Thumbnail feedback?

[copper moss]

My thumbnails suck. I need help making them better. "Science" says that faces make for better engagement, but none of the videos with my face on them tend to do as well as the ones without, so i'm not sure. I'm following the "format", and the thumbnails are definitely "competent", but still, they don't do very good.

Option 1: With the face. Competent, but no urgency with the current face. I guess i could make a funny face, take another photo, sure, but i'm still not too sure. Maybe abandon the face approach temporarily?

Option 2: No face, "AI slop" photo plus bold caption: "stop bad arguments." i feel like this approach will yield a more clickable result, even though i don't like it as much from the "authenticity" perspective.

The title of this video is, "How to argue like a philosopher" or maybe just "Argue like a philosopher", so i think the thumbnail caption should be something like "make better arguments" or "stop bad arguments", "how to argue better" or "argue like a pro"---something like that.

feedback welcome!

[bold trellis]

So, I personally think both thumbnails are pretty mid/bad. Honestly i think, im not in this space but I watch a decent bit of its content as someone who ran a psycology website for a while as well. It would be best to include some imagery of philosophers, for now they dont know who the hell you are (respectfully) and the whatever is going on on the left side is just sloppy, from the text to the low res ai image. I suggest taking a look at what your potential competitors or niche are doing, some include face of themselves, along with philosophical imagery, or just plain philosophical imagery with text. as you can see here (these are at least niche adjacent) All of these videos did fairly well (obviously two of them utilize jordan peterson to get viewership) but the other 3 are in the same realm of what you could do, or if you wanted to go into a particularly interesting title/video you could do "how to argue/discuss/think/talk like X (Jordan Peterson for example, or really any famous thinker, as you can see with the Machiavelli example.)

@copper moss

[copper moss]

@bold trellis yeath that's really good advice. will take it back to the drawing board

[copper moss]

warmer or colder? 😅

ok now we're getting somewhere

i think

"have philosophy stuff in phlosophy videos" makes a lot of sense lol. the main model i was looking at was this guy, who has very minimalist thumbnails. but i guess he can get away with it because he has an audience and his face is his brand at this point. until that happens, if ever, i gotta lean on more famous people

thanks for pointing me in the right direction @bold trellis. very much appreciated.

[bold trellis]

Here are some more Powerful & Clickable Titles:
"How to Win Any Argument Using Philosophy" (Emphasizes practical application)
"The Philosophy of Argument: Outsmart Anyone" (Ties into knowledge)
"How the Greatest Philosophers Argued – Learn Their Secrets" (Makes it historical and knowledge-based)
"Debate Like a Genius: The Philosophers’ Guide" (Straight to the point)
"Master the Art of Argument – Philosophy’s Secret Tricks" (Engaging + useful)

• Key Thumbnail Improvements -
  Simplify the Color Scheme

The other thumbnails use one or two dominant colors (e.g., white & yellow, black & red).
Let’s remove the strong red/yellow ketchup mustard auras around the philosophers and instead use a subtle uniform glow (e.g., white or a soft gold).
Consider a clean black or deep blue background gradient instead of the current busy bookshelf.
Make the Text Stand Out Clearly

Instead of a full yellow "GENIUS", try:
White text with a bold black stroke, OR
Yellow text with a subtle black shadow to improve contrast.
Consider slightly reducing the text size to prevent clutter but keeping it bold. also keep the font of genius the same as the rest of the text
Enhance the Facial Expression

Right now, the face is neutral, but a subtle smirk, raised eyebrow, or slight head tilt would add engagement.
If possible, use a different frame from the footage where you have a more intense or curious expression
Sharpen or Blur the Background for Focus

The bookshelf competes for attention—let’s either:
Blur (gaussian blur would work) it slightly to make the subject (you) pop, OR
Replace it with a gradient background (like deep blue fading to black).

@copper moss no problem, always happy to help

[copper moss]

blurred background, uniform font and better contrast for the lettering, simpler color scheme

[bold trellis]

thats starting to look better, I think highlight genius with the yellow instead, and turn the rest white, and its pretty solid :)

much better than before!

[copper moss]

ah! yes! i changed the genius color because i wanted the rest to pop more, but that was before i added the gradient

[bold trellis]

it looks pretty solid man, feel free to link me the video in dms or whatever once you post it, would love to give it a watch

[copper moss]

thanks so much. i'll be thinking about all this stuff making thumbnails in the future. sure, happy to send it. scheduled to go live in about 12 hours