Mastering Viral Fame: Boosting Your Video’s Popularity on YouTube

How to Get a YouTube Video Trending

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Ever think about how to get a YouTube video trending? It can come down to picking a topic that’s trending.

A trending topic is a subject which a lot of people are currently interested in. If you learn how to tap into what’s popular and cover it in creative and innovative ways then that will help your channel grow more quickly. You’ll get more views, more subscribers, and higher search rankings by following these simple tips.

1. Think of ‘Trending’ as Relevant
2. Find Trending Topics Within Your Niche
3. Aim for Number 1
4. Success Doesn’t Mean Making a Viral Video
5. The Subscriber Snowball Effect

1. Think of ‘Trending’ as Relevant

Instead of thinking of a trending video as a video that everyone is doing, think of it as a subject that is relevant to a lot of people. You want to cover topics that a lot of people care about.

A lot of YouTubers see huge channels have a lot of success posting videos that are very focused on the personal life of the creator (i.e. ‘I had the WORST day’) or which have very vague or sensational titles (i.e. ‘The horse knows what it did’) and decide that those are the kinds of videos they want to do too. However, the only reason large channels are able to be successful with these kinds of videos and titles is that they are already big. These creators have already grown themselves huge audiences of people who know and are interested in them personally.

As a smaller creator, you will not be successful if you only aim to do videos that are focused on you and your life. For example, if you have 100 subscribers and make a vlog about how your day went, then you have 100 people who may potentially find that interesting. The content might be good, but it won’t help you grow.

2. Find Trending Topics Within Your Niche

Taking on trending topics shouldn’t mean taking on topics you aren’t actually interested in or don’t care about. Every genre on YouTube has its own trends, and you will often know about them just by virtue of watching other channels in your genre and talking to people who are interested in the same things as you. For example, if you’re a Gamer and your friends are also Gamers then you probably already know what Gamers are currently interested in.

If you do need help determining trends, here are 2 ways to do it:

1. Visit 3 of the most popular channels in your genre (i.e. gaming, beauty, or prank) and see if there’s any overlap in the themes of their most recent videos.
2. Go to Google Trends and look at the categories most relevant to your genre. To learn how to use Google Trends .

3. Aim for Number 1

Being trendy doesn’t mean you can’t be original. If you know what’s popular in your genre then that will enable you to ask yourself ‘what’s on-trend, but not being covered yet?’.

For example, if you know that relationship videos – topics like ‘how do you know a guy likes you?’ – are doing well then you can think about what other aspects of dating people might be interested in that don’t have many videos on them yet. If you’re one of the first to tackle something that’s on-trend you have a much better chance of getting that number 1 search engine ranking, and higher ranked videos always get more views.

4. Success Doesn’t Mean Making a Viral Video

There’s a common misconception that in order to grow your channel you need to make your videos go viral. The truth is that having one or two viral videos probably won’t help you much. People don’t subscribe to one video, they subscribe for consistently good content.

It’s much better to have 10 videos on a popular topic that are doing alright than it is to have that one big viral hit. Those 10 videos will consistently bring in new viewers to your channel who are more likely to subscribe because they can see you have other content they’re interested in.

5. The Subscriber Snowball Effect

When you make multiple videos around a trending topic, they’re more likely to come up as ‘related’ to each other than if you only cover the topic in one video. If someone enjoys one of your videos on that topic and can see there’s another right there in the related videos, there’s a good chance they’ll click on it.

This gets you more views on multiple videos, and more subscribers because it builds the expectation that you’re going to continue to keep covering relevant topics. Having viewers click from video to video on your channel also increases your watch time, which YouTube’s algorithm takes as a sign that they should rank your videos higher in search results (getting you even more views).

Do you have any of your own tips for how to get a YouTube video trending?

Finding the trend is integral for YouTube channel growth. A user-friendly video editing software will simplify the process of editing videos and saves your efforts. Get Wondershare Filmora by clicking the button below to make the coolest videos and see your viewers boom.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Ever think about how to get a YouTube video trending? It can come down to picking a topic that’s trending.

A trending topic is a subject which a lot of people are currently interested in. If you learn how to tap into what’s popular and cover it in creative and innovative ways then that will help your channel grow more quickly. You’ll get more views, more subscribers, and higher search rankings by following these simple tips.

