So you’ve created a video you’re proud of. The visuals are on point, the lighting video looks professional, it delivers a strong message, and you’re confident it’s going to meet your video marketing goals.
But before you hit publish, ask yourself:
- Does the video end on a strong note?
- Is there a clear call-to-action (CTA) that offers a next step?
- Is it encouraging viewers to click on a link and convert?
Even the best video is incomplete without a strong outro that leads viewers toward a next step.
An outro, often referred to as the end screen or end card on Youtube, is the closing segment of your video. It summarizes your content, reinforces your branding, and prompts viewers to take a desired action, according to your CTA (call to action).
After reading this post full of tips and examples, you'll know how to create an effective outro video that engages and converts your audience.
Let’s dive in.
6 Expert Tips to Create a Great Outro for Your Videos
A well-prepared outro not only makes your content look more professional, but it can also help you achieve concrete, measurable results:
- Increase watch time on your YouTube channel
- Get more social media followers and more viewers subscribing to your channel
- Boost your reach
- Convert prospects into leads
Whatever your desired results, you can tailor your outro to help you reach them. Here are a few ways you can create great outros for your videos.
Be goal-oriented
Why are you creating this video? What are your precise objectives? To make sure your video goals are ‘SMART’, check out the chart below.
Image credit: Breeze
Whether it’s driving traffic to a landing page or nurturing relationships with your viewers, it’s important to have a single, achievable goal in mind. With a clear idea of your video’s objective, it will be much easier to choose the right call-to-action for your outro.
The takeaway here? Keep your video marketing goals front and center when creating your outro. This can't be emphasized enough!
Keep it short and sweet
Did you know an average adult’s attention is just 8 seconds?
With ever-shrinking attention spans and an avalanche of online video content to compete with, it’s absolutely vital to grab and hold your viewers’ attention. The challenge is to keep your viewers engaged throughout so that they stick around to see your CTA.
If you succeed in taking your viewers with you to the very end, you’ll need a short, punchy outro to conclude the video.
The goal is to reinforce your key message and call the viewer to action before they leave, so it has to be short and sweet.
Incorporate your branding
Adding branding elements such as your brand logo, fonts, and colors is a crucial step when creating a video outro. This will make your video look more professional, boosting brand recognition and recall for your viewers.
However, don’t go overboard! Your outro mustn’t come across as overly promotional or pushy; light branding featuring your core assets is enough, and should only appear for a few seconds, max.
Use a strong, unique CTA
Call-to-actions are an essential part of any effective outro. After your viewers have engaged with your content and watched through to the end, you need to guide them toward an action. That next step could be anything from clicking on a link to your website to watching the next video in your Youtube playlist.
Whatever call-to-action include in your outro, it should be an extension of the specific marketing goals you set for that video. Make sure it’s:
- Clear. What action do you want your viewers to take? To sign up for your newsletter with an email address? Go to a landing page to register for an event? Whatever it is, make it crystal clear, using action verbs and a sense of urgency.
- Unique. Don’t distract viewers with multiple CTAs — offer them one specific action to complete.
- Easily visible. Use a visually attractive button, featuring your brand colors and fonts, to make your CTA stand out.
According to a study by Kissmetrics, adding a single CTA within a video generates as much as 380% more clicks than a CTA on the sidebar of the same page. So it’s worth taking the time to make it as convincing as possible!
Check out this outro example below — it has all the ingredients of an effective CTA: brand logo and font, attractive visuals, a warm human presence, and an action verb that encourages viewers to check out job offers on PlayPlay’s website.
Use the same outro template
Brand consistency is key to creating memorable content. This means using the same outro for all your videos; make your content instantly recognizable for audiences and boost brand recall.
The best way to ensure brand consistency is to create a template, using the same brand animations, colors, fonts, logos, etc. Then, you can simply edit the CTA copywriting to match the video’s specific objective, and attach the outro to each new video.
Outro templates will also save you precious time and energy, especially if you’re creating a lot of videos!
Test, test, test
It’s crucial to analyze how well your outros are performing:
- Are they attracting viewers to your website?
- Are you getting clicks and conversions?
- How is your watch time?
Testing out your video outro will help you optimize it for the best results.
Try choosing a brighter color for your CTA button or bigger, bolder text to make it more eye-catching. You’ll also need to test the wording of your CTAs; use a more dynamic verb, or create a sense of urgency with limited-time offers.
Do you wanna take your social media video to the next level ?
3 Examples of Powerful Outros to Inspire You
More and more companies are now investing in video marketing. The good news? There’s a huge amount of videos to learn from, and to see how the pros are crafting their outros.
These excellent examples below show how a well-designed outro can convince, convert, and keep viewers coming back for more. And they’re simpler to create than you might think…
Slack
Creating engaging video content for a B2B SaaS product may seem like a tall task. But Slack does it to perfection, and their Youtube video outro ticks all the boxes.
Slack rounds off this informative product explainer video with a perfect outro lasting around 5 seconds.
The outro features the company logo and colors, a slick animation showing a mouse cursor clicking on a convincing CTA (“try for free”), with a voice-over driving home the brand message — “Transform the way you work.” Not bad!
Dollar Shave Club
The Dollar Shave Club’s iconic ad illustrates the power of video marketing, and it’s no surprise it went viral. The video is creative, humorous, and finishes with powerful outro that drives their message home.
The outro begins with a clever question for the audience, keeping them engaged for the final few seconds of the video: “isn’t it about time?” Next, the brand logo takes over the screen, with a URL link to the website and the brand slogan “Shave time. Shave money,” all to the tune of a catchy beat.
Super simple. Super effective.
PlayPlay
PlayPlay’s “What is PlayPlay?” video introduces viewers to its product with a guided walkthrough from a senior employee. The video was created using PlayPlay’s platform (of course!) and shows how easy it is to make a powerful outro in a matter of minutes.
This engaging outro uses slick animations to fuel conversions: a computer screen showing a branded sign-up page, a CTA button to get a free trial, and a URL link for viewers to follow.
And guess what? PlayPlay’s pre-made outro templates take care of the animations for you. All you have to do is enter your text and an image or clip… it’s as simple as that!
Start Creating Outro Videos that Convert
Studies show that 87% of consumers want more videos from brands.
Investing in your video marketing strategy is one of the best ways to reach and connect with your audience — and video creation has never been easier!
With a video outro maker like PlayPlay, it’s simple and effortless to create attractive, animated outros that boost conversions on your content. The platform offers a range of outro templates that can be customized with your company’s branding, logos, and fonts.
Try PlayPlay’s 7-day free trial today and discover how video can help you make a lasting impression on your audience.
Melissa Francois
Head of Global Content & Comms
With over 10 years of experience in the wild world of SaaS, Melissa cares about building great brand stories and driving community engagement through engaging content. Off the clock, she enjoys long walks and a pint in a cozy country pub.
