The State of YouTube Thumbnails 2024: What's Working Now

I reviewed 1000s of top-performing, recent KZbin thumbnails to bring you: how to win with KZbin thumbnails right now, and how to increase CTR on KZbin.
PERSONALIZED HELP 📈:
My strategy for winning on KZbin: • Welcome to KZbin 202...
Business/personal consulting: radicalyt.com/
IDEATION 💡:
My SEAS method for picking winning ideas: • How to Pick KZbin Vi...
AI-backed customized-to-channel ideation + titles: vidiq.com/nateblack/
RUNNING A CHANNEL ⚙️:
The free template I made (and recommend) for running a KZbin channel (ideas, production, timeline, goals): clickup.pxf.io/c/5015775/1909...
RECORDING 🎙️:
Microphone I use in videos (I rarely do any audio processing, and the room is only lightly sound-dampened): amzn.to/47PBzvz
Mic arm for the above: amzn.to/3GjdYYi
Lav mic I've used for hundreds of videos: amzn.to/3utYCgV
Lighting really good for talking head videos: amzn.to/3uBbZw0
I also share more outside KZbin 🧡:
Instagram (behind the scenes): / thatnateblack
X/Threads (thoughts): / thatnateblack
#growonyoutube #youtubethumbnail #radicalcreator
Keep being a radical creator!

[@ThatNateBlack]

Thank you for watching! This video took a lot of time to make. Hope you find it crazy useful! Also, I keep getting requests for more help or insider dibs on roasts, so I've created a group where you can be informed when things are happening (first) here: radicalyt.com/ Scroll down on that page and join the group!

[@coolabstractart]

It's crazy useful, thank you!!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

Totally worth it, Nate! Well done, lad 👍

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

You help us Nate so I'll help you. An easy way to categorize hundreds or even thousands of thumbnails is to get those images into a android tablet, you can do multiple images in one image. Your photo app will fine all expressions in images of faces and organise automatically by that, this includes Shocked, Happy, Sad, excited, I did it a while ago very interesting.

[@TheBookSkeptic]

Thanks so much, Nate!

[@JabarisFitnessChannel]

Great video!!

[@GlamGirlGabi]

Nate, I was one of the speakers at VidSummit this year and we briefly chatted in the hallway of the convention center. I was feeling 10/10 levels of anxiety on the day that I met you (and trying very desperately to hide it lol). When I was about to walk away, you asked me if I needed a hug and it was the most impactful thing that has ever happened to me in a social situation. Considering you didn't even know me, and you sensed that I was having an internal struggle and then just took a minute out of your day to give me a hug, meant everything. It was like a hug coming out of the Universe for me. I felt exponentially better after that and I was able to perform well during my talk. I can't tell you how much it meant to me. I was looking for your email so that I could send you this message privately but I figured I would just leave it on here. Thank you for sprinkling positivity and compassion into the world. I think you are a rare and truly special human.

[@ThatNateBlack]

It's Gabi! I've been there with that you were describing, so I wanted to let you know I knew what it felt like. Would love to chat outside YT if you're ever up for it also! Feel free to send me an email

[@Richard_FitPku]

What an awesome story. That just shows an amazing character right there. As someone who who talks for a living and does presentations too we all experience that anxiety, but it seems you met the right person at the right time. Kind souls who can see emotions in others, and more importantly act on them are a rarity. We'll done nate.

[@toymanbricks]

I find thumbnail design fascinating and wish more people would make content like this. The amount of work you put into this is insane, thanks Nate!

[@BjornSummer]

The amount of work you put into your research is insanely benefitial for all content creators on youtube, Thank you so much Nate!