1. Think of ‘Trending’ as Relevant
2. Find Trending Topics Within Your Niche
3. Aim for Number 1
4. Success Doesn’t Mean Making a Viral Video
5. The Subscriber Snowball Effect

1. Think of ‘Trending’ as Relevant

Instead of thinking of a trending video as a video that everyone is doing, think of it as a subject that is relevant to a lot of people. You want to cover topics that a lot of people care about.

A lot of YouTubers see huge channels have a lot of success posting videos that are very focused on the personal life of the creator (i.e. ‘I had the WORST day’) or which have very vague or sensational titles (i.e. ‘The horse knows what it did’) and decide that those are the kinds of videos they want to do too. However, the only reason large channels are able to be successful with these kinds of videos and titles is that they are already big. These creators have already grown themselves huge audiences of people who know and are interested in them personally.

As a smaller creator, you will not be successful if you only aim to do videos that are focused on you and your life. For example, if you have 100 subscribers and make a vlog about how your day went, then you have 100 people who may potentially find that interesting. The content might be good, but it won’t help you grow.

2. Find Trending Topics Within Your Niche

Taking on trending topics shouldn’t mean taking on topics you aren’t actually interested in or don’t care about. Every genre on YouTube has its own trends, and you will often know about them just by virtue of watching other channels in your genre and talking to people who are interested in the same things as you. For example, if you’re a Gamer and your friends are also Gamers then you probably already know what Gamers are currently interested in.

If you do need help determining trends, here are 2 ways to do it:

1. Visit 3 of the most popular channels in your genre (i.e. gaming, beauty, or prank) and see if there’s any overlap in the themes of their most recent videos.
2. Go to Google Trends and look at the categories most relevant to your genre. To learn how to use Google Trends .

3. Aim for Number 1

Being trendy doesn’t mean you can’t be original. If you know what’s popular in your genre then that will enable you to ask yourself ‘what’s on-trend, but not being covered yet?’.

For example, if you know that relationship videos – topics like ‘how do you know a guy likes you?’ – are doing well then you can think about what other aspects of dating people might be interested in that don’t have many videos on them yet. If you’re one of the first to tackle something that’s on-trend you have a much better chance of getting that number 1 search engine ranking, and higher ranked videos always get more views.

4. Success Doesn’t Mean Making a Viral Video

There’s a common misconception that in order to grow your channel you need to make your videos go viral. The truth is that having one or two viral videos probably won’t help you much. People don’t subscribe to one video, they subscribe for consistently good content.

It’s much better to have 10 videos on a popular topic that are doing alright than it is to have that one big viral hit. Those 10 videos will consistently bring in new viewers to your channel who are more likely to subscribe because they can see you have other content they’re interested in.

5. The Subscriber Snowball Effect

When you make multiple videos around a trending topic, they’re more likely to come up as ‘related’ to each other than if you only cover the topic in one video. If someone enjoys one of your videos on that topic and can see there’s another right there in the related videos, there’s a good chance they’ll click on it.

This gets you more views on multiple videos, and more subscribers because it builds the expectation that you’re going to continue to keep covering relevant topics. Having viewers click from video to video on your channel also increases your watch time, which YouTube’s algorithm takes as a sign that they should rank your videos higher in search results (getting you even more views).

Do you have any of your own tips for how to get a YouTube video trending?

Finding the trend is integral for YouTube channel growth. A user-friendly video editing software will simplify the process of editing videos and saves your efforts. Get Wondershare Filmora by clicking the button below to make the coolest videos and see your viewers boom.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Ever think about how to get a YouTube video trending? It can come down to picking a topic that’s trending.

A trending topic is a subject which a lot of people are currently interested in. If you learn how to tap into what’s popular and cover it in creative and innovative ways then that will help your channel grow more quickly. You’ll get more views, more subscribers, and higher search rankings by following these simple tips.

1. Think of ‘Trending’ as Relevant
2. Find Trending Topics Within Your Niche
3. Aim for Number 1
4. Success Doesn’t Mean Making a Viral Video
5. The Subscriber Snowball Effect

1. Think of ‘Trending’ as Relevant

Instead of thinking of a trending video as a video that everyone is doing, think of it as a subject that is relevant to a lot of people. You want to cover topics that a lot of people care about.

A lot of YouTubers see huge channels have a lot of success posting videos that are very focused on the personal life of the creator (i.e. ‘I had the WORST day’) or which have very vague or sensational titles (i.e. ‘The horse knows what it did’) and decide that those are the kinds of videos they want to do too. However, the only reason large channels are able to be successful with these kinds of videos and titles is that they are already big. These creators have already grown themselves huge audiences of people who know and are interested in them personally.

