Enthralling Epics: Essential Channel-Building Tactics

The Best Storytelling Techniques to Grow Your YouTube Channel

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

In the distracting world, we live in, you need to be a good storyteller to grow your YouTube channel. Your audience is not going to stick around to watch your whole video if your content isn’t enticing or relatable. If you want to get people to watch all your videos, you need to get them emotionally invested with your stories.

Here are 3 methods for creating an awesome story:

• Method 1: CREATE SUSPENSE
• Method 2: USE EMPATHY
• Method 3: TAKE THE AUDIENCE ON A MEANINGFUL JOURNEY

1. Create Suspense

The hero has an objective, but the plan might fail.

The likelihood of something going wrong is what makes a story suspenseful. When you tell a suspenseful story, your audience will have a heightened focus and a strong motivation to continue listening. They want to know if the hero succeeds. Keep the audience waiting and expecting. Don’t give away the ending right away.

What Does a Suspenseful Story Sound Like?

When we talk about a story that is dragging on, it is because there is no suspense. There is nothing at stake, there are no obstacles, there is no problem and, with no problem, there is no promise of resolution.

Here are a few examples you can use to pump more suspense into your story:

- Address a fear (example: being alone for the prom)

- An objective (example: asking the crush out to the dance)

- Consequences of failing (example: being embarrassed in front of the whole school)

- Limited time (example: prom is next week)

- Obstacles (example: the crush has an aggressive ex.)

You can feel your heart rate speeding up simply thinking about the character’s story in the example. Does it have a happy ending or not? We want to know!

Raise Questions After Questions

A good storyteller knows that as soon as they answer a question for their audience, they need to present another one. The audience will always need to have a puzzle in their mind, one that needs to be solved. That is what will keep their interest.

For example: If the hero ends up going to the prom with his crush, the next big question can be: Will they kiss at the last dance?

This continues building on the tension and increasing the stakes evermore.

Check out the suspenseful story from YouTuber, MissRemiAshten . The way she tells the story, we discover more and about her psycho neighbor and the incident gradually. A little bit of information about the neighbor is revealed at a time… not all at once.

Include a Cliffhanger

We’ve all had those moments at the end of an intense television show where we are shouting at the screen because it suddenly cut to black as the main characters were left in a precarious position. That emotional outburst is brought to us by a good cliffhanger, and a good cliffhanger can assure us that the audience will return for more.

But there needs to be more! A cliffhanger is a promise to the viewer that eventually they will be rewarded for their patience and it will be satisfying.

In this cliffhanger from Casey Neistat, he simply asks us a question, “Was that good?” This calls upon us to recall all the awesome YouTube videos we have seen created by filmmakers that aren’t considered “prestigious.” A cliffhanger does not have to end with an epic reveal; it can wrap up with loose ends and allow the audience to tie it up themselves.

How to Deliver a Good Cliffhanger

Applying good cliffhangers to your YouTube videos is a balancing act. You want to draw your audience in, but you also need to have a payoff that is worth the wait.

Done well, a cliffhanger will leave your audience wanting more. Done poorly, a cliffhanger will leave your audience feeling to mislead and a little ripped off, hesitant to listen to more stories from you.

A good cliffhanger does not have to be life or death, but it does have to be the moment the story has been leading up to.

Before you start telling your story, consider the key details that are most impactful.

Once you have the points you want to hit, plan out the reveal. Weave the story together, but withhold the pivotal details until the cliffhanger. Thendeliver it on camera confidently .

Here are two ways you can present your cliffhanger for amplified effect:

1. Slow Down and Have Pauses

As your story intensifies, bring the pace down — or stop completely. The silence becomes the cliffhanger. It can last a second or more, depending on how confident you are in the tension you have built.

Your next words or shots can be the reveal. If you are skilled enough, you can lead into another story one that connects to the previous. If you are trying this, make sure that in the end, the payoff has double the impact. The reveal needs to be twice as powerful if you are going to take the audience on another journey before wrapping up and answering the long-awaited questions.

2. Use Repetition

Whether you want to misdirect your audience or hammer home a point, using repetition throughout your story will help you build the tension you need to establish the cliffhanger.

In this example, we see YouTuber, A little bit of Monika uses both pace and repetition in her storytelling method.

The video starts off at a speedy pace, all the way until the last scene where the confrontation occurs. That’s her slowing down the story so that we are all anticipating the reveal. Is she or is she not actor, Saoirse Ronan?

Through this short video, the repetition of the name is used to show her confidence that her roommate is not who she said it is. The more affirming she becomes, the more likely we as the viewers are going to side with her. This is a simple example of misdirection.

The more you say something or show something, the more important it becomes for the audience — at least, you want it to appear important.

2. Use Empathy

A storyteller must be empathetic.

If your audience cannot empathize with what you are communicating, it would not have the intended effect. Storytelling is all about taking people out of their bodies and putting them in someone else’s.

If you are telling a story about the time your car broke down, you want people to empathize and feel the helplessness of being stuck on a highway, waving cars down to help.

Empathy makes people feel more human. Telling a story people can relate to, even if it didn’t happen to them, is a sign of a quality storyteller.

Don’t Use Too Many Facts and Figures

If you began your story by saying that 1/1,000 cars on the highway break down, that doesn’t evoke any major emotion. There is nothing human about it.

It’s an interesting stat, sure, but the audience is unsure how they should respond. Is that a lot? Is that because of the highway? Is it because of the drivers? Nobody knows… it’s numbered with no context.

However, if you told the story about that time you had to abandon your vehicle and walk down the highway in order to make your important appointment. Suddenly, the audience can empathize with the tribulations you have gone through.

Facts and figures are useful in reports, but not as much in compelling stories.

Evoke the Senses

If I talk about hot melting chocolate, standing in the rain, or the smell of your grandmother’s bedroom, your senses are activated. From all your life experiences, your brain is able to form familiar sensations without any physical changes to your surrounding. That’s the power of storytelling.

Good storytellers use these sensory details and descriptive imagery to spice up a story. This draws the audience in and gives them a more immersive experience when listening to your stories.

Ask yourself these questions:

- What does it smell like?

- What can you hear?

- What do you see?

- What can you physically feel?

This example from YouTuber, Kiril Dobrev perfectly exemplifies what sensory igniting storytelling can do. He illustrates the sensation of being in Hong Kong, not simply through visuals but physical motions and audio effects.

Use Metaphors

As a YouTube storyteller, sometimes you will have to communicate complex ideas. When that happens, use a metaphor to increase the impact.

If you are telling a story about how much you dislike your teacher, you can list off all the ways she is unlikable or you can sum it up with a line like this: “My teacher makes the school a prison.”

