How we 5x'd ConvertKit's end-screen CTR

Hey!

Forget everything else:

Your end-screen call-to-action is the most important CTA of all.

Even if you only have one hour to spend on a script, writing this CTA word-for-word will boost your channel watch time and generate more views.

But only if you do it right.

So let’s talk about how to pull this off with almost 0 effort.

By the way, this is part of a short series I’m running about the 80/20 of scriptwriting.

That is, the 20% effort that’s gonna get you 80% of the results.

(Plus how to carry out these steps faster.)

Feel free to check out #1 (hooks) and #2 (payoffs).

Now, let’s finish the series by talking CTAs…

Should I ask them to like and subscribe?!

Everyone worries about this.

But in my opinion, you shouldn't.

Honestly, it’s way harder to psychologically influence a viewer to "hit the like button" than to click an end-screen.

When you tell the viewer to "like" your video…

…you’re asking them to do YOU a favour.

But when you show them another video and provide a compelling reason to click…

…you’re offering THEM something.

(Which also happens to benefit your channel 😇)

So, sure, ask for a “like” or a “subscribe” - but if you’re spending any mental energy worrying about how to say it or where to put it in the video… STOP.

Focus on your end-screen CTA…

Why end-screen CTAs matter

Fun fact: Folks who click on your end-screen typically watch your next video for wayyy longer.

So, when executed properly, a compelling end-screen CTA will have a non-trivial impact on the watch time of the video you link to.

Which in turn makes that video more likely to get pushed by the algorithm.

And, if you’re doing this consistently across every video, your channel is going to start growing faster.

Check out the below from Jay Clouse which shows this in action:

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‍The best part?

End-screen CTAs are quick and easy to execute in two simple steps:

1/ Identify a video that goes deeper on a topic explored in the current video.

Take this example my team worked on for ConvertKit:

The topic of “newsletter recommendations” came up, but the scope of the video didn’t allow us to cover it extensively.

So we found this older video on their channel about monetizing newsletter recommendations.

We figured this was aligned with the interests of the folks who watched the video we were writing.

Now, we just needed to convey why viewers would also find this video interesting.

Which brings me to step 2…

2/ Follow my 3-step CTA formula:

1. Link - refer back to the chosen topic covered in the video.
2. Curiosity - open a new curiosity gap around that topic.
3. Promise/CTA - outline the transformation they’ll experience by clicking your next video.

In a nutshell:

Get the viewer excited about going deeper on a topic you covered during the current video by outlining how they’ll be “transformed” by learning about it.

So, with the ConvertKit script, we said:

• 🎥 "Now, we've talked about how creators are using "Recommendations" to grow their email lists faster..."
• 🎥 "...but it's having an even bigger impact on some creators' revenue thanks to one critical part of their approach."
• 🎥 "So check out this video where we show you how you can actually get paid for your newsletter recommendations."

The result?

5x their channel’s average end-screen CTR.

Oh and btw, the Jay Clouse example above? Guess whose formula they were using! 😋

Of everything we’ve discussed in this 3-part newsletter series, this tactic probably has the biggest imbalance between time-input and potential upside.

It takes 2 minutes to write a CTA, but could generate thousands of additional watch time minutes.

Don’t overlook it.

So, now that we’ve reduced scriptwriting to its bare necessities, go forth and save heaps of time, energy and mind-fog!

That's all for now! Any questions, just let me know.

And I’d love to know - which of these simplifying hacks did you find most useful?

Speak soon,
George 👋