(upbeat music) 2 2
Sometimes you'll see YouTube content creators 3 3
using arrows 4 4
in their thumbnail images. 5 5
The whole 6 6
point of an arrow, of course, 7 7
is to draw your attention, 8 8
so that you look at a particular thing, 9 9
that you might not have noticed otherwise. 10 10
So, of course it's natural 11 11
that YouTubers are going to use them 12 12
in their thumbnail images. 13 13
We all want to draw attention to our videos, 14 14
and our thumbnails will be displayed 15 15
along side a whole bunch of other thumbnail images. 16 16
Everyone's competing against each other 17 17
for attention. 18 18
So some people use arrows 19 19
to get people to click on their video 20 20
instead of somebody else's. 21 21
The arrows tend to be relatively large and bold. 22 22
Their color will be likely be like white, 23 23
red, or 24 24
whatever color stands out most 25 25
on their particular background. 26 26
But, when I say 27 27
big and bold, 28 28
please note that doing the opposite can also work. 29 29
So when everyone else has a big bold red arrow, 30 30
it might be that little white arrow 31 31
that stands out of the crowd. 32 32
It's kind of like how 33 33
pink hair on somebodies head stands out, 34 34
but 35 35
when everyone 36 36
has pink hair, 37 37
then it might be the plain blonde hair 38 38
that will stand out more in the crowd. 39 39
The point is, we want to stand out. 40 40
So make sure your thumbnail stands out. 41 41
And if you want to use an arrow, 42 42
to make, you know, 43 43
something stand out 44 44
in your thumbnail image, 45 45
just make sure your arrow 46 46
is easily noticed, 47 47
and make sure it pops, 48 48
relative to your background. 49 49
And try to imagine how your finished design 50 50
is going to look when it's displayed alongside 51 51
other competing thumbnails. 52 52
In my example, you can see I used a arrow 53 53
to point to the letter S, 54 54
because many people 55 55
in my audience 56 56
don't know 57 57
that there's a S at the end of the word leggings. 58 58
I don't use arrows all the time in my thumbnails though, 59 59
just when I need to. 60 60
And that's a time when 61 61
I felt I needed to. 62 62
But, if your video features something like CC Tv footage, 63 63
and you want to show something that isn't that noticeable 64 64
at first glance, then you made need a arrow too, 65 65
or a circle. 66 66
Whichever you like best. 67 67
That'll draw the eye towards the thing you want to feature. 68 68
But, this is just a matter of personal preference. 69 69
I find, personally, 70 70
over using this technique can come off 71 71
as a bit spammy. 72 72
But, if your audience is into it, 73 73
please, by all means, use arrows on every thumbnail, 74 74
or as desired. 75 75
Anyway. 76 76
Let's learn how to make them first. 77 77
Chris and I are going to show you how we do it.