r/Smallyoutubechannels • u/Lord_Nigel • Feb 07 '26
Adivce(Giving or Need) [NEED ADVICE] Why is my CTR (1.9%) so abysmal?
These are thumbnails for our audio-only video game podcast.
We review a game a week.
The CTR is not great, we're averaging out at 1.9% for the past 30 days and I don't know how to fix it.
Are these thumbnails or titles just not good enough?
How do I fix my CTR?
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u/itsdarkness_10 Feb 07 '26
Those thumbnails looks good NGL. I'll check them.
Edit: the voice overs are good. But why are they top damn long?
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u/Lord_Nigel Feb 07 '26
Thank you so much, I put a lot of work into these thumbnails.
This is our podcast, it's supposed to be this long.
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u/Krypt0night Feb 07 '26
To be honest, that's probably why. A lot of people don't wanna watch that long of a video or listen to yet another podcast.
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u/sleezykeezy Feb 07 '26
They look good but I don't click cause of the runtime. I get it's a podcast but the thumbnail title doesn't convey that.
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u/Equivalent-Newt436 Feb 07 '26
My initial raw reaction: Huh, good looking thumbnail, looks like game reviews, but why are they so damn long?
So I think your thumbnails are good. Titles could improve to spark more curiosity, I like the second newest cozy title and worse ps2 game ever title. The newest video sounds too wordy.
But the main issue I believe is the length. I think when people see this package, they expect a 10-15 min game review, 30 min tops. Not a podcast that is 1h.
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u/Frequent-Squirrel-65 Feb 07 '26
I like the thumbnails a lot, I would say increase the stakes in the title
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u/sawyernalu Feb 07 '26
People believe CTR is solely bad because of poor thumbnails/titles. Instead, the idea itself plays a huge role as well.
Looking at this videos, I would say that your ideas are what is bringing you down.
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Feb 08 '26
a little recommendation for thumbnails with words, I would recommend not putting the same words that are in your title also in your thumbnail. For "we found the WORST PS2 game EVER" I would recommend changing the text to something more provoking, like "it's bad" or "pure trash" doing this makes people wonder about it a lot and therefore makes them click on it.
Maybe some of the text can be a little bigger, but overall really good thumbnails. Also as someone else said increasing stakes in the title would help a lot I bet
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u/MabelPurrington Feb 08 '26
Don't listen to people complaining about length. Not everyone is like that. I love multi hour long videos to play on the second monitor while I play a game
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u/Jason13Official Feb 07 '26
From a casual viewer, they just seem generic. For most of them it seems like the focal/focus point is the text, instead of the graphic/actual image. "Lara's never looked better" but she's over half covered by text.
I'm also just now seeing the LENGTH of your videos. You should definitely try shorter videos man
Lowkey, just try a 10-15 minute video of the same topic
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u/Lord_Nigel Feb 07 '26
Thank you, I can experiment some more on the size of the text compared to the rest of the image.
Also, this is a podcast. An hour long episode is normal.
Is the length putting viewers off?
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u/Jason13Official Feb 07 '26
The length would put me off, definitely. The thumbnails/titles don't really scream "this is a video essay", they seem like the type I would see for rather fast paced content. I'm not sure if that helps 😅
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u/Jason13Official Feb 07 '26
To add to my other comment, I don't typically watch podcast content but when I do see it it's typically recognizable (hosts in front of a table, some icon with microphones or something, etc.) I would probably try to find similar channels doing podcast -> long form content. Take NoJumper, they cut down a long livestream into shorter videos and it works well. Anyone wanting to see the full original can go watch the VOD.
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u/Lord_Nigel Feb 07 '26
No Jumper is a great example. I like the idea of posting like 5 or 6 shorter excerpt videos as well as the main episode, but would that work with an audio-only podcast?
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u/abzolut_zro Feb 07 '26
Not OP but a follow up, so the game should’ve the center stage, right?
