If you’re investing in video marketing on YouTube, using end screens is a great way to make sure you’re maximizing exposure. Let’s dive into how end screens can help your channel and how to use them.
- What Are YouTube End Screens?
- How to Add an End Screen on YouTube
- How to Create an End Screen Template
What Are YouTube End Screens?
End screens (also referred to as end cards) are a YouTube feature that allows you to add actionable elements, such as a subscribe button or additional videos to watch, to the last 5-20 seconds of your videos.
The full list of options that can be added to an end screen include:
- Video: Gives viewers the option to watch another video from your channel
- Playlist: Directs viewers to a playlist within your channel
- Subscribe: Allows viewers to subscribe to your channel
- Channel: Promotes a separate YouTube channel
- Link: Sends viewers to your website (only available for YouTube partners)
Based on this, it’s easy to see how beneficial end screens can be. In fact, end screens create an opportunity to get more from YouTube views. Whether that’s more watch time due to a viewer watching an additional video or gaining a subscriber, these are opportunities you don’t want to miss out on.
How to Add an End Screen on YouTube
Adding an end screen to your videos is really simple. You can do it while uploading a new video, or you can go back into existing videos and add end screens if needed.
Adding End Screens to New Videos
If you’re adding an end screen to a video that you’re uploading for the first time, the process is slightly different than updating existing videos. While uploading a video, you’ll see a step labeled “Video elements” in the progress bar.
This step of the video upload process is where you’ll find the option to add an end screen.
Adding End Screens to Existing Videos
If you’re adding an end screen to an existing video, you can edit the video, and the option to edit the end screen will be in the right sidebar.
From there, you choose which elements you’d like to include, where to place them, and the time frame they’ll appear during.
How to Create an End Screen Template
If you’re making the effort to produce and optimize YouTube content and are looking to grow your channel and viewership, having an end screen template and building it into the end of your videos is well worth the effort.
Rather than placing subscribe and video elements over the final piece of your video, adding an outro template that’s built around the end screen functionalities YouTube offers will create a clean, intentional experience.
There are two ways to go about this. You can either find a template you like and use that, or create your own.
Find an End Screen Template
There’s no shortage of great end screen templates out there. Some are super simple and require you to update a couple of images and background colors to match your aesthetic. Others may require quite a bit more customization, depending on your design goals, which might make designing your own the better route to go.
Here are some places you can find great end screen templates:
Create a Custom End Screen Template
Since you’ll likely use this template on each video you create moving forward, why not invest a little more into it to make your end screens stand out?
According to Hurrdat’s Web Design & Development Director, Max Riffner,
“You want to design an end screen that fits your brand and simultaneously encourages viewers to subscribe and engage with more of your content without being annoying, which is a tall order. Some subtle animation can help, or unexpected imagery that surprises or delights the viewer can get more engagement. But the best thing you can do is create good videos that people will want to further explore on your channel.”
If you’re creating your own end screen without using a template or builder, the most important thing to know is the dimensions of the end screen itself and the YouTube elements you’ll be incorporating.
Here are the YouTube end screen dimensions you’ll need:
- Image size: 1920 x 1080 px
- Subscribe sphere: 298 x 298 px
- Video & playlist rectangle: 613 x 343 px – 861 x 482 px
- Link square: 298 x 298 px
When asked if there was an optimal design for end screen elements (one that would get you the most clicks), Riffner responded,
“Not really. Unfortunately, YouTube limits you on the placement and number of end screen elements, which is why many follow the same basic template. With all of these limitations, what drives people to click on end screens is mostly aesthetics and if the design matches your audience’s taste and the content of your videos.”
However, Riffner did suggest making adjustments to your YouTube end screen designs as you gather more data on how your audience is interacting with them. He explains,
“YouTube Studio doesn’t offer true A/B testing, so you would have to see how your channel overall and individual video metrics are performing to measure the success of your end screens. To see that information, go to YouTube Studio > Analytics > Engagement. There, you can filter by your entire channel or specific videos. If your engagement is still low, you should test new end screen designs that make it easier for your audience to engage further.”
Need help creating video content and optimizing your YouTube channel? Hurrdat Marketing uses a comprehensive approach to content marketing and SEO to improve your online visibility. Learn more about our search engine optimization and content marketing services today!
