why anyone would want to watch it.

It’s not enticing and it’s not a professional look. And if you can’t be bothered to look like you care about how your video looks, why should I bother to watch it?

You can choose a different thumbnail from the options YouTube presents to you, but using a custom thumbnail is so much better.

You can choose a different thumbnail from the options YouTube presents to you, but using a custom thumbnail is so much better.