The YouTube Thumbnail Metagame

[@EmperorLemon]

Special thanks to Raycon for continuing to throw around money during these tough times. buyraycon.com/emplemon It's good to finally upload a shorter video for once. I'm gonna try to do a few more like this before I tackle the next big project.

[@sweetmelon3296]

hi papa

[@Bro3256Films]

Cool cool

[@irjer]

Ok

[@kingofthebungle8612]

Why dont you ever hse your discord??

[@ultimaoculis6389]

thanks again for the sick videos emplemon!

[@Flynn217something]

The red boarder also hides the red ‘watched’ bar KZbin puts on previously viewed videos making you question if you’ve seen the video before and thus more likely to click on it again. Evil genius.

[@art-cs6us]

Ehh actually its the opposite. A bunch of people who use the red thumbnail outline thing unintentionnaly remove some of their views because of it, because subscribers thought they already seen them and thus leads to lower views.

[@Janfon1]

@@art-cs6us That's what we call a double edge sword

[@tenacity25]

tbh that thing doesn't show up for me half the time anyways

[@Guru_1092]

@@tenacity25 Oh boy! A broken feature on KZbin. What's new?

[@IgnatRemizov]

@@tenacity25 it's because the watch time history only goes back by about 5000 videos. As you keep watching new videos, KZbin looses track of those earlier watched videos. Because why should they keep data about something you saw a month ago? The only permament personal metric is comments you've left and likes/dislikes on videos.

[@ImKibitz]

The changing thumbnail meta is as follows: 1. The first thumbnail you upload is focused on drawing in your current subscribers 2. After the first 24 hours change it to something that's more relatable to a wider audience 3. After 48 hours - 1 week, change it to a highly generic thumbnail that can capture a super wide audience. The purpose is to change thumbnails based on KZbin's recommendation algorithm because it first pushes your videos to your closest fans and the video gets a high CTR and watch time it pushes the video to a wider and wider audience. This is why people change their thumbnails so much.

[@kaws6231]

This is a perfect utilization of thumbnail changing, so much so that I might use this when I make a channel, thanks!

[@Guru_1092]

Honestly I'm not even mad about that. I just wish thumbnail revisions were saved somewhere.

[@justnobody5527]

Some times when people change there thumbnails I click on it more than once then I learn Ive already saw it. Im not a fan honestly but it makes sense to widen audiences

[@1996Pinocchio]

Sometimes I click on a video I haven't seen just to find out that I actually already watched it, but the title and thumbnail changed. That's why I'm not subscribed to Vsauce2 anymore

[@horusdaog]

Red arrows!

[@ObservationofLimits]

When I see - "Eccentric facial expression on an oversaturated background" I just think... yep, next.

[@theforgot3n1]

Holy moly I cannot agree more

[@nonamea9177]

Indeed. I can’t see the drive to make your thumbnail look as obnoxious as possible

[@imbuffysummers]

My reaction: if I click this youtube will think im part of the Paul brother fandom and begin recommending videos accordingly * clicks 3 dots then aggressively selects option “🚫not interested” *

[@mc-ps-playa5569]

Doesn’t matter, little children eat that shit up

[@promisnwekenta9703]

@@mc-ps-playa5569 and the parents allow this crap....sad

[@Therworldtube]

This should be a "KZbin Metagame" series. Add in the 'empty subs' theory

[@trumpcardmaster9040]

You mean pile them up together with the Copyright Trilogy?

[@алексейЦыплёнков-ф6о]

he already talked about this before through :/

[@madeofmandrake1748]

That won't happen simply because of the videos he already made *not* being in the series, along with the idea of it being a 'series' limits Emp's creative process. Remember minute meme? Something so small, yet it never got more than 10 episodes. I say let him continue being our youtube historian, and let his channel be the playlist as a look into the life and times of youtube as a platform. -Plus he already has KZbin Geographic, Never Ever and maybe even Meme Theory as ongoing series, let him keep some content separate as he chooses. Make your own playlist if you like, but let us not limit Emp's genius by making him paint within the lines of a series.

[@ShakamuraGames]

KZbin geography

[@алексейЦыплёнков-ф6о]

@@madeofmandrake1748 good man

[@defaulted9485]

EmpLemon : "Here's the why and how to make a thumbnail." Also EmpLemon : *Uses eyebleeding colors and unworldly unorthodox memetic designs*

[@derps6201]

and it works

[@RoyalRust]

Gotta know the rules to break them successfully

[@SC-ce3vp]

And my eyes melted

[@irok1]

That's why I'm here, at least

[@doom5895]

did you watch the video to the end?

