You’ve probably seen this thumbnail before.
And 89M people clicked on it.
Let me explain…
Curiosity
This is one of those thumbnails that you just have to click on.
Why? Curiosity.
There are 4 main ways you can build curiosity:
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The Question
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The Wow Factor
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The Cliffhanger
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The Knowledge
This has all of them.
Question → The title is a direct question you want to answer (as well as a number of other questions that arise from seeing this thumbnail).
Wow factor → It’s a pretty remarkable idea - ‘96,000,000 black balls’ is a lot.
Cliffhanger → The thumbnail is captured just as Veritasium (Derek) is about to explain why and you really want to hear what he has to say.
Knowledge → The title and thumbnail shows that the video has information available. If you want it, you’ve got to click.
89M people (at the time of writing) just couldn’t resist.
The bigger the curiosity gap, the more likely the viewer is to click.
Idea
This has sort of been mentioned above but it’s worth emphasising.
This is a fantastic idea.
It’s one of those strange things that once you’ve seen it, you need to know more.
Not only does the idea itself appeal to a massive audience (viral potential) but it’s also incredibly visual - the shot of it is just so unique, something you’ve never seen before.
Perfect for thumbnails.
Better ideas = better thumbnails.
Single-image
You’ve probably noticed, this thumbnail is just a single image.
No text, no arrows, no editing. Just the image itself.
This is what gives it viral potential - everyone can understand and trust a single image.
No text to make it confusing or lower curiosity, no particular style that puts certain audience groups off. Just an image.
When the idea is good enough (and visual enough), a single image is more than enough.
Don't add elements for the sake of it, add them because they'll make your thumbnail better.
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.