> Still amazes me how widespread this is It works⁰ surprisingly well for a range of target audiences – I've seen a few proper tests of the effect. > It's like

> Still amazes me how widespread this is It works⁰ surprisingly well for a range of target audiences – I've seen a few proper tests of the effect. > It's like all aspiring YouTubers are reading the same advice for getting views, regardless of age, demographic, or subject? While it won't work that well for all channels, it is unlikely to put off enough people¹ that it is worth a try just in case. Also, some do it just because it is current fashion, or because that is currently the default and they lack an original thought in thumbnail making², rather than thinking there is any other benefit. ---- [0] gets more clicks than thumbnails without [1] those, like you and I, who dislike it enough for it to make us simply click away, are apparently rare enough that losing us is not a big problem [2] because that sort of marketing isn't their game, and they don't want it to be more than it has to be