That is a metaphor comparing school to prison. Most people haven’t been to prison, but understand what the metaphor is insinuating. School is not a fun place to be because of that teacher.

By connecting two different things, you allow the audience to paint the image in their mind quickly. It doesn’t take a lot of words to create a memorable metaphor. I encourage you to use metaphors anytime you need to address something complicated.

3. Take the Audience on a Meaningful Journey

Perhaps the most important element of a good story is that the journey is meaningful.

- Is it educational?

- Is it entertaining?

- Is it motivational or inspiring?

Knowing how you want to leave your audience feeling is foresight that will improve your YouTube storytelling abilities. Before you start telling your tale, ask: How do I want to change my audience?

YouTuber, Jamie Windsor tells a few stories connected to creativity and plagiarism. Anyone who has ever created anything can relate to his story and thus his audience can empathize.

It is also clear as a viewer that at the end of this 15-minute long video, his audience will have gone on a meaningful journey with him.

His story is a cautionary tale. He wants to educate us so that we can avoid making the same mistakes he did. He used his real-life experience to teach us and that makes it a meaningful video to watch. That was a good story.

Are there any YouTubers that you consider to be fantastic storytellers? Please share it in the comments box below.

Select a Versatile Video Editing Software to Stand Up from Numerous YouTubers

Users worldwide highly recommend Filmora because it comes loaded with various features, which helps to discover the editing skills, add an image to the imagination, and empower creativity.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

In the distracting world, we live in, you need to be a good storyteller to grow your YouTube channel. Your audience is not going to stick around to watch your whole video if your content isn’t enticing or relatable. If you want to get people to watch all your videos, you need to get them emotionally invested with your stories.

Here are 3 methods for creating an awesome story:

• Method 1: CREATE SUSPENSE
• Method 2: USE EMPATHY
• Method 3: TAKE THE AUDIENCE ON A MEANINGFUL JOURNEY

1. Create Suspense

The hero has an objective, but the plan might fail.

The likelihood of something going wrong is what makes a story suspenseful. When you tell a suspenseful story, your audience will have a heightened focus and a strong motivation to continue listening. They want to know if the hero succeeds. Keep the audience waiting and expecting. Don’t give away the ending right away.

What Does a Suspenseful Story Sound Like?

When we talk about a story that is dragging on, it is because there is no suspense. There is nothing at stake, there are no obstacles, there is no problem and, with no problem, there is no promise of resolution.

Here are a few examples you can use to pump more suspense into your story:

- Address a fear (example: being alone for the prom)

- An objective (example: asking the crush out to the dance)

- Consequences of failing (example: being embarrassed in front of the whole school)

- Limited time (example: prom is next week)

- Obstacles (example: the crush has an aggressive ex.)

You can feel your heart rate speeding up simply thinking about the character’s story in the example. Does it have a happy ending or not? We want to know!

Raise Questions After Questions

A good storyteller knows that as soon as they answer a question for their audience, they need to present another one. The audience will always need to have a puzzle in their mind, one that needs to be solved. That is what will keep their interest.

For example: If the hero ends up going to the prom with his crush, the next big question can be: Will they kiss at the last dance?

This continues building on the tension and increasing the stakes evermore.

Check out the suspenseful story from YouTuber, MissRemiAshten . The way she tells the story, we discover more and about her psycho neighbor and the incident gradually. A little bit of information about the neighbor is revealed at a time… not all at once.

Include a Cliffhanger

We’ve all had those moments at the end of an intense television show where we are shouting at the screen because it suddenly cut to black as the main characters were left in a precarious position. That emotional outburst is brought to us by a good cliffhanger, and a good cliffhanger can assure us that the audience will return for more.

But there needs to be more! A cliffhanger is a promise to the viewer that eventually they will be rewarded for their patience and it will be satisfying.

In this cliffhanger from Casey Neistat, he simply asks us a question, “Was that good?” This calls upon us to recall all the awesome YouTube videos we have seen created by filmmakers that aren’t considered “prestigious.” A cliffhanger does not have to end with an epic reveal; it can wrap up with loose ends and allow the audience to tie it up themselves.

How to Deliver a Good Cliffhanger

Applying good cliffhangers to your YouTube videos is a balancing act. You want to draw your audience in, but you also need to have a payoff that is worth the wait.

Done well, a cliffhanger will leave your audience wanting more. Done poorly, a cliffhanger will leave your audience feeling to mislead and a little ripped off, hesitant to listen to more stories from you.

A good cliffhanger does not have to be life or death, but it does have to be the moment the story has been leading up to.

Before you start telling your story, consider the key details that are most impactful.

Once you have the points you want to hit, plan out the reveal. Weave the story together, but withhold the pivotal details until the cliffhanger. Thendeliver it on camera confidently .

Here are two ways you can present your cliffhanger for amplified effect:

1. Slow Down and Have Pauses

As your story intensifies, bring the pace down — or stop completely. The silence becomes the cliffhanger. It can last a second or more, depending on how confident you are in the tension you have built.

Your next words or shots can be the reveal. If you are skilled enough, you can lead into another story one that connects to the previous. If you are trying this, make sure that in the end, the payoff has double the impact. The reveal needs to be twice as powerful if you are going to take the audience on another journey before wrapping up and answering the long-awaited questions.

2. Use Repetition

Whether you want to misdirect your audience or hammer home a point, using repetition throughout your story will help you build the tension you need to establish the cliffhanger.

In this example, we see YouTuber, A little bit of Monika uses both pace and repetition in her storytelling method.

The video starts off at a speedy pace, all the way until the last scene where the confrontation occurs. That’s her slowing down the story so that we are all anticipating the reveal. Is she or is she not actor, Saoirse Ronan?

Through this short video, the repetition of the name is used to show her confidence that her roommate is not who she said it is. The more affirming she becomes, the more likely we as the viewers are going to side with her. This is a simple example of misdirection.

The more you say something or show something, the more important it becomes for the audience — at least, you want it to appear important.

2. Use Empathy

A storyteller must be empathetic.

If your audience cannot empathize with what you are communicating, it would not have the intended effect. Storytelling is all about taking people out of their bodies and putting them in someone else’s.

If you are telling a story about the time your car broke down, you want people to empathize and feel the helplessness of being stuck on a highway, waving cars down to help.

Empathy makes people feel more human. Telling a story people can relate to, even if it didn’t happen to them, is a sign of a quality storyteller.

Don’t Use Too Many Facts and Figures

If you began your story by saying that 1/1,000 cars on the highway break down, that doesn’t evoke any major emotion. There is nothing human about it.

