YouTube announced this week the launch of “Test and compare thumbnails”, a new tool for creators to see which thumbnail is performing the best. The feature first rolled out to select creators last year, but is now widely available.
When creators publish a new video (or update an existing video), they can test up to three thumbnails, which will appear “uniformly” to viewers, the company explained in a post. Creators can then access performance data to see which thumbnail generated the highest share of watch time in order to make an informed decision.
Thumbnail Test & Compare should prove to be a successful tool among creators as it allows them to choose the most compelling thumbnail image that hopefully attracts more viewers. As more and more creators emerge, it’s important to make well-informed decisions about thumbnails to stay competitive.
The testing process can take a few days or up to two weeks to complete, depending on how many views the video gets and how different the thumbnails are. YouTube encourages testing thumbnails with distinct differences, such as variations in layout compositions, backgrounds, and text overlays, to ensure a complete test. If there is no “clear winner”, then the first thumbnail will be selected, but can be changed manually.
Creators can test thumbnails on a variety of content, including regular videos, podcast episodes, archived live streams, and large-format public content. However, the tool cannot be used for private content or videos rated adult and “Made for Kids”. However, it can be more difficult to get definitive test results from older videos, as they may not have the same number of views as newer ones.
In the coming weeks, the thumbnail test and comparison will be available in YouTube Studio on desktop to all creators with access to advanced features. (This means creators must complete phone and identity verification before they can unlock advanced features.) The company is also working on a way to support the feature on mobile devices.
YouTube recently introduced a number of new tools for creators to experiment with, including an AI feature that lets them jump to the best part of a video, as well as features for Shorts like AI-generated backgrounds and the ability to draw unique belongings.
