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Structuring Videos: Title and Thumbnail

Let’s see how to structure our videos to maintain viewers’ attention until the end.
The structure is the key to viewers’ retention. What is viewers’ retention? This is a term you will hear a lot.

Viewers’ Retention

Viewers’ retention is the percentage of a video watched by the viewers.

The right phrase said at the right time makes the viewer watch your video until the end. A poor beginning will turn viewers away. Procrastination in the middle of the video or taking too long to develop the main point can also make viewers leave. Depending on the audience, even speaking too slowly or too quickly can turn viewers away.

All this influences viewer retention. However, we will discuss some of the most effective retention tools now.

What Starts the Video Scripting?

The Hook, right? You know about the hook from the Shorts course. But what do you think: is it just the hook?

The answer is both yes and no. The actual video does start with the hook. However, viewer retention starts with the video Title and Thumbnail, part of the hook, as they work together.

The Video Titles

The script starts with understanding the search terms on which you base your video idea.

You don’t start a YouTube channel by creating videos like you did for the course. On the course, you have people who already found you, trusted you and decided to sit and listen to you. That is why you provide them with structured, logically connected information.

On YouTube, people don’t know you. They don’t care who you are, how good, funny, knowledgeable, or valuable you are.

Your viewers care about:

  • What they need right now
  • What bothers them all the time
  • Whether they can trust you
  • Whether you understand their problem
  • Whether you are giving sound solutions

That is why the search terms should be in the title and description of the videos so that viewers say “yes” to your video in the first place.

But a title is not simply about putting the search term there. No, no, no.

The title is part of the packaging. It should not be boring. It should spark curiosity in your viewer. It’s not just about the actual topic but about making an emotional connection with the viewer.

A title should instil trust in your content or create curiosity to verify your expertise.

Boring Title vs. Sparkling Curiosity Title

Here’s an example of a boring title:

  • How to bake a sugar-free apple pie: fast budget recipe

Now, here’s a smarter title:

  • NO SUGAR Budget Apple Pie – Only 20 Minutes!

What’s the difference?
The first title is like the title of a course lesson: straightforward and just reflecting the topic. Boring.

The second title is like a tabloid headline! It’s suggestive, promising, clear, and creates curiosity.

It’s good for the title to have the search term in it. But very often, the exact search term makes it boring. So, you have to be creative.

Since YouTube started ranking content based on the actual words said in the video (not just the title and description), creators have begun using more creative titles.

In the past, having exact keywords in the title was crucial. Today, it is still preferable but not strictly necessary.

So, while you should use search terms in your title, sparking curiosity is much more important.

YouTube videos, as you might have understood, compete for views. The title will compete to appear in specific searches like:

  • How to bake an apple pie
  • Sugar-free apple pie
  • No sugar apple pie
  • Budget recipe
  • Apple pie budget recipe

Both titles can appear in these searches. However, the title preferred by viewers will determine which video is shown more often.

A Thumbnail for Your Video

The thumbnail is the image viewers see on your video before they click it.

The thumbnail works in cooperation with the title and the video hook. Its main purpose is to evoke emotion in the viewer.

During your research, you may notice that unsuccessful videos and channels often repeat the boring title on the thumbnail.

Let’s go back to our apple pie example and create thumbnails:

Thumbnail Option 1

Issues:

  • Difficult to read so much text
  • No point in repeating the same text as the title
  • Not thought-provoking
  • Text overlays the image

Thumbnail Option 2


Improvements:

  • The pie is visible
  • Fewer words
  • Straightforward

Thumbnail Option 3


This one might not make sense in English, but I wanted to say it better than his mom’s!
Let me say just that:

What do we have now? Emotion.

  • Moms will watch because they disagree.
  • Wives will watch because they are irritated by husbands always praising their mom’s cooking.
  • Others will watch because it hints at drama or a fight.

This is entertaining. It’s thought-provoking. It sparks curiosity. At the same time, it’s still about the pie.

Anyone who isn’t interested in cooking won’t watch, so it’s not just about attracting random viewers. It’s directed at a specific target audience: young wives who want to cook healthy meals.

In this way, we have a title and a thought-provoking, emotional thumbnail. The video should not disappoint!

The Role of the Hook

Now, the crucial role in retention will be played by the HOOK.

Keep in mind that the hook is a continuation of the Title and Thumbnail drama.

Let’s discuss it in the next video.

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