How They Make Viral Podcast Thumbnails

Wherever you scroll on YouTube, what stops you first is thumbnails. Then you read the title, then make your mind on whether you click or keep scrolling.

These video podcasts nailed the following thumbnails and titles to a point where these videos currently have much more views than their channel has subscribers.

You will notice obvious patterns, some more subtle. Using those will help you to get more clicks on your thumbnails and therefore get more views.

Let’s dive in.

Outlier score: 1.97x

(15.1M views for 7.67M followers — The Diary Of A CEO)

Why so many clicked on this one:

Notice how simple this thumbnail is. You’ll see this pattern a lot in this resource. A face, a microphone, a quote, and a background. Simplicity helps you process this thumbnail in a split-second.

So what makes this one so good? First, the guest’s face which looks serious. The red background on the quote grabs your attention so you start reading.

You already know that you should always look into someone’s eye. But probably not into someone‘s left eye which leaves you curious.

But before going any further, you read the title of the video. And as the title starts with “No. 1 Neuroscientist”, you don’t need any other proof to understand how credible this person is on this topic.

1.97x is an excellent outlier score. But the next one is even better.

Outlier score: 2.72x

(7.79M views for 2.86M followers — Chris Williamson)

Why so many clicked on this one:

The thumbnail is slightly more complex than the previous one but nothing you can't handle in a blink of an eye Notice the sky blue border, the subtle sky blue aura around the guest’s face and her name under the caption.

Let’s start with her face as faces are most often the first thing we see. She looks concerned, which matches the alarming quote.

“Where real power lies”. Notice that “real“ is on a different colour than the other words. This implies that most of us actually don’t know where power lies.

If the thumbnail builds curiosity, the title reinforces that feeling. Notice that it’s a question. Does it mean that Tulsi Gabbard will only debunk your beliefs? Or also provide answers? Either way, you’ll learn something.

The only element that I would change here is replacing the guest’s name in the title with an element of credibility. Unless you know Tulsi Gabbard or recognise Chris Williamson‘s thumbnails, nothing here tells you why you should listen.

2.72x is a hell of an outlier score. But the next podcast episode doubles that score.

Outlier score: 5.02x

(2.67M views for 532K followers — Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal)

Why so many clicked on this one:

Major change for this thumbnail as we see both the guest’s and host’s faces. Microphones are visible to inform you that this is a recorded discussion. And after noticing the two faces on both sides, you look at what’s written in the middle.

“Start a business” taps into a desire that lots of us have. A main reasons that stop us from starting a business is knowing some of the risks. Most often, financial risks. Hence why “with zero risk” builds so much curiosity.

But you may not know either of these two faces. This could sound like another online scam.

So the title brings two crucial elements. First, credibility. This is not some random advice, it’s a “masterclass”. Secondly, it maps your desire with a specific target which can go anywhere from $10k to $1M per month.

In other words, grab your notebook because you may get what you desire if you apply what you’ll learn in this video.

I wish I could say that 5.02x is an insane outlier score. But there’s better. Almost 3 times better.

Outlier score: 14.53x

(21.94M views for only 1.51M followers — Colin and Samir)

Why so many clicked on this one:

Today, everyone knows MrBeast or at least have heard of him. When this episode came out, not as much. So millions were curious to hear about his story, his process and much more.

And this thumbnail gives you a first hint. His face combined with the “f*ck it” quote gives this feeling that every video is a make or break.

And like any successful biography, you know from the title that you’ll get nothing but “the full story of MrBeast”. If you want to understand how he made it this far, this video is for you.

I haven’t found a word to qualify a 14.53x outlier score for a podcast episode. But I’m confident that what comes next is beyond most people’s dream.

Outlier score: 33.06x

(3.57M views for only 108K followers — Jay Clouse)

Why so many clicked on this one:

You’ve read that right. As I’m writing these lines, this video has 33x more views than Jay Clouse’s YouTube channel has followers.

Yet the thumbnail is as simple as the others, even simpler. So what’s happening there?

First, Jenny Hoyos looks much younger than the usual guests you get to see. But there’s more. If you look above, all the guests look serious, concerned. She looks joyful, hopeful.

You can almost imagine her laughing with you while she’s telling you that she can make anything viral. Notice how bold “anything” is, compared to the other words. Desire and curiosity are at their peak.

But the thumbnail alone doesn’t give you a solid reason to listen to her. And that’s where the title comes in.

“Meet the YouTuber Who Solved Shorts”. In other words, she does make anything viral on YouTube Shorts and you're about to find out how.

Pattern interrupt, desire, curiosity, credibility. This thumbnail and title tick all the boxes.

It’s rare to get such an outlier score. A combination of many factors explain why the video performs so well. Thumbnails, title but the first seconds of the video or the distribution.

And whenever you prefer delegating those rather than doing it on your own, consider joining my waitlist.

Until next time,
Loïc.