YouTube recently provided valuable insights into the
thumbnail creation process of one of their most successful creators, Jimmy
Donaldson, better known as MrBeast. As the platform's top individual creator
with over 150 million subscribers accumulated across his channels, MrBeast has
undoubtedly mastered the art of crafting compelling visuals that grab viewers'
attention.
Chucky Appleby, who leads thumbnail design for MrBeast,
shared insightful details into their strategic process during a lengthy
interview. One of Appleby's primary philosophies is establishing audience trust
through consistency and clarity in the thumbnails. Viewers need to feel
confident that the visual being promoted accurately represents what will unfold
in the video itself.
To achieve this, MrBeast ensures there is a direct
connection between each thumbnail and the opening moments of its corresponding
video. Appleby notes they aim to fulfill any expectations set by the thumbnail
very quickly upon viewers clicking to engage and start watching. This allows
the content to deliver on the promised experience upfront before attention can
be lost.
Consistency in branding is another crucial element according
to Appleby. By centering the visual identity of MrBeast's videos predominantly
around Jimmy Donaldson's recognizable face, viewers familiar with previous
videos will easily recognize him and associate positive past experiences. This
aids in the discoverability and encourages clicks from those familiar with the
creator's proven track record of quality content.
Testing also plays a big role in MrBeast's process. Appleby
shared they typically generate around 50 different thumbnail concepts for each
individual video initially. From there, they utilize YouTube's built-in A/B
testing capabilities accessible through the platform's SMM panel to identify
which variations perform best at attracting and retaining viewers. One example
Appleby highlighted was discovering - somewhat surprisingly - that thumbnails
depicting Donaldson smiling with his mouth closed consistently outperformed
other expressions.
Beyond just testing facial expressions, the team experiments
with myriad other elements as well. Some examples Appleby mentioned tweaking
include changing the colors of shirts Donaldson wears, posing him in suits
versus casual clothing, incorporating the MrBeast logo more prominently, and
altering background scenery details. All of these minor adjustments provide
further data when A/B tested to optimize for maximum viewer impact.
Paying close attention to visual clarity and simplicity from
varied sized perspectives is another area Appleby advises. When designing
within software like Photoshop on large screens, it's easy to get caught up in
intricate details. However, thumbnails appear much smaller within YouTube's
interface, so unnecessary clutter needs to be avoided. Only the most prominent
elements should remain clearly identifiable from compressed thumbnail sizes.
Overall, Appleby's insights provide invaluable best
practices for any YouTube creator looking to boost performance. Taking the time
to thoughtfully craft and rigorously test multiple thumbnail iterations is
proven to drive results according to MrBeast's data-backed approach.
Consistency in visual branding and fulfilling promises of what the thumbnail
conveys also builds important trust over the long run.
Whether your goals align with MrBeast's massive scale or you
simply seek steady incremental growth, applying these optimization strategies
will certainly enhance discoverability and viewership for your channel. Be sure
to also check out services through Great SMM, where our expert team can help
boost your online presence across all major social platforms through dedicated
promotional campaigns managed through our user-friendly SMM panel interface.