[@Sieztt]

The thumbnail you showed at 1:20 is an outstanding example. Recognized it instantly as the Majora's Mask video from Nerrel, there really is something about it that makes it stand out so much.

[@zachcarter1116]

I’m not sure what makes it stand out so much. It was the first Nerrel video I ever watched and I clicked on it purely because of how odd the thumbnail looked and judging from the views many other people did too.

[@Name_cannot_be_blank]

i did cause i knew MM and like it very much and someone making a video on it makes me happy, but i have to agree that that thumbnail is just great!

[@mach6247]

Virgin custom thumbnail vs. Chad auto-selecting a single frame from the video

[@aAaAAA-ppgg]

vs. No-thumbnail Master Race

[@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502]

@@aAaAAA-ppgg vs no videos gods.

[@binderstonkeyes7172]

a human being from the earth vs no youtube account monks

[@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502]

@@binderstonkeyes7172 no internet super-gods.

[@dio.8598]

@@ahumanbeingfromtheearth1502 not alive superhumans

[@j22s]

Guys I can attest to the fact that thumbnails are incredibly important. You won't believe how many people don't talk to me because I don't trim mine. They are about 5 inches long now

[@Whynotmini]

ayylit666 id like to invest in this comment real quick

[@j22s]

@@Whynotmini yeah I'm launching the IPO right now so nows a great time

[@ghoulbuster1]

-2

[@TwistZero]

@@ghoulbuster1 MINUS FIVE STARS

[@cowmoo5596]

Investing

[@JJMcCullough]

I definitely had a good experience changing one of my thumbnails. I have a video called "Recycling is a scam" that originally had a much more complicated thumbnail. Now, it's a very simple thumbnail that focuses mostly on a single image: a recycling bin. And after the change, the views of that video skyrocketed making it one of my most popular of 2019. Now that said, I also dramatically changed the title of the video, so it's hard to know how much credit to give the thumbnail.

[@nickarmitt4722]

Tbh I wouldn't trust anyone that says UK is against the metric system. Nowhere said 6ft in the UK as 2m is not 6ft. 1.82m is 6ft. I mean the metric system is base 10. That is all. You miss that whole point. Imperial like inches and feet arent. you not noticed that? Its decimalised not fractions... Plonks? You mean Planck's constant... Wow. And now we get to the Brit part. First off you mean England, Wales and NI. Scotland has it's own laws and rules. So for a start like a good North American cumstained fucktard you get that wrong... Not only do you look like a toilet brush but you have the same brains. WOWOWOWOWOW. Ok we broke it... So if I look at my milk it will be in pint? .... Nope just checked. 2 Litres. So if I go look at my last amazon delivery the weight will be in pounds? ... Nope just checked. in KG. Look it's been metric in the UK since the 70s. The only thing that isn't is speed of a car and distance. We still use miles and we use mph. But we measure our height in metres. We measure liquid in litres. We wight stuff in grams and KG. Please people don't watch his video. I don't know anyone under 60 that understands imperial in England. Metric is the system taught and has been for 50 years. This is why people hate the canadians just as much as the yanks. Yanks admit they are arrogant know-it-all cunts that are actually ignorant. Canadians think they are different... You aren't. Look at you telling English people that we use imperial when we dont. Even our money is weighted metric. A 2p being 3.5 grams. This is like making a video saying Canada is tech backwards because 300 years ago it had nothing and I don't live there but since 300 years ago it was nothing I am sure it is still nothing. Or like me making a video about all Canadian police being shit because they don't use cars as they are all "mounted" police. It would be wrong, fallacious and dumb. Just like your vids. Sad really.

[@somerandomnon9161]

jj?

[@themanwiththegoldengooch9811]

I never expected to see you here J.J. But it's a welcome surprise

[@AudioEsoterixxx]

Didn’t expect to see you here, JJ

[@carlitonoid1117]

hey I know this guy

[@DanGheesling]

9:50 "Your face is meaningless."

[@ZAP0161]

Minkus

[@Regigigas777]

Don't worry, Dan. Emp is just sleeping on the greatest content creator the world has ever known. He'll come around. They always do.

[@valletas]

Who the hell are you?

[@emerald3616]

D N A

[@GatorThyMe]

tfw you step outside of the nlss meta for one second and lose your D N A status

[@KarolusImperator]

I think one good example of KZbin thumbnails is Ahoy's "Iconic Arms" series. An outline of a firearm that is easily recognizable, both in reality and in video games, with both the weapon and the backround using a colour palette found on the weapon's country of origin's flag.

[@gregorystratman1300]

Facts

[@m4d_al3x]

true

[@gljames24]

RetroAhoy's video quality is top notch!

