We scored Aprilynne Alter's thumbnails: can the packaging teacher pass her own test? Aprilynne Alter built a channel teaching YouTube packaging: titles, thumbnails, the psychology of the click. We ran two of her own thumbnails through Thumbly Score to see how the teacher scores. 2026-07-28 5 min read
We scored Colin & Samir's thumbnails: does 'tasteful' cost you clicks? Colin & Samir are the thinking creator's creators: restrained, editorial, no MrBeast theatrics. We ran two of their thumbnails through Thumbly Score to see whether good taste actually wins, or just feels nice. 2026-06-11 4 min read
Your CTR is lying to you (and what to measure instead) A 10% click-through rate sounds great until you realize it's tanking your channel. Here's how to read CTR correctly and what actually matters for growth. 2026-03-22 6 min read
How to change a YouTube Shorts thumbnail (desktop + mobile) Yes, you can set a custom thumbnail on a YouTube Short. Here's how on Studio and mobile, what size to use, and how to fix a cropped or wrong-ratio cover. 2026-07-23 3 min read
How to Download YouTube Videos in 2026 Most guides on this skip the part that matters and send you straight to a sketchy website. Here's the honest version: what you're actually allowed to download, and the methods worth using, from your own footage to Creative Commons to yt-dlp. 2026-06-23 6 min read
Instagram Reels cover size: 1080 × 1920, but the grid crops it to a square Instagram Reels covers are 1080 × 1920 (9:16) in the player, but your profile grid crops them to a 1:1 square. Here's how to design one cover that works in both. 2026-06-05 3 min read
Your thumbnail is being judged on a 65-inch TV now YouTube is the #1 share of US TV viewing. Thumbnails uploaded today get rendered on 65-inch screens, not just phones. The 'design for the mobile thumbnail rail' advice every guide repeats is now actively costing you clicks. 2026-05-13 7 min read
We scored MKBHD's thumbnails: how little can you get away with? MKBHD's brand is clean product photography and almost no clickbait. We ran his Humane AI Pin thumbnail and a near-textless iPhone 17 shot through Thumbly Score to see where minimalism wins, and where it leaves emotion on the table. 2026-07-30 4 min read
We ran MrBeast's thumbnails through Thumbly Score, then tried to beat them MrBeast spends millions getting thumbnails right. We scored two of his biggest ones with Thumbly, applied the fixes it suggested, and re-scored. Here's what held up, what we'd change, and what you can steal. 2026-06-09 5 min read
Shorts pull people in. Long-form makes them stay. If you're stuck at a subscriber plateau, the fix is almost always the same thing: pair consistent short-form with long-form that makes people feel something. Here's how the two formats actually work together. 2026-04-24 8 min read
Thumbnail sizes for every platform (2026): the quick chart One chart with the exact thumbnail and cover size for YouTube, Shorts, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook in 2026, plus a link to the full guide for each platform. 2026-06-06 2 min read
TikTok cover size: 1080 × 1920 and the safe zone nobody tells you about TikTok covers are 1080 × 1920 (9:16), but the username, caption, and buttons sit on top of them. Here's where to keep your text so it doesn't get buried. 2026-06-04 3 min read
YouTube Shorts thumbnail size: 1080 × 1920, and how to actually set one Shorts get custom thumbnails now. The right size is 1080 × 1920 (9:16), not the 16:9 you use for long-form. Here's why that matters and how to add one. 2026-06-03 3 min read
YouTube thumbnail ideas that actually work (with examples) Most thumbnail idea lists are moodboards. This one breaks down the patterns behind high-performing YouTube thumbnails by niche — and what to steal from each. 2026-07-21 5 min read
The psychology behind thumbnails that actually get clicked Most thumbnail advice is surface-level: 'use bright colors' and 'add faces.' Here's what's actually happening in your viewer's brain during the 1.3 seconds they decide whether to click. 2026-03-24 6 min read
YouTube thumbnail size in 2026: exact dimensions (and the new 4K spec) The YouTube thumbnail size is 1280 × 720 at 16:9, and in 2026 YouTube started recommending up to 4K. Here's the full spec, what changed, and the size that matters more than the resolution. 2026-06-02 4 min read