Author: Franz Malten Buemann

Hi am happy to announce the launch of an extension I have been working on for fun. I like to try new things on my spare time and this time I developed a bot that grows your instagram account organically. I have been in the ecommerce business for a while and I noticed instagram has the highest engagement rate compared to other social networks so I decided to use it to get traffic to my store. I developed an extension that does this for me and I thought I would share it with those of you guys who might find this useful. I found many similar tools but I thought I would create my own and after launching it yesterday, I got some great feedback. I posted it on gumroad you can get it here 👉 https://gum.co/MjsRM
submitted by /u/connasaurus [link] [comments]

Facebook is the most popular social network in the world. Its users are on the platform to connect with friends, watch videos, and share snippets of their own lives.
The channel is also a great platform for businesses, as many consumers report using it to interact with the brands they enjoy. In fact, in a recent HubSpot poll, 51% of respondents reported primarily using Facebook for product research.
Given this, it’s essential to understand how to leverage the platform to meet your business needs. This post will explain why businesses should post on Facebook and share an expansive list of Facebook post ideas that you can use to interact with your audience and generate engagement.

Why should businesses post on Facebook?
The decision to post on Facebook should depend on your business’s individual marketing goals, but we’ll outline some benefits below. Firstly, in Q4 of 2020, Facebook reported almost 1.85 billion daily active users on the platform, which means that segments of your audience are likely already using the network.
When your audience discovers you’re on the platform, you can work to develop a community of like-minded consumers and deepen the connection they have to your brand. When you engage with them, you’ll learn more about their likes and interests, making it easier for you to create content they’ll enjoy and interact with.
Also, maintaining a Facebook profile is a great way to show your audience that you’re active and in business. As most users use the platform to research products, stumbling upon an in-active Facebook profile may prompt them to bring their business elsewhere.
Lastly, 200 million + businesses are already using the platform to meet their business goals, so you should join them.
How often should you post on Facebook?
A recent HubSpot experiment found that, overall, businesses should aim to post on Facebook two to five times per week. While this is simply an average, it is ok to adapt your strategy depending on your audience insights and what seems to bring the most success on the platform. However, the experiment did note that posting more than five times per week can substantially decrease ROI.
All in all, spend time on the platform, learn from your audience, and use your page metrics to determine the best combination for your business.
Below we’ll list various Facebook post ideas for businesses that you can use to generate engagement, drive traffic, and boost conversions.
41 Facebook Post Ideas For Your Business
1. Promote your website.
A great first-post to make on Facebook is promoting your website. When you share a link on Facebook, customers are given a full-sized preview of what the link leads to and, if you’ve designed an eye-catching website, you may entice your users to follow the link and visit your website, which in-turn drivers traffic and helps you convert leads.
2. Tell a story.
A great way to engage with your audience on Facebook is to tell a story.
This story can be about your brand, like an experience that sparked your interest, or your brand’s mission and how you became what you are today.
You’ll share a bit of backstory with your audience, give them something to relate to, and get them interested in what you have to offer.
3. Share behind-the-scenes content.
Customers enjoy doing business with you, but it’s also exciting for them to see how you do business. Sharing behind-the-scenes content on Facebook allows them to understand the day-to-day operations that generate the products or services they enjoy.
For example, if you’re a clothing company, you could share a video that shows how your products are made, or a SaaS company could share a video from a developer explaining how they built the program.
4. Ask your followers questions.
A great way to generate engagement with your Facebook audience is to ask them questions. If people reply, you’ll gain valuable insight into how they think and feel, and you’ll also have the opportunity to respond to comments and let them know you’re listening. Below is an example of a question-type Facebook post from HubSpot that reads, “What’s the weirdest job title you’ve ever seen? Major bonus points if it was yours.”

 

5. Post tutorials and how-tos.
Sharing how-tos and tutorials on your Facebook page is a great way to generate engagement with your audience, especially if the content is relevant to your business offerings. They’ll recognize and appreciate that you’re willing to help them succeed with your product, and they’ll continue to return to your page to seek out similar information in the future.
This type of post allows for creativity, as it doesn’t necessarily need to be text-based. You can create an informational video tutorial, infographic, or whatever best meets your needs. Below is an example of a how-to video tutorial post on Facebook.