[@TheWizardofSpeedandTime]

Why did I think of actual human limbs instead :^(

[@SivaExperiment]

i would have to agree with you there what personaly drew me in to those videos was the outlines of firearms I either heard of and never seen or seen but never heard of

[@ProtoMario]

Lmao that GameTheory thumbnail

[@popfox2195]

Which one?

[@Panzerrama]

@@popfox2195 the "Luigi exposed" one. Its at the start

[@WarioGamingReal]

*M E A S U R E H I M*

[@rememberprods.andfriends4507]

Hope you're doing well

[@bruhfiller9718]

5:23 when u visit the planet of demonitization

[@SpikeSketches]

Honestly I’m glad rebel taxi was mentioned because to me he’s the best when it comes to graphic design thumbnails, sure it’s not the best for getting clicks but it’s stylistically consist, establishing the style of the channel

[@AnomalySource]

Agreed

[@CoolioMaister]

Too bad he's trying act as a normie while not embracing his goth body-pillows when he records his dim lit room.

[@HeilRay]

Can always look at a r3beltaxi thumb and tell it’s his.

[@HeilRay]

Coolio M Emphasis on acting. That cringe slips through the cracks beautifully.

[@YehudiNimol]

I'm always on dark mode so I never noticed it anyways lol

[@febreeze4655]

I remember a period in youtube history where people were seemingly getting away with the thumbnails being straight up uncensored family guy porn

[@tidyheidi9143]

You just unlocked a part of my memory that I didn't need to revist

[@targitausrithux2320]

Febreeze That’s still a thing but with actual porn... KZbin doesn’t do a good job funnily enough where they should

[@im_EBokay]

wasn’t that in 2016 or something lmao

[@EnaTenkiyoGamer]

Dem good ol days that was before our time!

[@T_PTSD]

Oh yeah i remember there were also Simpson ones

[@CZsWorld]

I'd like to see someone explore the best bad thumbnails. Like Keemstar's videos. They look terrible, and he could easily afford a graphic designer, but they are recognizable and they work.

[@davitdavid7165]

You can say he went all in on branding.

[@snapchatsnacks3154]

My first time jizing

[@gloverelaxis]

the Twitter account @YtThumbnails is fucking hilarious. most of the really good ones in this video are taken from there. it's my favourite new follow

[@vapewizard3260]

radiates boomer energy for sure

[@Helperbot-2000]

Veeing terrible like the show itself

[@Thekakarote96]

I think it's safe to say emplemon is our youtube historian.

[@matthegarty6235]

@Egg T He's the general internet historian. EmpLemons a specialist...in KZbin.

[@gabewilliams380]

A urologist if you will

[@UnordinaryCarl]

EmpLemon is a specialist for SuZzanio youtube like national geographic but like internet historian.

[@drewinsur7321]

@@matthegarty6235 and lets not ever forget, our brother in arms: "Fredrik Knudsen" he's our dark web internet Big Brother.

[@nicholaskremin4987]

He serves our specific niche very well that’s for sure

[@TemoKuntchulia]

What they show at 7 pm: internet historian At midnight: emplemon At 4 am: internet historian *incognito mode*

[@Avolition617]

ლმაო

[@thehonorablereverendaddiso1943]

Sorry, but Emplemon < Internet Historian

[@BigWheel.]

5:30 am king of the hill then it goes back to cartoon network

[@4rtie]

5 PM: Nerd City

[@drewinsur7321]

24/7/365 at narcotics anonymous: ssethtzeentach

[@davidkonevky7372]

Every video that it's on trending be like: ➡️⭕️ 😱

[@sexyyoda7567]

Tru dat

[@dermotmeaney]

Ya that's sadly the case

[@ihateminions3900]

[3 AM. ⭕ 👹 ] | ↗️ 🧥 | | 🤯 👖 | [ 🖐️👕🖐️ ]

[@KasuyaIceKarz2000]

​@@ihateminions3900 Thank you for this masterpiece.

[@ihateminions3900]

@@KasuyaIceKarz2000 thanks mate, its supposed to replicate the thumbnail of 3AM videos :)

[@kemasuk]

Raycon's logo totally looks like it would fit as a character's game icon for Smash.

[@dotFLAA]

the r is for rayman

[@menacingthinker4322]

@@dotFLAA sandbag for smash

[@dotFLAA]

@@menacingthinker4322 you'll love ssf2

[@viltsunr1474]

Raycon sucks Sony has better ones and ARE cheaper smh

[@amethystpenguin3924]

@@viltsunr1474 Ok Boomer

[@Dionysus56]

That was one of the sneakiest ad placements and transitions ever. Gg

[@bowldawg4394]

That felt like being hit by a truck you were directly looking at, but not expecting to be hit regardless.