As a smaller creator, you will not be successful if you only aim to do videos that are focused on you and your life. For example, if you have 100 subscribers and make a vlog about how your day went, then you have 100 people who may potentially find that interesting. The content might be good, but it won’t help you grow.

2. Find Trending Topics Within Your Niche

Taking on trending topics shouldn’t mean taking on topics you aren’t actually interested in or don’t care about. Every genre on YouTube has its own trends, and you will often know about them just by virtue of watching other channels in your genre and talking to people who are interested in the same things as you. For example, if you’re a Gamer and your friends are also Gamers then you probably already know what Gamers are currently interested in.

If you do need help determining trends, here are 2 ways to do it:

1. Visit 3 of the most popular channels in your genre (i.e. gaming, beauty, or prank) and see if there’s any overlap in the themes of their most recent videos.
2. Go to Google Trends and look at the categories most relevant to your genre. To learn how to use Google Trends .

3. Aim for Number 1

Being trendy doesn’t mean you can’t be original. If you know what’s popular in your genre then that will enable you to ask yourself ‘what’s on-trend, but not being covered yet?’.

For example, if you know that relationship videos – topics like ‘how do you know a guy likes you?’ – are doing well then you can think about what other aspects of dating people might be interested in that don’t have many videos on them yet. If you’re one of the first to tackle something that’s on-trend you have a much better chance of getting that number 1 search engine ranking, and higher ranked videos always get more views.

4. Success Doesn’t Mean Making a Viral Video

There’s a common misconception that in order to grow your channel you need to make your videos go viral. The truth is that having one or two viral videos probably won’t help you much. People don’t subscribe to one video, they subscribe for consistently good content.

It’s much better to have 10 videos on a popular topic that are doing alright than it is to have that one big viral hit. Those 10 videos will consistently bring in new viewers to your channel who are more likely to subscribe because they can see you have other content they’re interested in.

5. The Subscriber Snowball Effect

When you make multiple videos around a trending topic, they’re more likely to come up as ‘related’ to each other than if you only cover the topic in one video. If someone enjoys one of your videos on that topic and can see there’s another right there in the related videos, there’s a good chance they’ll click on it.

This gets you more views on multiple videos, and more subscribers because it builds the expectation that you’re going to continue to keep covering relevant topics. Having viewers click from video to video on your channel also increases your watch time, which YouTube’s algorithm takes as a sign that they should rank your videos higher in search results (getting you even more views).

Do you have any of your own tips for how to get a YouTube video trending?

Finding the trend is integral for YouTube channel growth. A user-friendly video editing software will simplify the process of editing videos and saves your efforts. Get Wondershare Filmora by clicking the button below to make the coolest videos and see your viewers boom.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Ever think about how to get a YouTube video trending? It can come down to picking a topic that’s trending.

A trending topic is a subject which a lot of people are currently interested in. If you learn how to tap into what’s popular and cover it in creative and innovative ways then that will help your channel grow more quickly. You’ll get more views, more subscribers, and higher search rankings by following these simple tips.

1. Think of ‘Trending’ as Relevant
2. Find Trending Topics Within Your Niche
3. Aim for Number 1
4. Success Doesn’t Mean Making a Viral Video
5. The Subscriber Snowball Effect

1. Think of ‘Trending’ as Relevant

Instead of thinking of a trending video as a video that everyone is doing, think of it as a subject that is relevant to a lot of people. You want to cover topics that a lot of people care about.

A lot of YouTubers see huge channels have a lot of success posting videos that are very focused on the personal life of the creator (i.e. ‘I had the WORST day’) or which have very vague or sensational titles (i.e. ‘The horse knows what it did’) and decide that those are the kinds of videos they want to do too. However, the only reason large channels are able to be successful with these kinds of videos and titles is that they are already big. These creators have already grown themselves huge audiences of people who know and are interested in them personally.

As a smaller creator, you will not be successful if you only aim to do videos that are focused on you and your life. For example, if you have 100 subscribers and make a vlog about how your day went, then you have 100 people who may potentially find that interesting. The content might be good, but it won’t help you grow.

