YouTube Provides An Easy Way To Add “End Screens” After Videos

For years, content creators have enticed their viewers to keep watching by using the last few seconds of their videos to suggest other fun ones. Now, YouTube is making it easier for creators to employ that common strategy. The video site has announced End Screens, a video suggestion feature.

The design of End Screens is simple. Creators who enable them can add up to four clickable “elements” that will appear during the last 5 to 20 seconds of a video. These elements can range from thumbnails for related videos to external links to channel logos.

“Your best videos leave your fans hungry for more,” reads a YouTube blog post announcing the new feature. “They can be a great hook for viewers to discover more of your work, find out more about who you are or go deeper into the topics you cover. That’s why we’re excited to launch End Screens, a new mobile-friendly tool that lets you engage viewers right as your video finishes and encourages them to watch more on their devices.”

The “mobile-friendly” part of that description is important. What differentiates End Screens from the the homemade, annotation-based kickers creators have been using for years is its ability to work seamlessly across all platforms. In an ecosystem where a huge portion of viewership comes on smartphones and tablets, the ability to further engage those viewers is key.

YouTube tested out End Screens with select creators before launching the feature for its entire creative community. More information can be found on this YouTube Help page.