6. Share industry-related news and content.
Your Facebook audience is following you on the platform because they care about what you have to say. Given this, it is safe to assume that they also care about news relevant to your industry, so consider posting this type of content on your Facebook page.
The example below is from Bon Appetit, a food magazine, where they’ve shared news about a haughty discussed topic in the food world: natural and artificial flavorings.

7. Share user-generated content.
A great way to generate trust with your audience on Facebook is to share user-generated content (UGC), which is content created by people who have used your products, services or have had some experience with your business.
UGC is also a valuable form of social proof, which essentially means that your audience will trust your legitimacy because other consumers like what you have to offer. In fact, consumers are 14% more likely to trust the recommendations of someone like them (another consumer) than a brand employee.
This content can be anything from product reviews and testimonials to photos that customers have shared using your products. The example below is from Hydro Flask, a water bottle company, where they’ve shared a picture of a fan using their product in-action.

8. Post videos. 
The average engagement rate on Facebook is .18%. The average engagement rate for video posts on Facebook is 0.26%, so take advantage of this and post videos on the platform.
The video below is an example from Spotify, a music streaming service, of a video they’ve posted on the platform featuring actors discussing a soundtrack from an upcoming movie.

9. Post blog content. 
Cross-posting content from your blog is a great way to drive traffic to your website and expose your blog content to an audience that may be unfamiliar with it. In the example below, virtual conference sharing platform Zoom has shared content from their blog to Facebook.

10. Use hashtags.
Like Twitter, Facebook uses hashtags to organize community conversations about specific topics all in one stream. Use industry-related hashtags in your posts to join in on conversations that are already happening on Facebook as a means of increasing visibility and engaging with a new audience.
11. Post about trending topics. 
Like using hashtags, posting about trending topics gives you an in on the conversations people are already having. People are also more likely to talk about a current trend in the moment, which can drive engagement to your page.
To leverage this tip, stay on top of relevant industry trends and general internet trends and post about topics you think your audience will be interested in.
12. Share branded graphics. 
One of the main goals of marketing is to increase awareness and recognition of your brand.
Given this, Facebook is a great platform to share branded graphics to show your audience who you are and give them the cues they need to recognize your brand and pick you out of a crowd.
13. Share product photos.
Consumers love visuals, so sharing them on Facebook is a great way to generate engagement and excitement for your brand, especially if they’re high quality.
14. Post infographics.
90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual, so infographics are a great marketing tool for educating customers and sharing relevant information.
Consider creating high-quality infographics and sharing them on your Facebook page. The example below is an infographic created by Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company that directly relates to their social justice mission.

15. Host contests and giveaways.
Hosting contests and giveaways is a great way to generate engagement and interact with your audience on Facebook. The parameters of your contest can follow the same structure as any other contest you’d post on social media, but this post can help you create a Facebook-specific giveaway.
16. Announce deals and offers.
Your Facebook audience may look a bit different than your email audience or your Twitter audience, so it’s worth announcing deals and offers on all of your social platforms to ensure that everyone has the chance to experience them. Below is a Facebook deal announcement from Chipotle, a fast-food restaurant.

17. Share content from other social accounts. 
There’s nothing wrong with recycling content; in fact, it is a valuable practice. Take screenshots of tweets, Instagram posts, and even blog posts, and share them on Facebook. As different platforms have different user bases, you’re ensuring that all of your segments can enjoy what you have to offer.
Here’s another example from the HubSpot Facebook account of a cross-post from LinkedIn.

18. Post Facebook Lead Ads. 
Facebook Lead Ads allow users to submit information into a lead form without leaving the platform, helping you collect the information you need to further nurture your leads.
Since they aren’t promoted to leave the page or navigate to a different window, users are also more likely to complete these, especially since they can autofill with information already shared in the user’s Facebook profile.

