As we’re closing in on course launch day, I can finally start showing you guys what’s actually inside.
So today, I’m going to give you a little preview of 2 lessons straight from the course:
- My #1 method for coming up with thumbnail concepts (for any niche)
- Bad clickbait VS. good clickbait
Let’s dive in!
My #1 method for coming up with thumbnail concepts (for any niche)
One of the hardest parts of thumbnail design is figuring out how to come up with intriguing concepts to show.
So instead of guessing, one method I teach in the course is to think about your thumbnails as key moments plucked from a timeline.
Let’s look at this example from my husband Jake’s channel below:
Each of these thumbnails is showing a different moment from the videos’ timelines.
We can show the moment before the action happens, capture the action as it’s happening, or show the aftermath of what happened; all of which help tell a story within the thumbnail itself.
- The jet-powered car shows a Pre-Action moment - hesitating before the closing railroad gates makes us anticipate what’s about to happen.
- The chainsaw arms Mid-slicing through fruit - puts us right in the middle of the action, and immediately shows us the functionality of the homemade build.
- The bazooka example shows an Aftermath moment - the damaged cars and balls in the background of the dodgeball bazooka depict the aftermath of what it’s capable of.
Each image gives us a small piece of a larger story, and creates curiosity around everything we aren’t being shown.
Thinking about concepts this way gives us multiple story-driven directions to explore, instead of trying to come up with one perfect idea out of thin air.
Now, this method isn’t limited to action-heavy or entertainment content.
You can apply the same thinking to almost any niche, even when there isn’t a literal “action” happening in the video.
Let’s look at this finance niche example below:
These thumbnails are still telling a story, the “moments” just look a little different.
Instead of Pre-Action, Mid-Action, and Aftermath, we can think of this timeline as:
The Problem, A Method or Solution, The Result
- The burning car depicts The Problem - the car is insinuated to be the cause of the financial loss. This makes the viewer curious about other investments they might want to avoid.
- The investing breakdown shows a current Method - we’re seeing the investing strategy in action, making us curious about how it works and where it could lead.
- The rising graph visualizes a desirable Result — by following the creator’s tips, it is implied that the viewer will be able to achieve that same financial growth.
Each thumbnail focuses on a different part of the story, while still giving the viewer enough information to understand what the video could be about (and enough unanswered information to make them curious.)
So when you’re struggling to figure out what to show in a thumbnail, try asking yourself:
-What are the key moments within my video/story?
-Which one would be the most intriguing & accurate to the experience of the video to use in a thumbnail?
This is just 1 of 2 methods I teach for coming up with thumbnail concepts across any niche. I hope this gave you a useful starting point, but I’m saving the second method for The Thumbnail Blueprint. 😉
Bad Clickbait VS. Good Clickbait
Another insight I dive into throughout the course is clickbait - and where to draw the line between good and bad clickbait.
Because despite the negative connotation around the word, I don’t think all clickbait is entirely bad.
In fact, sometimes exaggerating reality can make a thumbnail more compelling without actually misleading the viewer.
Take this thumbnail from Jake’s channel:
This thumbnail depicts a scene of Jake’s Mech Suit firing off its weapons, surrounded by the destruction it seemingly caused.
Now, did Jake actually cause all of that destruction? No.
So does this level of clickbait work?
This level of clickbait does work because the build really does look like this and has destructive capabilities, but just as importantly, the video itself is incredibly high-action, and the thumbnail reflects that.
So even though we exaggerated the destruction in the thumbnail, it still accurately represents the experience of the video.
But how could this be bad clickbait?
This thumbnail would become bad clickbait if the build looked nothing like this, didn’t actually have the destructive capabilities being shown, or if the video itself was slower-paced and lacked the intense action that the thumbnail depicts.
The exaggeration needs to be rooted in what the viewer is actually going to get. Again, Experience > Literal outcome
And that’s your little sneak peek into The Thumbnail Blueprint! 👀
These are just two small examples from the course, but I wanted to share them because they represent a lot of what I’m hoping to teach throughout it: the psychology and decision making that goes into good & bad packaging.
LASTLY - I know I announced that this would be out in September, but I was quickly humbled by the logistics of filming & editing (I have a whole new level of respect for creators now!)
That said, I’m going to take a couple more weeks to wrap this up and get it right, so it will now be out in October :)
Seems fitting to have the course and I share the same birthday month.
That is all! As always, keep an eye out for any upcoming updates - I’ll be sharing the official launch date very soon!
Thanks for reading! ツ
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