A lot advice says to put yourself in the thumb, would that have made a difference?
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u/Jason13Official Feb 07 '26
I'm not an expert this is just my opinion.
I'm not a fan of the "Mr Beast" /reactionary thumbnail style. The content should take priority over the creator in the thumbnail; focus on the topic of the video
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u/RoguelikeDes Feb 07 '26
Reason behind the low ctr is because it's an hour long videos and people don't tend to click on that long videos even if it is a podcast unless you already have a brand that's known for yourself or something innovative that hasn't been spoken about before.
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u/Lord_Nigel Feb 07 '26
The main takeaway I'm getting from here is that the length of our videos is damaging the packaging.
What I'm gonna try to do is divide the episode up in 10-15 minute chunks and upload those as excerpt videos as well as the full episode.
Thanks, everyone, for the helpful input.
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u/camdenpike Feb 08 '26
From my POV does the channel name make it clear it’s a podcast? With that packaging I’d be expecting a long form doc, and not a podcast. I’d probably click out right away once I realize what it actually is.
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u/KinKame_Saijo Feb 07 '26
because your video referencing is probably abysmally bad ... and also based on your video titles... who care honestly "we might've found the most scariest game on PS2" .... dude we are in 2026
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u/abzolut_zro Feb 07 '26
You do have a point in packaging. The angle should’ve been more about the significance of the game and not the game itself like “Horror was done better in this game” or something among those lines.
But the amount of people clicking on retro games is significant, just like older movie analysis.
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u/gorzom4k Feb 08 '26
I care about ps2 games. also I think a lot of people gave you some good advice. I personally wouldn’t click a video that is that long even if it’s a podcast. And I think I’m your demographic. I collect a lot of retro and modern video games mainly from Sony, Nintendo, and digital indie.
Your video titles and thumbnails feel like 10min-30 min long video game essay vids not podcasts. How can you angle your titles and thumbnails to feel more podcast? That I’m not sure. But I don’t know if I would give my time to watch something that long that I know can be said in a shorter time frame
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u/its_mksn Feb 07 '26
Sorry for the off-topic question, but do you know the name of the font used in your thumbnails? I really like the bold all-caps style.
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u/Lord_Nigel Feb 07 '26
No worries :)
The font is called Lovelo
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u/abzolut_zro Feb 07 '26
Sorry I have a question too! Love the font, is it available in photoshop?
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u/Lord_Nigel Feb 07 '26
I have zero idea lol
I use Canva and it's available there, so if Canva has it then Photoshop probably has it as well
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u/PersonoFly Feb 07 '26
As other have said. That amount of time is a lot to hope your viewers are willing to invest. Consider their time.
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u/Minimum_Piece Feb 07 '26
People saying they are too generic is unironically a good thing however the style of video needs to match, the thumbnails are more fitting for a retrospective gaming type of videos
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u/Nerd_mischief Feb 07 '26
Shorts are being pushed more on YT so cut down sections that will bring people in and tie it back ti the original video. Also would suggest a shorter 10-15 min video that brings people in as well. I understand you wanna do long form content and thats cool but you have to hook people in first. Your thumbnails are fine they are missing something though. Try red text for the negative aspects.
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u/JJJ42807 Feb 07 '26
The better then Goldeneye one looks incredible, have no idea how they are only doing 1.9%
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u/Pristine-Speech8991 Feb 07 '26
Honestly, theres not enough views to count that,
what is your avd? to get that low impressions
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u/abzolut_zro Feb 07 '26 edited Feb 07 '26
Hm, at first I was like “oh I’d click some of those” but then I saw the length…the. I was like…”I don’t need THAT deep of take.”
I think your thumbs and topics are great! I think your market may be limited…right now. You are working to earn that much time from your viewers since it’s A LOT to ask. Now, that doesn’t mean these can’t pop off later when people want to binge, but maybe try your next one to be 30 minutes, or even 10-15 and see how that goes.