2. Find Trending Topics Within Your Niche

Taking on trending topics shouldn’t mean taking on topics you aren’t actually interested in or don’t care about. Every genre on YouTube has its own trends, and you will often know about them just by virtue of watching other channels in your genre and talking to people who are interested in the same things as you. For example, if you’re a Gamer and your friends are also Gamers then you probably already know what Gamers are currently interested in.

If you do need help determining trends, here are 2 ways to do it:

1. Visit 3 of the most popular channels in your genre (i.e. gaming, beauty, or prank) and see if there’s any overlap in the themes of their most recent videos.
2. Go to Google Trends and look at the categories most relevant to your genre. To learn how to use Google Trends .

3. Aim for Number 1

Being trendy doesn’t mean you can’t be original. If you know what’s popular in your genre then that will enable you to ask yourself ‘what’s on-trend, but not being covered yet?’.

For example, if you know that relationship videos – topics like ‘how do you know a guy likes you?’ – are doing well then you can think about what other aspects of dating people might be interested in that don’t have many videos on them yet. If you’re one of the first to tackle something that’s on-trend you have a much better chance of getting that number 1 search engine ranking, and higher ranked videos always get more views.

4. Success Doesn’t Mean Making a Viral Video

There’s a common misconception that in order to grow your channel you need to make your videos go viral. The truth is that having one or two viral videos probably won’t help you much. People don’t subscribe to one video, they subscribe for consistently good content.

It’s much better to have 10 videos on a popular topic that are doing alright than it is to have that one big viral hit. Those 10 videos will consistently bring in new viewers to your channel who are more likely to subscribe because they can see you have other content they’re interested in.

5. The Subscriber Snowball Effect

When you make multiple videos around a trending topic, they’re more likely to come up as ‘related’ to each other than if you only cover the topic in one video. If someone enjoys one of your videos on that topic and can see there’s another right there in the related videos, there’s a good chance they’ll click on it.

This gets you more views on multiple videos, and more subscribers because it builds the expectation that you’re going to continue to keep covering relevant topics. Having viewers click from video to video on your channel also increases your watch time, which YouTube’s algorithm takes as a sign that they should rank your videos higher in search results (getting you even more views).

Do you have any of your own tips for how to get a YouTube video trending?

Finding the trend is integral for YouTube channel growth. A user-friendly video editing software will simplify the process of editing videos and saves your efforts. Get Wondershare Filmora by clicking the button below to make the coolest videos and see your viewers boom.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Maximizing Click-Through Rates with Youtube Images

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The art on your YouTube channel – banners, thumbnails, icons, and watermarks – will help to determine how viewers feel about your vlog. If your art does not look like it all goes together then people will get a sloppy, amateurish, impression of your channel. However, if your different pieces of channel art all seem to complement each other and match the tone and theme of your channel then it will help viewers to have a pleasant browsing experience. They will get the impression that you take your YouTube channel seriously and that they can trust you as a source of information, comedy, or general entertainment.

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

YouTube Banners and Thumbnails are two of the most important pieces of channel art you will need. This article will explain the best practices for both, and suggest sites where you will be able to build your own banners and thumbnails for free.

1. YouTube Banners

Quick Tips:

1. The image you upload for your YouTube banner should be 2560 x 1440px (pixels).
2. The ‘safe area’ for text, logos, and other important visual information (like faces) is 1546 x 423px.

Your banner is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about channel art. Banners are the headers that rest at the tops of channel pages on YouTube. Your banner should be 2560 x 1440 px, although not all of it will always be visible. On a desktop computer or mobile device only a 1546 x 423 px ‘safe area’ will be visible. When viewed on a TV screen your entire image will be visible. YouTube does support PNG, but if your PNG file does not upload properly (as has been the case for some YouTubers) then changing your file type to JPEG might help.

YouTube Banners are extremely important to the success of your channel. If you do not have a banner then it looks like you do not really care about your vlog. If you have a basic banner that is not at all personalized then it certainly looks like you care, but it might also look like you are new to YouTube.

The best banners are customized to reflect the kind of experience you want viewers to have on your channel. The banner of a comedic YouTube channel might use bright colors, where the banner for a gaming channel will probably use darker colors similar to the ones that are in the games the vlogger plays. Connecting your banner to the theme of your channel is part of how you define the style of your vlog. It is the difference between being a Beauty Guru and a general YouTuber who gives makeup tips sometimes.

Including a photo of yourself, or your logo if you have one, is a great way to personalize your banner.