[@dbchoobie1924]

This doesn’t only help KZbinrs but musicians as well. Thank you.

[@PickSurprise]

Kitty0706 was included in this vid 🙏 may He rest in peace 🙏

[@soul1059]

where

[@billnill1587]

he’s dead???????????????

[@PickSurprise]

@@billnill1587 yeah he died of leukaemia about 5 years ago

[@PickSurprise]

@@soul1059 1:35

[@nikoyay]

What a legend... R.I.P.

[@jacobtietjen2099]

“Haha funny picture I click” - Viewer

[@drawkiain]

"Nn-nooooO!! You have to appreciate the visual design and symbolic aspects of this carefully crafted thumbnail!!!!!"

[@paolo2763]

"OMFG! Look how low his jaw is! Some really fucked up stuff is happening in there!"

[@odekipalace]

"Ha red circles and red arrows"

[@TheWizardofSpeedandTime]

Haha boobies. me like, me click

[@mr.rad-guy3767]

"Haha I am a simple man, I see (blank) and I click haha."

[@oweneckert8474]

Kraut has the best thumbnails in my opinion hands down. Beautiful hand drawn artwork that actually convinces you to watch an hour+ long video.

[@henrycrabs3497]

3 likes lmao

[@cerealORRH]

@@henrycrabs349726 now

[@Niklas.K95]

The old "Gran Turismo" music gets me evertime

[@YegoYTP]

Same.

[@lowlypowered3071]

Same.

[@KingLich451]

i love em

[@FartKnight_BattleAss]

Old?

[@Niklas.K95]

@@FartKnight_BattleAss i was 4 when GT2 released. Tbh there was some GT4 today.

[@yuiotj]

See when you showed Dan Gheesling's thumbnail in the section where you talk about the face's recognizability, I recognized him immediately.

[@ZAP0161]

Both from BB10 an northernlions streams/videos

[@JxqGames]

@@ZAP0161 Or you know, his own streams/videos...

[@richardwatson1254]

@@JxqGames/videos nah, never heard of him apart from nl

[@Tubeytime]

@@JxqGames I wouldn't know him if not for NL. Give the guy credit, yes, but also give the other guy credit.

[@erico2952]

I was kinda shocked when I saw that honestly.

[@Diwasho]

You forgot to mention how often thumbnail designers make the mistake of putting text in the bottom right corner without realizing it will be partially obscured by the time/duration indicator and thus impossible to read. Never put anything in the bottom right corner!

[@Regigigas777]

"The old days of KZbin" as I hear Forest Maze in the background. The most appropriate song to accompany the segment.

[@Mr_Fancypants]

Really? I would go with; " Let the bodies hit the floor "

[@mossyrock_1]

@@Mr_Fancypants Sorry to tell you this, but that would be a really bad decision not gonna lie.

[@SC-ce3vp]

@@mossyrock_1 but have you tried it tho?

[@theactualTVB]

I was thinking more of either "Through the Fire and Flames" or "Hey There Delilah."

[@brandonporter8509]

Mr. Fancypants sure but then it gets taken down and replaced with 009 sound system dreamscape

[@alexrexaros9837]

I swear the Racist Mario thumbnail always triggered me some feelings that even Azathoth the blind idiot god couldn't describe.

[@calb6109]

I can relate

[@sneedclavehere8918]

"Dude! What if Mario was violent lol" "Dude, BOOBS" The absolute state of KZbin animation

[@bringmeadream483]

Paul 27/02 Christ's Soldier racist Mario is from like 2013

[@Danka997]

are you referring before or after the coverup?

[@alexrexaros9837]

@@Danka997 Before or After, it's just as rage inducing.

[@throwaway4947]

4:22 Waldo is to the left of the red-striped stand, behind the man reading neswpaper. Odlaw is hiding behind the second blue-striped stand on the left.

[@DuckInGameStop]

I just realized while reading this comment that Odlaw is Waldo backwards

[@YeahOkayGavin]

I'm glad kitty0706 was featured here. It makes me happy to see that even so long after he died people still come back to his channel to see how much he cared about it.

[@kindaepicngl1671]

:(

[@lukassisu9919]

Rest in peace, Kitty.

[@carsontroeh127]

Kitty is someone who absolutely should not be forgotten. His career is extremely remarkable because he died before anyone had a chance to ruin his reputation or ruin his own by causing controversy. He was a pioneer and died a legend. I don't say this because he died, I just think the course of his youtube tenure was as close to perfect as you get. Literally everyone loves him because he made amazing videos, not because he died.