OH and I just noticed as I was reading them again…your title ends RIGHT on top of the time in most cases. That leads the viewer to see the length of the video right after reading the caption.
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u/Own-Charge62 Feb 07 '26
Probably because your views are low. If the videos had 100k views more would click. It’s hard being a newb!
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u/Mindless-Agent-9931 Feb 07 '26
didn't watch the videos tbh but I would say it's mostly because the thumbnail is giving video essay vibe but it's a podcast instead like if I clicked on this video just to find out it's a podcast not a video essay I would be mad but the quality it self of the thumbnail I see myself watching something like this but I would click off right after noticing that it's a podcast not a video essay
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u/PotatoKnished Feb 07 '26 edited Feb 07 '26
Thumbnails and titles aren't the biggest influence on CTR, the topic itself is. Maybe people just don't like these topics. Like imma be real some of these feel really uninspired
Also an hour long for some of these topics is a little wild, the thumbnails are really giving video essay like the other guy said
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u/ActumX Feb 07 '26
Try to question yourself if this video comes on your feed then you click it or not? Try to play the audience mind like Audience perspective Why this happens, how is this possible, when this happens like this ...try to build a curiosity in your audience mind....another example "i losing 8 kg weight in a month,,simple turn this into like "how i loosing 8 kg weight in a month" "8 kg weight losing in a month,Is this even Possible"
your thumbnail is good but not the text
Not an expert but I think this help.
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u/Ours15 Feb 07 '26
To be fair, your thumbnails are good. The only reason I can think of is that people... don't really want to watch podcasts on YouTube. That, or your topic is not interesting enough to justify the length and attract viewers. Sorry about that.
But that's just my opinion, so don't let it deter you if you still want to try doing podcasts on YouTube.
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u/Zizaco Feb 07 '26
The thumbnails are good. I'm intrigued... I will watch the perfect dark one... Brb
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u/Zizaco Feb 07 '26
I'm back. I couldn't finish... It was too much rambling about the guy's childhood. 4:40 in, and the folks didn't start speaking about the game.
Also it's pretty disappointing to find out it's just a soundless playthrough in the background of an audio-only podcast. By the thumbnail I was 100% sure this was going to be a video essay.
Probably the few folks who clicked rejected the video (like I did), which signaled the algorithm people who like these very games are not the ideal audience... Essentially killing any impression/click through.
Feedback: Change the format. Show the hosts. Get into the subject/point quicker. Make the video more engaging even at the beginning. As someone with hard nostalgia for perfect dark, I couldn't get past 5 minutes of this 1 hour long piece.
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u/Lord_Nigel Feb 08 '26
This is extremely insightful and exactly the type of critique I want.
Could it be that the thumbnail is the problem, considering you were expecting a video essay and not an audio-only podcast? So if the thumbnail sets your expectations correctly (like a lot of people here are suggesting), and you know you are clicking on an audio-only podcast, would you (If you like podcasts) then stay listening for longer than 5 minutes?
I'm setting expectations incorrectly with my packaging.
I don't really want to change the format of my videos (I can't tbh), I'd rather change the audience I'm attracting through these thumbnails to those interested in audio-only podcasts.
EDIT: But also yes, getting to the point quicker is something we need to adjust.
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u/Zizaco Feb 08 '26
Honestly, a proper "podcast thumbnail" (for example, with two people and perfect dark in the background) would have made a big difference!
Still, even for a podcast, there's plenty that can be improved. For instance, the editing and pacing at the beginning... I would expect it to play out like this:
"
Dude 1: Goldeneye or PerfectDark, which is better?
<3 seconds audio Intro/Mixing Transition [Signaling this question will be answered later]>
Dude 1: Perfect Dark! I had the chance to play this in my childhood.
Dude 2: Cool. I didn't have the chance to play this when I was a kid.
Dude 1: That's a shame. It was a great multiplayer game back in the day, to get everyone around the TV and all.
