Where can I improve with my thumbnail and video format?

[keen sinew]

I haven’t posted in sometime, but I am looking for some feedback on my thumbnail and where I can improve.

I also wanted to ask about my video format as a whole, first impression, audio, etc. just looking where I can improve and what to keep note of.

Context: Tactics Video Game channel, want to focus on slightly longer form content but want to also make shorts from those pieces.

https://youtu.be/Gzc3GbuQyiQ?si=cg8RmCf1IzQOyMlj

[whole ether]

Disclaimer:
Keep in mind I am ALSO a tiny tuber who is ALSO asking for advice so... D:
I HAVE NO IDEA IF ANYTHING I SAY WITH CONFIDENCE IS THE COMPLETE, CORRECT ANSWER.
Please feel free to disagree or correct me! I'm here to learn too!*

✅: No comment! Acceptable!

☑️: Acceptable, maybe you can improve this but really it's ok as is as well

❌: I have a biased opinion on how you could make changes here

⚪ : Not Applicable

+-+-+-+LITERAL QUALITY+-+-+-+

✅ ----- HD quality offered (Is 1080 HD offered? This is non essential but nice to have)

☑️ ----- Audio clarity (Is the audio crisp enough to note different sounds apart and clearly understand words?)

⚪ ----- Lighting (Is the room's lighting balanced? Ie no white-outs, over exposures, zero-data noise)

⚪ ----- Camera work (Is the camera work clean, interesting, and consistent? If still, is the subject in frame)

❌ ----- Sound levels (Do your ears bleed? Is it too quiet? Perhaps both?)

✅ ----- Background noise (Is there notable noise or distracting background noises that aren't intended or part of the video)

☑️ ----- Editing Style (Is there a consistent editing style? Does it add to the video without distracting?)

✅ ----- Transitions (Are transitions smooth and appropriate?)

❌ ----- Pacing (Is the pacing of the video comfortable and engaging?)

⚪ ----- Use of Effects/Graphics (Are any effects and graphics used effectively to enhance the video?)

+-+-+-+ CLICK QUALITY +-+-+-+

✅ ----- Click-Through Rate (CTR) (Is this a very "clickable" thumbail/video in general?)
✅ ----- Attractiveness (Are the thumbnail and title visually appealing and compelling?)
✅ ----- Relevance (Is the thumbnail and title relevant to the topic and correctly inform the viewer?)
✅ ----- Topic (Is the topic interesting and relevant to the target audience?)
✅ ----- Curiosity (Does the topic or thumbnail/title create curiosity and intrigue to encourage clicks?)
✅ ----- Color (Are the colors in the thumbnail eye-catching/complementary without being overwhelming?)
✅ ----- Contrast (Is there a clear contrast between the elements in the thumbnail?)
☑️ ----- Simplicity (Is the thumbnail simple and focused? Are assets limited to one or two main focuses)
❌ ----- Readability (Is the text on the thumbnail easy to read? Are they as few words as possible with high contrast, avoiding repetition of the title?)
☑️ ----- Faces and Emotions (Do faces added express strongly? Are they realistic and accurate to the video?)
✅ ----- Clarity and Relevance (Is the thumbnail clear and directly related to the video content? Would it stand out?)
☑️ ----- Unique Selling Point (USP) (Does the thumbnail reflect your niche and topic uniquely without blending in with similar content?)
☑️ ----- Title Value (Is the title short, relevant, and captures curiosity?)

+-+-+-+ENTERTAINMENT QUALITY+-+-+-+

☑️ ----- Presenter Delivery (How effective is the presenter's delivery and on-screen presence?)

❌ ----- Energy (Does the presenter bring sufficient energy to keep the audience engaged?)

☑️ ----- Audience Retention (Does the video keep the viewer's attention throughout?)

1:06 ----- Time You "Lost me" at

❌ ----- The Hook (Is the first 5-10 seconds hooking the audience?)

☑️ ----- The Intro (Is there a quick intro that preps the audience that doesn't go longer than 30 sec?)

❌ ----- The Clingy Minute (Does the next minute keep the viewer clinging to the video?)

☑️ ----- The Outro (Does the ending have a smooth transition, a goodbye to the viewer, or another outro?)

✅ ----- Relevance to the topic (Does the video contribute to the topic or is relevant in its category, i.e., gaming?)

☑️ ----- Unique Selling Points (What makes the video stand out from similar content?)

☑️ ----- Viewer Benefits (What benefits does the viewer gain from watching the video?)

☑️ ----- Coherence (Is the video logically structured and easy to follow?)

☑️ ----- Flow (Does the video transition smoothly from one segment to another?)

+-+-+-+COMMUNITY QUALITY+-+-+-+

✅ ----- Connection with Audience (Does the presenter connect well with the audience?)

☑️ ----- Calls to Action (Are there effective calls to action, e.g., like, subscribe, comment? Or an endcard to CTA?)

⚪ ----- Interactive Elements (Do any interactive elements, e.g., polls, questions support the video and aren’t distractions?)

⚪ ----- Branding Elements (Are intros, outros, and graphics consistent with the channel's "Name?")

✅ ----- Overall Style (Is there a consistent overall style across videos?)

[whole ether]

+-+-+-+COMMENTS & SUGGESTIONS+-+-+-+

Ok! A great video overall, so please don't get upset at all my drivel below! These are my thoughts on how maybe you could improve your video/thumbnail.

