A talk with my barber about my YouTube thumbnails really hit home

I was getting a haircut yesterday and my barber, Mike, said he saw my video but almost didn't click because the thumbnail looked 'too busy and like everyone else's'. He said he just wanted to see me, the guy he knows, not a bunch of arrows and shocked faces. I've been following the same 'loud thumbnail' advice for 3 years. That 30-second chat made me realize I lost my own face in the noise. Has anyone else gone back to simpler, more honest thumbnails and seen a change?

3 comments

3 Comments

jessicajackson2mo ago

Man, does this ever ring true. I fell into that same trap with my own stuff, just cramming every thumbnail with bright colors and big text because some guru said to. It felt gross, like I was yelling at people. I switched to cleaner images that actually show what the video is about, and you know what? My click through rate went up a bit, but more importantly, the people who click seem to stick around longer. It just feels better to not be part of that visual spam. How long did it take you to notice a difference after you changed your style?

wilson.kelly2mo ago

Ever notice how this happens everywhere now? Like those food blogs where you have to scroll past a giant life story to get the recipe. Or news sites with a million pop-ups. @jessicajackson, your point about the thumbnails is just a small part of it. It's all this extra noise we have to push through to get to the actual thing. Feels like everyone is shouting for a second of your time. Makes you appreciate the simple, clean stuff so much more.

sarah8292mo ago

Ugh, totally. It's like the whole internet is a crowded market now. I get the same feeling trying to buy a simple pair of socks online and the site is showing me ten pop-ups for a newsletter I don't want. You just end up feeling tired before you even get the thing you came for.