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19. Post trending memes and make them relate to your business.
One of the great things about social media is how easy it is to go viral. Take advantage of trending memes, rework them to relate to your business, and share them on your Profile. Consumers appreciate this kind of content, as it displays a sense of humor, and it also shows them that you actively monitor online conversations.
The example below is from Starface, a beauty company that adapted a trending meme from the reality TV Show Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

20. Post discounts and sales. 
Similar to announcing deals and offers, cross-posting discounts and sales on Facebook is a great way to ensure that all segments of your audience are aware of your business offerings, helping you drive traffic to your website and increase sales.
21. Partner with influencers. 
80% of marketers say that influencer marketing is effective, and 49% of consumers today depend on influencer recommendations for their purchase decisions.
Join other marketers and partner with influencers to promote your business, and share the content on Facebook for interested consumers to see. The example below is a Facebook post from Taco Bell, where they’ve partnered with a famous influencer and created a humorous video advertisement.

22. Share your YouTube videos.
As mentioned before, cross-posting content from your other channels is a great way to drive traffic and generate engagement. So, share links on Facebook from your YouTube videos.
23. Highlight products.
Your customers may already be aware of what you have to offer, but why not remind them? Consider creating a Facebook post to highlight your product offerings. The example below is from the Humans Of New York Facebook page advertising a new book.

24. Announce new products.
In a similar vein, Facebook is a worthwhile platform for product announcements. Below is an example from Dove, a personal care brand, announcing a new range of products.

25. Share product reviews.
Product reviews are another form of user-generated content to post that will generate social proof and establish your authority with customers.
You can take screenshots of positive reviews on your product pages, email feedback, social media comments, or even invite customers to create reviews specifically for your Facebook page.
26. Share open job positions.
While Facebook is great for marketing, it can also help you attract new talent. Post job openings on your Facebook page, and you may find that engaged customers are also interested in becoming employees. Here’s an example of a Facebook job post by Global Fund for Women.

27. Host ‘Ask Me Anything’ (AMA) sessions.
Ask Me Anything sessions are a great way to engage with your audience. You can create a post around your desired topic and let your audience know that you’ll answer their questions in the comments and generate conversation.
28. Post answers to FAQ.
A great customer service tip is to practice proactive customer service, where you get ahead of customer questions if you notice that there are commonly asked questions.
Consider creating Facebook post(s) that answer these questions, so customers can visit your profile and find the answers they’re looking for before picking up the phone and calling a service rep. The example below is from a small farm in Gainesville, Florida.

29. Promote events.
As mentioned before, some people don’t check their email or remain active on every social channel they have, so sharing events on Facebook is another way to ensure all segments of your audience is aware of them. Below is an example of an event announcement from Mount Holyoke College.

30. Live-post events.
Live-posting isn’t something reserved for Twitter.
Consider doing this on Facebook as a means of creating more opportunities for engagement with followers that are at your events. You’ll be around to answer their questions in real time, participate in conversations, and also inspire others to show up to your next event. Here’s an example from The Golden Globes Facebook account live-posting the 2021 Golden Globes event.

31. Create polls. 
Facebook polls are a way to gain insight into your audience and their preferences. A unique aspect of Facebook polls is that results can be viewed in real-time so your followers can visualize how others are responding without needing to filter through comments.
Polls are a native Facebook function, and you can learn how to create one here.
32. Share employee generated content.
Just as people may be interested in working for your company, your followers may also be interested in who works at your company. Employee generated content posts can showcase company culture, projects, and the talent that helps run your business. The example below is from the HubSpot Facebook account.

33. Post in industry-relevant groups or pages.
While most of the posts you make will be on your own profile, it’s also worth posting in Facebook groups that are relevant to your industry. You’ll gain exposure to a new audience, and, depending on what you post, generate new leads.
34. Share a call-to-action (CTA).
Sharing a call-to-action on your Facebook profile can help you collect information on new leads, and drive traffic to your website. An example of a CTA can be encouraging your followers to sign up for a newsletter, or inviting them to sign up for exclusive access to a new product before it becomes widely available.
35. Recycle content from popular posts.
One of the great things about social media is that it is an ever evolving landscape where people are discovering new things every day. Consider recycling content from your most popular posts so newer followers and leads can learn from and enjoy that content as well. Facebook has a native sharing option that will allow you to re-share your old posts.
36. Create a themed series.
Creating a themed series is a great way to drive engagement and interaction, as those who are interested in what you have to say will keep coming back to read new posts as they go live.
The content in your themed series should be relevant to your business, but an example could be sharing information on a new industry trend, a post explaining how it relates to your business, and another post explaining how it affects your audience.
37. Share content from other industry leaders.
Your audience trusts you because they believe you provide them with something of value.
Because of this, consider sharing content from other industry leaders or businesses that you think will benefit your audience and help them succeed. The example below is from the HubSpot Facebook account sharing an industry-relevant quote.

