You start by typing in a short description of your video—what it’s about, the topic, and any hook or highlight you want to feature. You can also specify the tone (e.g., bold, straightforward, playful) to match your video style.

The tool then generates a few thumbnail text options that are:

• Short enough to fit well on a thumbnail
• Easy to read quickly
• Written to spark curiosity and invite clicks

You can use the suggestions directly or tweak them to better fit your design or branding.

Thumbnails are one of the first things people see in search results, recommendations, and home feeds. Good thumbnail text can help your video stand out—even if your channel is small or new.

Here’s what effective thumbnail text can do:

• Stop the scroll: A clear message can grab attention faster than visuals alone.
• Clarify your video topic: If your title is long, your thumbnail text can help simplify the hook.
• Set expectations: Viewers know what they’re getting before clicking.
• Boost CTR (Click-Through Rate): Better thumbnails = more clicks.

For more on improving visibility across search and browse, you might also find this guide on search visibility helpful.

Yes. Like all Embarque tools, it’s completely free—no sign-up required, no limits on how often you can use it. Whether you're working on your first video or batch-creating thumbnails for your entire content calendar, this tool is always available.

‍

Nope. The tool is web-based and works right in your browser. No installations or extensions needed. Just go to the tool page, enter your video description, and get your text ideas instantly. It works on desktop and mobile.

‍

To get more relevant thumbnail text, your input should be specific. Instead of something broad like “how to grow on YouTube,” try “how to hit 1k subscribers fast in 2024.”

Here are a few quick tips:

• Include your video’s main topic and angle.
• Mention the target audience if it matters (e.g., for beginners, for SaaS founders).
• Choose a tone that matches the feel of your channel.
• Try running the tool with different phrasings for more variety.

If you're unsure what kind of hook works best, our guide on keyword mapping can also help you organize your content strategy better.

The tool gives you the flexibility to generate text in different tones, including:

• Bold and direct: Great for how-tos, breakdowns, or dramatic hooks.
• Friendly and light: Ideal for vlogs, lifestyle content, or education.
• Urgent or action-driven: Useful for trending or time-sensitive videos.

Picking the right tone makes your text feel more natural and aligned with the vibe of your video.

This tool is powered by Gemini 1.5, a high-performing AI model that’s great at understanding intent, context, and tone. It generates text based on how real viewers read and respond to thumbnails—quickly and instinctively.

Gemini 1.5 is also trained to keep the copy short and punchy without losing clarity. So even if you only give it a few words to work with, it returns caption options that actually make sense on a small screen.

Yes—and we recommend it. The suggestions are designed to give you a strong base, but you can always tweak the wording, punctuation, or formatting to better fit your brand’s design system.

You might want to:

• Add emojis (if it fits your style)
• Adjust for size or visual balance in your design
• Emphasize certain words with uppercase, bold, or color

Think of the tool as your idea generator—it gives you quick directions, and you apply the finishing touch.

If you’re building or optimizing a YouTube channel, we offer several tools that pair well with the Thumbnail Text Generator:

• YouTube Tag Generator: Find the right tags to help your videos show up in search and recommendations.
• YouTube Description Generator: Write clear, SEO-friendly descriptions that summarize your video.
• YouTube Channel Description Generator: Craft a concise, effective “about” section for your channel.
• YouTube Shorts Idea Generator: Get short-form content ideas tailored to your niche.

These tools are built to work together, helping you stay consistent across every part of your video content—from strategy to visibility. And if you're working on a bigger content system, you might want to check out our topic cluster guide to organize ideas more effectively.

There’s no cap. You can use it as many times as you need—whether you’re testing different thumbnail versions, planning content in bulk, or just exploring ideas before your next shoot.

Creators often use the tool not just for text—but to spark design ideas and experiment with different ways to present the same video. It’s a fast way to build out options, especially if you’re optimizing your thumbnails based on performance data.