YouTube videos
Landscape videos that get clicked and watched: thumbnail, title, a strong first 30 seconds and clear chapters.
Regular YouTube videos live on through search and recommendations for months. Two things decide whether people click (thumbnail and title) and one decides whether YouTube recommends you (how long they keep watching).
Five rules apply to every format: hook first, stay consistent, tell a complete story, end with a call to action and design for the phone. Read the five rules
At a glance
| Spec | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,920 × 1,080 px (16:9) |
| Thumbnail | 1,280 × 720 px (16:9) |
| Title | 100 characters |
| Text length | 5,000 characters |
| Set per post | Visibility, made for kids, category and license |
Hook
- Win the click with the thumbnail. A clear face or subject, few words and strong contrast, readable at small sizes.
- Match title and thumbnail. They should promise the same thing, and the video should deliver it.
- Confirm the promise early. In the first 30 seconds, show viewers they’re in the right place.
Design and edit
- Upload 16:9 at 1920 × 1080 or higher. Landscape fills the player on desktop and TV.
- Design a custom thumbnail at 1280 × 720. Keep important elements away from the bottom-right corner, where the duration appears.
- Add chapters. Timestamps in the description help viewers jump to what they need.
- Add captions. They improve accessibility and help with search.
Caption and copy
- Write a searchable title. Put the main keyword near the start, under 100 characters.
- Use the first lines of the description. They show in search; summarize the video there.
- End with a next step. Point to a related video, a playlist or a link.
Timing and cadence
- Pick a schedule you can keep. Viewers come back when they know when to expect you.
- Promote it with a Short. A short teaser can bring new viewers to the full video.
What to measure
Video views show how many people watched; likes, dislikes and comments show how they felt. Use YouTube Studio for watch time and click-through rate.
YouTubeLikesCommentsDislikesVideo views
How Octapost reports these metrics
Do it in Octapost
- Design the thumbnail in the image editor at 1280 × 720 and attach it as the video’s cover.
- Set visibility, made for kids, category and license in the YouTube panel.
- Use the Landscape preset (1920 × 1080) for title cards and end screens.
Creating posts in the composer
Checklist
- The video is 16:9, 1920 × 1080 or higher.
- A custom 1280 × 720 thumbnail is attached.
- Title and thumbnail make the same promise.
- The description starts with a summary and has chapters.
- YouTube settings are chosen.
Sources
Platform guidance changes often. These are the official pages we check this guide against.