[@IcebergTech]

I took the advice to use faces in thumbnails pretty seriously from day 1, however my channel is of the "faceless" variety, so I had to get creative. I review PC gaming components, so I used characters from the games I tested in the video. This year I've almost completely transitioned away from including faces in thumbnails altogether, and often only use between 0 and 1 words, too. Looking at my stats, I have a CTR of 5.7% overall for 2022 compared to 5.2 this year so far - however, I've gained 3.9m views this year as opposed to only 1.8m last year

[@rustenberg3994]

Thank you for the data my friend

[@WatchMysh]

This is very interesting, thanks! :)

[@BootySweat4491]

Your thumbs are pretty clean

[@audreyfua]

You’re always so light hearted and uplifting, so refreshing and encouraging to watch!😊 I chuckle throughout and always leave your videos feeling better and more hopeful than other channels in your niche leave me feeling so thank you so much☀️

[@AfuraNefertiti]

Something I’ve noticed with channels like this is that natural looking photos never get talked about as thumbnails. A simple (not collaged) image of a person on a landscape or in a room or street for example. I’ve seen these be very effective because they invite the viewer into a scene that’s preferably actually what they will see at some point in the video.

[@LisaFrostPhoto]

Yes, I'm working on improving this for my own channel, as it seems that done well it will work best for me. Certainly, for my best performing videos this seems to be an important element.

[@LilyGazou]

I like to see beauty, simplicity. I don’t like fake dramatic faces or handfuls of cash. Or clickbait titles. Or red arrows. But viewers like me are the exception, I think. Apparently the “science” shows these to work.

[@AfuraNefertiti]

@@LisaFrostPhoto same here!

[@FermentedHomestead]

I’m always in awe of your ability to research so much! Thank you for the info, I have a ways to go on perfecting my thumbnails for sure!

[@Pokernight]

Thank you, Nate. As a growing channel that recently surpassed 100k subscribers (in a small niche), your videos are incredibly helpful as we constantly adjust our strategy.

[@soggybawsmoto]

You should put a community post out asking for people willing to share analytics, then build a database for future call off. I’d be game to furnish you with any stats you need that represent my channel size. We’ve learned so much from your channel, it wouldn’t be a problem

[@Crocheniacs]

Thank you so much for this video! I have been searching for this type of content for so long, and you cannot imagine how helpful it has been to me. It must have been time-consuming to analyze all this data, but you rocked it!

[@TrishsOrchidLife]

Thank you Nate for all the work you put into your videos like this. I for one appreciate the time and attention to the analysis of any research you do. 🌸

[@molamolalaaa2968]

As a faceless channel, I use a minimalistic approach on my thumbnails. It has worked well for me and has become a “signature” of mine.

[@Mindstormer]

Ive been doing the same for some time, actually got the idea from quinbobin but took it in new directions. I have standard thumbnail rules for myself now. Here and there i don’t follow them but i know its not going to get as much attention because of it.

[@Caleb.3473]

I'm assuming they're not commenting with their channel's account

[@molamolalaaa2968]

@@Caleb.3473You're right. I use a different account, lol

[@molamolalaaa2968]

@@TheSonicCEO This is my personal account. I use a different account for my business.

[@Bloom2Grow]

Can we see your channel?

[@learningwithlanden]

Love the quantitative nature of this video! Often, vague KZbin advice is poorly backed up with actual stats to compare my channel with. Thank you, Nate!

[@Farawaynow]

After spending so much time researching these videos it be a joy to finally hit the record button and share it. Thank you 🙏

[@DIAMONDPAINTINGMADNESS]

Love this nerdy stuff 😍 it's so fascinating when you go deeper in the details and numbers. Great video Nate 👌

[@SirTools]

You worked hard on this one, cause those numbers and information really did pull a lot of interesting ideas out. Thanks like always Nate for this amazing view on thumbnails. 🤠

[@shearfunsewing]

Yes, yes! Please give us more and more like this one!! Also, I like the new "Howdy, Howdy" on your bookcase - classy, Nate! Also, I am now actually taking notes from all your videos as I find that you give us some darned good advice I don't want to forget and I want to keep applying.

[@coolabahwoodworking]

That was the first thing I saw too 😂

[@Mindbendertrivia95]

Thankyou for making ❤this, I've constantly been learning and trying to make videos while also supplying the required information, this video has been a big help!! Also best of luck for each and every friends who is hardworking don't give-up keep posting friends

[@Nourishingminimalism]

Thanks Nate - I'm really enjoying your personality shine through!

