Thumbnails: Why you need them and how to make them
5 October 2021
How do you get your videos noticed on social media?
Well one thing many people forget to do is to create a thumbnail. This is the static image that appears when you first discover a video in your timeline. Think of it like an advert for your video in much the same way that a movie has a poster to promote it.
So let's find out why you need one and, more importantly, what elements make up a good one.
Why do you need a thumbnail?
On most social media channels your video won't auto play when someone discovers it. If you don't add a thumbnail then Facebook for example will just choose a random frame from your video which usually means the first thing people see is you pulling some hideous face or at the best you'll get an image which offers the viewer no clue about the content of the video.
Upshot is if someone is scrolling through their Facebook feed and comes across your video they are more likely to keep on scrolling because you're not telling them what your video is about.
However, you can create a graphic like the one above that you can upload at the same time as you upload your video. Then instead of people seeing some hideous face, they get a graphic that clearly illustrates what they'll get if they click play.
What to put in your thumbnail.
I've put four key elements on this thumbnail that maximise the potential of someone actually clicking play.
A clear title
Remember, your viewer will be spending mere seconds in front of your thumbnail image so you will want to be blatantly obvious with your title so there's no illusion about the content. So spell it out clearly using as few words as possible. Also think about what type of title might want to make them click play in the first place.
A clear typeface
Your title should be super easy to read too. So go for an uncomplicated typeface and go for contrasting colours so your title really stands out. Remember you don't have long to get your viewer's attention so you'll want to make it as easy as possible for people to read your title in the shortest time possible.
A pretty face
OK, before you say it I know I'm no Chris Hemsworth but it's important to have my face on my thumbnail images. For starters, faces perform better in thumbnails than anything else and if my face is in every one of my thumbnails it makes all the thumbnails for my videos look similar. Which brings me on to ...
Make your thumbnails all look similar
Go for the same font, the same colours, the same layout on all of your thumbnails. If someone bumps into one of your videos and watches it they are more likely to watch another one if they come across one. So if it's instantly familiar you'll have more chance of getting their attention over and over again.
Is this all a little confusing?
There's a lot to take in here but in a nutshell your video will perform better if you add a thumbnail and make it a good one. Places like Canva or Adobe Spark are great places to find templates and get some inspiration.
If you need a little more help understanding how to do all this stuff easily well you're in luck because that's what I do. My coaching workshops can take in all aspects of video making from pre-production to presenting, editing and posting on social media. Each day is bespoke to your needs and it doesn't have to cost the earth either.
Click on the link below to explore the different ways my coaching workshops can help you and of course, come and say hi if you would like to ask me a few questions.
Producing music videos during the Covid pandemic was a bit like cooking with half the ingredients missing—you had to get creative, or go hungry. I ended up doing it three times, and with each attempt the projects got braver, stranger, and more ambitious. This one, though? This might just be my favourite. Not only because of the final result, but because of the inspiration (and a few happy accidents) that shaped it.
Yep, you read that right. Every year I produce one music video for free and now is the time. If you'd like that video to be yours ... keep reading. I've now done this for three years and below you can see previous winners Molly Chadwick, EM Kane and Anthony Hughes. Take a look and then scroll down to read more about the competition, how to enter and a little more about our approach to promoting your music.
I'm comfortable with music streaming. It's here to stay now, we've gone too far. In fact we've gone very far. When you consider that illegal downloading from the likes of Limewire and Napster began in the early 2000's, there's now a generation of people who don't know another way. But things have moved on and recently they moved in a direction I'm really not comfortable with.