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How The Try Guys Increased Views with New Thumbnail Strategy

Author

Creators
August 16, 2024

Hi there. With the recent passing of former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, Creators as well as those who worked under her leadership, have shared moving tributes about her impact. Susan’s accomplishments at YouTube extend from advertising to subscription options for music, original content, and YouTube TV, leading the company as it became the most popular online video service. As Google CEO Sundar Pichai shared in this tribute, Susan also recognized YouTube’s potential as a learning platform and championed “edutubers,” especially those who focused on STEM education for underserved communities. She leaves a tremendous legacy that Creators are continuing to benefit from.  

—The Spotter Creator Team

The Try Guys Increase Views with New Thumbnail Strategy

Before

After

The Try Guys are known for their willingness to try just about anything to entertain their audience. That spirit of experimentation extends to their thumbnails as well. We connected with them regarding their YouTube strategy, including their interest in increasing viewership from returning viewers. Here’s what happened:   

The Challenge

The Try Guys were looking to experiment with potential thumbnail formats for their video “We Made a Food Truck.” They wanted to identify which packaging style would resonate the most with returning viewers in order to achieve the biggest launch possible, so they connected with Spotter to design a thumbnail test.

The Analysis

The Try Guys met with Spotter partner and packaging expert Jay Alto to gain insights into effective thumbnail strategies. Together, they examined:

  • The types of thumbnails that resonate with their returning audience.

  • Recent videos that underperformed compared to their typical average views per video.

  • The potential impact of showing real, tense moments versus staged images, when it comes to attracting returning viewers.

  • The effectiveness of using authentic screenshots versus composed pictures in engaging returning viewers.

The Findings

Through Jay’s analysis, The Try Guys discovered that their existing audience was more engaged with thumbnails that presented a glimpse of stressful situations or dilemmas. Using an authentic screenshot from the video (instead of a staged moment) could make the content feel more relatable and genuine to viewers who are familiar with and invested in the channel’s personalities.

Original Thumbnail

Recommendations:

  • Highlight real moments: Use actual screenshots from the video to create thumbnails that show tense or challenging situations.

    • For this specific video, the recommendation was to show a shot from the video where one of the guys is struggling with an oven in their food truck to effectively capture the tension that fans love to see. 

  • Focus on authenticity: Avoid staged photos and opt for genuine moments that reflect the video's true content.

  • Continue testing: After establishing a packaging strategy and creating thumbnail compositions for new formats, keep iterating with A/B testing until you find your winning thumbnail.

Updated Thumbnail:

Results:

  • +35% increase in views within the first 7 days compared to other 2024 uploads.

  • #11 video on YouTube’s Trending tab.

Key Takeaways:

  • Thumbnail strategy matters: A well-thought-out thumbnail can significantly boost views by attracting returning viewers. It may not be the thumbnail that ultimately draws the most new viewers over time, but it can help launch the video by appealing to returning viewers in the first couple of days. 

  • Authenticity resonates: Viewers are drawn to real, tense situations, making authentic screenshots more effective than staged images.

Reach out if you have any questions. And join us in Idea Lab, Spotter’s new Discord community, to access discussion and support with ideation and experimentation.

Spotter

  • Jesser as well as four members of OfflineTV will be participating in Ludwig's Streamer Games, being held August 17-18 in Los Angeles. 

  • Zach Kornfeld of The Try Guys wrote, directed, and starred in Ouch!, a short film surrounding his invisible illness, Ankylosing Spondylitis, which recently premiered at Fantasia Festival in Montreal.

  • The PGA Tour recognizes golf’s growing presence in digital content with the first ever Creator Classic, featuring YouTubers like Tyler Toney of Dude Perfect.

  • MrBeast & Moose Toys hold an interactive offsite at San Diego Comic-Con featuring slime tanks filled with toys.

  • Guava Juice throws the first pitch at the final game of the Filipino World Series Championship.

  • The Try Guys: Eat The Menu Tour began on August 8th in Atlanta and includes 6 stops across the US.

  • ESPN releases a 30 for 30 episode on Dude Perfect, which is now available on ESPN+. The film provides a look at the personal lives of the group, how much effort goes into making their videos, and new insights about Dude Perfect as a company as they continue to grow and the Dudes chase their dream of building an amusement park.

  • EYStreem reaches 10 Million subscribers.

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