geeking198
Newbie
- Joined
- May 15, 2020
- Messages
- 11
- Reaction score
- 3
That 1000% sure and I can confirm that after 100s of tests.While it does play a factor, what's even more important is CTR and WATCH TIME. If you can have a bangin CTR and watch time your video is more likely to go viral.
My experience in order of importance:
1) CTR
12-15% higher the better.
2) Watch time:
at least 35% for video over 10min
at least 50% for video less than 5min
For my understanding, Youtube tests your thumbnail by showing it in a few places, especially for recent upload.
Say the first 200-500 impressions you have 15% CTR, and youtube will show it to more and more people testing if you can stay there and, eventually, outrank the competition. Higher CTR = Higher Nr of impressions per day. For me that's the correlation.
If instead, after the first 200-500 impressions you have 3-5% or less, your impressions rate drops, and youtube will start to show your video to fewer and fewer people.
This is a very simplified version of what happens to new youtube channels/videos.
That's why branding is important to catch the attention of the viewers, and for a larger channel, it is easier to jump in the first spot. Subs tend to watch your video immediately and stay there for longer.
For The Thumbnail, you have to get it right at first BUT you have the opportunity to fix it, change it, and do A/B testing for best results.
In my opinion it is something that most new youtubers overlook at it but it is the most important along with the content (retention).