Notes from the edit bay
Short, practical guides on the unglamorous parts of publishing a video: thumbnails that survive the UI, chapters that actually show up, scripts that run the length you planned, and captions worth reusing.
November 3, 2026 · 3 min read
The best time to publish a YouTube video (and why your audience beats any chart)
Generic 'best time to post' charts are a starting point at best. Here's how to find your channel's real best time in YouTube Studio, and how much timing matters.
November 3, 2026 · 4 min read
How to get 1,000 subscribers on YouTube (without the shortcuts that backfire)
The honest version: what actually moves a small channel to 1,000 subscribers, why 'free subscriber' sites hurt you, and whether 1k in a day is possible.
Chapters November 3, 2026 · 3 min read
YouTube chapters not working? A troubleshooting guide
You followed the rules and the progress bar is still one long line. Here's how to work out why, from invisible characters to the auto-chapters setting.
November 3, 2026 · 3 min read
YouTube Creator Awards: every play button, what it takes, and how to claim one
Silver at 100K, Gold at 1M, Diamond at 10M, and beyond. Here's every YouTube Creator Award level, who's eligible, and what happens after you hit the number.
November 3, 2026 · 3 min read
How much does YouTube pay for 1 million Shorts views?
Shorts don't pay like long-form videos. Here's how the Shorts revenue pool works, what creators commonly report for 1 million views, and why your number will differ.
Thumbnails November 3, 2026 · 4 min read
YouTube thumbnail size and dimensions (2026 guide)
The correct YouTube thumbnail size is 1280×720 pixels (16:9), under 2 MB, as JPG, PNG or GIF. Here's every dimension that matters, what a thumbnail is, and how to get one right.
Thumbnails November 3, 2026 · 4 min read
How to fix YouTube thumbnail text that gets cut off
Your thumbnail looked fine in the editor and lost half a word on YouTube. Here are the five things that actually cause it, and the fix for each one.
October 28, 2026 · 3 min read
Why we built creator tools that never see your files
Most online tools upload your thumbnail or script to check something your own browser could check. Here's why we think that's the wrong trade-off, and how to tell the difference.
October 21, 2026 · 3 min read
The last 15 minutes before you hit Publish
A short, practical pre-publish checklist for YouTube videos: the small checks that are easy to skip and annoying to fix once the video is live.
Captions October 14, 2026 · 4 min read
Your caption file is a first draft you've already written
Every video you publish comes with a transcript hiding inside an SRT file. Here's how to turn it into a blog post, show notes, or a newsletter without starting from a blank page.
Scripting October 6, 2026 · 4 min read
How many words is a 10-minute YouTube video? Time yourself, not a chart
The 150 words per minute rule is a fine starting point and a bad finishing point. Here's how to find your own speaking rate and write scripts that land on time.
Chapters September 22, 2026 · 4 min read
Why your YouTube chapters aren't showing up (and the boring rules that fix it)
Chapters fail silently. No error, no warning, just a plain progress bar. Here are the rules YouTube actually enforces and the mistakes that break them.
Thumbnails September 8, 2026 · 5 min read
The bottom-right corner of your thumbnail isn't yours
YouTube draws its own UI on top of your thumbnail, and it changes by device. Here's where it lands, what it covers, and how to design around it.