[@snubcube]

@@carsontroeh127 I don't see what makes his videos so special.

[@CraftyChicken91]

@@snubcube Just not special for you homie.

[@TheNatedogg56]

“But your brain did” Quality reference right there.

[@lightblue254]

Can you explain the reference?

[@indigo3796]

@@lightblue254 kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKK8qWOZpt5jjaM

[@ViCPPCiV]

Ooooh yes

[@bighugejake]

It's like poetry. It rhymes.

[@Wrigley953]

Is that the guy from the smiling friends pilot?

[@werter876]

i always enjoy Ahoy's thumbnails, some of the best i've seen on the platform.

[@Snositi]

i agree

[@tenbeat]

9:52 RIP Dan Gheesling. LET'S GO.

[@hamaczech13]

minkus

[@Luke_Barz]

I can't believe the Big Brother champion and social engineering mastermind Dan was snubbed like that.

[@Ultimus998]

3:09 We can see Ringo, Paul, Minkus, and Paul.

[@Kokonutzlz]

Kinda dying seeing him there, Emp must think he's some sort of small Minecraft Letsplayer when MC is so far from what he's known for

[@kyozm4909]

Imagine being a big brother winner and getting a ? :pensive: dangBruh

[@decoy8198]

Dan 'the man' Gheesling has a face I never DON'T want to see😍

[@idfrigginkman]

THIS IS NEW TECH

[@Poodle666]

Cameron Thayer GOOD EATS

[@20102010b]

DNA

[@bluline.]

Best big brother player, nlss member, and streamer of all time. Pleasies

[@MANTHELEXUS]

Empleomon sounds like a modern artist explaining a fully black canvas to people.

[@noahramsey]

An Emplemon video is just one of those things that you have to put everything down before watching.

[@Holdenheroofheroes]

I literally did that exact thing

[@Yuti640]

Exactly

[@oneshotw1z630]

I was in the middle of modding a game, and when I saw a video notif from EmpLemon, I immediately clicked on the video without thinking about it

[@palerider9952]

Same, I was about to play Saints Row; but I had to put it on hold once that notif popped up

[@FatallyParasocial]

Psychic

[@TheArcticShockHD]

I’m so glad you showed asamsaus as an example. That guy not only makes really good videos, but also is incredible at his thumbnail game

[@Alexpc1276]

*_"Make yourselves comfortable" - EmpLemon 2020_*

[@neonbelly4]

thats copyright strike 1 sir

[@lovelydolltime8006]

Demonetized (pun intended).

[@jacobrzeszewski6527]

Copyright strike two from WMG

[@dallasgaben9600]

I saw a comment on how there should be a "there will never be" for team fortress 2 I beg you Templeton please make this

[@Ben-mv5zz]

Tf2 gang rise up

[@kubz1570]

Not just you mate... WE beg you!

[@алексейЦыплёнков-ф6о]

meeem!

[@MatMart]

He will make a video on Star so yeah there will be a video on TF2

[@MinuteMovies1]

I literally study your videos

[@Jakewebmaster8]

Do you now?

[@Trixiethegoldenwitch]

Thumbnail-changing absolutely works. I've had several videos that caught massive second winds months or even years later within a short period after I changed their thumbnails to look better. I would say it's always worth reworking them if you think they might suck.

[@progunjack5556]

322k channel with no verification? TF

[@obscurus4339]

It happens sometimes.

[@drgabe2908]

Me: Haha pretty picture go click My brain: To be fair, you need a very high IQ to understand the subtle humor of thisbthumbnail

[@JennaEmbers]

This video was so helpful, thank you!

[@anonymousanonymous-cl8nr]

The persona music is so relaxing to have in the background

[@chlomance]

hell yeah brother

[@ninelivesstealer]

Everybody relaxing to Persona music until「Mass Destruction」kicks in

[@superkamiguru1324]

ninelivesstealer BABYBABYBABYBABY

[@tourdealtomare]

The Mario Paint/RPG/Kart music was also pleasant.

[@conqueror_alex927]

Hello Emp. At 1:49 in the video, I admire your usage of Wingdings to create the text "downward spiral." Bravo.

[@Ramsey276one]

DaggerFine Gaster claps his approval FROM SOMEWHERE

[@crooked9210]

When I was doing KZbin in the past thumbnails were one of my greatest abilities. It's always been my favorite part of making videos. People tend to underestimate just how important they really are

[@GravityPSI]

Literally anything happens. KZbinrs: •O•

[@suezuccati304]

*insert hysterical Redditor face here

[@SommerSen]

What about Cr1tikal (penguinz0): he uses default frames for thumbnails, but since he is great at putting titles on his videos and he's known for making good content it doesn't matter

[@gkraith2995]

There is always exceptions to the rules. But yes the main eye catcher are the titles not the thumbnail.