🟡 🟠 🟡 AUDIO 🟡 🟠 🟡

☑️ ----- Audio clarity (Is the audio crisp enough to note different sounds apart and clearly understand words?)

❌ ----- Sound levels (Do your ears bleed? Is it too quiet? Perhaps both?)

• Your audio was ok. It could be normalized a bit. It gets very quiet only to rise up to normal.
• YT normalized your audio themselves for you, lowering it and making your audio too quiet because it thinks your audio is too loud when you uploaded it. Maybe look into LUF radar and capping your audio with a compressor/limiter.
• It's clean enough for YT. You could clean it a bit more, but honestly no biggie lol

🟡 🟠 🟡 ENERGY / PACING 🟡 🟠 🟡

❌ ----- Pacing (Is the pacing of the video comfortable and engaging?)

☑️ ----- Presenter Delivery (How effective is the presenter's delivery and on-screen presence?)

❌ ----- Energy (Does the presenter bring sufficient energy to keep the audience engaged?)

• Oh... whats going on here?
• You start off with alright-energy and alright pacing. You ramble a bit too much and I'll gointo intro issues below, but it's otherwise enough of a beat to start the video
• But then very quickly you get... I dont have words for it??
• Very "enthusastic" but very "airy" in your entusiasm, like it's not genuinely enthusastic to you?
• It comes across as being disengaged and inauthentic.
• The change is notable, and dististic. Let me give you an example of why this is an issue.
• EXAMPLE: "here's some rocks, let's discuss the different typess of rocks in my garden. So heres a few rocks I found. OH my god LOOK at thissssss rock. It's SO coolios."
• It feels... manufactored. Like you realized you needed intensity so you upped the intensity of your delivery BUT didn't correct your cadence or tone...?? Maybe??
• I'm not a voice-girlie, so I wouldn't know the exact term. Your first voice was good. You go back to it a few times, and I think this voice is a good start. Your "YT voice" develops in time as you get used to your mic. You don't need to force it to come out!
• Perhaps this is another audio issue and its a mic problem? I wouldn't know

🟡 🟠 🟡 THUMBNAIL 🟡 🟠 🟡

☑️ ----- Simplicity (Is the thumbnail simple and focused? Are assets limited to one or two main focuses)

❌ ----- Readability (Is the text on the thumbnail easy to read? Are they as few words as possible with high contrast, avoiding repetition of the title?)

☑️ ----- Faces and Emotions (Do faces added express strongly? Are they realistic and accurate to the video?)

☑️ ----- Unique Selling Point (USP) (Does the thumbnail reflect your niche and topic uniquely without blending in with similar content?)

☑️ ----- Title Value (Is the title short, relevant, and captures curiosity?

• Ah! A great thumbnail!
• Couple pointers, nothing major though, I'd say your thumbnail is great!
• I'd maybe remove the game name. I'm not a fan of gamenames in thumbnails. People don't read thumbnails often. They scroll pass them because reading is harder than looking.
• So game names are usually better off in titles (which ARE read if the viewer likes the thumbnail and is curious)
• The girl isn't too impressive or captivating, in contrast to how she probably looks in other shots/frames. Are there no "EPIC OMG LOOK AT THIS?!!!!!" frames/stills/character art you could use? I only include this because usually Gacha games have some insane characters/frames/stills/art for the click factor
• Maybe shorten the title and lean more into curisoisty

🟡 🟠 🟡 CONTENT / ENTERTAINMENT 🟡 🟠 🟡

☑️ ----- Editing Style (Is there a consistent editing style? Does it add to the video without distracting?)

☑️ ----- Audience Retention (Does the video keep the viewer's attention throughout?)

1:06 ----- Time You "Lost me" at

❌ ----- The Hook (Is the first 5-10 seconds hooking the audience?)

☑️ ----- The Intro (Is there a quick intro that preps the audience that doesn't go longer than 30 sec?)

❌ ----- The Clingy Minute (Does the next minute keep the viewer clinging to the video?)

☑️ ----- The Outro (Does the ending have a smooth transition, a goodbye to the viewer, or another outro?)

☑️ ----- Unique Selling Points (What makes the video stand out from similar content?)

☑️ ----- Viewer Benefits (What benefits does the viewer gain from watching the video?)

☑️ ----- Coherence (Is the video logically structured and easy to follow?)

☑️ ----- Flow (Does the video transition smoothly from one segment to another?)

• Editing... Editing editing editing...
• Editing is the hardest part imo
• imo the quickest and most effective changes you can make are to change your intro and hook first, then work on verything else
• Your hook has to be catchy, snaggy, or otherwise captivating to the video in the first few seconds, around 3-5. Starting a video with slack gives viewers a moment to second guess your video. Remember, they watched TWO ADs and waiting during the load time for this video. They're already annoyed at best and impatient at worst. Start off strong!
• Your intro is too long (shortern to short as possible/needed!!) and flows into your clingy minute with no distrinctive divide. You could have a good intro that flows into the glingy minute. It happens, but usually only if the intro is HELLA strong and also NEEDS to flow into the minute (challenge run letsplays tend to do this, since you need that minute to explain core game mechanics)
• After those, work on your coherence and flow. Jumping to random moments early on without warning, cue, or explaination can leave people stunned, lost, and leaving
• After that, I'd work more on your deliery and energy, which will increase the rest of the issues for the most part! Maybe will fix some!

[keen sinew]

@whole ether wow! Huge thank you! I really appreciate you taking the time to do this and it means a lot! You’re a real one for this, will absolutely work on all the above too