Zany, custom-designed thumbnails of aghast creators in brightly colored backgrounds are part of YouTube’s DNA. Now, they might be coming to TikTok.
For the first time ever, the video app is allowing users to make customized thumbnails.
The feature was first spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra, who said in a LinkedIn post that the option was available both in the app and on desktop.
Can you upload custom thumbnails on TikTok?
Per a screenshot provided by Navarra, there is now an “Upload” button for users to choose their own custom images for thumbnails. Although, as before, you’ll still also have the option to choose a screenshot from your video.
The addition of custom thumbnails can help TikTok creators nail their brand identity, making things look eye-catching, aesthetically pleasing, or uniform if a viewer wants to check out someone’s account in more detail.
We know that thumbnails are a crucial part of YouTube’s algorithm. But it’s unclear whether these revamped thumbnails will have an impact on TikTok’s algorithm, considering thumbnails are not immediately present on the main ‘For-You’ page.
Thumbnails do, however, appear when users search for content on the platform, so it’s possible they could have an effect on creators’ discoverability in that regard.
At present, TikTok’s algorithm is based on user engagement, using comments, likes, the time spent watching a video, and “search value” in order to determine what to show viewers next.
Coupled with TikTok incentivizing longer video times, it looks like the YouTubeification of TikTok won’t be slowing down anytime soon.
