Plan effective end screens that convert viewers into long-term subscribers and increase channel watch time.
Yes — always. End screens keep viewers on your channel longer, which improves session time (a key YouTube ranking factor). Even if only 2-3% of viewers click, that compounds significantly at scale.
"Best for viewer" often outperforms specific recommendations because YouTube's algorithm personalises the suggestion to each individual viewer. Test both and check your end screen CTR in analytics.
At least 25 seconds before the video ends. The end screen only appears for 20 seconds, so mention it just before it appears. Pointing to where the elements are on screen significantly improves CTR.