At the time of writing, this video just crossed 200 million views.
You only get 200 million views if you have an extremely good thumbnail.
Let me explain…
Attention
This thumbnail does a great job of getting your attention.
How?
Mainly through the face - as humans, we're drawn to faces.
This one is well-sized (clear) and very expressive (tension) which is essential for it to work.
On top of that, the hand almost feels like it’s coming out of the thumbnail, drawing you in.
And the green grass just gives the thumbnail some colour and frames MrBeast perfectly.
If you don't get the viewer's attention, they won't even know your video exists.
Simplicity
There are a few different ways MrBeast could have visually represented being buried alive.
But this is without a doubt the most simple and effective.
It captures it in 3 main elements that are all very easy to understand:
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MrBeast
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The Coffin
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‘DAY #2’
All of these work together to capture the idea of being buried alive for 50 hours perfectly.
Capture what's remarkable about your idea in the most simple way possible.
Idea
Let’s not look past the idea.
MrBeast buried himself for 50 hours. I mean, come on.
When the idea is so extreme, a thumbnail that clearly visually represents it (being buried alive) and a title that effectively brings it all together is going to do very well.
It's so extreme, people just have to watch.
Better ideas = better thumbnails
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.