Skip to main content
Thumbnail
Vaultby jamie whiffen

Used by creators and YouTube teams with 100M+ combined subscribers

Find the right thumbnail, title or idea for your next video.

3,000+ outlier thumbnails picked by a YouTube strategist, each with a note on the psychology behind the click, so you learn to think like a strategist.

Browse the whole Vault
No account needed to browse
2,258 people have signed up

Used by channels like these

  • Futcrunch23.4M subscribers
  • Browney12.3M subscribers
  • The Bentist9.4M subscribers
  • Dangie Bros7.6M subscribers
  • Andres Garza5.5M subscribers
  • IELTS Advantage5.1M subscribers
  • Think Media3.5M subscribers
  • Whistle3.2M subscribers
  • SMARTpro Academy2.7M subscribers
  • Out of Focus2M subscribers
  • Shivanshu Agrawal2M subscribers
  • Jon Solo1.8M subscribers
  • Domtendo1.6M subscribers
  • Kevin Su1.6M subscribers
  • CARLITOS1.5M subscribers
  • Driver611.5M subscribers
  • Benjamin Seda1.5M subscribers
  • PhoneArena1.3M subscribers
  • Nick Norwitz MD PhD1.3M subscribers
  • Tamoor Pardasi1.1M subscribers
  • Cyrus Janssen1.1M subscribers
  • Hang1.1M subscribers
  • My First Million956K subscribers
  • Dr. Izzy Sealey928K subscribers
  • TheDevildogGamer908K subscribers
  • Zero1 by Zerodha843K subscribers
  • Hardisk812K subscribers
  • Smequle783K subscribers
  • PhillyBeatzU769K subscribers
  • Ace2k7765K subscribers
  • Frandroid623K subscribers
  • BLOKEST584K subscribers
  • Mrs Eats560K subscribers
  • Fastpass Facts498K subscribers
  • Laura Figueroa Marketing469K subscribers
  • Master Your Mind453K subscribers
  • Billyfx413K subscribers
  • Konversations By InsideIIM396K subscribers
  • FinTree186K subscribers
  • Dr. Jonathan Tam132K subscribers
  • Bruno Corano126K subscribers
  • Jonny & Yusef @ Propane40.4K subscribers
  • The Illustrator's Guide22.8K subscribers
  • Anne-Laure Le Cunff, PhD19.9K subscribers
  • Safwaan Mohammed17.4K subscribers
See the thinking behind the thumbnail
Explore the free Vault
Remix a reference

Steal the psychology, not the design.

Every reference comes with a remix prompt. Add your video idea, hand the prompt and the thumbnail to your AI app, and it remixes both the title and the thumbnail for your video, keeping only what carries over.

  1. The reference

    The original thumbnail. A man holds a green accounting software logo over one open palm and an orange AI app logo over the other, with OLD WAY and NEW WAY above them and a red arrow curving between.

    Claude Cowork Is REPLACING QuickBooks in Accounting Firms

    Jason On Firms
    What to study

    QuickBooks is what nearly every accounting firm runs on, so labeling it the old way suggests you're already behind. The title says leading firms are replacing it, and most accountants won't recognize the new logo, so they click to find out what they're missing.

  2. The remix prompt

    Your remix promptExcerpt
    …How to remix it: Use old way and new way when the old tool's logo is known on sight. The familiar mark does the hooking and the unknown one intrigues. If neither logo is recognized, the format has nothing to grab.…MY VIDEOTopic or idea: Why YouTube is replacing LinkedIn as the way coaches and consultants win clientsTarget viewer: Coaches, consultants and experts who post on LinkedIn to win clients and are thinking about YouTube…

    Your AI app gets the thumbnail and the prompt together.

    • Copy image + promptOn a computer
    • Send to AI appOn a phone
  3. The remix

    The remixed thumbnail. A smiling bald, bearded man holds the LinkedIn logo over one open palm and the YouTube logo over the other, with a yellow arrow curving from LinkedIn to YouTube.

    Why I'd Put YouTube Before LinkedIn

    Example remix, title idea from an AI app
    What changed

    It keeps the old-way-to-new-way arrow between two logos everyone knows, and swaps accounting software for LinkedIn and YouTube.

Remix this reference Free, and no account needed
Jamie Whiffen
A note from JamieYouTube strategist

What's the psychology behind the click?

Hey Creators,

I was Head of YouTube for Ali Abdaal during the channel's most successful year ever, and a big part of that job was studying the channels around us and working out why one video took off while the next one didn't. Now everyone calls that outlier theory.

In 2022 I turned that habit into The Thumbnail Vault. I found and tagged over 1,000 thumbnails by hand, before AI could do any of it, picking the best packaging from videos that had clearly outperformed their channel.

Studying outliers is now the most popular strategy on YouTube, and I think it's working less and less. Most people copy the outlier without understanding why it worked, and when everyone copies the same idea, it stops standing out.

Most outlier tools hand you the data and leave the thinking to you. I built the Vault to do the opposite.

The click happens in the viewer's head before it happens on the thumbnail. So the Vault is curated on purpose rather than pulling in every video on YouTube, and every reference explains why it earned the click, from the curiosity it creates to the words and psychology doing the work. AI helps me write those breakdowns with the same lens I've always used as a strategist. The useful part is taking that thinking and finding your own version for your audience.

I've used this approach with creators like Simon Squibb, GrowVeg (the fastest-growing gardening channel in the world) and Steve Huynh. And I've made the Vault free, because I don't think real experts should need a big monthly subscription to learn what earns the click.

Have a look around. I hope it helps with your next video.

JamieFounder of The Thumbnail Vault
and the YouTube Demand Engine

Jamie Whiffen

Useful tools.
Yours to use for free.

Browse first. Create an account when you want to keep your favorite references together.

The Thumbnail VaultFree access
$0 forever

No credit card needed

  • Explore the thumbnail reference library
  • Use the free thumbnail tools
  • Save references and organize project folders
  • Get Jamie's free five-day email course

Got Questions?
We've got the answers.

A few things you might be wondering

01Is the Vault really free?

Yes. The free plan is $0 forever. Browse the library and use the free tools, then create an account to save references and organize project folders. No credit card is required. Any optional paid features introduced later will be separate.

02What happens when I create an account?

Create your free Vault account and join Start Getting Views for the free five-day course and Jamie’s ongoing YouTube newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime.

03Can I use the thumbnails in my own videos?

These are references for learning and inspiration. The original creators retain the rights to their work. Use the underlying ideas to develop your own thumbnail rather than republishing someone else’s image.

04Will a reference tell me how many views I will get?

No. A thumbnail is one part of a video’s performance. Use the references to explore ideas and viewer appeal, then make a choice that fits your video and your audience.

05Can I get help with my own channel?

Yes. Jamie offers 1:1 YouTube strategy consulting through the YouTube Demand Engine. You can book a free 15-minute call to discuss your channel and whether the program is a fit.

Your next thumbnail idea
is closer than you think.

Create your free account and keep your favorite ideas together.

The YouTube Demand Engine

Build a channel that
brings the right people
to your business.

Work with me 1:1 on the strategy behind your videos, from who you want to reach to the ideas, titles and thumbnails that help them choose you.

Book a free 15-minute call
Jamie Whiffen, YouTube strategy consultant
Jamie Whiffen1:1 YouTube strategy consulting
  • Find a clear position for your channel
  • Develop ideas for the viewers you want
  • Sharpen your titles, thumbnails and hooks

Create a free account to save hand-curated video ideas, thumbnails and titles.

or use email

Already have an account?