[@HallStarGraphics]

I loved how you touched on symmetry and mentioned that the background should be a simple color or something that everyone recognizes. I keep saying that "someone" needs to create a KZbin channel that actually teaches those things.

[@HereforaMoment]

Nate...what an incredible amount of research done. Really appreciate it!Awesome stuff.

[@BossaNovaLife]

The amount of work you and your team put into your research never ceases to impress. As a guy who can only be a part-time KZbinr, I thank you so much for your effort. Thanks Nick. ;)

[@HeywoodandStuff]

Thank you so much for the work you do Nate. 🙏 appreciate you.

[@Bloom2Grow]

I’ve been saving all of Nate’s new videos to a special playlist because he’s dropping gems! I plan on watching them all and taking notes.

[@coolabstractart]

Thank you Nate! Content and value appreciated as always, love a good deep dive into the data. Loving the vibe of that intro music. Fierce 👀💯

[@ScoobzNPetz]

Hey Nate, I finally got monetised thanks to your videos!! Thank you bro! Could you make a video on what to do when you get monetised?

[@GeneaVlogger]

This was very interesting! This video has me wondering if you might notice any variation in results by categorizing the channel type. In other words, do the results vary when looking at History channel thumbnails vs Reaction channel thumbnails vs Gaming Channels vs Tech Channels (and so on)?

[@MarlenesHomeandGarden]

Thanks again Nate. Curiosity got the better of me. I noticed that your thumbnails where you smile gets the most views too! Ain't that something. Best wishes. 😊

[@AlessioQemalMaiorani]

Thank You Bro, Love Your content!

[@monicabrown7640]

Thanks as always for the vid, Nate!

[@imdemari]

Nate, your work ethic is insane man!

[@Drawn2Video]

Thank you Nate! for someone who just started a channel, this thumbnail info is super helpful 👍

[@eyesonindie]

The teaser you did in the Community post for this totally worked on me - I saw this thumbnail this morning and literally said "ooo!" out loud, because I knew it was coming. So that's a bonus tip for those of us paying attention! 😄

[@PulseswithDocMason]

Hey I followed you all the way from channel makers and Im really impressed with the research that you have done!

[@the34thStudent]

really amazing. More power to you for analyzing such huge data.

[@PETERFRITZPHOTO]

Fabulous work, Nate. As always. 👍

[@stephanieparisi]

sooo good!!!! thanks nate. just finished watching this the first time, hitting replay again, as i create my thumbnail for sunday release

[@livinoutdestiny04]

This was good Nate. Thank you for the time and info gathered for this video.

[@Georgecreations]

This was a GREAT EXPERIMENT! Well done Nate 👏

[@askadvicejr]

Thanks for the insight nate. Great video

[@karentaylorsmells]

Love the ‘fireside chat’ set up you’ve got for this channel as this is full on fireside tea!

[@DarrenMcPhee]

Love your attention to detail. Subscribed!

[@drapingclass101]

Thank you nate, im always looking forward to your videos

[@anishhallan]

Very useful video. Thanks Nate.

[@WeiseGuy91]

Thanks for all this research! Love this kind of video from you

[@QueerCatEssays]

Tasty data! thank you for doing all that research for us Nate!

[@PointlessNostalgia]

Ha! I just watched 2 other videos you did on this subject. This is wonderful! Enjoyed this and learned a few things!

[@HobbyGenix]

Nate, does the split between the formats change if you look at total views - for example what percentage of the total views had a collage format? It would be interesting to know this also, and how it changes the split. Thanks for all the hard work!

[@JoseeAlana]

Lots of food for thought and creativity. Thanks, Nate! 🥰

[@AIKnowledge2Go]

Amazing deep dive into the world of thumbnails, Nate! The level of research and analysis you put into this is unmatched. I truly appreciate how you shed light on areas often overlooked by many. Your insights are invaluable to both new and seasoned content creators. Keep up the phenomenal work!