It’s an interesting stat, sure, but the audience is unsure how they should respond. Is that a lot? Is that because of the highway? Is it because of the drivers? Nobody knows… it’s numbered with no context.

However, if you told the story about that time you had to abandon your vehicle and walk down the highway in order to make your important appointment. Suddenly, the audience can empathize with the tribulations you have gone through.

Facts and figures are useful in reports, but not as much in compelling stories.

Evoke the Senses

If I talk about hot melting chocolate, standing in the rain, or the smell of your grandmother’s bedroom, your senses are activated. From all your life experiences, your brain is able to form familiar sensations without any physical changes to your surrounding. That’s the power of storytelling.

Good storytellers use these sensory details and descriptive imagery to spice up a story. This draws the audience in and gives them a more immersive experience when listening to your stories.

Ask yourself these questions:

- What does it smell like?

- What can you hear?

- What do you see?

- What can you physically feel?

This example from YouTuber, Kiril Dobrev perfectly exemplifies what sensory igniting storytelling can do. He illustrates the sensation of being in Hong Kong, not simply through visuals but physical motions and audio effects.

Use Metaphors

As a YouTube storyteller, sometimes you will have to communicate complex ideas. When that happens, use a metaphor to increase the impact.

If you are telling a story about how much you dislike your teacher, you can list off all the ways she is unlikable or you can sum it up with a line like this: “My teacher makes the school a prison.”

That is a metaphor comparing school to prison. Most people haven’t been to prison, but understand what the metaphor is insinuating. School is not a fun place to be because of that teacher.

By connecting two different things, you allow the audience to paint the image in their mind quickly. It doesn’t take a lot of words to create a memorable metaphor. I encourage you to use metaphors anytime you need to address something complicated.

3. Take the Audience on a Meaningful Journey

Perhaps the most important element of a good story is that the journey is meaningful.

- Is it educational?

- Is it entertaining?

- Is it motivational or inspiring?

Knowing how you want to leave your audience feeling is foresight that will improve your YouTube storytelling abilities. Before you start telling your tale, ask: How do I want to change my audience?

YouTuber, Jamie Windsor tells a few stories connected to creativity and plagiarism. Anyone who has ever created anything can relate to his story and thus his audience can empathize.

It is also clear as a viewer that at the end of this 15-minute long video, his audience will have gone on a meaningful journey with him.

His story is a cautionary tale. He wants to educate us so that we can avoid making the same mistakes he did. He used his real-life experience to teach us and that makes it a meaningful video to watch. That was a good story.

Are there any YouTubers that you consider to be fantastic storytellers? Please share it in the comments box below.

Select a Versatile Video Editing Software to Stand Up from Numerous YouTubers

Users worldwide highly recommend Filmora because it comes loaded with various features, which helps to discover the editing skills, add an image to the imagination, and empower creativity.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

In the distracting world, we live in, you need to be a good storyteller to grow your YouTube channel. Your audience is not going to stick around to watch your whole video if your content isn’t enticing or relatable. If you want to get people to watch all your videos, you need to get them emotionally invested with your stories.

Here are 3 methods for creating an awesome story:

• Method 1: CREATE SUSPENSE
• Method 2: USE EMPATHY
• Method 3: TAKE THE AUDIENCE ON A MEANINGFUL JOURNEY

1. Create Suspense

The hero has an objective, but the plan might fail.

The likelihood of something going wrong is what makes a story suspenseful. When you tell a suspenseful story, your audience will have a heightened focus and a strong motivation to continue listening. They want to know if the hero succeeds. Keep the audience waiting and expecting. Don’t give away the ending right away.

What Does a Suspenseful Story Sound Like?

When we talk about a story that is dragging on, it is because there is no suspense. There is nothing at stake, there are no obstacles, there is no problem and, with no problem, there is no promise of resolution.

Here are a few examples you can use to pump more suspense into your story:

- Address a fear (example: being alone for the prom)

- An objective (example: asking the crush out to the dance)

- Consequences of failing (example: being embarrassed in front of the whole school)

- Limited time (example: prom is next week)

- Obstacles (example: the crush has an aggressive ex.)

You can feel your heart rate speeding up simply thinking about the character’s story in the example. Does it have a happy ending or not? We want to know!

Raise Questions After Questions

A good storyteller knows that as soon as they answer a question for their audience, they need to present another one. The audience will always need to have a puzzle in their mind, one that needs to be solved. That is what will keep their interest.

For example: If the hero ends up going to the prom with his crush, the next big question can be: Will they kiss at the last dance?

This continues building on the tension and increasing the stakes evermore.

Check out the suspenseful story from YouTuber, MissRemiAshten . The way she tells the story, we discover more and about her psycho neighbor and the incident gradually. A little bit of information about the neighbor is revealed at a time… not all at once.

Include a Cliffhanger

We’ve all had those moments at the end of an intense television show where we are shouting at the screen because it suddenly cut to black as the main characters were left in a precarious position. That emotional outburst is brought to us by a good cliffhanger, and a good cliffhanger can assure us that the audience will return for more.

But there needs to be more! A cliffhanger is a promise to the viewer that eventually they will be rewarded for their patience and it will be satisfying.

In this cliffhanger from Casey Neistat, he simply asks us a question, “Was that good?” This calls upon us to recall all the awesome YouTube videos we have seen created by filmmakers that aren’t considered “prestigious.” A cliffhanger does not have to end with an epic reveal; it can wrap up with loose ends and allow the audience to tie it up themselves.

How to Deliver a Good Cliffhanger

Applying good cliffhangers to your YouTube videos is a balancing act. You want to draw your audience in, but you also need to have a payoff that is worth the wait.

Done well, a cliffhanger will leave your audience wanting more. Done poorly, a cliffhanger will leave your audience feeling to mislead and a little ripped off, hesitant to listen to more stories from you.

A good cliffhanger does not have to be life or death, but it does have to be the moment the story has been leading up to.

Before you start telling your story, consider the key details that are most impactful.

Once you have the points you want to hit, plan out the reveal. Weave the story together, but withhold the pivotal details until the cliffhanger. Thendeliver it on camera confidently .

Here are two ways you can present your cliffhanger for amplified effect:

1. Slow Down and Have Pauses

As your story intensifies, bring the pace down — or stop completely. The silence becomes the cliffhanger. It can last a second or more, depending on how confident you are in the tension you have built.

Your next words or shots can be the reveal. If you are skilled enough, you can lead into another story one that connects to the previous. If you are trying this, make sure that in the end, the payoff has double the impact. The reveal needs to be twice as powerful if you are going to take the audience on another journey before wrapping up and answering the long-awaited questions.

