Weekly Business Ideas - Help YouTubers Grow, Cure Loneliness or Visual Data

Human Presence: Thumbnails featuring a human face were more popular, averaging 921,000 more views than those without.

Branding Elements: Including a logo or brand name in the thumbnail led to an average of 1.2 million more views.

Title or Explanatory Text: Around 70% of the most popular thumbnails had a title or explanatory text.

Emotional Content: Videos with thumbnails expressing sadness had the highest average view count (2.3 million), compared to joy/humour (1.5 million) or anger/fear (818,000).

Colourful Imagery: Thumbnails that were vibrant and colourful tended to have more views compared to those with minimalist colour schemes.

Over 2.7 billion people access YouTube at least once a month. (source)

Approximately 70% of the content watched on YouTube is suggested by the platform's algorithm. (source)

An impressive 500 hours of video content is uploaded to YouTube every minute. Moreover, the average user spends around 11 minutes and 24 seconds on YouTube each day. (source)

As of January 2024, 10 channels have more than 100 million subscribers. 51,800 channels have over 1 million subscribers. At the same time last year, 41,900 channels had 1 million subscribers. 453,700 channels have over 100K subscribers. (source)

Thumbnail test is a software that allows you to split test different thumbnail options live on YouTube. According to Similar Web it gets around 220k visits a month. TubeBuddy also offers similar features.

Iman Gadzhi Thumbnail Tests: Iman Gadzhi has blown up on YouTube over the last 18 months. One of the major reasons he attributes to this is the thumbnail testing. He has 3 full-time people working on thumbnails - he only uploads once a week so they also split-test 5 times per video (15 options per video) for his entire back catalogue.

MrBeast is the biggest creator on YouTube and supposedly spends $150k on testing thumbnails for his videos. He is one of the reasons thumbnail testing has become such a big strategy for YouTubers. They’re constantly testing thumbnails and iterating on old videos.

Grabbing Viewer Attention: The primary challenge is creating a thumbnail that can stand out in a crowded space. YouTube hosts millions of videos, and a thumbnail must be visually appealing to grab the viewer's attention amidst a sea of content.

Conveying the Right Message: A thumbnail not only needs to attract attention but also accurately represent the content of the video. Misleading thumbnails can lead to a high bounce rate, as viewers will leave the video quickly if it doesn't match their expectations.

A/B Testing: Understanding which thumbnail works best is often a matter of trial and error. A/B testing involves creating multiple thumbnails for the same video to see which one performs better, which can be time-consuming and requires a systematic approach.

Staying Up to Date with Trends: Trends on YouTube can change rapidly. Staying current with design trends and understanding what types of thumbnails are performing well in the platform’s ever-evolving algorithm is crucial.

Lack of Design Skills or Resources: Many content creators may not have the necessary design skills or software to create effective thumbnails. This can lead to subpar thumbnails that don't engage viewers.

Time Constraints: Creating a compelling thumbnail can be time-consuming, especially when it comes to researching, designing, and testing. Content creators who need to focus on video production might find it challenging to devote adequate time to thumbnail creation.

Market Research: Analyze existing thumbnail design agencies and software, and understand market needs, trends, and gaps.

Skill Development: Acquire or enhance design skills and knowledge in YouTube SEO and A/B testing principles.

Service Development: Create a range of services tailored to different customer segments, from individual creators to large businesses.

Portfolio Creation: Develop a portfolio showcasing your best work, including case studies demonstrating successful thumbnail impact. Even if you don’t have past clients, create example work.

Website and Online Platform: Build a professional website and online platform for service offerings, client testimonials, and portfolio.

Content Marketing: Create blog posts, videos, and infographics about YouTube marketing, thumbnail importance, and case studies. Become known as the thumbnail expert on TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

SEO Strategies: Implement SEO tactics for your website to rank higher in searches related to thumbnail design and YouTube marketing.

Newsletter: Create a newsletter about growing on YouTube, this will help you build a targeted and engaged audience of potential customers.

Paid Advertising: Use Google Ads and social media ads targeting YouTubers and content creators.

Client Testimonials and Case Studies: Showcase success stories and testimonials from satisfied clients.

Online Communities: Engage in online communities and forums related to YouTube content creation and marketing.

Webinars and Workshops: Host webinars and workshops teaching effective thumbnail design and YouTube strategies.