These are the rules we use on our own channel. They aren't universal laws. They come from making thumbnails that looked good on a big screen and disappeared in a phone feed.
The test that matters most is the first one: shrink your thumbnail to the size it actually appears on a phone and look at it for one second. If you can't read the words and tell what the story is, nothing else on this list will save it.
The check
Your ticks are saved only in this browser. Nothing is sent to us.
Readability
Layout
The title
Three titles from real audience pain points
Our story ideas come from what women in their 40s and 50s are actually talking about online. Three examples from this week's research, with the hook text we'd put on the thumbnail:
- A wife who earns as much as her husband and still keeps every household list. Hook: WHO KEEPS THE LIST?
- A family that assumes she'll be the one to cut back for her mother. Hook: WHO GIVES UP THEIR WORK?
- A woman of 50 entering an art show after her husband asks "at your age?" Hook: TOO LATE AT 50?
Questions people ask
Should I put a face on the thumbnail?
Many story channels do. If you use AI faces, keep them consistent with the episode, and make sure the expression matches the question in the title.
How do I test two thumbnails?
Check YouTube Studio for any testing features available to your channel, or compare two thumbnails across similar episodes over time.
Keep going
Will they click 'next episode'?
Test your planned episode ending and get the one change most likely to strengthen it.
Where should each turn land?
Find the episode for each major turn in an 8–10 episode season, plus total runtime.
How many Shorts does one season give you?
See how many Shorts a season gives you and how many weeks they'll cover.