38. Share your business’ values.
70% of consumers say that trusting a brand is more important now than ever before.
Aim to build trust with your audience by sharing your brand values on Facebook and letting them know what you care about. The example below is from Google’s Facebook page, where they commit to supporting nonprofits and social enterprises to empower women.

39. Host a Facebook Live.
Facebook Live is a native feature that allows you to broadcast real-time video to your page and newsfeed. While you can certainly emulate a Facebook live with Facebook posts, live video gives you the unique opportunity to build trust with your audience with interactive two-way conversations. Your audience can ask questions in the comments, and you can verbally reply using their name and generate a familiar relationship.
40. Promote other social channels.
While there is some overlap, most social media platforms have different audience demographics. Share links to your other accounts on your Facebook profile as a way to drive engagement and gain followers on all your accounts.
41. Share content from your other Facebook profiles.
Some companies have multiple Facebook profiles that correspond to different segments of their business. If this is you, share content from your other Facebook profiles to your main profile page to make your audience aware of the different types of content you have to offer.
The example below is from Google’s main profile page sharing content from the Google Small Business profile page.

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All-in-all, leveraging the tips on this list will help you create an engaging Facebook business page that your audience visits to learn more about what you have to offer and develop a relationship with  your company.

An annual report offers a comprehensive overview of your business’s yearly operations. As the content in these reports is heavy-hitting, it’s essential to present it in a way that helps your audience understand and visualize your successes.
These reports also incorporate various design elements that support your metrics and create a unique, creative, and visually appealing story of your business activities.
In this post, we’ll outline annual report design best-practices, provide a template you can use to create your own, and go over examples of annual reports from other businesses that you can use for inspiration.

What is an annual report?
As a refresher, an annual report is a document created by businesses that display yearly performance, including successes and challenges. It gives a big-picture view of operations and strategies while also going in-depth on key performance metrics.
Annual reports differ from weekly reports in that they address anything and everything that has happened over the past year, including content you’ve already mentioned in weekly, monthly, or any other style of report you’ve made.  
Designing an annual report is a careful process, as it is crucial to find a balance between powerful graphics and clarity and understanding. Most reports contain data visualizations, like charts and graphs, to enhance the experience and really call attention to heavy-hitting metrics.
Below we’ll provide a template that you can use to design an annual report for your business and outline the sections that should be included in every report, regardless of industry.
Annual Report Design Template
The template you choose to use to design your annual report should be based on your individual business needs and the metrics you’re hoping to include.
However, you can adapt most templates to fit your business needs, like this template offered by HubSpot. The image below features two pages from the downloadable template, including a company overview and a yearly performance analysis.

