YouTube outro script
script template

The outro is the only part of a video that decides what happens next, and most channels spend it on "thanks for watching, see you in the next one", which is a full stop where a door should be. These three all do the same job: close the loop the intro opened, make one ask, and hand the viewer somewhere to go while the end screen is still up.

192 words as written 17 places to fill in 3 versions

Opens the free teleprompter with the script already loaded. Nothing is uploaded, and your camera never leaves your device.

THE NEXT VIDEO OUTRO, ABOUT FIFTEEN SECONDS

So that is [WHAT YOU PROMISED IN THE INTRO], start to finish.If you only do one part of it this week, do [THE HIGHEST VALUE STEP].The question that always comes next is [THE OBVIOUS FOLLOW-UP]. I answered that one in [THE NEXT VIDEO TITLE], and it is on screen now.Go and watch that. I will see you in it.

THE ONE ASK OUTRO, ABOUT TWENTY SECONDS

That is the whole method. [ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY, THE VERSION YOU WOULD TEXT A FRIEND.]If it was useful, the thing that genuinely helps is [THE ONE ASK]. That is all I will ask you for.And if you have tried [THE TOPIC] and got a different result, put it in the comments. I read them, and [WHAT YOU ACTUALLY DO WITH THEM].[THE NEXT VIDEO TITLE] is on screen for anyone who [WHO IT IS FOR]. See you there.

THE OFFER OUTRO, ABOUT THIRTY SECONDS

So you now have [THE OUTCOME OF THIS VIDEO].The part I could not fit in here is [WHAT THE OFFER COVERS], and that is what [THE FREE RESOURCE OR THE PRODUCT] is for. [ONE LINE ON WHAT IT IS AND WHO IT IS FOR.]It is [PRICE OR "free"], it is at [WHERE], and it is the first link in the description.If that is not for you, no problem. Watch [THE NEXT VIDEO TITLE] instead, because it picks up exactly where this one stopped.Either way, thank you for staying to the end. Not many people do.

Why it is built this way

Close the loop the intro opened

Say the promise back as delivered. The feeling of a completed loop is what makes the last twenty seconds feel earned rather than tacked on, and it is what buys the next click.

Make one ask, not four

Subscribe, like, comment, join the newsletter and buy the thing adds up to nothing. Pick the single ask that matters for this video and cut the rest.

Point at one specific video and say why

A named title with a reason gets chosen. A wall of end screen thumbnails with no voice over them gets ignored, because you have handed the viewer a decision instead of a next step.

Keep talking over the end screen

The end screen only works while a voice is holding people there. Silence reads as finished. Write enough words to cover the whole card, roughly fifteen to twenty seconds.

Land on a full sentence and stop

Trailing off with "so yeah, that is it" tells the viewer nothing happens next. Write the last line, say it, and cut the dead air in the edit.

Delivering it

·Record the outro in the same sitting as the intro. Same light, same energy, and you still remember exactly what you promised.
·Cut the edit so the last spoken word lands just before the end screen finishes. Trailing silence is where the swipe happens.
·If the next video does not exist yet, point at a playlist instead of a title, so the outro does not expire in a fortnight.
·Keep your eyes on the lens all the way through. The end is where people relax and start reading off the screen, and it is the most visible moment in the whole video.
·Say the next video title exactly as it is written on the card. A paraphrase makes the viewer hunt for the match and they will not bother.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a YouTube outro be?

Fifteen to twenty seconds, which is about the life of an end screen. Longer than that and you are asking people to watch an advert for you after they have already got what they came for.

What should you say at the end of a YouTube video?

Confirm what they just got, make one ask, and name one specific video to watch next with a reason to watch it. Everything else is optional.

Should you ask people to subscribe at the end?

Yes, and ideally only there. The end is the one place the ask is earned, because they have seen the whole thing. One sentence, then move them on to the next video.

Do outros hurt watch time?

Only when they are long, silent or generic. A short outro that names the next video keeps people inside the session, which is the thing you actually want from the last twenty seconds.

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