Generating the Core Asset
Use Midjourney to create high-contrast, emotive faces or bizarre scenarios.
Prompt: 'Close up of a shocked man looking at a glowing green stock chart, hyper-realistic, dramatic lighting, high contrast, red background --ar 16:9'
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The Text and Composition
Drop the asset into Canva or Photoshop. AI is terrible at placing text perfectly.
Keep text under 4 words. The thumbnail should create a 'curiosity gap' that makes the user click to find the answer.
Key takeaways
- 1Use AI for the background and expressive faces, use humans for the text layout.
- 2High contrast, high saturation, and extreme emotions drive clicks.
- 3A/B test your AI thumbnails using YouTube's native testing feature.
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Simple AI ideas, tool picks, and business workflows you can actually use. No fluff.
Built for business owners who want practical help