[@huntmcdede1238]

I think that he’s famous enough that his face is immediately recognizable; also, the default thumbnail is more of a unique style nowadays, because most KZbinrs put effort into their thumbnails to make them look brighter. Tie this in with the idea that your thumbnail should represent your video- which it does perfectly; both thumbnail and video have little to no editing and feel more casual- and you have a good thumbnail there.

[@Maddiedoggie]

He's so hot that we just click on his videos because that's how hot he is.

[@jonathancottrill9729]

A n t i m e t a

[@lovelydolltime8006]

@@Maddiedoggie And Microwave Pasta.

[@kaargen]

These days I find that the short clip from hovering over the thumbnail tells me far more than the thumbnail itself.

[@Blu-Meanie]

When are we getting a Never Ever on TF2

[@hamaczech13]

yeah

[@mat6022]

Bruh can we just get community servers back, like matchmaking was the worst thing to happen to multiplayer games

[@Jayjay-vi9jk]

The downward spiral works in mysterious ways my guy.

[@ninesalive]

There will never ever be another tf2 update

[@Pikmin012]

Too many people have already made "never ever" style videos for TF2 already. LazyPurple's "TF2 is a Timeless Masterpiece" for example.

[@Pineapple-hx9ty]

after making what is essentially full length feature films I'm glad Emp was able to get a sponsor with something that isn't raid garbage legends.

[@Suzy9MM]

Ngl, I was drawn in by the thumbnail for Operation Red Herring, that video brought me back to your channel after a break. Nice psychology there Emp.

[@ThePiti180]

If only kitty could live till this moment to see his video being a part and subject of a video essay... True legend, you'll stay forever in our minds.

[@justiceforjoggers2897]

Unfortunately I don't know who that is

[@bowserfriend]

@@justiceforjoggers2897 it's the guy who made that team fortress gmod thumbnail near the 1/3rd mark of the vid, he died almost a decade ago. Both the gmod and tf2 community loves his videos and he brought a lot of joy The video thumbnail is for the video named team fabulous 2

[@justiceforjoggers2897]

@@bowserfriend Oooohhhh, oh jeez I just remember Team Fabulous 2 :(

[@videoguysnation]

"For smaller channels, your face is kind of meaningless" >shows thumbnail from Dan Gheesling, actual reality TV celebrity I like it

[@lucifersam01]

After seeing your video, honestly, if he ever comes back and say "nah, I just did it for the lulz" I would still believe him. Would even say that's some grade-A level of trolling.

[@etrs]

Who?

[@AlinaAniretake]

@@etrs Grade A Under A. Never heard of this youtuber?

[@doofs]

8:32 Nick Robinson's been pulling this tactic for the past year or so to great success. I don't think it's _directly_ affecting the algorithm, but it definitely effects who clicks on the video itself. People who weren't interested click on the video with the new thumbnail, and all of the sudden traffic makes youtube push the video a little bit more.

[@spirits1314]

imagine a "They will never ever be" a game like Team fortress 2

[@chromso]

i need this valve pls update tf2

[@bremensims6086]

I just started playing and I'm very paranoid the servers are gonna get shut down like tomorrow or some shit lol.

[@noahmay7708]

Sounds... yummy.

[@ebenuke]

he'd probably do minecraft first

[@latenightspecialist5879]

I think that video might come soon as the game’s source code has been leaked. And you can only play if you want viruses.

[@ChristianTheChicken]

Ayy AsumSaus. He's one of the best Melee-related channels on the site.

[@Kyotosomo]

I've literally scraped entire videos just because there was no good screen cap to pull for the thumbnail; which unfortunately is more important than even the video itself. Fact of the matter is that you can have a fantastic story to share with your audience but it's meaningless if you can get them to click on the story in the first place. Yet most KZbinrs seem to treat the thumbnail as an afterthought. It's easily the second biggest mistake small KZbinrs (first being not giving their content something unique to set them apart from the competition).

[@gloverelaxis]

your profile pic is super cringeworthy

[@سومگاي]

@@gloverelaxis look at their channel, it's also fairly cringe. Resembles one of those elsagate tier moneymaking scam "child friendly" youtube channels, although maybe a few steps above.

[@chazpelo]

weird, a youtube channel with a checkmark who hasen't uploaded since a year ago.

[@DIMM4_]

2:51 I see you slipping in that Uncle Dane “The Engineer Mindset” thumbnail like nobody would notice

[@ulisesfuentes2650]

Jeff the killer’s face is a thumbnail that I would never forget.

