Have you ever watched a YouTube video and suddenly a small rectangle recommending a similar video you might like popped up on the upper right corner? Or maybe you watched all the way through a video and you saw three or four recommended videos at the end?
Those are created by the channel owner using YouTube features called cards and end screens. These not only enhance your channel and branding but also strongly increase your channel’s watch time because these screen elements give viewers a call to action — watch another video or follow the link you attach.
Interested in how to use end screens on YouTube? Or maybe how to use cards? Here’s how you can utilize both to encourage people to subscribe to your channel.
Cards
YouTube allows up to five cards per video. You can choose the timestamp you’d like each one to appear at and can add a custom message that pops up on the overlay once you added cards.
The best way to use them is to place them in the YouTube video when you’re referring to another video, running a poll, are linking to an outside source if you’re qualified to use the links.
Cards are found inside of studio.youtube.com inside of each individual video’s studio page. You can add end cards by clicking on the “Cards” button while editing your video.
Once you click on the Cards tab, you’ll be taken to a new screen where you can add up to five cards.
Slide the timestamp to the section you want to add the Card to, then select what type of Card you’d like to add.
You can choose from video and playlist, link, poll, or channel cards.
Once you’ve decided what types of Cards to use and where to place them in your video, your screen will show you where they fit into your video at a specific time. Hit Return To Studio in the upper right corner once you’ve finished and go back into your video to continue editing it. Keep it consistent – I added a playlist card with my Facebook Hacks, so people can keep watching these kinds of videos. I also added cards to the videos that my potential audience can be interested in.
End Screens
You can add up to four card elements for the last part of your YouTube video. They can range from a subscribe button, to other videos and playlists, or to other channels you mentioned within your video.
The button for end screens can be found in the toolbar on the right side of your studio.youtube.com screen. When you click it, it will take you to a secondary screen.
Once inside the end screens panel, you’ll be able to add up to four end screens to the last few seconds of your video.
I recommend using one for your subscribe button. You can drag each end screen element around on the screen, so I encourage you to place your subscribe end screen over your subscribe button in the bottom right corner.
I also encourage linking any past videos you mentioned in your video or showing of videos from your backlist that have a connection to the current video. For example, if I’m teaching about Facebook Livestreaming like in this video, I’m better off linking other Facebook educational videos rather than videos where I teach people to take better photos for social media or to the video oh now to create landing pages.
Linking video playlists is also highly encouraged because of most playlists autoplay. If they click on the playlist, it will send them through the entire playlist unless they manually click away from it, which creates binge-worthy content for your YouTube channel.
You’ll also notice that you can control the timestamps for the elements to show on these end screens. I typically have all four of my end screens up for the duration, but if you’re mentioning specific videos or want to draw attention to them, you have the ability to add one at a time by manipulating the sliders below the video.
You can also create eye-catching end screens with Canva’s easy-to-use outro maker. It doesn’t have to take up a huge chunk of your editing time either. You can just choose a template from a list like the one below, customize it to your branding, and you’re good to go!
When finished, return to your video and finish editing it. Don’t forget to click the “Save” button 😉
End screens and Cards are incredible features inside of YouTube that allow video creators to encourage viewers to watch more of their content and engage with the video they are currently watching. As a result, growing the channels to thousands of subscribers. It enhances the brand experience and is incredibly helpful within the algorithm system.
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K.M. Robinson is a social media marketing strategist and best-selling author who has been spotlighted by the major social media platforms and other companies for her innovative work in the field of social media marketing. She’s represented the USA in a major World Social Media Day broadcast, and has appeared on live broadcasts, podcasts, and at in-person events and conventions to educate on working with the social media algorithms and how to create a profitable business through smart social media marketing. She loves to go live using BeLive to connect with her readers and interview other experts.
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