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The template allows you to go in-depth into aspects of your business that the annual report will discuss, whether it’s marketing campaigns or yearly sales performance. Despite this, there are specific elements that should be included in all annual reports, and we’ll discuss those below.
1. Summarize your yearly goals and strategies.
The first section of your annual report should summarize your yearly goals and strategies. This provides your audience with an overview of your annual focus and gives the information necessary to understand and contextualize the rest of your report.
Essentially, it sets the tone for the rest of the report as it explains the intention behind your operations. If you’re a marketing business creating an annual report, this section could outline your marketing goals and the campaigns you created to reach those goals.
2. Outline key performance indicators (KPIs) and objectives.
Another portion of your annual report should outline the KPIs you used to measure successes. This section is truly the heart of your report, as you’re displaying the results of your year-long activities.
Aim to use charts, graphics, and any other creative design elements, as they will increase the impact of your words and truly demonstrate the importance of your data. For example, say one of your overall goals was to increase ROI across all channels. While you can certainly explain that Twitter ROI has increased 15% YoY, a chart that visually displays the difference between the years paints a clearer picture of success.
A strong annual report is a well-rounded annual report, so this section can also include an analysis of challenges and expected outcomes, where you explain areas that you may have fallen short in terms of achieving your goals.
3. Explain key takeaways and make future recommendations.
While the section above will go into specific detail, it will also be helpful to include an overarching summary of the most important elements of your year. You can take this time to focus on the metrics and campaigns that you think are most important for your stakeholders and audience to know.
You should also aim to make recommendations for future business activities based on your findings from the current year, which can be valuable in terms of getting buy-in from stakeholders and the teams you’re hoping to work with in the future.
Below we’ll discuss best practices for designing a visually appealing and informative annual report that contains all of the information mentioned above.
Annual Report Design Best-Practices
Clear and deliberate design will help you create a visually appealing report that captures attention. Let’s go over the best practices for designing your annual report.
Incorporate branding.
As your report is specific to your business, incorporate branding that lets viewers know that it is specifically for your business.
Branding also aids in recognizability and lets viewers know that you’re owning the successes, challenges, and overall metrics explained in the report.  
Use powerful visuals.
As mentioned before, a high-quality report incorporates visuals that aid in the understanding of your metrics. Take special consideration to create visuals for the most significant, heavy-hitting content, like yearly revenue.
Leverage color and fonts.
Another way to ensure that your report captures attention and leaves a lasting impression is by using colors and fonts to call attention to important information. The distinction between a regular metric and a great metric called out in color can go far in making a dent in your audience’s memory.
However, it’s essential to find a balance between design and content.
Don’t be too busy.
Although you can (and should) incorporate various design elements into your annual report, be mindful of standard design principles, and don’t overload your report with unnecessary colors and graphics that will distract from and out shadow the metrics you’re outlining.
A report that is busy, crowded, and filled with different fonts and colors will be harder to understand and won’t leave the impact you want it to leave. Make careful decisions and ensure that your choices are centered around showcasing successes, not simply making the report look pretty.
Annual Report Examples
Let’s look at some examples of high-quality annual reports that you can draw on for inspiration.
Google Annual Diversity Report
Google’s 2020 Annual Diversity Report is a high-quality report.
The report begins with a high-level overview of Google’s efforts to increase inclusion at the company, diversity goals, and visuals that prove the outcomes of their efforts and show that they’re committed to the task. The image below is a visual depiction of their diversity hiring efforts YoY.

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Ablynx
Ablynx is a pharmaceutical company that took a unique, creative approach to an annual report through 3D charts. The image below is an example of the charts they used to create visual representations of where the largest number of business shareholders are located to display their business’ market growth.

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Duni
Duni specializes in table-setting and takeaway packaging for restaurants and global businesses. Its annual report is straightforward, clearly organized, and minimalist but still uses color, images, and various design elements to strengthen its words’ impact.
The image below displays their YoY financial target growth that draws in audience attention with large fonts, colors, and line graph visualizations.

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Annual Reports Paint a Picture of Success
It’s essential to understand how to create an annual report that displays your business’s successes and incorporates design elements that emphasize your words’ significance and allow your audience to understand, visualize, and absorb your accomplishments.

While certainly a source of entertainment, YouTube is also an incredible platform for marketers to use, especially since it is the second-largest search engine in the world. Its users take action based on the videos they see, as 70% of them report buying from a brand after seeing their content on YouTube.
Aside from product purchases, how do you keep viewers interested in your channel and watching more videos? End screens. In this post, we’ll explain what an end screen is, outline how to create one, share high-quality examples from existing channels, and recommend template options that you can use to create your own.

These elements are shown over the top of the last few seconds of your videos’ playtime. They are different from YouTube’s automatically generated annotations because you can choose the content yourself.
How to Make a YouTube End Screen
You can create YouTube end screens directly in your YouTube account, and below we’ll go over how to add end screen elements to your videos.
1. Sign in to your YouTube account.
2. In the top right corner, select your account icon, then YouTube Studio.
3. On the left-hand menu, select Content.
4. If you want to add an end screen to an existing video, select the video, click the pencil icon (shown below), and skip the next step.