[@otish-b4512]

9:52 yall saying we dont know the face of big brother season 10 winner Daniel Gheesling???

[@kingdylan5772]

Otis Harvey-Broad dan is the GOAT

[@DeepRedNewGold]

Whenever I see a great thumbnail with a long video length: “This is gonna be a good one”

[@MrPianoMatt12]

cringe

[@joshuacarter5259]

@@MrPianoMatt12 I did not cringe at this. I do not agree with you in saying this is cringe. I think it is very cringe of you to say that this is cringe. I will now proceed to be cringe. XD

[@lovelydolltime8006]

I watch part of it and watch the rest later.

[@videospielesindkunst]

Matthew Is Cool "cringing" is a symptom of lack of self confidence. Just saying

[@austinm.9832]

@@MrPianoMatt12 bro, that is pretty cringe of you, saying cringe.

[@BigSchim]

9:51 Is that two time winner of big brother, co-member of Team Unity, world premier Dark Souls player, Daniel (Ryan Gary AL Fox Letourneau) Gheesling?

[@Sisu41414]

No, he was a runner up in bb14

[@duchi882]

When the Thumbnail looks random or looks filmed in Vertical Orientation then you're probably scrolling through KZbin at 3 AM

[@lumilan112]

That DANIEL GHEESLING cameo got me pogged out of my mind tho

[@KillinaB0x]

Lets go

[@thomasbreckon387]

mINKUS

[@owenandersonthe1juskifan523]

Rare air

[@Tubeytime]

There were those who said...

[@countskittlz3397]

Emp is one of the few you tubers that is helping to keep tf2 in the public’s mind and I really appreciate that :)

[@bunsenburn4179]

"Your face is a waste of space" -EmpLemon 2020

[@noahbearden9849]

8:38 Joseph Anderson, after about a year of his video "The Villain of Edith Finch" being uploaded, changed the thumbnail and it got a relatively large spike in views directly afterwards

[@cpt.battlecock5264]

I dont know about that, but i certainly got the video reccomended to me recently multiple times. Didnt click on it tho.

[@noahbearden9849]

Cpt. Battlecock It did get a view spike, and the fact that you got multiple recommendations shows that it got boosted in the algorithm

[@cpt.battlecock5264]

@@noahbearden9849 so does it get boosted in the algorithm because it gets higher views or it gets higher views because it repeatedly gets recommended to people

[@digiornodigiovanna7530]

Cpt. Battlecock I guess a better question is why it’s getting recommended in the first place

[@zachstarattack7320]

KZbin is where I've spent the most time in my life, educational. funny, and interesting videos like these are what I love to see!

[@SuperiorGothBun]

I still find it hilariously funny that the Sans thumbnail turned both Sans and Matpat onto a joke that hasn’t gone away

[@jcast1749]

perhaps one of the most iconic thumbnails on the site now.

[@nekozombie]

Aren't you the "bunboi" person from twitter? Where did you get that profile picture from?

[@snowy1214]

what thumbnail are you referencing?

[@binglover694]

@@snowy1214 I think their talking about the "Sans is Ness" thumbnail

[@shardtheduraludon]

Jcast1 MatPat has, but Sans hasn’t. That meme is fucking dry to the bone.

[@AskAir]

The thumbnail should've had an actual thumb in it.

[@taureon_]

and a nail

[@ChamChamRealSmooth]

nail going through a thumb

[@Suspectd]

Watching these videos already make you feel like you’re watching big brain shit but watching these high as fuck go hard the Simpson parts keep you glued

[@Alexpc1276]

*_8:25_**_, yes, it does boost your views, i'll click on the same video even if i watched it, just to confirm that its not a dejavuu and that in fact something really changed and its not my mind playing games with me_*

[@Ramsey276one]

Kinda annoying But the red bar at the bottom helps

[@weakspirit_]

@@Ramsey276one it doesn't always popup, especially if you watched the video until the end.

[@mrmaniac3]

@@weakspirit_ easy, just don't watch until the end

[@weakspirit_]

@@mrmaniac3 sounds like a design oversight for youtube to _not_ tag video i've already watched fully but watched prematurely. sure it's easily fixable, but the point here is that the user needs to make the conscience choice for "tagging" watched videos rather than a seamless design option that's toggled with a switch.

[@loganreed23]

@@weakspirit_ I don't know about you but it always pops up for me whether I watched the video fully or just partially. There was one exception when they added a feature that allowed you to Premier videos. Any premiered video wasn't tagged with bar whether you watched it during premiere or after. They mostly fixed it though there still might be some problematic premiered videos.

