Thumbnail creation has become a precise art form for YouTube’s top creators. Many follow the trend set by MrBeast, which uses expressive, face-centered images to attract viewers. But which expressions get the most clicks? Is it better to look happy, surprised or scared in a thumbnail?
Kapwing’s study
To answer these questions, video editing app Kapwing collaborated with NeoMam Studios and analyzed some of YouTube’s biggest channels. Using AI, they grouped thumbnails into seven emotions: happy, sad, surprised, calm, fearful, angry and confused. The results revealed interesting patterns.
Top creators favor positive thumbnails
While MrBeast, PewDiePie and KSI feature a wide range of emotions, happiness is the most popular reaction on their thumbnails. Mark Rober’s thumbnails almost exclusively show happy or calm expressions, and Ludwig uses confusion, happiness or fear. Meanwhile, 70% of SSSniperWolf’s thumbnails show surprise, which contrasts with her usual content style.
In general, creators leaned towards positive emotions. “Surprise” and “happiness” were the top two choices, each appearing in about 27% of the analyzed thumbnails. Calm expressions came in third place, while sadness and disgust were much less common. Some creators, like the Stokes Twins, even opted to show fear, breaking away from the typical upbeat trend.
Thumbnails that cross borders
Kapwing Co-Founder Eric Lu was surprised by the findings. “I originally thought angry or sad previews would get the most clicks,” he said. “But the data shows that successful YouTube creators prefer using happy or surprised faces. This suggests viewers enjoy engaging with positive content, and hopefully, more creators will follow suit.”
The study also shows how universal emotions in thumbnails can connect with audiences around the world. Though each creator has a unique style, their facial expressions make their videos accessible across cultures.