5. If you want to add an end screen to a new video, select the Create button on the top right of your screen to upload the video file.
6. After completing either step four or five, select the Video elements tab, as shown below.

7. You should then see the option to Add an end screen by importing from an existing video or adding your own.
8. Select the end screen elements you want to add to your video, fill in the required information, and click Create Element.
9. For further customizations, you can adjust the size and placement of each element on the end screen and the length of time each will be displayed.
10. You can preview the end screen by selecting Preview on the top left corner or simply select Save to finalize your end screen.
YouTube End Screen Examples
Claire Saffitz Dessert Person
The example below is an end screen from Clare Saffitz’s channel, Dessert Person. While it may seem basic, it gets the job done through a CTA directing viewers to other videos on the channel and a subscription button.

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New York Times Cooking
The NYT Cooking channel also uses a simple end screen for their videos that feature a simple subscribe button. This is the benefit to end screens, as they can contain any of the preferred actions you’re hoping for your viewers to take, from subscribing to your channel to watching your other videos.

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Food52
You might have noticed that this list is surprisingly food-themed, but that’s what I watch on YouTube. Food52 fits a lot onto their outro with links to other videos, a click to subscribe button, and a link to their webshop. Since their website isn’t a YouTube-approved link, they’ve just added it onto their end screen template as a text element.

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History Channel – Ancient Recipes
History Channel uses all four elements of an end screen: links to playlists, other videos, a subscribe button and a link to their website. So many choices for their viewers!

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Vice Munchies
Vice uses a unique, animated end screen to capture their viewers’ attention. The words “Watch More” flash on the screen in different languages, as well as links to two other videos.

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Standard YouTube End Screen Dimensions
The instructions above detailed how you can create an end screen within YouTube’s Creator Studio, but you can also upload your own. When doing so, it’s essential to make sure that it is the correct dimensions.
Standard sizing is 1280px by 720px, and standard HD aspect ratio is 1920px by 1080px. The image below is a sample end screen template that you can use to create your own. Below we’ll recommend more templates to use.

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YouTube End Screen Templates
While you can certainly design one on YouTube or from scratch, there are various templates you can use that will help you create a high-quality end screen that meets your branding needs. Let’s go over some resources below.

Adobe Spark: Includes various templates to customize to meet your individual branding needs and further your YouTube reach. The site walks you through the process, so it is simple and easy to use.

Canva: Create a personalized end screen with a pre-built template or from scratch. You can include illustrations, icons, stickers, and even animated effects.

Snappa: Free and customizable YouTube end screen templates that have been professionally designed. Simply select a template, create an account, and you’re good to start designing.

YouTube: Many channels have uploaded pre-built templates that are available for download. You can browse through videos, select your preferred template, and navigate to the description box and download your favorite option.

YouTube End Screen Length
End screens play for the last five to 20 seconds of your videos. Make sure that the elements you choose to include appear at the right time to maximize the impact of your end screen cards, as the goal is to entice users to take additional action with your channel and generate more views and engagement.
If you want to add CTAs to other parts of your videos, you can do so with YouTube cards. Here is a tutorial on how to create cards from YouTube’s Creator Academy.
How To Disable YouTube End Screen
If you want to remove an end screen from your YouTube video, follow these steps:
1. Sign in to your YouTube account.
2. On the top right-hand corner, click on your account icon and select YouTube Studio.
3. On the menu screen on the left-hand side of your page, select Content. You should then see a list of all of your YouTube videos.
4. Select the pencil icon on the video you want to remove the end screen from.
5. Click on Video elements.
6. On the end screen, click Edit element.
7. Click delete.
As the creator, you’re the only one that can remove end screens from your videos, so you can ensure that users are seeing what you want them to see.
Use high-quality end screens to re-capture audience attention.
If your audience has watched your videos to the end, you’ve captured their attention. However, you don’t want to lose their attention once the video is over; you want them to stay engaged.
End screens will help you re-capture audience attention and inspire them to watch another video or convert them into subscribers. If you’re interested in spending more time on the platform, learn how to make money on YouTube and essential YouTube stats for marketers to know.

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