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View Counts on YouTube Thumbnail is no Big Deal

By Phil/Kords | Published 30 January 2021 | No Comments

Word Count: 580
Time to read: 2 min 19 sec

YouTube thumbnail is one aspect of YouTubing where the design is necessary to convey the right message. The design must align its characteristic elements to your channel. The design should also speak to the viewers what your video is all about or use those elements that your video title cannot display.

For example, your video title is straight forward. It cannot occupy all of the ideas you wish to convey in words. If you need additional words or few keywords to grab more eye-balls it makes ample sense to include it in the thumbnail image.

Some Indian YouTubers that I have noticed have started to post the view count on their thumbnails. I’ve stumbled it only across some Indian YouTube Channels-particularly in the Entertainment Industry. I have seen most non-Indian channels have added it in their titles but not thumbnails. Does it matter? Here’s my take.

The idiotic aspect is highlighting how many views that video has garnered over time in the thumbnail. Let me answer by saying this is unnecessary.

It is a marketing gimmick to showcase this number. The purpose is simple – if this video has 15 million views, the questions asked have you seen it? If not, why not? Why are you not in the 15 million viewers list?

Some videos can garner view easily. I have highlighted them below.

Movie-trailers:
movie trailers have the least efforts to garner a massive number of views. It is, of course, targeting the fans of the film makes sense. A non-fan will not bother to look at the trailer.

India is a movie-crazy country. Most movies aren’t for the general audience, but the fans. So, even if the film is a flop, it may do an above-average business. I understand actors are revered in the south film industry. What such channels do not understand is the display of the view counts on the thumbnail does not affect them in any way. It is no way a guarantee to obtain view from non-fans – if that is their objective.

Should it be taken as an achievement? I don’t know.

For example, I have noticed these view count mentioned in the newly released song thumbnails. How many they have garnered in a short time. It is of little interest to me and other non-fans out there.

The view count is cosmetic because every video out there displays the number of views.

So should they stop it? A movie-trailer will continue to garner views long after its release. The number of views it displays on the thumbnail does not make It is in a way ‘natural’ for trailers to get that many views. A simple explanation exists that there is a fan base for every genre of film out there.

In other words, they should stop it.

Songs:
It is another area where the view counts are displayed. I am not a fan of the latest Hindi movie songs – most of them don’t make sense. There is a lack of good songs concentrating on other genres.

However, there are places on the thumbnail where you will still find the view count in some songs. Should they stop it here? Again. Yes. Why? I will apply the same logic as above.

Songs, just like films, have different tastes among different listeners and viewers.

Why should view counts be displayed? IMHO, How about no-where. It is an unnecessary duplication when it already exists. Just below the video, you will notice the view count.

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