2. Use Repetition

Whether you want to misdirect your audience or hammer home a point, using repetition throughout your story will help you build the tension you need to establish the cliffhanger.

In this example, we see YouTuber, A little bit of Monika uses both pace and repetition in her storytelling method.

The video starts off at a speedy pace, all the way until the last scene where the confrontation occurs. That’s her slowing down the story so that we are all anticipating the reveal. Is she or is she not actor, Saoirse Ronan?

Through this short video, the repetition of the name is used to show her confidence that her roommate is not who she said it is. The more affirming she becomes, the more likely we as the viewers are going to side with her. This is a simple example of misdirection.

The more you say something or show something, the more important it becomes for the audience — at least, you want it to appear important.

2. Use Empathy

A storyteller must be empathetic.

If your audience cannot empathize with what you are communicating, it would not have the intended effect. Storytelling is all about taking people out of their bodies and putting them in someone else’s.

If you are telling a story about the time your car broke down, you want people to empathize and feel the helplessness of being stuck on a highway, waving cars down to help.

Empathy makes people feel more human. Telling a story people can relate to, even if it didn’t happen to them, is a sign of a quality storyteller.

Don’t Use Too Many Facts and Figures

If you began your story by saying that 1/1,000 cars on the highway break down, that doesn’t evoke any major emotion. There is nothing human about it.

It’s an interesting stat, sure, but the audience is unsure how they should respond. Is that a lot? Is that because of the highway? Is it because of the drivers? Nobody knows… it’s numbered with no context.

However, if you told the story about that time you had to abandon your vehicle and walk down the highway in order to make your important appointment. Suddenly, the audience can empathize with the tribulations you have gone through.

Facts and figures are useful in reports, but not as much in compelling stories.

Evoke the Senses

If I talk about hot melting chocolate, standing in the rain, or the smell of your grandmother’s bedroom, your senses are activated. From all your life experiences, your brain is able to form familiar sensations without any physical changes to your surrounding. That’s the power of storytelling.

Good storytellers use these sensory details and descriptive imagery to spice up a story. This draws the audience in and gives them a more immersive experience when listening to your stories.

Ask yourself these questions:

- What does it smell like?

- What can you hear?

- What do you see?

- What can you physically feel?

This example from YouTuber, Kiril Dobrev perfectly exemplifies what sensory igniting storytelling can do. He illustrates the sensation of being in Hong Kong, not simply through visuals but physical motions and audio effects.

Use Metaphors

As a YouTube storyteller, sometimes you will have to communicate complex ideas. When that happens, use a metaphor to increase the impact.

If you are telling a story about how much you dislike your teacher, you can list off all the ways she is unlikable or you can sum it up with a line like this: “My teacher makes the school a prison.”

That is a metaphor comparing school to prison. Most people haven’t been to prison, but understand what the metaphor is insinuating. School is not a fun place to be because of that teacher.

By connecting two different things, you allow the audience to paint the image in their mind quickly. It doesn’t take a lot of words to create a memorable metaphor. I encourage you to use metaphors anytime you need to address something complicated.

3. Take the Audience on a Meaningful Journey

Perhaps the most important element of a good story is that the journey is meaningful.

- Is it educational?

- Is it entertaining?

- Is it motivational or inspiring?

Knowing how you want to leave your audience feeling is foresight that will improve your YouTube storytelling abilities. Before you start telling your tale, ask: How do I want to change my audience?

YouTuber, Jamie Windsor tells a few stories connected to creativity and plagiarism. Anyone who has ever created anything can relate to his story and thus his audience can empathize.

It is also clear as a viewer that at the end of this 15-minute long video, his audience will have gone on a meaningful journey with him.

His story is a cautionary tale. He wants to educate us so that we can avoid making the same mistakes he did. He used his real-life experience to teach us and that makes it a meaningful video to watch. That was a good story.

Are there any YouTubers that you consider to be fantastic storytellers? Please share it in the comments box below.

Select a Versatile Video Editing Software to Stand Up from Numerous YouTubers

Users worldwide highly recommend Filmora because it comes loaded with various features, which helps to discover the editing skills, add an image to the imagination, and empower creativity.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

In the distracting world, we live in, you need to be a good storyteller to grow your YouTube channel. Your audience is not going to stick around to watch your whole video if your content isn’t enticing or relatable. If you want to get people to watch all your videos, you need to get them emotionally invested with your stories.

Here are 3 methods for creating an awesome story:

• Method 1: CREATE SUSPENSE
• Method 2: USE EMPATHY
• Method 3: TAKE THE AUDIENCE ON A MEANINGFUL JOURNEY

1. Create Suspense

The hero has an objective, but the plan might fail.

The likelihood of something going wrong is what makes a story suspenseful. When you tell a suspenseful story, your audience will have a heightened focus and a strong motivation to continue listening. They want to know if the hero succeeds. Keep the audience waiting and expecting. Don’t give away the ending right away.

What Does a Suspenseful Story Sound Like?

When we talk about a story that is dragging on, it is because there is no suspense. There is nothing at stake, there are no obstacles, there is no problem and, with no problem, there is no promise of resolution.

Here are a few examples you can use to pump more suspense into your story:

- Address a fear (example: being alone for the prom)

- An objective (example: asking the crush out to the dance)

- Consequences of failing (example: being embarrassed in front of the whole school)

- Limited time (example: prom is next week)

- Obstacles (example: the crush has an aggressive ex.)

You can feel your heart rate speeding up simply thinking about the character’s story in the example. Does it have a happy ending or not? We want to know!

Raise Questions After Questions

A good storyteller knows that as soon as they answer a question for their audience, they need to present another one. The audience will always need to have a puzzle in their mind, one that needs to be solved. That is what will keep their interest.

For example: If the hero ends up going to the prom with his crush, the next big question can be: Will they kiss at the last dance?

This continues building on the tension and increasing the stakes evermore.

Check out the suspenseful story from YouTuber, MissRemiAshten . The way she tells the story, we discover more and about her psycho neighbor and the incident gradually. A little bit of information about the neighbor is revealed at a time… not all at once.

Include a Cliffhanger

We’ve all had those moments at the end of an intense television show where we are shouting at the screen because it suddenly cut to black as the main characters were left in a precarious position. That emotional outburst is brought to us by a good cliffhanger, and a good cliffhanger can assure us that the audience will return for more.

But there needs to be more! A cliffhanger is a promise to the viewer that eventually they will be rewarded for their patience and it will be satisfying.

