Hi all, Jen here :)

Have you taken a look at YouTube thumbnails lately?

It seems like 99% of them show someone making a face like this:

I mean, yikes right?!

Mouth open, with an exaggerated expression of fear, happiness, confusion, or even anger.

If you ask creators and YouTube viewers, most of them HATE what’s been dubbed "YouTube Face".

But they keep using it because it works.

And there’s a psychological reason why….

Our love-hate relationship with YouTube Face is down to something called SALIENCE BIAS, which describes our attraction to things that are emotionally striking (or easy to notice).

So when we’re scanning a page and see a thumbnail with someone with a manic expression, we’re irresistibly drawn to the video - it seems to jump out from its surroundings.

That’s because emotion is great at:
- Grabbing our attention
- Keeping us engaged
- Creating memories that stick in our heads

In other words, it’s like superglue for brands.

Even NETFLIX has its own version of YouTube Face.

After running billions of permutations of different thumbnails, they found that featuring a polarizing character and exaggerated expressions makes for a more effective thumbnail.

So how can you apply the emotional side of SALIENCE BIAS to your own experience?

Start by asking yourself a few basic questions:

Are we consciously leveraging emotional images in our marketing and product experience now? Or are we keeping the "human" out of our marketing?
Are we showing how our product makes customers feel when they’re using it?
Do we understand how our customers feel now when they see our marketing, use our product, or travel through our customer journey?

And if you want to learn more about getting attention and driving engagement with emotion, check out my NEW Webinar: How to Drive Customer Engagement With EMOTION.

Want to create marketing and product experiences that are meaningful, not just transactional? Behavioral science and psychology can show you how.

Join me for this 60-minute interactive webinar where we'll explore the power of behavioral science and psychology to understand:

How emotion drives brand preference, memories, and willingness to recommend
How emotion can help your product be customers’ number one choice - every time
How to understand what your customers are feeling now, and to set the stage for a more positive emotional experience
And how to apply these learnings in the real-world.

We'll examine foundational Behavioral Science principles and cutting-edge findings - but we won't stop at academic insights.

We'll also explore:

Dozens of real-world brand examples
Practical strategies for application in marketing and product design

Specific formulas and frameworks to help you hit the ground running

And if you can't make this date, don't worry. Your purchase guarantees 30 day access to a recording of the webinar, and you can send me any questions beforehand.

Save 50% off the regular price when you sign up before July 28th.

That’s only 9.99 USD (plus applicable fees and tax) for an hour packed with actionable behavioral science and psychology nuggets.

In a few days the price will go up to $19.98 - so get the deal before it's gone:

Learn more and register for the webinar.

(Last minute conflict or can’t make this time? Don't worry you’ll get 30 days access to a recording of webinar with your purchase, and you can send me questions beforehand)

Until next time,
Jen

Growth Habits Lab by Jen Clinehens

🪄 Why everyone's doing THIS on YouTube...