What should you consider when creating a custom thumbnail for your YouTube channel?

First, let’s figure out what a thumbnail is. It is a preview image which the user sees before clicking on the video. It is like the cover of a magazine, by looking at which people decide whether to purchase it or not. With a poorly thought out thumbnail, there is a possibility that your video will be ignored. As the consequence, there will be no interaction with your channel. No subscribers, likes and reposts. In this article we will talk about more in detail about the necessity of making a custom thumbnail and the usage of a free thumbnail maker. With this tool you can significantly push your content into recommendations and promote your channel. 

How to increase the interaction with your YouTube channel with a thumbnail

While the average user is looking for something on YouTube they unconsciously pay attention to the visual part. A high-quality picture with descriptive text will be chosen over a random screenshot from the video. There are some rules to consider while making a thumbnail:

• The picture should be of high quality, as mentioned before – the recommended YouTube dimensions are: 1200×720 px. The size of the image should be under 2 MB, saved in JPEG, PNG, GIF or BMP formats.
• A good thumbnail should tell a story behind the video, not create a new one – don’t try to write a provocative headline, of course, people will click on it. But seeing that the video doesn’t represent the idea behind the thumbnail your videos will quickly lose their popularity. By building trust with your audience you can get more followers.
• Choose a brand color for your channel and logo – the same template for each video will help your users to understand that this content was made by you. Using a template will make your videos look more professional.
• Read the YouTube Terms of Service – the thumbnail should not be stolen from another channel. Also, there should not be any nudity, violence or any other shocking content in the preview. By breaking the rules, your channel will be suspended. 

It is worth mentioning what you should not do while making a thumbnail. Don’t try to put way too much text or elements on your preview. Smiles, play buttons, arrows work if added in moderate quantities. Otherwise, the viewers may be confused about what they see and click on the next video. 

Creating a preview with a thumbnail maker

It is complicated to create a good thumbnail by yourself. That is why there are plenty of services that can help you to quickly make what you need. For instance, like create.vista.com. It is a huge library of different templates for social media, including YouTube with an editor to adjust it for your needs. All you have to do is:

1. Register.
2. Choose the needed template.
3. Open it in editor, read a quick guide on how to use it. 
4. Add text or change the background, delete or add new elements. 
5. Save your work, upload it to YouTube. 

Now you know what thumbnails are and how to make them. This knowledge can bring you new subscribers and help you grow the channel.