[@ZackarySmigel]

Hey Nate, I noticed when I DONT use my face in my thumbnails my CTR is significantly higher even though I do in fact show my face and whole body in the video. Do you think its a matter of execution on the thumbnails with my face? Or maybe since my channel is so new its hard to tell? Any input would be great!

[@AthmanSeffarDesignerMarketer]

I think I can help you with this, for free of course.

[@KittiesthatGeek]

Phenomenal analysis! 👏🏽👏🏽

[@siddharthchaturvedi607]

Brother this is lot of work u did. Really appreciate and thanks for this video

[@ZachBratland]

Thank you Nate !!!!

[@StephanyCoffer]

Holy Moly I have seen so many thumbnails videos to figure out what works best, I saw that you posted this and I was like I’m gonna sit down and listen and learn, and indeed I learned something new!!! With that said, whenever you need access to my analytics, you are welcome to do so 😅

[@theeverydayachiever]

Nate… you… are… GREAT! You sir are my new fav KZbin’r! Thank you for your content!!

[@culturalapologetics]

I rewatched part of it because I got to the end and I wanted you to keep going.

[@FoodFunDiary]

Mighty hugs thanks for such great work on today's topic🤗💜awesome learning points learned today😁

[@meetaugie]

Another great video, Nate. Thank you!

[@Hitchon]

Thanks for this video! CTR has been a weakness for my channel. A lot of my videos get < 2% CTR some even < 1%. So Improving thumbnails is an area I am trying to upskill. Seeing you categorize the thumbnails was very helpful. I am going to keep experimenting with different styles you mentioned until I find what works

[@FitnesswithTara]

Very helpful! Thank you 🙏

[@katr3632]

What an awesome video super insightful. I had a recent video that performed so badly compared to my other videos and I couldn't for the life of me pick apart what caused it. Tried different thumbnails, titles etc but it just wouldn't take off at all. All your videos give food for thought for the next one

[@JamesH97Gaming]

This is the area of KZbin I struggle with especially in my niche of Arma 3 Tac-shooter MilSim side of KZbin. But I am hoping to improve as I have reached out to a friend who's also in the same niche as me so hopefully I can learn and be more confident with my thumbnails instead of relying on friends to do the most important part of the video imo. Thanks for the amazing video Nate.

[@JoesFirewoodVideos]

Thanks for the valuable information Nate.

[@SparkY0]

What I get from looking at popular thumbnails is that the same old meta-strategy still holds true: "Just trick 'em". But what do I know; My thumbnails don't matter because nobody actually sees them.

[@Horologique]

THANK YOU AGAIN NATE! Very scientific approach and I can't wait to apply them to my channel where thumbnails have been a fail

[@ShemPhilosopher1]

Thank you Nate for this video, it's really helpful. I'm watching from Rwanda.

[@LukeofAllTrades.]

I've been trying to create "live thumbnails" that transition into the rest of the video. I don't know if it really works because the thumbnails don't seem to follow these rules, but my most popular videos these days do have my face in them, so I'm going to try to do that more and see what happens. Thanks for all your hard work Nate, I appreciate the data-driven approach you take!

[@MarlenesHomeandGarden]

Excellent job as usual Nate. Always so helpful. I have some work to do. LOL. Much success to you on your channel. 😊

[@LEObondTraveller]

Well analysed Nate ... One immensely successful travel KZbinr I follow never uses any words on his Thumbnail. Just a simple screenshot of himself during the actual video. Very simple. But doing very well.Makes me think perhaps I'm trying too hard!

[@smugpotatogaming]

I would like to see the CTR on these as well. That feels like a crucial data point for the "is this thumbnail style working" question.

[@FranklyCollecting]

Keep crushing it, Nate! ❤

[@JoelRosenfeld]

love the howdy howdy there on the shelf!

[@coolabstractart]

Yes!! Love it! 🤠🤠🤠

[@angelleburrus]

Love all that you do Nate keep em coming!😁

[@drinkswithdave]

Im struggling so hard with my thumbnails... It's like you have a crystal ball, Nate. You're one of the only "YT strategy" channels I watch, and I love these vids.

