The following is a transcript of "
TRANSCRIPT:
If you want to brand your
videos and make them stand out from the rest of the search results on YouTube
and Google, then you need to use Custom Thumbnails.
In Part-1, I showed you how
to upload a video to YouTube. Once
the upload is completed, YouTube automatically suggests three possible
thumbnail images it thinks will work best.
If you’re a casual YouTube
user, you can just select the one you like and be done with it. But if you’re promoting your business,
you’ll want to design your own custom thumbnail image.
If you don’t see this CUSTOM
THUMBNAIL box on your screen, then you need to complete the YouTube
Verification process before you can upload custom thumbnails.
Once your channel is
verified, just click on CUSTOM THUMBNAIL and choose the graphic you created to
represent this particular video.
Now you can use any graphics
creation software you like to create your thumbnail image, but let me give you
some helpful guidelines.
YouTube recommends a
resolution of at least 1280 pixels wide by 720 pixels high.
You can use a JPEG, PNG,
GIF, or BMP file, as long as the file size is under 2MB.
When you design your custom
thumbnail graphic; it’s vital that you keep a few things in mind.
Make the images and text as
big as possible, so people on smart phones can still read them.
Leave the lower right corner
free from any critical text or logos, since YouTube and Google will place a
timer over your video.
The image and text headline
you create should catch your viewer’s eye and entice them to watch.
Most importantly, your
thumbnail image is a critical component of your video branding. Use a similar graphic design for every
one of your thumbnails.
If one of your regular
viewers searches for information on the internet, they will instantly recognize
your branded custom thumbnail and hopefully choose to watch your video.
Your branded thumbnail image
will also help viewers easily recognize your videos, once YouTube begins to
suggest them.
Don’t stop now. You can find
the links to all of the episodes in the series in the description of this video.
Tom Kartelias specializes in
Video Marketing & SEO for Websites and Social Media. Precision Post is based
in East Brunswick, New Jersey.
