POV

It’s frustrating, isn’t it?

You put so much work into creating your original content, blog, articles and social media posts, yet no one clicks on them! (Don’t worry, it’s happened to me too.)

You use catchy titles. You choose relevant topics. So what’s the problem?

The most likely possibility is that users aren’t clicking on your content because the thumbnail image you’ve chosen is boring or unrelated to the topic.

When you’re scrolling for videos through YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and other platforms, the video thumbnail captures your attention and helps you decide whether or not to click on the video. This same concept applies to your written content thumbnails, too.

Without adopting this practice to your blog or article thumbnails, you’re locking your content behind a poorly chosen image that doesn’t entice users to click on it.

Fortunately, I can show you how to change that and drive real results.

Through years of video marketing experience, I’ve learned how to strategically leverage the use of thumbnail images to generate more clicks, more engagement, and ultimately more sales. Let me show you how it’s done!

Article Thumbnails the Gateway To and From Your Content

An article’s thumbnail image is a critical real estate opportunity. It’s often underutilized and considered an afterthought rather than a vital part of the content experience and distribution strategy. I’ll show you how to maximize that real estate in just a moment.

As a result, thumbnail images are an integral and important link between the actual article content and the subsequent CTA or desired action. Without a compelling gateway thumbnail, fewer readers will get to the important part of the article: the CTA!

With this in mind, your article thumbnail has to captivate the audience and encourage them to take a specific action. Just as videos rely on thumbnails to attract viewers, articles do, too!

8 Quick Tips for Making a Great First Impression With an Article Thumbnail

Remember the old saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover?”

Well, I’m telling you to forget all about that!

In the digital marketing world, you get one chance to make a first impression, and that’s through your article’s thumbnail. In fact, you have only a few seconds to make a solid, lasting impression with your thumbnail.

If your thumbnail fails to attract the reader and communicate important information, they won’t click on your article. It’s as simple as that.

Keep my helpful tips in mind as you create your article thumbnails.

1. Use Classic Advertising Techniques

There’s a reason marketers still rely on the foundations of advertising to choose images for their campaigns: because they work!

When creating article thumbnails, use classic advertising techniques that evoke an immediate emotion, such as:

• Surprise/Shock:“You won’t believe these kitchen cleaning tips!”
• Humor:“We dare you not to click this button!”
• Personal:“Discover how you can join today.”
• Descriptive:“Join free for a month!”

For an added impact, you can also use short and simple on-screen messages to reinforce the content beyond the thumbnail.

2. Always Use Relevant Imagery

The rule of classic advertising techniques applies to your imagery as well. Select imagery that resonates with your main content message.

People will not click on an image if it doesn’t connect with the content topic or title. After all, would you click on an article with a strange image? I wouldn’t!

With that said...

3. You Can Use Images as Clickbait

Ah, clickbait.

By definition, clickbait is content designed to generate as many clicks as possible. This concept starts with the article’s thumbnail image.

Many marketers argue the advantages and disadvantages of clickbait, but I’m here to say that so long as the image correlates with the topic and title, go for it!

For instance, if a thumbnail says, “You Won’t Believe These 8 Marketing Tips,” and uses an image of an employee looking shocked at their laptop screen, this is an ethical form of clickbait.

If you use that same title and image to drive clicks to a completely unrelated article, then you’ve crossed into the unethical clickbait territory.

4. Use an Evergreen Thumbnail for a Longer Shelf Life

The last thing you want is for your thumbnail imagery to quickly become irrelevant. With this in mind, I highly recommend you work to ensure your thumbnail image is evergreen and not topical. The best content has a long shelf-life, but images can lose their impact over time.

Use imagery and copy that won’t be considered outdated in a few weeks. This means not including seasonal copy or imagery or relying on trending images or topics.

Otherwise, there’s no reason for readers to click on your thumbnail if it’s an outdated topic.

