Creating engaging YouTube videos is a major milestone in any brand’s or creator’s success path. After all, it’s natural to want to knock your video strategy out of the park with content that relates to your audience and brings more leads along the way. However, a crucial aspect of YouTube videos is often ignored: utilizing the YouTube end screen feature.

But what is it, and how can you leverage it to thrive in the world of videos? Let’s find out.

What is a YouTube End Screen?

A YouTube end screen or YouTube outro is the last screen viewers watch on your YouTube video. Consider it as a golden opportunity to keep your viewers hooked on your brand. You can direct them to your website, social media pages, related YouTube videos, and more.

Additionally, end screen elements like “subscribe” help you conclude your YouTube video with a CTA asking for more subscribers.

The purpose of a YouTube outro is to make it easier for your viewers to take action within the last 5-20 seconds of a video.

Here are the elements you can include into your YouTube end screen:

Apply template: Templates can help you group elements and customize your end screen.

Video: You can add any video you want to direct your viewers to.

Playlist: You can add a public YouTube playlist to your end screen.

Subscribe: Ask viewers to subscribe to your channel using this element.

Channel: Have another YouTube channel? You can promote it using this element and a custom message.

Link: If you are a part of the YouTube Partner Program, you can add a link to an external website as long as it complies with Google’s policies, including their Community Guidelines and Terms of Service.

Merchandise: If you’ve merchandise, you can feature one item in your YouTube outro.

7 Tips on Making a YouTube End Screen

 1. Create professional YouTube end screens with Wave.video

Your audience engagement effort shouldn’t end at your YouTube video. Go ahead and tap into the warm leads by creating professional-quality end screens that inspire viewers to take the action you want. Use Wave.video’s outro templates to add a personal touch to your YouTube outros and save time on creating some truly magical content with our easy-to-edit video templates.

Pro Tip: As you utilize Wave.video to level up your YouTube end screen’s quality, leave enough negative space to fit in different elements on your end screen.

2. Add a CTA

Encourage viewers to click on your end screen elements by adding a call to action (CTA). For example, you can add a subscribe button to your YouTube end screen to get more subscribers to your YouTube channel. You can also suggest related videos from your channel and drive views to them.

3. Follow YouTube end screen size recommendations

Whether you create your YouTube outro in YouTube Studio or use an online editor, keep the size recommendations in mind. Typically, a standard YouTube end screen is 1280px by 720px and for an HD video it’s 1920px by 1080px. If yours is a 4K video, make it up to 3840px by 1260px.

As for images you use in your end screen, ensure that they are crisp enough and at least 300px by 300px.

4. Direct the viewers to the end screen

Don’t end your YouTube video with “thanks for watching”. Viewers may drop out as soon as you use these words. To prevent that, make your viewers hang out around your YouTube channel by asking them to check the end screen and guide them to click on another video you’d like them to watch.

5. Stay relevant

Don’t overwhelm your viewers with multiple end screen CTAs. Instead, stick to just one or two elements. The idea is to add a CTA that makes the most sense in your video’s context. So, stay relevant and add only what meets your video’s goals – be it increasing subscribers or views.

6. Test different elements

Test different elements on your YouTube video end screens and check their performances to know which ones drive the most results. To measure the performance of your end screens, go to YouTube Analytics and review Audience Retention Report or the End Screens Report on the Creator Studio page.

7. Leave space and time at the end of your video

Remember to leave enough space and time at the end of your YouTube video to include the end screen. As an end screen can be up to 20 seconds long, keep the buffer while creating your video.

How to Make a YouTube End Screen?

Creating an end screen is quite simple, and you can do it in two ways: in YouTube Studio or with Wave.video’s online video editor.

How to Add End Screen on YouTube?

You can make a YouTube outro inside the YouTube Studio. Here’s how to do that:

1. Go to YouTube Studio and sign in.

2. Click “Content” from the left menu.

3. Choose the video to which you want to add an end screen and click its title or thumbnail.

4. Click “Editor” from the left menu.

5. Now, under the “Video editor”, select “End screen” and choose the elements you want to add.

6. Once done, click “SAVE” on the top right.

Create a YouTube End Screen in Wave.video

While you can always create a YouTube end screen directly in YouTube Studio, using an online video editor like Wave.video helps you create a rather polished and more professional-looking end screen. Plus, it’s free and time-saving, thanks to our ready-to-edit templates. Here’s how to get started:

Step 1 – Log in and click “Templates”

Log in to your Wave.video account and click on the “Templates” tab on the left menu.

