Open main menu
Hire Me
ShopAbout
Newsletter

12 Thumbnails to use on YouTube and Grow your SaaS

Read a curated list of YouTube thumbnails with examples for your SaaS YouTube videos from YouTube experts and SaaS Founders to grow your SaaS.

Social Media MarketingYouTube
•
Table of Contents
12 Thumbnails to use on YouTube and Grow your SaaS
💡
Note: SaaSwrites is a curated growth marketing hub and resource built to help SaaS founders grow their products. We sincerely thank all our experts for their constant value addition to this world.
Updated: 01/04/2022
Youtube:
  • YouTube is the most used video platform in the USA.
  • 2nd most visited website Globally
  • 2nd most used social platform Globally
Growth Tactics collected the best YouTube thumbnails, 22 thumbnails you should be using to increase video views
💡
Read:
📈
How to begin YouTube as a SaaS Founder

1. Shock & Awe

Explanation: People are naturally curious about things they've never seen before.
Tactic: Use bold lettering and imagery to emphasize the most shocking moment of your video. Include emotional facial expressions.
notion image

2. Comparisons

Explanation: Side-by-side comparisons will attract avid supporters from both sides. This effectively doubles your target audience.
💡
Read:
📈
How does building an audience help your SaaS?
Tactic: Bring attention to the most extreme difference (price, size, skill, age, etc.)
notion image

3. Reactions

Explanation: Dramatic faces attract attention—people click because they can't help but want to see what provoked it.
💡
Read:
📈
How to create viral content for your SaaS?
Tactic: To make the reaction more genuine, use a still from your footage, not a posed shot
notion image

4. Join Along

Explanation: Behind-the-scenes and candid content builds affinity with your audience–the viewer feels like they're a part of your journey.
Tactic: Re-frame mundane situations (ex. studying, cleaning, traveling) into chances to join a day in the life.
notion image

5. Ask A Question

Explanation: People crave closure. Asking a Q in your thumbnail opens a loop that can only be closed by watching.
Tactic: Use the video title to tease at the answer you pose in your thumbnail. Keep the Q to less than 5 words.
notion image

6. Stickers

Explanation: Recognizable objects allow you to communicate the topic of your video without using words.
Tactic: Use a colored outline stroke or drop-shadow to give the stickers a multi-layer effect
notion image

7. Negative Space

Explanation: Draw attention to key elements of your thumbnail by de-cluttering around it Tactic: Use a single color or blurry background. Put 1 or 2 key elements in the foreground.
notion image
 

8. Brand Consistency

Explanation: Keeping an element of your thumbnails consistent makes your videos familiar–even to non-subscribers.
Tactic: Include a small logo. Use a design style or color palette consistently.
notion image

9. Arrows & Emphasis

Explanation: Draw attention to small details within your thumbnail that hint at what will happen in the video.
Tactic: Show "before" the action happens. Use arrows to trace the path of movement.
notion image

10. Big Numbers

Explanation: Big numbers are un-natural (and therefore generate curiosity).
Tactic: Use commas to make the number appear longer. Don't make it too round or it'll come off as fake.
notion image

11. Headline

Explanation: Pique curiosity and provide context using a headline that complements an otherwise plain thumbnail.
💡
Read:
📈
15 SaaS Headline Examples from Experts to Drive Conversions
Tactic: Keep headlines to less than 3 words. Use a large font. Position it across the top of the thumbnail.
notion image

12. Pop-Outs

Explanation: Zoom in on a specific spot on your thumbnail to emphasize the video's primary focus.
Tactic: Use a border around the pop-out to make it clear. Zoom in to show texture, small details, or important elements.
notion image

Written by

Ricky
Ricky

Ricky is the founder of SaaSwrites. A SaaS founder himself, Ricky found it difficult to grow and market his product after building it. While networking on Twitter with founders, he realized there was a big gap in a platform that can truly help SaaS founders and makers with Marketing. He started SaaSwrites to bring the best marketing and growth resources. Ricky is an expert in SaaS Marketing offering SaaS channel strategy consulting services to SaaS companies. He also writes about SaaS marketing tools that help people with marketing. Ricky is also the founder of a B2B SaaS product - Beejek (a digital receipt platform for retail stores) Say Hi to Ricky @rickywrites on Twitter.

    Related posts

    How to begin YouTube as a SaaS Founder
    Social Media MarketingYouTube
    •

    How to begin YouTube as a SaaS Founder

    We discuss how you can begin a YouTube channel for your SaaS product with insights from YouTubers, social media marketing experts and SaaS founders.

    How to create viral content for your SaaS?
    Content MarketingCreating Content
    •

    How to create viral content for your SaaS?

    We discuss how to create viral content for your SaaS with insights and examples curated from content marketing experts and SaaS founders.

    16 Ad lessons from experts to crush your SaaS ads
    Ads
    •

    16 Ad lessons from experts to crush your SaaS ads

    Read a curated list of Google Ads lessons with examples for your SaaS from Google Ads experts and SaaS Founders.

    50+ Expert Facebook Ads Tips to grow your SaaS
    AdsFacebook Ads
    •

    50+ Expert Facebook Ads Tips to grow your SaaS

    Read a curated list of running Facebook ads tips with examples for your SaaS products from Facebook ads experts and SaaS Founders to grow your SaaS.

    50+ Google Ads Expert Tips to Nail Your SaaS campaign (2023)
    AdsGoogle Ads
    •

    50+ Google Ads Expert Tips to Nail Your SaaS campaign (2023)

    Read a curated list of running Google Ads tips with examples for your SaaS from Google Ads experts and SaaS Founders.

    7 Copy Hooks for SaaS Customers to Drive Conversions
    CopywritingHeadlines and Hooks
    •

    7 Copy Hooks for SaaS Customers to Drive Conversions

    Read a curated list of copywriting hooks and tips with examples for your SaaS products from copywriting experts and SaaS Founders to grow your SaaS.

    21 ad hooks for SaaS from experts that convert
    Ads
    •

    21 ad hooks for SaaS from experts that convert

    Read a curated list of ad hooks with examples for your SaaS from copywriting experts, ad experts, and SaaS Founders.

    15 SaaS Headline Examples from Experts to Drive Conversions
    CopywritingHeadlines and Hooks
    •

    15 SaaS Headline Examples from Experts to Drive Conversions

    Read a curated list of Headline examples and tips for your SaaS products from writers, copywriting experts and SaaS Founders to grow your SaaS.