5. Lure Readers In With Captivating Imagery

Thumbnail imagery is a look into what’s to come. Give readers a sneak peek at what they can expect from clicking on the thumbnail by using imagery that lures them in or is also included in the article!

6. Add Some Pizzazz!

If you want to capture the attention of your audience — and you do! — try using a gif as your article thumbnail. It’s worked for me!

Remember to include your logo, article headline, and (if room allows) CTA in the gif to tie the whole package together and entice users to click through to the content.

7. Create a Thumbnail Strategy

As with any aspect of your content strategy, your article thumbnail needs a defined strategy as well.  This is something that large media companies have learned to employ.

While the strategy will vary based on your market and overall goals, these quick tips will help you formulate the best strategy for your company’s thumbnails.

A/B Testing

It’ll take time and a lot of experimentation to understand what thumbnail images and designs your audiences react to. Leverage A/B testing tools to determine which perform better with your audience.

Create a Thumbnail Schedule

If you plan on repurposing or republishing the content on different distribution channels, it’s best to have several thumbnails queued up and on a schedule. This ensures your audience sees and reacts to a different thumbnail every time.

Tailor Thumbnails to Each Target Audience

Your brand has several defined audiences that each have their own preferences. Therefore, tailoring the thumbnail to each audience will increase your chances of positive results.

For instance, an article published on Facebook and Instagram will likely need a different thumbnail image than one posted on Medium or your website blog.

The audiences on these channels all react to different styles of thumbnails, so remember to use the A/B testing tools to determine which audience reacts to which thumbnail style on which channel!

Switch It Up

Change your thumbnails every three to six months so that the content remains fresh. The content may be the same, however, a new thumbnail image may attract readers who overlooked it the first time.

Tag Thumbnail Images for SEO

The goal of creating quality content is to rank better on search engines, right? With this in mind, do your best to include the appropriate tags on your thumbnail images where possible.

8. Best Practices for Creating and Curating Thumbnail Images

Ready to create your own thumbnail images or identify third-party content with stellar thumbnail images? Use my recommended best practices to get started.

Use Royalty-Free Images

With everything else you have going on, the last thing you need to deal with is a copyright suit! Always use royalty-free images.

You can find these images on popular sites like Unsplash, Pixabay, Pexels, and more. Or, if you have a photographer at your disposal, create original branded images for your articles.

Provide Image Credit Where Necessary

If you can’t find a royalty-free image that suits your needs and don’t have the budget to hire a photographer, you can look for other images online that work better.

However, you must ask for permission to use these images and provide the proper credit!

Failing to do this will come back to bite you, especially as your content begins to gain popularity and authority.

Skip Google Images

I know, it’s tempting to grab pictures and illustrations off Google Images. Aside from it being an unethical marketing practice, it also results in poor quality. These images often have a low resolution, leading to pixelated and grainy imagery.

This is why you should…

Always Use High-Resolution Images

Using high-resolution images allows you to showcase your brand’s quality through a dazzling picture. Additionally, high-resolution images provide you with the ability to edit it without sacrificing quality.

Watermark Your Thumbnail Image

When designing your thumbnail image, always include a small logo or watermark. This discourages individuals from copying and using your image without your permission.

Add Copy Carefully

Many marketers like to add captions or copy to their thumbnail images. While this practice does have its place, it can take up too much space and backfire. Instead, let the image speak for itself.

Find Images to Repurpose

For content efficiency, look for images you can repurpose for content pieces. On top of saving time, this provides an opportunity to link or refer back to the original piece of content in which it was used.

Don’t Brush Off the Article Thumbnail, Embrace It

For many marketers, the thumbnail is an afterthought for both videos and articles. In reality, it’s quite possibly the most important piece of marketing real estate.

Before you go, remember:

• Thumbnail images are the gateway to and from excellent content.
• Rely on classic advertising techniques to draw attention to your article thumbnail.
• Consider using clickbait or gif tactics to add a bit of pizzazz.
• Without an enticing thumbnail — both imagery and copy — no one will find your content.