Tutorial: How to use YouTube end screens to drive video views, YouTube subscriptions, leads and sales
I was delighted to see recently that YouTube has now made available YouTube end screens (some may call them end cards) to everyone — I first saw this being referenced by some US YouTubers in June of this year.
The benefit of YouTube end screens is that you can use them to attract leads to your website, views of your videos on YouTube and even increase subscriptions to your YouTube channel.
Some time ago YouTube introduced Cards which allows us to add links to videos, playlists and our website while people watch the video. The end screen however is available only for the last 20 seconds of your video (maximum and minimum of 5 seconds) and all elements appear on screen and can be clicked even if you are on a mobile phone.
You can add up to four elements to promote your content, channel and websites. You will see access to end cards under each of your videos in your YouTube channel.
Or you can see the end screens in the annotations tab when you are looking at a video in edit mode.
Alternatively you can access your videos in the Creator Studio and then select the videos you wish to edit and add end screens to.
Many YouTube creators had previously designed end screens as part of their video in the production process — however that may have been a step too much for many YouTubers — and especially if you do not edit videos before publishing them such as when you live stream from Google Hangouts on Air or YouTube or even uploading your live stream from other platforms to YouTube.
These would have had the interactive elements added through annotations which do not work on mobile devices.
Once you are in the editing area for your video you will be able to see where you can add elements to the screen — similar to adding annotations or YouTube Cards — and you will see a grid which defines the ‘safe area’ in which you can add your elements for your YouTube end screen or end card.
End screen elements and annotations can not be used together in a video. If you wish to add end screen elements to a video with annotations, you will be prompted to unpublish any annotations first. You can republish annotations if you decide not to use an end screen.
There are four different types of end screens you can add to your YouTube video — a video or playlist, a prompt to subscribe to a video or playlist, you can promote another YouTube channel or you can link to a website.
There are three types of video content you can add to your end screen on YouTube videos — your most recent upload, the video that YouTube recommends is best for the viewer based on their previous viewing of YouTube videos or you can choose a specific playlist of video to appear. Only four elements can be added to a YouTube end screen.
The types of links you can add to your YouTube end screens include links to an associated website or even a crowdfunding site. You do not need to link to the main mage of your website — consider deep linking to the content that is the most relevant and will add value to the viewer of your video. In that way you can increase the opportunity that you will attract traffic, leads and sales on your website.
When adding a link to your website or blog page in your YouTube end screen to generate traffic leads and sales, you will be able to add a graphic to help promote traffic. The image needs to be square — like when adding YouTube cards — and a minimum of 300 pixels in dimension.
Unlike with YouTube Cards, you can only add one link to your YouTube end screen.
Like with YouTube cards, you can not your own descriptions to YouTube end screen images — there are also specific call to action buttons you will need to choose from.
You will get an error message if you place the different elements on your YouTube end screen too close together which will mean you can not save the end screen — all you need to do is move the elements apart a little then you can save your end screen.
You will be able to add a specific video or playlist to your YouTube end screen if you do not want to use the most recent video or the one that YouTube selects is best for the viewer.
You can choose a template from YouTube for end screen element placements if you prefer to look for inspiration.
Once your elements are in place you can move them about the end screen as you choose.
You can adjust the start and end time of each element in your YouTube end screen so that they appear in an order that may be most relevant to the video and the viewer.
You can use the grid to help you align the elements on your YouTube end screen.
You will be able to preview your YouTube end screen before you publish it.
Click the elements of your end screen when in preview to see how they will appear to viewers.
Once you have created at least one YouTube end screen you will be able to select from previous YouTube end screens you create to add to your video. This makes it really easy to add end screens to your other videos on your channel.
And when you have published your YouTube end screen remember to check how it appears on your mobile device.
YouTube will also be providing analytics for end screens — they do not appear to be available on my channel at the moment — you will access them from the left menu of the Creator Studio for your channel, select YouTube Analytics then go to End screens report. You will be able to access the following date:
>> End screen element clicks: The number of times an end screen element was clicked
>> Clicks per end screen element: How often viewers clicked an end screen element when it was shown.
>> End screen elements: The number of times an end screen element was shown.
Find out more about YouTube end screen annotations here.
Six Best Practice Tips For YouTube End Screens
Use these tips to help you get the most out of YouTube end screens.
- Make sure that you feature elements that are relevant to the video and the viewer.
- Encourage viewers to click the elements — going forward consider your end screen when producing the video so you can give a call to action to interact with your end screen
- When creating your videos, leave enough space and time at the end of the video for an end screen
- Consider timing positioning the end screen elements to appear at different times so they do not overwhelm the viewer at the same time when they all appear
- Make use of deep linking on your website with an appealing image for links you add to your end screen
- Test your end screens and review the analytics so you can adjust your elements of the end screen and also consider how you create and edit your videos in the future.
A bonus tip from You Tube:
End screens are meant to create powerful end-of-video experiences for your viewers. As the system evolves, we plan to optimize the experience based on performance, viewer behavior, device, and context. There may be instances where your end screen, as designated by you, may not appear. For example, we may skip the end screen when your video is playing in background mode, or adjust placement on very small screens. For these reasons, we don’t recommend pointing to elements or adding crucial content to the end screen part of the video.
How do you plan to put YouTube end screens to work for your business?
If you are unsure how to get more from your YouTube channel in terms of driving leads and sales and are unsure if you have optimised your channel, you can schedule a free consultation here.
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This article was originally published by Krishna De on 30 October 2016.