In this cliffhanger from Casey Neistat, he simply asks us a question, “Was that good?” This calls upon us to recall all the awesome YouTube videos we have seen created by filmmakers that aren’t considered “prestigious.” A cliffhanger does not have to end with an epic reveal; it can wrap up with loose ends and allow the audience to tie it up themselves.

How to Deliver a Good Cliffhanger

Applying good cliffhangers to your YouTube videos is a balancing act. You want to draw your audience in, but you also need to have a payoff that is worth the wait.

Done well, a cliffhanger will leave your audience wanting more. Done poorly, a cliffhanger will leave your audience feeling to mislead and a little ripped off, hesitant to listen to more stories from you.

A good cliffhanger does not have to be life or death, but it does have to be the moment the story has been leading up to.

Before you start telling your story, consider the key details that are most impactful.

Once you have the points you want to hit, plan out the reveal. Weave the story together, but withhold the pivotal details until the cliffhanger. Thendeliver it on camera confidently .

Here are two ways you can present your cliffhanger for amplified effect:

1. Slow Down and Have Pauses

As your story intensifies, bring the pace down — or stop completely. The silence becomes the cliffhanger. It can last a second or more, depending on how confident you are in the tension you have built.

Your next words or shots can be the reveal. If you are skilled enough, you can lead into another story one that connects to the previous. If you are trying this, make sure that in the end, the payoff has double the impact. The reveal needs to be twice as powerful if you are going to take the audience on another journey before wrapping up and answering the long-awaited questions.

2. Use Repetition

Whether you want to misdirect your audience or hammer home a point, using repetition throughout your story will help you build the tension you need to establish the cliffhanger.

In this example, we see YouTuber, A little bit of Monika uses both pace and repetition in her storytelling method.

The video starts off at a speedy pace, all the way until the last scene where the confrontation occurs. That’s her slowing down the story so that we are all anticipating the reveal. Is she or is she not actor, Saoirse Ronan?

Through this short video, the repetition of the name is used to show her confidence that her roommate is not who she said it is. The more affirming she becomes, the more likely we as the viewers are going to side with her. This is a simple example of misdirection.

The more you say something or show something, the more important it becomes for the audience — at least, you want it to appear important.

2. Use Empathy

A storyteller must be empathetic.

If your audience cannot empathize with what you are communicating, it would not have the intended effect. Storytelling is all about taking people out of their bodies and putting them in someone else’s.

If you are telling a story about the time your car broke down, you want people to empathize and feel the helplessness of being stuck on a highway, waving cars down to help.

Empathy makes people feel more human. Telling a story people can relate to, even if it didn’t happen to them, is a sign of a quality storyteller.

Don’t Use Too Many Facts and Figures

If you began your story by saying that 1/1,000 cars on the highway break down, that doesn’t evoke any major emotion. There is nothing human about it.

It’s an interesting stat, sure, but the audience is unsure how they should respond. Is that a lot? Is that because of the highway? Is it because of the drivers? Nobody knows… it’s numbered with no context.

However, if you told the story about that time you had to abandon your vehicle and walk down the highway in order to make your important appointment. Suddenly, the audience can empathize with the tribulations you have gone through.

Facts and figures are useful in reports, but not as much in compelling stories.

Evoke the Senses

If I talk about hot melting chocolate, standing in the rain, or the smell of your grandmother’s bedroom, your senses are activated. From all your life experiences, your brain is able to form familiar sensations without any physical changes to your surrounding. That’s the power of storytelling.

Good storytellers use these sensory details and descriptive imagery to spice up a story. This draws the audience in and gives them a more immersive experience when listening to your stories.

Ask yourself these questions:

- What does it smell like?

- What can you hear?

- What do you see?

- What can you physically feel?

This example from YouTuber, Kiril Dobrev perfectly exemplifies what sensory igniting storytelling can do. He illustrates the sensation of being in Hong Kong, not simply through visuals but physical motions and audio effects.

Use Metaphors

As a YouTube storyteller, sometimes you will have to communicate complex ideas. When that happens, use a metaphor to increase the impact.

If you are telling a story about how much you dislike your teacher, you can list off all the ways she is unlikable or you can sum it up with a line like this: “My teacher makes the school a prison.”

That is a metaphor comparing school to prison. Most people haven’t been to prison, but understand what the metaphor is insinuating. School is not a fun place to be because of that teacher.

By connecting two different things, you allow the audience to paint the image in their mind quickly. It doesn’t take a lot of words to create a memorable metaphor. I encourage you to use metaphors anytime you need to address something complicated.

3. Take the Audience on a Meaningful Journey

Perhaps the most important element of a good story is that the journey is meaningful.

- Is it educational?

- Is it entertaining?

- Is it motivational or inspiring?

Knowing how you want to leave your audience feeling is foresight that will improve your YouTube storytelling abilities. Before you start telling your tale, ask: How do I want to change my audience?

YouTuber, Jamie Windsor tells a few stories connected to creativity and plagiarism. Anyone who has ever created anything can relate to his story and thus his audience can empathize.

It is also clear as a viewer that at the end of this 15-minute long video, his audience will have gone on a meaningful journey with him.

His story is a cautionary tale. He wants to educate us so that we can avoid making the same mistakes he did. He used his real-life experience to teach us and that makes it a meaningful video to watch. That was a good story.

Are there any YouTubers that you consider to be fantastic storytellers? Please share it in the comments box below.

Select a Versatile Video Editing Software to Stand Up from Numerous YouTubers

Users worldwide highly recommend Filmora because it comes loaded with various features, which helps to discover the editing skills, add an image to the imagination, and empower creativity.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Capturing Youtube Icons: Browser Extension, Command Line & Software Trio

How to Download YouTube Thumbnail in 3 Ways [Online/Win/Mac]

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

A YouTube thumbnail is the minimized edition of a video that a viewer sees first when they are looking for relevant content that presents the desired satisfaction. The miniature clips with conspicuous images that one can click on to view the contents of a video are what YouTube thumbnails are. People have varying reasons to download YouTube thumbnail. One of them is that you may have already uploaded the video and want to save the thumbnail on your computer. Other people want to download YouTube thumbnail for work use, designing, blogging, or just to share it with friends. In this article, we are going to discuss three easy ways to download YouTube thumbnail. You will learn:

• 1. How to Download Thumbnail from Your Own YouTube Video?
• 2. How to Download YouTube Thumbnail by Online Downloader?
• 3. How to Download YouTube Thumbnail by a Custom URL?
• 4. Warning and Notice
• 5. Bonus Tip-Create YouTube Thumbnail for Free

1. How to Download Thumbnail from Your Own YouTube Video?

If you want to download the thumbnail from your own YouTube video, then all you need to do is:

• Simply open the video manager.
• You then need to click on the Edit button next to the video.

• Hover your mouse pointer over the thumbnail and some options will show up. Click on Download image

• The thumbnail image of your video will show up. Right click it, select Save Images As, and you will then have to choose the location that you would want to save the file in and that’s about all it takes to download YouTube thumbnails from your videos.

2. How to Download YouTube Thumbnail by Online Downloader?

Alternatively, you can also download YouTube thumbnail from an online YouTube thumbnail downloaders. It’s free to use and you don’t need to register any service. Here are the steps:

• Click Here to open the online YouTube Thumbnail Downloader
• Copy the URL link of your YouTube video and paste it to the box. Then click Download Now button

• Once you click on download it will give you several resolutions to save it to your computer or Smartphone. This method also allows you to choose a variety of sizes that are going to be compatible with your device

• Upon clicking on download, you will get the save as prompt to choose the destination that the thumbnail to be stored in. Then it is up to you to decide on the name you would want the thumbnail to have or just leave it with the default name.

3. How to Download YouTube Thumbnail by a Custom URL?

You can also download YouTube thumbnail by a direct url. Let us see how it can done using this method:

• Get the ID of the YouTube video. Just open that video on YouTube and a long address will appear has some random letters and numbers that come after the equals sign. This is the actual video ID that you need to use to download the thumbnail.

• All the YouTube thumbnails can be accessed using the same URL. You only need to go to the url in the picture below.

• Copy those random numbers that we said are the video ID and paste them in the part that says ID in the above URL then click on enter.

• When the video is open just right-click anywhere in your browser and select save image as to download YouTube thumbnail on your computer. This URL is the one that will give you the best resolution of the video that you want.

4. Warning and Notice

If the video belongs to someone else then the copyright belongs to that person. It is common for people to steal other people’s work and post it as their own and that is a breach. Even if you are to include a note that indicates the original creator it would still be their work and not yours. You will require having permission from the owner especially if you intend to use it for commercial purposes. Otherwise, you will be infringing on their rights and can be liable for legal action.

YouTube is very strict on works that infringe copyrights and is quick to block or pull-down such videos. If someone notices that you are using their thumbnail or video and reports it YouTube takes it down. It is possible for you to simply contact the owner of the video to ask for the permission with an explanation of the purpose.

5. Bonus Tip-Create YouTube Thumbnail for Free

There are various ways you can create YouTube thumbnails that captivate the attention of the intended viewers. We are going to look at how to simply do it with Canva that you could use to accomplish the task with perfection. It has a state of the art interface that is easy to use. Here is how:

• Pick a presentable template in the Canvas library that has hundreds of diverse YouTube thumbnail designs. You have a wide range to pick the design that best suits your desired taste or alternatively design the template from the scratch if you have the knowhow.
• Select the professional graphic design elements you would want to incorporate. There are an excess of 2 million images at your disposal here and you can add your own. You will find custom frames, icons and banners to create YouTube thumbnail here.
• In the placeholder that allows you to include a message there are countless fonts to make a choice from for free.
• You can easily customize your YouTube thumbnail by altering the colors, fonts or background to give it an irresistible appearance.
• Share or download the finished YouTube thumbnail.

Don’t want to switch between software to create your YouTube thumbnail? Try Filmora

For some of us, switching between different softwares can be troublesome. Then try Filmora! You can not only edit your video, but also create thumbnail with it. Learn how to create a thumbnail for free using Filmora and try out its editing features yourself.

Note:

The content of your video should feature as a snapshot in your YouTube thumbnail for it to create a sense of suspense thus curiosity. The caption you choose to go with your thumbnail must be captivating and relevant to the content. It is these minor details that you include to create YouTube thumbnail that draws a lot of traffic to your video.

You may also like: Top 10 Best Free YouTube Thumbnail Makers

Conclusion

There is little difference in the method in the methods to download YouTube thumbnail as they are all easy to master. You will also come across some extensions that are added to the browser to perform the same function with similar results. The tricky part here is how to create YouTube thumbnails as it might require the touch of an expert. YouTube thumbnails play an important role in SEO thus the need to consult better-equipped people for that role if you are not up to it. The experts in the field are also aware of the trends and will advise you accordingly.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

A YouTube thumbnail is the minimized edition of a video that a viewer sees first when they are looking for relevant content that presents the desired satisfaction. The miniature clips with conspicuous images that one can click on to view the contents of a video are what YouTube thumbnails are. People have varying reasons to download YouTube thumbnail. One of them is that you may have already uploaded the video and want to save the thumbnail on your computer. Other people want to download YouTube thumbnail for work use, designing, blogging, or just to share it with friends. In this article, we are going to discuss three easy ways to download YouTube thumbnail. You will learn:

• 1. How to Download Thumbnail from Your Own YouTube Video?
• 2. How to Download YouTube Thumbnail by Online Downloader?
• 3. How to Download YouTube Thumbnail by a Custom URL?
• 4. Warning and Notice
• 5. Bonus Tip-Create YouTube Thumbnail for Free

1. How to Download Thumbnail from Your Own YouTube Video?

If you want to download the thumbnail from your own YouTube video, then all you need to do is:

• Simply open the video manager.
• You then need to click on the Edit button next to the video.

• Hover your mouse pointer over the thumbnail and some options will show up. Click on Download image

• The thumbnail image of your video will show up. Right click it, select Save Images As, and you will then have to choose the location that you would want to save the file in and that’s about all it takes to download YouTube thumbnails from your videos.

2. How to Download YouTube Thumbnail by Online Downloader?

Alternatively, you can also download YouTube thumbnail from an online YouTube thumbnail downloaders. It’s free to use and you don’t need to register any service. Here are the steps:

• Click Here to open the online YouTube Thumbnail Downloader
• Copy the URL link of your YouTube video and paste it to the box. Then click Download Now button

• Once you click on download it will give you several resolutions to save it to your computer or Smartphone. This method also allows you to choose a variety of sizes that are going to be compatible with your device

• Upon clicking on download, you will get the save as prompt to choose the destination that the thumbnail to be stored in. Then it is up to you to decide on the name you would want the thumbnail to have or just leave it with the default name.

3. How to Download YouTube Thumbnail by a Custom URL?

You can also download YouTube thumbnail by a direct url. Let us see how it can done using this method:

• Get the ID of the YouTube video. Just open that video on YouTube and a long address will appear has some random letters and numbers that come after the equals sign. This is the actual video ID that you need to use to download the thumbnail.

• All the YouTube thumbnails can be accessed using the same URL. You only need to go to the url in the picture below.

• Copy those random numbers that we said are the video ID and paste them in the part that says ID in the above URL then click on enter.

• When the video is open just right-click anywhere in your browser and select save image as to download YouTube thumbnail on your computer. This URL is the one that will give you the best resolution of the video that you want.

4. Warning and Notice

If the video belongs to someone else then the copyright belongs to that person. It is common for people to steal other people’s work and post it as their own and that is a breach. Even if you are to include a note that indicates the original creator it would still be their work and not yours. You will require having permission from the owner especially if you intend to use it for commercial purposes. Otherwise, you will be infringing on their rights and can be liable for legal action.

YouTube is very strict on works that infringe copyrights and is quick to block or pull-down such videos. If someone notices that you are using their thumbnail or video and reports it YouTube takes it down. It is possible for you to simply contact the owner of the video to ask for the permission with an explanation of the purpose.

5. Bonus Tip-Create YouTube Thumbnail for Free

There are various ways you can create YouTube thumbnails that captivate the attention of the intended viewers. We are going to look at how to simply do it with Canva that you could use to accomplish the task with perfection. It has a state of the art interface that is easy to use. Here is how:

• Pick a presentable template in the Canvas library that has hundreds of diverse YouTube thumbnail designs. You have a wide range to pick the design that best suits your desired taste or alternatively design the template from the scratch if you have the knowhow.
• Select the professional graphic design elements you would want to incorporate. There are an excess of 2 million images at your disposal here and you can add your own. You will find custom frames, icons and banners to create YouTube thumbnail here.
• In the placeholder that allows you to include a message there are countless fonts to make a choice from for free.
• You can easily customize your YouTube thumbnail by altering the colors, fonts or background to give it an irresistible appearance.
• Share or download the finished YouTube thumbnail.

Don’t want to switch between software to create your YouTube thumbnail? Try Filmora

For some of us, switching between different softwares can be troublesome. Then try Filmora! You can not only edit your video, but also create thumbnail with it. Learn how to create a thumbnail for free using Filmora and try out its editing features yourself.

Note:

The content of your video should feature as a snapshot in your YouTube thumbnail for it to create a sense of suspense thus curiosity. The caption you choose to go with your thumbnail must be captivating and relevant to the content. It is these minor details that you include to create YouTube thumbnail that draws a lot of traffic to your video.

You may also like: Top 10 Best Free YouTube Thumbnail Makers

Conclusion

There is little difference in the method in the methods to download YouTube thumbnail as they are all easy to master. You will also come across some extensions that are added to the browser to perform the same function with similar results. The tricky part here is how to create YouTube thumbnails as it might require the touch of an expert. YouTube thumbnails play an important role in SEO thus the need to consult better-equipped people for that role if you are not up to it. The experts in the field are also aware of the trends and will advise you accordingly.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

A YouTube thumbnail is the minimized edition of a video that a viewer sees first when they are looking for relevant content that presents the desired satisfaction. The miniature clips with conspicuous images that one can click on to view the contents of a video are what YouTube thumbnails are. People have varying reasons to download YouTube thumbnail. One of them is that you may have already uploaded the video and want to save the thumbnail on your computer. Other people want to download YouTube thumbnail for work use, designing, blogging, or just to share it with friends. In this article, we are going to discuss three easy ways to download YouTube thumbnail. You will learn:

• 1. How to Download Thumbnail from Your Own YouTube Video?
• 2. How to Download YouTube Thumbnail by Online Downloader?
• 3. How to Download YouTube Thumbnail by a Custom URL?
• 4. Warning and Notice
• 5. Bonus Tip-Create YouTube Thumbnail for Free

1. How to Download Thumbnail from Your Own YouTube Video?

If you want to download the thumbnail from your own YouTube video, then all you need to do is:

• Simply open the video manager.
• You then need to click on the Edit button next to the video.

• Hover your mouse pointer over the thumbnail and some options will show up. Click on Download image

• The thumbnail image of your video will show up. Right click it, select Save Images As, and you will then have to choose the location that you would want to save the file in and that’s about all it takes to download YouTube thumbnails from your videos.

2. How to Download YouTube Thumbnail by Online Downloader?

Alternatively, you can also download YouTube thumbnail from an online YouTube thumbnail downloaders. It’s free to use and you don’t need to register any service. Here are the steps:

• Click Here to open the online YouTube Thumbnail Downloader
• Copy the URL link of your YouTube video and paste it to the box. Then click Download Now button

• Once you click on download it will give you several resolutions to save it to your computer or Smartphone. This method also allows you to choose a variety of sizes that are going to be compatible with your device

• Upon clicking on download, you will get the save as prompt to choose the destination that the thumbnail to be stored in. Then it is up to you to decide on the name you would want the thumbnail to have or just leave it with the default name.

3. How to Download YouTube Thumbnail by a Custom URL?

You can also download YouTube thumbnail by a direct url. Let us see how it can done using this method:

• Get the ID of the YouTube video. Just open that video on YouTube and a long address will appear has some random letters and numbers that come after the equals sign. This is the actual video ID that you need to use to download the thumbnail.

• All the YouTube thumbnails can be accessed using the same URL. You only need to go to the url in the picture below.

• Copy those random numbers that we said are the video ID and paste them in the part that says ID in the above URL then click on enter.

• When the video is open just right-click anywhere in your browser and select save image as to download YouTube thumbnail on your computer. This URL is the one that will give you the best resolution of the video that you want.

4. Warning and Notice

If the video belongs to someone else then the copyright belongs to that person. It is common for people to steal other people’s work and post it as their own and that is a breach. Even if you are to include a note that indicates the original creator it would still be their work and not yours. You will require having permission from the owner especially if you intend to use it for commercial purposes. Otherwise, you will be infringing on their rights and can be liable for legal action.

YouTube is very strict on works that infringe copyrights and is quick to block or pull-down such videos. If someone notices that you are using their thumbnail or video and reports it YouTube takes it down. It is possible for you to simply contact the owner of the video to ask for the permission with an explanation of the purpose.

5. Bonus Tip-Create YouTube Thumbnail for Free

There are various ways you can create YouTube thumbnails that captivate the attention of the intended viewers. We are going to look at how to simply do it with Canva that you could use to accomplish the task with perfection. It has a state of the art interface that is easy to use. Here is how:

• Pick a presentable template in the Canvas library that has hundreds of diverse YouTube thumbnail designs. You have a wide range to pick the design that best suits your desired taste or alternatively design the template from the scratch if you have the knowhow.
• Select the professional graphic design elements you would want to incorporate. There are an excess of 2 million images at your disposal here and you can add your own. You will find custom frames, icons and banners to create YouTube thumbnail here.
• In the placeholder that allows you to include a message there are countless fonts to make a choice from for free.
• You can easily customize your YouTube thumbnail by altering the colors, fonts or background to give it an irresistible appearance.
• Share or download the finished YouTube thumbnail.

Don’t want to switch between software to create your YouTube thumbnail? Try Filmora

For some of us, switching between different softwares can be troublesome. Then try Filmora! You can not only edit your video, but also create thumbnail with it. Learn how to create a thumbnail for free using Filmora and try out its editing features yourself.

Note:

The content of your video should feature as a snapshot in your YouTube thumbnail for it to create a sense of suspense thus curiosity. The caption you choose to go with your thumbnail must be captivating and relevant to the content. It is these minor details that you include to create YouTube thumbnail that draws a lot of traffic to your video.

You may also like: Top 10 Best Free YouTube Thumbnail Makers

Conclusion

There is little difference in the method in the methods to download YouTube thumbnail as they are all easy to master. You will also come across some extensions that are added to the browser to perform the same function with similar results. The tricky part here is how to create YouTube thumbnails as it might require the touch of an expert. YouTube thumbnails play an important role in SEO thus the need to consult better-equipped people for that role if you are not up to it. The experts in the field are also aware of the trends and will advise you accordingly.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

A YouTube thumbnail is the minimized edition of a video that a viewer sees first when they are looking for relevant content that presents the desired satisfaction. The miniature clips with conspicuous images that one can click on to view the contents of a video are what YouTube thumbnails are. People have varying reasons to download YouTube thumbnail. One of them is that you may have already uploaded the video and want to save the thumbnail on your computer. Other people want to download YouTube thumbnail for work use, designing, blogging, or just to share it with friends. In this article, we are going to discuss three easy ways to download YouTube thumbnail. You will learn:

• 1. How to Download Thumbnail from Your Own YouTube Video?
• 2. How to Download YouTube Thumbnail by Online Downloader?
• 3. How to Download YouTube Thumbnail by a Custom URL?
• 4. Warning and Notice
• 5. Bonus Tip-Create YouTube Thumbnail for Free

1. How to Download Thumbnail from Your Own YouTube Video?

If you want to download the thumbnail from your own YouTube video, then all you need to do is:

• Simply open the video manager.
• You then need to click on the Edit button next to the video.

• Hover your mouse pointer over the thumbnail and some options will show up. Click on Download image

• The thumbnail image of your video will show up. Right click it, select Save Images As, and you will then have to choose the location that you would want to save the file in and that’s about all it takes to download YouTube thumbnails from your videos.

2. How to Download YouTube Thumbnail by Online Downloader?

Alternatively, you can also download YouTube thumbnail from an online YouTube thumbnail downloaders. It’s free to use and you don’t need to register any service. Here are the steps:

• Click Here to open the online YouTube Thumbnail Downloader
• Copy the URL link of your YouTube video and paste it to the box. Then click Download Now button

• Once you click on download it will give you several resolutions to save it to your computer or Smartphone. This method also allows you to choose a variety of sizes that are going to be compatible with your device

• Upon clicking on download, you will get the save as prompt to choose the destination that the thumbnail to be stored in. Then it is up to you to decide on the name you would want the thumbnail to have or just leave it with the default name.

3. How to Download YouTube Thumbnail by a Custom URL?

You can also download YouTube thumbnail by a direct url. Let us see how it can done using this method:

• Get the ID of the YouTube video. Just open that video on YouTube and a long address will appear has some random letters and numbers that come after the equals sign. This is the actual video ID that you need to use to download the thumbnail.

• All the YouTube thumbnails can be accessed using the same URL. You only need to go to the url in the picture below.

• Copy those random numbers that we said are the video ID and paste them in the part that says ID in the above URL then click on enter.

• When the video is open just right-click anywhere in your browser and select save image as to download YouTube thumbnail on your computer. This URL is the one that will give you the best resolution of the video that you want.

4. Warning and Notice

If the video belongs to someone else then the copyright belongs to that person. It is common for people to steal other people’s work and post it as their own and that is a breach. Even if you are to include a note that indicates the original creator it would still be their work and not yours. You will require having permission from the owner especially if you intend to use it for commercial purposes. Otherwise, you will be infringing on their rights and can be liable for legal action.

YouTube is very strict on works that infringe copyrights and is quick to block or pull-down such videos. If someone notices that you are using their thumbnail or video and reports it YouTube takes it down. It is possible for you to simply contact the owner of the video to ask for the permission with an explanation of the purpose.

5. Bonus Tip-Create YouTube Thumbnail for Free

There are various ways you can create YouTube thumbnails that captivate the attention of the intended viewers. We are going to look at how to simply do it with Canva that you could use to accomplish the task with perfection. It has a state of the art interface that is easy to use. Here is how:

• Pick a presentable template in the Canvas library that has hundreds of diverse YouTube thumbnail designs. You have a wide range to pick the design that best suits your desired taste or alternatively design the template from the scratch if you have the knowhow.
• Select the professional graphic design elements you would want to incorporate. There are an excess of 2 million images at your disposal here and you can add your own. You will find custom frames, icons and banners to create YouTube thumbnail here.
• In the placeholder that allows you to include a message there are countless fonts to make a choice from for free.
• You can easily customize your YouTube thumbnail by altering the colors, fonts or background to give it an irresistible appearance.
• Share or download the finished YouTube thumbnail.

Don’t want to switch between software to create your YouTube thumbnail? Try Filmora

For some of us, switching between different softwares can be troublesome. Then try Filmora! You can not only edit your video, but also create thumbnail with it. Learn how to create a thumbnail for free using Filmora and try out its editing features yourself.

Note:

The content of your video should feature as a snapshot in your YouTube thumbnail for it to create a sense of suspense thus curiosity. The caption you choose to go with your thumbnail must be captivating and relevant to the content. It is these minor details that you include to create YouTube thumbnail that draws a lot of traffic to your video.

You may also like: Top 10 Best Free YouTube Thumbnail Makers

Conclusion

There is little difference in the method in the methods to download YouTube thumbnail as they are all easy to master. You will also come across some extensions that are added to the browser to perform the same function with similar results. The tricky part here is how to create YouTube thumbnails as it might require the touch of an expert. YouTube thumbnails play an important role in SEO thus the need to consult better-equipped people for that role if you are not up to it. The experts in the field are also aware of the trends and will advise you accordingly.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Also read: