Leon Hendrix is a master of thumbnails.
And with this being his most viewed video, it's a great one to breakdown.
Let me explain...
Context
This thumbnail is a great visual representation of the idea.
It captures both ‘Pill’ and ‘Brain Boosting’ clearly by getting a closeup of the pill (which is the only effective way to do it given the size of the pill) and then using the dilated, bloodshot eye to represent ‘Brain Boosting’.
All done while remaining extremely simple and easy to understand.
Leon could have easily chosen to show the price in the thumbnail but he didn’t.
He thought emphasising the pill and the effect it was having was more visually remarkable, keeping the thumbnail simple and then using the title to give the context of the price.
The secret is finding the best visual representation of what's remarkable about your idea.
Attention
The close-up of the eye is incredibly effective at getting potential viewers' attention.
You would struggle to miss this on your homepage, it's that attention-grabbing.
Combined with the subtle enhancements of the eye (which are focused on remaining realistic) and you've got a really eye-catching (unintentional pun), intriguing shot.
Realism is important for Leon because he knows his target audience.
They are less interested in the over-the-top, heavily edited thumbnails but in the more realistic thumbnails they can trust (while remaining an interesting and unique idea).
The target audience should be the centre of every packaging decision.
Inspiration
This isn’t the first thumbnail in this style.
Leon saw this thumbnail do well in another niche and decided to adapt it to his own.
The style wasn’t overused and remained unique and unexpected, especially within the self-help niche where it hadn’t been done before.
The perfect example of stealing like an artist (in a good way).
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.