Big news for TikTok creators: TikTok has added the ability to upload custom thumbnail images for your clips.
Now, from within the upload flow in the app, you have two options: you can either choose a specific frame from the video that you want to become your thumbnail image, or you can tap on the "Upload" option to add your very own custom visual for your hero image.

So you can create your own still image thumbnails in other apps, like CapCut, then upload them to be your cover image.

This feature might also help you grab attention in search and on your profile, more standout images that could really lurk people in.

And thumbnails do serve the purpose indeed. YouTube celebrity MrBeast is famously known to spend a whole heap of time on thumbnail creation to maximize viewership and pays up around $10,000, on average, for each thumbnail for his clips and creates as many as 20 thumbnail versions for every upload.
I mean, you may not need to go quite that far, but it does underscore the value that top creators place on their thumbnails and their ability to bring in a bigger audience to their work.

TikTok is essentially playing catch-up with Reels in this regard, which already offers custom thumbnail editing, while YouTube is working on a version of the same for Shorts.

It's going to be a huge addition, but at the same time, because most people are going to view your TikTok clips in the main feed, it's not going to have such an impactful effect as on YouTube with its thumbnails.

The only way to know for sure is to test it out yourself and monitor your engagement stats.

We have reached out to TikTok for further clarification on the custom thumbnail roll out, and we will keep this post updated once they reply.