YouTube just announced the release of its “Test & Compare” feature — the A/B tester for thumbnails. This tool allows creators to tes

YouTube rolls out Thumbnail A/B Testing for Everybody

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2024-06-11 17:00:05

YouTube just announced the release of its “Test & Compare” feature — the A/B tester for thumbnails. This tool allows creators to test up to three different thumbnails to see which one performs best in attracting viewers.

Eligible creators can access “Test & Compare” through YouTube Studio on desktop. They can use it when publishing a new video or with existing content by selecting “Test & Compare” in the Thumbnail section of the Video details page. YouTube will then distribute the chosen thumbnails among viewers and determine which one generates the most watch-time share.

Creators can monitor the test by clicking “View test report” on the Video details page to see performance metrics and time remaining. Tests can take from a few hours to a couple of weeks, depending on thumbnail differences and video traffic.

Thumbnails must follow YouTube’s Community Guidelines and are not available for videos made for kids, mature audiences, or live streams. Testing older and recent videos, and experimenting with different designs, can provide valuable insights for content strategy.