2. YouTube Thumbnails

Quick Tips:

1. Search for your video’s topic to see the thumbnails your thumbnail will be competing against.
2. Make any text huge so people can read it on their smartphone screens.
3. Emojis, colored boarders, and graphics are all potential ways to stand out.

Thumbnails are often ignored by newer YouTubers. YouTube selects a thumbnail for every one of your videos and it is always a still image from that video. You can choose which frame you want to use and a lot of people feel like that is good enough. When you create a custom thumbnail, however, you get to not only choose your image but insert a title.

If you are choosing the images you are using for thumbnails you can make sure they are always similar frames. This will help people identify your videos quickly in searches. Using titles in your thumbnails will also help searchers identify your videos, if you always use the same title style. Another benefit of titles is that they capture the attention of people looking for your specific topic. Remember when building your thumbnails that they will appear smaller on YouTube than they probably are while you edit them. On mobile devices, they will look even smaller. So, if you are going to use text in your thumbnail, make sure it is huge.

One thumbnail taboo that you should never break is using an image that has nothing to do with your video. Using an image of a cute cat for a vlog post that has nothing to do with cats is misleading and will anger viewers. You may draw in a lot of viewers who want to see a cat video, but they will leave right away when they do not see a cat and they will never watch anything by you again.

3.Where To Create Banners and Thumbnails

There are sites online that will allow you to edit images and use them in templates for YouTube banners. You can also use these services to edit your thumbnails. Two of the most popular, free, online photo editors are PicMonkey.com and Canva.com.

Canva has templates you can use to create YouTube banners, as well as a variety of stock images you can use in combination with your own when creating channel art. It is free to edit images on Canva, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each to access. This service has both a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. PicMonkey is free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription. Monthly subscriptions are $4.99 per month, and yearly subscriptions are $2.75 per month.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The art on your YouTube channel – banners, thumbnails, icons, and watermarks – will help to determine how viewers feel about your vlog. If your art does not look like it all goes together then people will get a sloppy, amateurish, impression of your channel. However, if your different pieces of channel art all seem to complement each other and match the tone and theme of your channel then it will help viewers to have a pleasant browsing experience. They will get the impression that you take your YouTube channel seriously and that they can trust you as a source of information, comedy, or general entertainment.

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

YouTube Banners and Thumbnails are two of the most important pieces of channel art you will need. This article will explain the best practices for both, and suggest sites where you will be able to build your own banners and thumbnails for free.

1. YouTube Banners

Quick Tips:

1. The image you upload for your YouTube banner should be 2560 x 1440px (pixels).
2. The ‘safe area’ for text, logos, and other important visual information (like faces) is 1546 x 423px.

Your banner is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about channel art. Banners are the headers that rest at the tops of channel pages on YouTube. Your banner should be 2560 x 1440 px, although not all of it will always be visible. On a desktop computer or mobile device only a 1546 x 423 px ‘safe area’ will be visible. When viewed on a TV screen your entire image will be visible. YouTube does support PNG, but if your PNG file does not upload properly (as has been the case for some YouTubers) then changing your file type to JPEG might help.

YouTube Banners are extremely important to the success of your channel. If you do not have a banner then it looks like you do not really care about your vlog. If you have a basic banner that is not at all personalized then it certainly looks like you care, but it might also look like you are new to YouTube.

The best banners are customized to reflect the kind of experience you want viewers to have on your channel. The banner of a comedic YouTube channel might use bright colors, where the banner for a gaming channel will probably use darker colors similar to the ones that are in the games the vlogger plays. Connecting your banner to the theme of your channel is part of how you define the style of your vlog. It is the difference between being a Beauty Guru and a general YouTuber who gives makeup tips sometimes.

Including a photo of yourself, or your logo if you have one, is a great way to personalize your banner.

2. YouTube Thumbnails

Quick Tips:

1. Search for your video’s topic to see the thumbnails your thumbnail will be competing against.
2. Make any text huge so people can read it on their smartphone screens.
3. Emojis, colored boarders, and graphics are all potential ways to stand out.

Thumbnails are often ignored by newer YouTubers. YouTube selects a thumbnail for every one of your videos and it is always a still image from that video. You can choose which frame you want to use and a lot of people feel like that is good enough. When you create a custom thumbnail, however, you get to not only choose your image but insert a title.

