We scored Graham Stephan thumbnails, then tried to beat them
Graham Stephan packs his thumbs with a big face, a big number, and a news style banner. We scored two of them through Thumbly Score, made edits, and scored them again. The homebuyer thumb stayed at 74. The Fed rates thumb went 70 to 71.
4 min read ThumbnailsYouTubeTeardownCreator BreakdownPsychologyGraham Stephan's thumbs look different from the tech and science channels we've covered so far. He uses a big face, a big number, and a red news style banner across the bottom. We wanted to see how that packaging scores.
We took two recent public thumbs and ran them through [Thumbly Score](/thumbly-score). Same flow as the [Ali Abdaal](/blog/ali-abdaal-thumbnail-teardown) and [Johnny Harris](/blog/johnny-harris-thumbnail-teardown) teardowns. Score the original, make the edit, score again.
At the time of writing (Nov 5, 2026), "It Started: Homebuyer Demand Just Collapsed" had about 480K views and "BREAKING: The Fed Just Froze Rates" had about 781K. We'll call them the homebuyer thumb and the Fed rates video from here on.
Thumbnail 1: the homebuyer thumb
Posted two days before we checked. Graham fills the right half of the frame in a blue sweater, looking at the camera with his hands pressed to his mouth. On the left, a red and white yard sign reads "SOLD 40% OFF" in front of a house, where two people shake hands. A white banner across the bottom reads "SELLERS PANICKING" in heavy black type, with a NEWS logo on the left and a red NEWS ALERT bar underneath.
**Thumbly Score: 74/100**
| Dimension | Score |
|---|---|
| Virality | 75 |
| Clarity | 80 |
| Idea | 65 |
| Curiosity | 78 |
| Emotion | 70 |
Clarity at 80 is the strength.
Idea at 65 is the weak spot, and the lowest of the five.
We made one change by hand. We boosted the color and contrast on the SOLD 40% OFF sign only. We left his face alone.
*Our edit of Graham Stephan's published thumbnail, not the one he uses.*
**74/100, no change.** Emotion rose from 70 to 85 and curiosity from 78 to 80. Clarity fell from 80 to 70 and idea from 65 to 60. Virality held at 75.
Thumbnail 2: the Fed rates video
Posted seven days before we checked. Donald Trump sits on the left with an open mouth and one hand raised, in front of a red flag. Graham sits on the right in the same blue sweater and the same hands to mouth pose. The bottom banner reads "STOCKS WILL RISE 15%" in heavy black type, with the same NEWS logo and red NEWS ALERT bar.
**Thumbly Score: 70/100**
| Dimension | Score |
|---|---|
| Virality | 78 |
| Clarity | 75 |
| Idea | 55 |
| Curiosity | 72 |
| Emotion | 68 |
Virality at 78 is the strength.
Idea at 55 is the weak spot.
We made one change by hand. We redrew the NEWS ALERT line at the bottom larger and bolder, in yellow on the red bar. We left both faces alone.
*Our edit of Graham Stephan's published thumbnail, not the one he uses.*
**71/100.** Virality rose from 78 to 80 and idea from 55 to 60. Curiosity fell from 72 to 70 and emotion from 68 to 65. Clarity held at 75.
The split
The two originals share one template: his face on the right, a white banner, and a red NEWS ALERT bar. The homebuyer thumb scored higher on clarity (80 vs 75), idea (65 vs 55), curiosity (78 vs 72), and emotion (70 vs 68). The Fed rates video scored higher on virality (78 vs 75).
What held up
Both overall scores stayed within one point after the edits. Idea stayed the lowest dimension on both thumbs, before and after.
What to steal from Graham Stephan
Our advice: pick one template and reuse it. His face, the banner, and the NEWS ALERT bar sit in the same place on both thumbs, so a viewer can spot his videos in a feed.
Our advice: keep the banner to a few heavy words or one number. "SELLERS PANICKING" and "STOCKS WILL RISE 15%" both read at a glance.
Our advice: put one object in the frame that shows the topic, like the SOLD sign. When your thumb has faces but no object, we'd test one first.
Soft close
Run yours through [Thumbly Score](/thumbly-score) and score it again after each change. Our [guide to Thumbly Score](/blog/how-to-use-thumbly-score) walks through it.
This piece is commentary on public packaging. We are reading the picture, not claiming Graham Stephan's CTR.
*Thumbnails © Graham Stephan, shown here for commentary and analysis. The 'improved' versions are edits made to illustrate the suggested changes; all faces are left as in the original.*
