I Analyzed 100+ Thumbnails... This is What I Found

I see what you’re saying. The one thing I constantly and consistently get criticized on is my thumbnails. Despite me taking off roughly 3 months out of the 3 years I’ve been doing YouTube, plus doing over 60 different styles in that time, I still get slammed on them. It doesn’t matter what I come up with. I abhor the gaming thumbnails that feature the player’s face in a warped shape making a shocked expression. I refuse to indulge in those types.

It gets annoying though when my thumbnails easily compare to other people who play the same game, yet critics still insist mine aren’t click worthy. I’ve pointed out how mine are even better than the competition in certain cases only to hear the same complaint. Even big name gamers on occasion do a sloppy presentation; not just thumbnails but titles, tags and descriptions. The same critics claim at how since they have a huge following, they’re automatically exempt from needing to present themselves well.

I go through back and forth with these people, it never works out. Their attitude sums up that I need to make changes to grow or prove myself better than other gamers. Trust me, I’ve made tons of changes over the three years and like I said, redid my thumbnails over 60 times. Now it’s gotten to the point of being toxic where people insist their advice is foolproof and how I’m apparently tone deaf to what they’re saying. Yet look at my analytics; I average 100+ views across my library every single day.

I get 3,000+ views every month so obviously my simple thumbnails still manage to entice viewers to click. My watch time also averages 300+ hours every month so people are not just clicking but staying to watch. In fact my total watch time for the past 12 months is 3.6K which is .4K less than the requirement to monetize. I’m willing to work hard, I get that Rome wasn’t built in a day plus I always look for ways to improve myself. All these critics on social media though ruin the whole experience. I’ve tried to tell myself to simply fuck them, move on.

Their words still manage to get underneath my skin. I’m just one person. I’m doing what I can. Sorry for rambling on by the way. I’m in no rush to grow a channel. I don’t even want a big following. Yes I’d like to reach out to more people no doubt. I mainly started my channel for fun and deal with my depression. I should really stop caring about how other people view me. It gets rough sometimes is all. I know my current subs like what I do. I’m doing what I can to keep them pleased. It’s rewarding to produce things that are viewed positively.

/r/NewTubers Thread