Step 2 – Pick a template

Click “Trending” and select “Intro/Outro Video Templates” from the drop-down.

Alternatively, click “Social Media” and choose “YouTube Video” from the options.

Browse through the templates and pick an end screen template of your choice.

Step 3 – Edit template

Once you have chosen a template, click on it and then hit the “Edit Template” button at the bottom.

Step 4 – Customize your YouTube end screen video

You can now customize your YouTube end screen template with your branding, channel name, social media handles, website, etc. Add your images and videos or choose from our vast stock libraries. You can even add audio and captions for better audience engagement.

Step 5 – Publish and render

Once your end screen is ready, hit the “Publish” tab on the top right and choose “Video” from the drop-down. Next, render your video in your preferred resolution and quality.

Step 6 – Export your YouTube outro video

After rendering your video, you can export it by downloading or sending it to your iPhone. Once you have the video on your phone or computer system, add it to your YouTube video upload as an end screen.

YouTube End Screen Ideas + Examples

We get it – creating a terrific end-of-video experience for your audience often requires some inspiration. So, here are some powerful ideas with examples for that much-needed push:

1. Show Some Community Love

Of all the YouTube end screen ideas you’d see on this list, the most fantastic is to show your supporters some love. Check out how Business Casual mentions its supporters on Patreon in this video end screen.

2. Strengthen Your Personal Brand

Looking for ways to amplify your personal brand’s reach? Include your portrait, logo, and social media handles, while keeping “Subscribe” as the focal point – similar to how Tom Bilyeu does in this video. Does anybody else think ‘awesome’?

3. Follow The Minimalist Approach

Speaking of awesome, Apple has to step forward. This minimalist end screen with two related videos as CTAs is sure to keep the viewers exploring more about the iPhone 13. Such a simple yet engaging trick, isn’t it?

4. Increase User Sign-Ups

Who knew a YouTube outro could increase sign-ups to your course or newsletter? What Real Engineering seems to be doing here is an amalgamation of pushing other videos, naming the video creators, and thanking the supporters while getting more sign-ups – and doing all of this without making the screen look cluttered. Take a bow!

5. Sprinkle Some Stardust

With royalty and engagement driving the YouTube world faster than ever, this end screen example is a must-try for all the grandeur fans. Note, though, how The Graham Norton Show keeps it stunning yet minimal.

6. Make It Clear

YouTube end screens can get confusing for some viewers. Therefore, try labeling your videos and mentioning your CTAs to clarify everything for your audience. Just like Yemima Lim does here.

7. Take ‘Em To Your Website

This YouTube outro is essentially an excellent example of how to direct your viewers to your website. The contrasting background with the logo, branding, and videos still has the website’s domain as the center of attention. How many leads does this trick bring daily? Well, we don’t really know that, but it’s worth giving a try.

8. Tell Them What You Want

Nothing works better than telling viewers what you want with a simple one-liner. Take a look at this video outro where Nathaniel Drew keeps it all subtle yet engaging.

9. The Distraction-Free Outro

This Stanford Graduate School of Business video ends with a screen featuring their logo and a tiny Subscribe button on the bottom right. That’s it! For the love of sanity or to avoid overwhelming their viewers, they have removed all the distractions and focused on what seemingly matters to them the most – improving brand awareness and getting more subscribers.

10. Keep It Playful

This YouTube video end screen from HubSpot Marketing covers almost every interesting element – it has a link, a subscribe button, and a video with a voiceover that tells the viewers more about the brand. Playful yet complete.

And It’s Your Turn To Rock With A YouTube Outro!

After learning all that you wanted to know about YouTube end screens, it’s time you created some power-packed last impressions for your viewers. Check this guide to learn more about how video intros and outros can make your YouTube videos stand out and help beat the competition.

Also, let us know which of the ideas mentioned above you will try while creating your next YouTube video end screen. We’d love to know your thoughts.