When designing a video for YouTube, in addition to carefully crafting its content, it is essential to give equal importance to the title and thumbnail, which is the image users will see.
The cover and title are the first elements that capture the viewer’s attention. Even the best video in the world risks going unnoticed if these aspects are neglected. Without an engaging title and an effective thumbnail, the video might not receive the clicks it deserves, making all the work done in vain.
In this article, we will provide you with some useful tips on how to effectively set up the title and thumbnail of a YouTube video.
The Importance of the Title and Cover of a YouTube Video
While it’s true that the title and thumbnail aim to attract users’ attention and invite them to watch the video, it’s important to remember that they should not be clickbait, meaning misleading titles or images that attract clicks but don’t deliver on the content’s promises.
As we explain in our article “How to increase subscribers to a YouTube channel thanks to SEO“, today, watch time is more important, a more qualitative metric compared to the simple quantitative count of views.
Regarding the thumbnail, if you’re undecided about which one to use, remember that YouTube allows you to insert up to 3.
Once the video is published, the platform starts testing the chosen thumbnails to determine which is the most effective.
You can also find our dedicated in-depth analysis on this topic.
Remember: when testing thumbnails on YouTube, the goal shouldn’t just be to choose the best among two or three options, but to understand which format works better in the long run. A winning thumbnail in a single test might be an isolated case, while analyzing results over time allows you to identify recurring elements that attract more clicks: colors, expressions, texts, or specific compositions. The right approach is to use tests not to find an immediate answer, but to build an effective and replicable model over time.
Let’s move on to writing a strategic title for a YouTube video.
Regarding this topic as well, we invite you to take a look at this article for more insight “Copywriting and strategy: 8 ways to write a headline“.
The first factor to keep in mind when thinking about how to write an effective title is SEO (Search Engine Optimization). The title must contain the keyword on which the entire content is based.
Are you making a video recipe for margherita pizza? Great, this keyword must absolutely not be missing in your title!
Thinking only in terms of SEO, clearly, is not enough.
Publishing a video calling it “Margherita Pizza Recipe” might be less persuasive.
This is where all those copywriting elements come into play that make the difference in these circumstances!
Here are some creative ideas to always keep in mind:
- Focus on emotions: titles that evoke surprise, fear of making mistakes, or enthusiasm perform very well. Example: Watch Out! This Mistake Can Destroy Your YouTube Channel
- Use numbers: a format that often works is using numbers at the beginning of titles. Example: 5 Tricks to Improve Your Studio
- Compare two elements: comparing two elements can make the title more appealing. Example: iPhone or Samsung? Here’s Which One Is Better
- Pay attention to length: avoid writing titles that are too long, try to stay under 60 characters
After these considerations, the title of our example could become “Margherita Pizza Recipe: The Trick to Make It Perfect Every Time”.
Better, isn’t it? ☺
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