If you are choosing the images you are using for thumbnails you can make sure they are always similar frames. This will help people identify your videos quickly in searches. Using titles in your thumbnails will also help searchers identify your videos, if you always use the same title style. Another benefit of titles is that they capture the attention of people looking for your specific topic. Remember when building your thumbnails that they will appear smaller on YouTube than they probably are while you edit them. On mobile devices, they will look even smaller. So, if you are going to use text in your thumbnail, make sure it is huge.

One thumbnail taboo that you should never break is using an image that has nothing to do with your video. Using an image of a cute cat for a vlog post that has nothing to do with cats is misleading and will anger viewers. You may draw in a lot of viewers who want to see a cat video, but they will leave right away when they do not see a cat and they will never watch anything by you again.

3.Where To Create Banners and Thumbnails

There are sites online that will allow you to edit images and use them in templates for YouTube banners. You can also use these services to edit your thumbnails. Two of the most popular, free, online photo editors are PicMonkey.com and Canva.com.

Canva has templates you can use to create YouTube banners, as well as a variety of stock images you can use in combination with your own when creating channel art. It is free to edit images on Canva, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each to access. This service has both a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. PicMonkey is free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription. Monthly subscriptions are $4.99 per month, and yearly subscriptions are $2.75 per month.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The art on your YouTube channel – banners, thumbnails, icons, and watermarks – will help to determine how viewers feel about your vlog. If your art does not look like it all goes together then people will get a sloppy, amateurish, impression of your channel. However, if your different pieces of channel art all seem to complement each other and match the tone and theme of your channel then it will help viewers to have a pleasant browsing experience. They will get the impression that you take your YouTube channel seriously and that they can trust you as a source of information, comedy, or general entertainment.

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

YouTube Banners and Thumbnails are two of the most important pieces of channel art you will need. This article will explain the best practices for both, and suggest sites where you will be able to build your own banners and thumbnails for free.

1. YouTube Banners

Quick Tips:

1. The image you upload for your YouTube banner should be 2560 x 1440px (pixels).
2. The ‘safe area’ for text, logos, and other important visual information (like faces) is 1546 x 423px.

Your banner is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about channel art. Banners are the headers that rest at the tops of channel pages on YouTube. Your banner should be 2560 x 1440 px, although not all of it will always be visible. On a desktop computer or mobile device only a 1546 x 423 px ‘safe area’ will be visible. When viewed on a TV screen your entire image will be visible. YouTube does support PNG, but if your PNG file does not upload properly (as has been the case for some YouTubers) then changing your file type to JPEG might help.

YouTube Banners are extremely important to the success of your channel. If you do not have a banner then it looks like you do not really care about your vlog. If you have a basic banner that is not at all personalized then it certainly looks like you care, but it might also look like you are new to YouTube.

The best banners are customized to reflect the kind of experience you want viewers to have on your channel. The banner of a comedic YouTube channel might use bright colors, where the banner for a gaming channel will probably use darker colors similar to the ones that are in the games the vlogger plays. Connecting your banner to the theme of your channel is part of how you define the style of your vlog. It is the difference between being a Beauty Guru and a general YouTuber who gives makeup tips sometimes.

Including a photo of yourself, or your logo if you have one, is a great way to personalize your banner.

2. YouTube Thumbnails

Quick Tips:

1. Search for your video’s topic to see the thumbnails your thumbnail will be competing against.
2. Make any text huge so people can read it on their smartphone screens.
3. Emojis, colored boarders, and graphics are all potential ways to stand out.

Thumbnails are often ignored by newer YouTubers. YouTube selects a thumbnail for every one of your videos and it is always a still image from that video. You can choose which frame you want to use and a lot of people feel like that is good enough. When you create a custom thumbnail, however, you get to not only choose your image but insert a title.

If you are choosing the images you are using for thumbnails you can make sure they are always similar frames. This will help people identify your videos quickly in searches. Using titles in your thumbnails will also help searchers identify your videos, if you always use the same title style. Another benefit of titles is that they capture the attention of people looking for your specific topic. Remember when building your thumbnails that they will appear smaller on YouTube than they probably are while you edit them. On mobile devices, they will look even smaller. So, if you are going to use text in your thumbnail, make sure it is huge.

One thumbnail taboo that you should never break is using an image that has nothing to do with your video. Using an image of a cute cat for a vlog post that has nothing to do with cats is misleading and will anger viewers. You may draw in a lot of viewers who want to see a cat video, but they will leave right away when they do not see a cat and they will never watch anything by you again.

