Hi {{firstName}},

I recently got asked by one of our clients how we create compelling video thumbnails for our email campaigns. So, here I am, sharing my insights with you as well :-)

For some background information: thumbnails are the digital versions of book covers. And I know the saying goes “don’t judge a book by its cover”, but let’s be honest, we all judge books by their covers. So, just like a cover, your thumbnail is the first thing people will see. No matter how amazing your video is, if your thumbnail sucks, no one’s going to stick around to watch it 🤷

Below I’ve listed 3 tips on how to create the perfect thumbnail.

Create emotional connection

The basis of every marketing and sales strategy is to connect with your audience. Give them something they can relate to - or show them something that will initiate emotion. There are various ways you can do this effectively:

• Adding a face (preferably your own, and preferably looking happy. No point in looking like you’re about to predict their doom, that’ll just scare them off) - There’s an interesting article I read recently called The Power of a Smile. And one sentence stuck out to me in particular: A smile is an invitation 🙂. Enough said.
• Personalise it - By adding a personal greeting like “Video for {{firstname}} {{lastname}}”, or adding the prospect’s company logo, for example, you’re immediately initiating a feeling of connection in them. This is not just another bland sales pitch that is sent out in bulk (actually it is, but they don’t need to know that 🙄).
• Choose your colours carefully - Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky once said “Color is a power which directly influences the soul”, and he couldn’t be more right. Different colours have different effects on us. For an in depth look into the psychology of colour, check out Color Psychology in Marketing and Branding is All About Context.

Keep it simple

No one’s going to click on your video if your thumbnail looks like the visual embodiment of a panic attack. Keep it simple with minimal text, one or two colours and a sprinkle of personal touch, as mentioned above. Aesthetic simplicity is key here 😗👌🏼

Stick to a theme

Although this one is a little less important when using video in cold email outreach, having a definite theme to your thumbnails will make them more recognizable and so more memorable. And, that’s kind of the point when it comes to marketing & sales, right? We want to stay in our audience’s mind long after we’ve engaged with them. By having consistent looking thumbnails people will start building an emotional connection to them.

And we don’t mean you need to copy and paste every thumbnail. That’s boring. But, have the same layout, or font, or colour pallet for your thumbnails consistently.