[@kodaskewl]

shots fired at Dan "literally who" Gheesling

[@link2012Philanthropist]

Changing thumbnails 100% works. There have been many videos that I don't see as interesting, but as soon as a more interesting thumbnail pops up, I give it a chance and click.

[@thenlnlkn]

Look I’m just saying if you’ve so much as seen an emplemon thumbnail, you instantly know you should never ware headphones in the video. Now that’s art.

[@llefty]

You've been knocking it out of the park with all your recent content Emp, I always love watching your videos!

[@thattimestampguy]

2:00 Basic Graphic Design 2:53 Look at Album Covers 3:30 Visual Symbolism 5:10 RayCon ADVERTIZEMENT 13:40 V Sauce 13:57 EmpLemon's Thumbnail Process

[@eva2602]

can you also post the end of rayCon ADVERTIZEMENT for future viewers? cheers baws

[@AwesomeTMC]

@@eva2602 6:24, also if you want auto skip (and you're on PC) use sponsorblock

[@Not_Aaron_]

Haven't watched the video yet but I can tell this one will be interesting!

[@ThatSilverDude]

How could you tell? The thumbnail?

[@screet.s]

That was the smoothest transition from video topic to ad read I've ever seen. The video would literally have made sense even without the sponsor

[@OptionalRules]

KZbin is filled with a seemingly unending supply of "channel gurus" purporting to have insight into the thumbnail phenomenon, but your video is the first one I watched that I felt like I learned something from. Thank you.

[@nddragoon]

EmpLemon: Graphic design is my passion

[@LalitoTV]

12:21 Glad to see someone acknowledge asumsaus' AMAZING thumbnail design

[@LeaderOfTheBunch]

His thumbnails have always been top tier

[@Tubeytime]

Judging by the number of likes this comment got, I'd say he's wildly underrated.

[@CountOfMonteCristo_]

Love how you explained your Thumbnail editing style at the end! Great way to look at it!

[@urt1202]

"Your face is a waste of space" *Emerorlemon 2020* (year of the bat)

[@lovelydolltime8006]

I bet that pun was intended, because something happened from a dude that ate a bat.

[@realkekz]

EmperorLemon: KZbin Thumbnails are important All viewers: Ah yes, my fellow genius, you raise an excellent point! I'll be sure to experiment with my thumbnails in the next video :smirk:

[@littlegyro8340]

This is the first video I've ever watched on your channel, it was a great introduction to your fantastic KZbin channel, keep up the good work!

[@Hamdoe]

Cool info on the branding & visual theories. I'm struggling to write a paper about it & your explanation made it easier to understand. Thanks Emp!

[@BiggestGal]

I’ve seen older Chadtronic videos that recirculated into my recommendations with newer thumbnails, since he seems to have an artist on hand to make his thumbnails.

[@Aidenkun64]

I'm so glad this video exists. When I first watched it I found it interesting but it didn't go anywhere farther than that. But after a couple of rewatch's, I started to take in the advice and it's helped me finally find a style of thumbnail that looks good while also being my own so thank you for that I guess.

[@rosemulet]

“Smaller channels” *shows Dan Gheesling, Big Brother contestant, and one of the most famous reality tv show contestants of all time.*

[@JohnnySilverFinger]

Who?

[@richardwatson1254]

Who?

[@valletas]

Oh so a nobody

[@emerald3616]

How could one not know Big Brother season 10 winner and season 14 runner-up, Dan Gheesling? Also many know him from his collaborations with the streamer/youtuber Northernlion.

[@natedash11]

Not to bandwagon but I've seriously never heard of him.

[@doubbleenchantment6029]

In this episode: emp rags on Daniel gheesling

[@スペースショーン]

doubble enchantment who that?

[@Meat_Snacks]

宇宙からショーン was on big brother, does streaming on twitch, and is part of the NLSS crew.

[@brian18kobe]

Absolutely love this channel. It always sparks my creativity. Thank you for the enormous amount of time and detail in your work.

[@thatoneguy2827]

Should've had a moment to talk abot the titles of the videos themselves as well as the thumbnails. The Title is incredibly important as well to know what the video is and may help give the tone of the video. Wether it's sarcastic, serious, trendy, shocking, mysterious, or informational. Of course i did love the video, and I hope to see more along the way.

[@baidross2548]

No way! 12:22 I always thought AsumSaus has one of the best editing styles and especially thumbnails. Great stuff including him in your "how to do it right" examples 👍

[@a_cowwithlegs]

Bruh the ad transition was super smooth

[@KydroxHD]

9:52 MY BOI DANIEL GHEEZLING Does that mean emp is a vod boy too?