You know a thumbnail is good when it’s been copied a lot.
And this thumbnail has certainly been copied a lot.
Let me explain…
Simplicity
The thing that makes this thumbnail so good is its simplicity.
There are 3 main elements which capture the idea…
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Text
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Blocks
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Character
And absolutely nothing else.
The landscape is entirely grass, completely flat, and the sky doesn't have a single cloud.
Seems small but this thumbnail has removed all visual noise apart from what is important - the stuff that is actually going to get the click.
Keep your thumbnails simple.
Concept
Another great thing about this thumbnail is the concept.
The video itself is made up of several different Minecraft World Records, and therefore several different potential thumbnail concepts.
But the one Dom went for is perfect.
What’s remarkable about this video is how extreme some of the records are.
And this particular record does a great job of visually representing that.
It’s clear and it’s extreme, in a split second.
Identify what's remarkable about your idea and the best way to visually represent it.
Mid-action
Expanding on the above…
What makes this thumbnail work is not just the extremely long trail of blocks, but the fact that there is a character actually jumping between them.
Without that, it would literally just be a trail of blocks.
The character gives the viewer context about what is going on (someone attempting to jump between all of the blocks) and creates some tension.
It’s perfectly timed just as Dom is jumping between blocks which makes the viewer wonder, did he make it? And if you want to find out, you've got to click.
Create thumbnails that leave the viewers with questions that need to answer.
Text
Finally, the text.
It's perfect.
Getting across just how big something is in a thumbnail is extremely difficult.
But...
This is a great example of how to use text to help you.
Without it, the row of blocks looks long but nothing remarkable, especially in a thumbnail.
Adding text emphasises just how many blocks there are, making it much more remarkable (and therefore, much more clickable).
Text should be used to supplement a thumbnail, not just added for the sake of it.
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Want more?
These techniques (along with plenty more) are all explained in the Digital Bundle.
The Bundle is everything you need to make effective thumbnails and includes:
1. Digital Book
82 pages explaining exactly how to make effective thumbnails.
2. Thumbnail Worksheet
Outlines how to turn your ideas into clickable concepts.
3. Thumbnail Checklist
Check every title and thumbnail do what they need to do.
Interested? Check it out.