Be Genuine

First and foremost, avoid using clickbait thumbnails in your video content. We've all encountered videos where the thumbnail image didn't represent the majority of the video, or was missing entirely relevant content. This is a quick way to lose viewers and devoted subscribers.

Maintain Consistent Branding

In the cluttered world of YouTube, branding is critical. You want visitors to see a youtube thumbnail and instantly recognize the video since it has the same tone and images.

A professional YouTube branding kit is an easy way to get started. It includes all of the colours and templates you'll need to create thumbnail after thumbnail of on-brand photographs.

However, comprehensive branding is more than just colours, fonts, and logos. You should also be consistent in the photos or graphics you choose. Graphics, for example, should have a consistent illustration style. Photos should all have similar lighting and image effects with popular keywords.

Source: Neil Patel youtube playlist on Search Engine Optimization Tips and Tricks

All of these will assist people in identifying with the channel and become committed fans and subscribers. After all, the Pareto Principle states that 80% of your engagement will come from 20% of your viewers, and high engagement levels come from long-term devotion.

Put Your Face in the Picture

Humans, including introverts and extroverts, are drawn to other humans, even if it's just an image. Including a person's face in your thumbnail design immediately makes it more interesting and eye-catching.

Make sure the person's facial expression fits the tone you want to portray. If the video is humorous, they should be laughing, and if it's something down-home and warm, like a cosy cooking film, they should be smiling.

Don't Compromise With the quality

Every designer is aware of the image resolution golden rules: print graphics must be 300 dpi, while on-screen images just need to be 72 dpi. That might not be enough any more.

People nowadays browse YouTube on gigantic displays, huge TVs, and so on. They have the ability to zoom in and out as much as they desire. As a result, it's now recommended to use high-resolution photography in your custom video thumbnails so that the image appears professional and put-together to every user.

Use Few Words to Make a Big Impact

In general, the fewer words you write, the more likely it is that they will be read. If you try to cram a 20-word Video title into your Video thumbnail, you can bet that almost everyone will scroll past because it's difficult to read and aesthetically overwhelming.

The key is to keep your thumbnails to a few words and make them as captivating and enticing as possible. Your mantra is "short and punchy." Make the words stand out sufficiently in your design to be readable at a glance.

Check Brain Dean's youtube playlist - he used no more 3 words most of the time

Display the "After"

The majority of YouTube videos end with something visually appealing. For example, in a makeup tutorial, the "after" is the finished look. The "after" of a culinary video is a finished dish. The "after" of a reaction video could be the reactor's impressed or surprised reaction.

Check the video Thumbnail from Income school  : They display the result and its a great way to attract viewers

In these circumstances, include the "after" in the film since it is visually appealing and demonstrates why the viewer should click. The only exception is if doing so would result in a spoiler. For example, if your video's title boasts of a "hidden celebrity guest," don't include the celebrity in the youtube thumbnail.

Diversity and Inclusion to the Big Picture

People are more likely to be drawn to a video or other kind of media that depicts someone to whom they can relate. Consider including people of all colours, genders, and ages in your thumbnails for this purpose, as well as to aid boost overall diversity and inclusion in the design elements which also help in youtube seo.

Understand Your Audience's Preferences

Know your audience is the golden rule of marketing and design. Fortunately, YouTube makes this easier than most other forms of media.

Examine the channel's audience data to get a sense of who is watching your channel. You'll be able to examine their geographical areas, ages, and other useful information. This displays the major demographics of your fans and assists you in identifying gaps in your audience.

Check out the top channels and videos for the Potential viewers you wish to reach. Examine their thumbnails for any patterns. Do they employ vibrant colours or muted tones? Do they contain graphics, photographs, or both? What is their thumbnails' overall visual style?

Use the custom thumbnail Templates and custom thumbnail image that appear to be popular among your target audience as inspiration. Don't be too similar to them, but blend some of their aspects into your own on-brand design.

Making Clickable YouTube Thumbnails

Design work that is part of a marketing plan is a difficult game to play. You're balancing artwork with commerce, attempting to induce a precise action while remaining visually and artistically appealing. YouTube thumbnail put you on the same tightrope. The tips above can help you master thumbnails that gain video views and clicks but aren't clickbait, as well as those that are unique enough to catch the eye while remaining similar enough to develop a consistent brand.