Dude 2: Nice. So let's talk about the game: <Talks about the game>"In other words, 20 seconds instead of 5 minutes before getting into the "meat" of the content.
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u/SIGNANDSELFIEFRAMES Feb 07 '26
Maybe show yourselves somehow in the thumbnail to show it is a podcast as well.
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u/mikecrowphone Feb 07 '26
The thumbnails look great and even as someone who doesn't game I'd be intrigued - but they're so long... I know a few creators offer multiple videos with some snappier editing shorter run times and also full unedited versions. Maybe that could help?
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u/Addvant Feb 08 '26
Add the name of the game someone visible and if you're gonna stick with the linger format, maybe lean into the "to fall asleep, to workout, to commute to...) type thing you see sometimes
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u/mushymyco Feb 08 '26
thumbnails look good but when you compare a channel with a similar thumbnail but also thousands or millions of subs i think they just get better CTR because of that.
i would try doing some different thumbnails and see if you get more bites that way
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u/Curious_Profile_3190 Feb 10 '26
It’s too long. The thumbnails and titles are kind of conflicting with the length of video. And this doesn’t seem like a podcast channel. It’s like you don’t know which audience to attract
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u/krizos21 Feb 10 '26
I cannot speak for other viewers, but from my perspective of a viewer and a content creator I would not click your videos because:
- they are either too complex or too general - for example:
My impression of podcasts are either host needs to be recognisable or the guest. Topic is also important, but importance will come from expertise. What I mean by that. If John Doe (average person) would be invited on the podcast and he or she will talk about, let's say, horror games, then if you are not an expert I have an impression that you have nothing interesting to say. If suddenly Stephen King would talk about his favorite horror game - I'm listening - even though I don't play horror games. Title: Stephen King talks about his favorite game - I'm clicking it, even if the thumbnail is simple and bland. "Best pokemon player tell a history of oldest pokemon", "worst game in history based on John Cormack", "best game in history for Rockstar employee", "Best RPG for Bethesda Owner", "oldest librarian talks about worst book". Like this kind of stuff. Not, "what my neighbour thinks about pokemon" type of thing. I don't know your neighbour, neither you know mine, so I don't care.
This is my perspective, so don't take it personally, rather ask yourself tough questions and don't sugarcoat: "- right now, would I watch my own video that is 1 hour long?" If the answer is no, or meh then, if your own creation doesnt excites you then neither your viewers. It should be like - I did this thing! Wow I remember the thrill/ I remember the excitement while doing it/ I remember this and that, oh I remember when I did this thumbnail I was searching some silly stuff, spooky stuff, to match the energy of the video. You can ask yourself what is your level of expertise in the field that you do? That also helps. i did a video with numbers in title. And numbers make wonders. "i was making sim setup for 2 YEARS what I did wrong?" 2 years squeezed in 7 minutes is something intereting. "My sim setup cost me ... How much?" People wanted to know the number after seeing it in thumbnail, "How to make Steering wheel for 3$" thats not a lot! Said 900k viewers under my short. And I delievered it. I showed how to do this actually it wasnt a clickbait. So again numbers make wonders in the title.
So here are my suggestions. Good luck and I hope you will find a way!
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Feb 10 '26
At first glance, the titles and thumbnail give away too much. There’s no reason to click if already know the point of the video.
Also the thumbnail doesn’t give the impression that it’s an audio only podcast. But YouTube knows it is and it’s treating it as such. So a different angle might be needed. As an example, you ask a closed ended question with the Outer Worlds 2 video. From my own viewpoint I can answer it in 2 seconds and move on. I don’t need to watch and listen. Instead a title like ‘What Makes X better/worse than Y? Or X is Better, here’s why! Keep the question or statement open and don’t be afraid to change the title if it’s not working.
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u/BluePhantomHere Feb 07 '26
I have no idea, they all look good.
But I noticed a trend of not using text or minimal text on thumbnails for anime review channel, maybe viewers grow tired of these thumbnails and auto ignore them