[@aohamer]

Your thumbnails look top-notch to me 👌🏾 Your channel is still young, but you're perfectly positioned. Keep going ✨️

[@drinkswithdave]

Ahh thanks, I appreciate the kind words. @@aohamer

[@dokumotion]

You are a good example of something being misunderstood. Something for you to think about: What is the focus of your thumbnails? In the context of your themes and the competition, your thumbnails are just not good enough ;) Your thumbnails look too trivial and give no added value. You should ask yourself: What makes you stand out from the competition?

[@LilyGazou]

Your thumbnails are gorgeous. Delicious. I’m a photo stylist ( food and clothing and home decor, 30 years). Lighting and color and graphic design. Your lettering isn’t overdone. Here’s an idea for you- a playlist of non-alcoholic drinks, maybe even nutritious. Just as visually appealing. I’ve never understood why bars just offer seltzer or ginger ale for people who might want to avoid alcohol but want to hang out with friends. If the drinks have some complexity and variety and beauty, it could be a thing.

[@drinkswithdave]

Thanks.Mocktails are great! I plan on doing some more of those as my channel trucks along. @@LilyGazou

[@jessicandukwe]

Love how you do your research and present your ideas Nate, currently bingeing your videos as a growing creator

[@ParodyPlanet]

Thanks for the insight!

[@Elad316]

Watching brought tears to my eyes, I just admire you, god bless you 🙏🏼

[@DiabeticGameGuy]

Great video as always. Thank you.

[@fairTX]

Also, this is an amazingly structured and presented video. Great job sir

[@Itsallaboutthebuild]

Love these types of videos you do 🙌🙌🙌

[@HealthReader]

Great video, thank you for taking the time to offer this.

[@SquareUp1]

Nice one Nate 🙂. 24th Booped is mine by the way. I am faceless channel but I always try to use some sort of facial relevance in my thumbnails. Really nice deep dive in thumbnail world. Take care everyone 🙂

[@tammycoin]

I just found you the other day and you are exceptional! Your work is cool, I love your delivery and you have such kind eyes and a sweet face. Well done!

[@darkbites]

Great info as always, Nate!

[@LadysFarm]

Thanks for the Videos Nate ❤

[@keithguppy]

I do photography videos, I find myself going down a rabbit hole with YT, I have to put emotion into the thumbnail, so now I have to work out what I have to put in the video to invoke emotion, then I have to put my title to match my thumbnail, then my video is completely different that what I planned. I definitely overthink everything and do none of it 😂

[@AthmanSeffarDesignerMarketer]

I think I can help you with this, for free of course

[@alexeytretina]

Epic research! Was very interesting to watch 🔥 Want to start experimenting with thumbnails, but still want to keep consistency in all of them...

[@ramnexus]

Hi Nate. Thank you for making this video and for the advice you've given. What I learned here I applied to my new thumbnail and if the YT numbers are any indication it has helped a lot. Cheers!

[@TheOnlyTaps]

Great watch as always 👊🏿

[@whereisgabri3641]

Great analytics! The trick i use it’s thinking at the thumbnail before even start filming (i am in the travel niche). Same for the title.

[@kimberlycruises6850]

You are the best KZbin nerd! Thanks for sharing, Nate.

[@alviilmie1869]

Hi Nate!Absolutely loved that video(all the music was so awesome in it too!!!!)😁❤️

[@notafinancialadvisor69]

Holy smokes Nate that is a ton of data! Thanks for sharing your findings with everyone :)

[@dadandsondoitall]

Thank you as always for giving such great information and insights for creators. Greatly appreciated. All our best!

[@collarIDStyle]

If you watched this once, it’s worth watching at least twice. Nate, thank you for these insights!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

I absolutely love how nerdy this video is!!❤

[@howtoirfo]

Damn bro, excellent video. Thank you for all that deep detailed work, very helpful as always. I'm still doing faceless thumbnails, but so far so good 😊😊😊

[@MiloCalimlim]

Thank you! I'm still learning thumbnails at an old age. I still only have 7 subscribers but I'm thankful for them all.