🎥 Why MrBeast’s Thumbnails Get Clicks

Learn How To Design A Thumbnail From The Very Best

🎥 Why MrBeast’s Thumbnails Get Clicks

MrBeast has one of the highest clickthrough rates on YouTube.

Clickthrough rate is a metric used to evaluate how effective media is at triggering someone to click a link. Clicks can mean visiting a landing page, filling out a form, or, in this case, watching a video.

Simply, if someone sees your thumbnail, do they want to watch your video?

Here’s what MrBeast does differently:

On average, MrBeast’s Thumbnail Team (yes, he has a team of 6 people exclusively working on thumbnails) creates ~20 thumbnail options per video. They ask for feedback, iterate, and tweak until it’s pristine.

And if it flops, they change it.

MrBeast Changes his Thumbnails

If it’s broken…fix it!

There’s a reason why the team creates 20+ first drafts. There are many directions you can take a thumbnail, and as much as you try to read the minds of your audience, there’s no way to know for sure what image is the most “clickable.”

If your clickthrough rate is low in the first few days, try swapping out the thumbnail for a different design.

No matter the design MrBeast chooses though, it almost always has a few specific elements:

Depth

MrBeast’s eight most recent thumbnails all have something in common: depth.

The clear blue sky + horizon line is quickly becoming a staple in MrBeast’s thumbnail designs. He has previously made thumbnails based indoors, but it seems he has discovered that a bright, outdoor setting with depth gets more clicks.

In addition, he creates depth by including a distinct vanishing point. A vanishing point subconsciously draws viewers in. It’s a tactic artists have been using for centuries in some of the most well-known paintings in the world.

Vanishing Point: The point at which receding parallel lines viewed in perspective appear to converge.

Vanishing Point: The point at which receding parallel lines viewed in perspective appear to converge.

FaceTune

People get ragged on for using Photoshop and airbrushing themselves to appear “perfect.” MrBeast however, knows it gets clicks.

You will never spot a pimple, pore, or imperfection in his thumbnails:

His skin is always smoothed to the utmost degree. It almost appears cartoonish, but in a YouTube feed it grabs your attention.

Humans are wired to love symmetrical faces with smooth skin:

And that expression on his face is no accident. Exaggerated expressions play well in thumbnails, and MrBeast is the prime example of that.

The next time you’re designing a thumbnail, use the principles Mr Beast has already figured out.

Many first drafts. Bright, vibrant colors. Depth. An emotive face.

What he is doing works.

If you’re spending days editing your video but just minutes on your thumbnail, your ratio is off. Your thumbnail deserves just as much thought and attention as your video, and if it isn’t getting clicks, change it.

Have an ELITE week,

Hannah

Elite Video of the Week:

Don’t be scared to put out content that feels repetitive. Touching the same topic or content on social media creates recall to your viewers, and that will eventually lead to letting your audience know your niche.

In this episode, Hannah debunks the myth of repetition on social media, and why you shouldn’t be afraid to post similar content back to back.