3.Where To Create Banners and Thumbnails

There are sites online that will allow you to edit images and use them in templates for YouTube banners. You can also use these services to edit your thumbnails. Two of the most popular, free, online photo editors are PicMonkey.com and Canva.com.

Canva has templates you can use to create YouTube banners, as well as a variety of stock images you can use in combination with your own when creating channel art. It is free to edit images on Canva, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each to access. This service has both a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. PicMonkey is free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription. Monthly subscriptions are $4.99 per month, and yearly subscriptions are $2.75 per month.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The art on your YouTube channel – banners, thumbnails, icons, and watermarks – will help to determine how viewers feel about your vlog. If your art does not look like it all goes together then people will get a sloppy, amateurish, impression of your channel. However, if your different pieces of channel art all seem to complement each other and match the tone and theme of your channel then it will help viewers to have a pleasant browsing experience. They will get the impression that you take your YouTube channel seriously and that they can trust you as a source of information, comedy, or general entertainment.

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

YouTube Banners and Thumbnails are two of the most important pieces of channel art you will need. This article will explain the best practices for both, and suggest sites where you will be able to build your own banners and thumbnails for free.

1. YouTube Banners

Quick Tips:

1. The image you upload for your YouTube banner should be 2560 x 1440px (pixels).
2. The ‘safe area’ for text, logos, and other important visual information (like faces) is 1546 x 423px.

Your banner is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about channel art. Banners are the headers that rest at the tops of channel pages on YouTube. Your banner should be 2560 x 1440 px, although not all of it will always be visible. On a desktop computer or mobile device only a 1546 x 423 px ‘safe area’ will be visible. When viewed on a TV screen your entire image will be visible. YouTube does support PNG, but if your PNG file does not upload properly (as has been the case for some YouTubers) then changing your file type to JPEG might help.

YouTube Banners are extremely important to the success of your channel. If you do not have a banner then it looks like you do not really care about your vlog. If you have a basic banner that is not at all personalized then it certainly looks like you care, but it might also look like you are new to YouTube.

The best banners are customized to reflect the kind of experience you want viewers to have on your channel. The banner of a comedic YouTube channel might use bright colors, where the banner for a gaming channel will probably use darker colors similar to the ones that are in the games the vlogger plays. Connecting your banner to the theme of your channel is part of how you define the style of your vlog. It is the difference between being a Beauty Guru and a general YouTuber who gives makeup tips sometimes.

Including a photo of yourself, or your logo if you have one, is a great way to personalize your banner.

2. YouTube Thumbnails

Quick Tips:

1. Search for your video’s topic to see the thumbnails your thumbnail will be competing against.
2. Make any text huge so people can read it on their smartphone screens.
3. Emojis, colored boarders, and graphics are all potential ways to stand out.

Thumbnails are often ignored by newer YouTubers. YouTube selects a thumbnail for every one of your videos and it is always a still image from that video. You can choose which frame you want to use and a lot of people feel like that is good enough. When you create a custom thumbnail, however, you get to not only choose your image but insert a title.

If you are choosing the images you are using for thumbnails you can make sure they are always similar frames. This will help people identify your videos quickly in searches. Using titles in your thumbnails will also help searchers identify your videos, if you always use the same title style. Another benefit of titles is that they capture the attention of people looking for your specific topic. Remember when building your thumbnails that they will appear smaller on YouTube than they probably are while you edit them. On mobile devices, they will look even smaller. So, if you are going to use text in your thumbnail, make sure it is huge.

One thumbnail taboo that you should never break is using an image that has nothing to do with your video. Using an image of a cute cat for a vlog post that has nothing to do with cats is misleading and will anger viewers. You may draw in a lot of viewers who want to see a cat video, but they will leave right away when they do not see a cat and they will never watch anything by you again.

3.Where To Create Banners and Thumbnails

There are sites online that will allow you to edit images and use them in templates for YouTube banners. You can also use these services to edit your thumbnails. Two of the most popular, free, online photo editors are PicMonkey.com and Canva.com.

Canva has templates you can use to create YouTube banners, as well as a variety of stock images you can use in combination with your own when creating channel art. It is free to edit images on Canva, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each to access. This service has both a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. PicMonkey is free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription. Monthly subscriptions are $4.99 per month, and yearly subscriptions are $2.75 per month.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett