Why people scroll past your video

[TODO: placeholder post. Replace this with real writing before publishing.]

Why do people scroll past your video?

People scroll past a video when its title and thumbnail do not tell them, within a second or two, what the video is and why it is for them. A strong pair makes one clear promise, shows it visually, and matches what the video delivers. When the promise is vague, or the thumbnail only repeats the title, viewers have no reason to stop.

Should the title and thumbnail say the same thing?

No. Treat them as one message split across two surfaces. The thumbnail shows the payoff or the tension at a glance, and the title adds the context an image cannot carry. When both use the same words, you waste half your space and give viewers no second reason to click, so let each one carry a different part of the promise.

What size should a YouTube thumbnail be?

YouTube recommends custom thumbnails at 1280x720 pixels, with a minimum width of 640 pixels, and says to make the image as large as possible because it is also the preview image in the embedded player. Check the finished thumbnail at phone size before you publish, and keep any text large enough to read when it is small.

Source: Add video thumbnails on YouTube, YouTube Help.

How do I check that a video keeps its promise?

Compare the first 30 seconds of the video with its title and thumbnail. If the opening delivers what you promised, or clearly moves toward it, the promise holds. If it starts with a long introduction or a different topic, viewers who clicked for the promise will leave, and the audience retention graph in YouTube Studio will show where.

[TODO: add a real example from Vladimir’s work, with the real channel and the real result.]