We’re answering all of these questions in this guide.
| ✅ When to Use Text | ❌ When Not to Use Text |
|---|---|
| 1. Clarity for complex topics | 1. Self-explanatory image |
| 2. Intrigue with questions or teasers | 2. Simple & minimalist style |
| 3. Highlight key points | 3. Emotional impact |
| 4. Briefly describe the situation | 4. Video teasers with mystery |
Let’s break it all down.
“Should you have text on a YouTube thumbnail?”
You don’t necessarily need to have text on your YouTube thumbnails.
Add only if the background image doesn’t tell a bit of the story and raise curiosity.
You should add text to a thumbnail where the background doesn’t give enough context. Always keep it short, though.
Example of a well-done thumbnail:
You may think this it short, but the views tend to disagree! Keeping it simple is your best option.
You don’t want to have text in thumbnails where the background image is already self-explanatory. Especially if it already raises questions or controversy.
Example for when NOT to add text:
When to skip adding text:
Thumbnails are all about grabbing attention in a quick glance.
A/B Testing is the way to figure out if your thumbnails need text or not.
This image from our Gaming A/B Tester should explain it better:
A/B Testing for Thumbnails is figuring out which thumbnail is most clicked by your audience.
How it works: Just upload a thumbnail with text and another version of it without text → The software sends it to segments of your audience → Analytics tell you which thumbnail is better.
The best part? It works for old videos too — meaning that you can easily revive old content as well.
Generally, stay under 6 words. There’s no strict word count for YouTube thumbnails, but it’s all about keeping it short and impactful.
Here’s why we believe this:
Yes, emojis are great in thumbnails — but just 1 or 2 per image. They’re small and save you from adding more words and overcrowding the image.
Great things you can add to your thumbnail include:
Test different approaches to see what resonates best with your target audience.
In a YouTube Thumbnail, you want to write something that tells a bit of the upcoming story, yet not giving its essence away.
Include clear, bold text that teases the content.
Heads up: You don’t want to clickbait or lie through the thumbnail because…
We don’t want that. Instead, we want you to improve your CTR through the thumbnail.
It’s always best A/B testing your thumbnails to see which is better for your audience. Here’s our last example to argue why:
Thank you for reading this,
Thumbnail Test
