Titles and thumbnails that tell the truth

A title is a promise

Your title tells a viewer what they will get if they click. Treat it as a small promise. A good title is clear, true and easy to read on a phone.

Be accurate. If your title does not match your video, viewers may stop watching, and that can affect how your video is discovered ^[1].

Be short. Viewers may see only part of your title, so put the most important words near the beginning. Save episode numbers and your channel branding for the end ^[1]. A title can be at most 100 characters ^[2].

Go easy on ALL CAPS and emoji. Use them only to highlight an emotion or something special in the video ^[1].

YouTube describes two kinds of title. A searchable title says clearly what to expect, for people searching for that topic. An intriguing title sparks curiosity in people who were not looking for it ^[1].

Here is a before and after for a food vlog shot in Kolhapur:

Why clickbait backfires

Clickbait means a title or thumbnail that promises something the video does not deliver.

YouTube recommends a video when it is relevant to a viewer and its average view duration (how long people watch, on average) shows they find it interesting. Clickbait videos tend to have low average view duration, so they are less likely to be recommended ^[3].

YouTube also asks creators to avoid titles and thumbnails that are misleading, shocking or loud, such as ALL CAPS or a row of exclamation marks. These can turn new viewers away, and in some cases the content can be removed for breaking the Community Guidelines ^[4].

Before you publish, ask one question: if someone clicks, will they feel tricked in the first 30 seconds? If the answer is yes, change the title or the thumbnail. Lesson 5 shows how to open a video so it keeps the title's promise.

Unlock custom thumbnails

A custom thumbnail is an image you upload yourself, instead of choosing one of the options YouTube suggests from your video ^[5]. YouTube says 90% of the best-performing videos have custom thumbnails ^[1].

Custom thumbnails are one of YouTube's intermediate features, a wider set of tools you unlock by verifying your phone number ^[6].

There is a daily limit on how many custom thumbnails you can upload. It is higher for channels verified through channel history or ID, and it can vary by country or region. If you see "Daily custom thumbnail limit reached", try again in 24 hours [s6,s5].

For India-based channels, phone verification also adds a "phone verified" label to the channel's About page. YouTube added this label to comply with India's IT Rules, 2021 ^[7].

The activity at the end of this lesson walks you through it on a computer or a phone.

Thumbnail basics

YouTube recommends these specs for custom thumbnails ^[5]:

Make it easy to read

If you add text, use a font that is easy to read, and do not make the design too busy. Thumbnails show up differently on different devices, so make the image as large as possible ^[1].

Use 3 or 4 large words at most, with strong contrast between the text and the background. For Marathi, a bold Devanagari font reads better than a thin one. Then look at your thumbnail on your own phone at feed size, about as big as your thumb. If you cannot read it in two seconds, cut words.

Thumbnails for Shorts

Custom thumbnails for Shorts can only be added in YouTube Studio on a computer. You can add one while uploading the Short on a computer, or after it is uploaded ^[5].

If you only have a phone, that is fine. Upload the Short as usual, and add a custom thumbnail later when you can use a computer at home, college or work.

Fixing an old title

YouTube suggests trying updated thumbnails on older videos, to make them more appealing to new viewers ^[1]. It also says a new title and thumbnail can be an effective way to get more views, but you should not change what is already working ^[4].

Pick an older video that gets few views, not one that is doing well. Change only the title first, so you know what changed. And be honest with yourself: a new title cannot promise views, and no person, tool or course can, including this one. Some videos never find many viewers, and that is normal.

A/B testing in YouTube Studio

A/B testing lets you test up to 3 titles, 3 thumbnails, or 3 title and thumbnail pairs on one video. YouTube shows all the versions to viewers at the same time ^[8].

When the test ends, the version with the highest watch time share (the biggest part of the video's total watch time during the test) goes to all viewers. YouTube picks by watch time, not by click-through rate (CTR: how often viewers watched a video after seeing its thumbnail on YouTube), because a good title and thumbnail should help viewers understand what the video is about ^[8].

A/B testing works only in YouTube Studio on a computer. A test can take a few days or up to 2 weeks ^[8].

There are three possible results: "Winner", "Performed Same" and "Inconclusive". YouTube says it is normal not to get a Winner. If there is no clear winner, the first version you uploaded stays, and you can still change it by hand. Common reasons are versions that are too similar, or too few impressions (times your thumbnail was shown) ^[8].

Who can use A/B testing

You need advanced features, YouTube's highest level of tools, to use A/B testing. Lesson 6 explains how channels unlock them ^[8]. It does not work for Shorts, scheduled live streams, or Premieres until the Premiere ends. It also does not work on videos that are made for kids, set for mature audiences, or private ^[8].

Many small channels do not have advanced features yet. That is fine, and you lose nothing by skipping A/B tests. One clear, honest title that you choose yourself is still the main job.

More detail: YouTube's tips for A/B tests

If you have advanced features and a computer, YouTube gives these tips for running a test ^[8]: