YouTube has announced a new tool that will allow content creators to test and compare the performance of various video thumbnails. This feature, called “Thumbnail Testing and Comparison”, was first introduced in June of last year and was only available to a few hundred creators. In the coming weeks, the feature will be expanded to more users.
The new tool allows creators to test up to three different thumbnails for the same video. According to Meaghan, from TeamYouTube, “YouTube will display the chosen thumbnails uniformly to all viewers of the video and then select a winning thumbnail based on which one generates the most shared viewing time”. This technique, known as A/B testing, helps identify which thumbnail attracts the audience the most.
Thumbnail performance data will be available to YouTube content creators, although “it may take a few days or up to two weeks to get the final results of your thumbnail tests,” explains Meaghan. The final report may include a “Winner” tag for the thumbnail that clearly stands out, or a “Preferred” tag if a thumbnail shows a likely superior performance.
Although YouTube will provide these recommendations, creators are not obligated to choose the thumbnail that the tool considers best; they can manually select a thumbnail if they wish. This tool will only be available in YouTube Studio for personal computers and will require special access to advanced features.
