My thumbnails have gone through quite the evolution during my time on YouTube. Can you guess why? Because I've taken the time to learn what it takes to make a YouTube Thumbnail help get more views on videos! That's right, your thumbnails play a vital role in your view count.

But I'm not going to leave you in the dark on this one. This week, I'm sharing the 3 dos and don't of creating a YouTube thumbnail that will increase your views!

Before we begin, it's important that you understand that your thumbnail is only half of your click through rate. The other part of your click through rate is your thumbnail so ultimately, you want them to work together. That being said, it's important that you test new thumbnails on their own to see if you can increase click through.

You can do this by running an A/B test with TubeBuddy or by doing it manually. Put one thumbnail up and after 24 hours, change it to another one. Track your click through rate on both and see what performs better.

Now that you know how to test it, let's dig into how you can create an awesome thumbnail!

DO show your face.

You may feel awkward but this is so important. People are more likely to click a thumbnail with a person in it so make sure you include yourself and not a stock photo. What I like to do is take a few pics of myself after I film. I pose in a few different ways to ensure that I get something that will work.

If you're feeling too awkward, just smile and take the photo! You can edit it later and it will work so much better than a stock photo of something unrelated.

DO add color and shrink it down.

Most people are watching YouTube on either a white background or dark background, depending on their device. This means your white or black thumbnails are going to get lost in a sea of thumbnails. Add some color to the thumbnail to make it stand out.

When I first started, my thumbnails were very neutral because that was part of my brand! But the click through rate wasn't ideal. This is why I added the bright pink to my brand! Once I changed my thumbnails to include the hot pink, my click through rate increased 300%!

You also have to remember that the thumbnail is shrunk down in the feed. So shrink your image down to make sure it looks right when its viewed in it's smaller size.

DO test your thumbnail.

We already talked a little about testing the thumbnail but this is something that I highly encourage you to do. Test your thumbnail by changing it out after 24 hours and keep track of your click through rate.

Now that you know the dos, let's dig into the don'ts.

DON'T repeat the title on the thumbnail.

You definitely want some text on your thumbnail but you don't want it to be the title. This redundancy just doesn't help you. Instead, add 3-5 complimentary words to the thumbnail that will tie it all together. This will add a little more interest to your thumbnail, which is so important.

DON'T be careless with your thumbnail.

Seriously. You don't want to just post a thumbnail without thought. Instead, start to think about your thumbnail early in the process so that you can tie it all together. I like to plan my thumbnail out a bit when I determine what the title is. By know what the title is and what text I'll have on my thumbnail, I'm able to ensure that my click through rate is increasing!

DON'T clutter your thumbnail.

Like I mentioned, you want to make sure that your thumbnail is clearly viewed when it's shrunk down. This means, keep it simple! You don't want to load it up with a bunch of text or emojis. This will really just drown out the image and make it look sloppy.

Making a thumbnail isn't hard but it is important. Be sure to watch the video above to watch a full tutorial on how I use PicMonkey to create amazing thumbnails!