When most brands think about YouTube sponsorships, they picture a mid-roll integration — 60–90 seconds of the creator talking about a product. But there is a lighter-touch format that often gets overlooked: the end screen sponsorship. It is cheaper, lower effort for both parties, and in some use cases, it performs comparably to a full integration at a fraction of the cost.
This guide covers how end screen sponsorships work, how they are priced, when they make sense, and how to negotiate them as either a creator looking for recurring revenue or a brand looking for lightweight brand presence.
Related: YouTube Sponsored Video Cost: What Brands Pay for Integrations and Dedicated Videos, YouTube Sponsorship Deal Template: What to Include in a Creator Contract
To establish your baseline rates before any negotiation, start with the Instagram Analyzer that accounts for your platform, follower tier, and content format.
What Is a YouTube End Screen Sponsorship?
An end screen sponsorship is a brand mention placed during the final 15–20 seconds of a YouTube video — the outro section where creators typically display their channel art, subscribe buttons, and video recommendations. Instead of (or in addition to) the standard outro sequence, the creator includes a brief verbal mention of the sponsor and optionally a visual element (logo card, product image, or branded graphic).
Unlike a full integration, the end screen mention is brief — typically 10–20 seconds of spoken content. The creator says something like: "This video was brought to you by [Brand] — [one sentence value proposition]. Check the link in the description." That is the full deliverable.
YouTube's actual end screen feature (the interactive cards shown in the last 5–20 seconds of a video) can be used simultaneously — a clickable brand card can appear alongside the verbal mention, giving viewers a direct tap-through option.
Pricing: What End Screens Are Worth
End screen sponsorships are generally priced at 5–15% of the creator's full integration rate. The range depends on how much production work is involved, whether interactive cards are included, and whether the brand wants the end screen plus a description link or just a verbal mention.
| Creator Tier | Full Integration Rate | End Screen Only (5–15%) | End Screen + Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nano (1K–10K subs) | $200–$800 | $20–$80 | $30–$120 |
| Micro (10K–100K subs) | $1,000–$5,000 | $75–$500 | $100–$700 |
| Mid-tier (100K–500K subs) | $5,000–$20,000 | $500–$2,000 | $700–$2,500 |
| Macro (500K–1M subs) | $20,000–$50,000 | $2,000–$5,000 | $2,500–$6,500 |
| Mega (1M+ subs) | $50,000–$200,000 | $5,000–$20,000 | $6,000–$25,000 |
These ranges are starting points. Channels with very high average view counts relative to subscriber count (strong CPV) will price end screens toward the higher end of the range. Channels with declining view-to-subscriber ratios will price them lower.
Performance Benchmarks: What to Expect
End screens perform differently from mid-roll integrations, and brands should set expectations accordingly.
Click-Through Rate
YouTube end screen CTR for sponsored links typically falls in the 0.5–2% range across most channels and categories. Interactive cards (the clickable overlay elements) follow the same range. This is lower than a strong mid-roll integration where the creator builds genuine enthusiasm for the product, but the cost basis is also dramatically lower — making CPClick often comparable or better.
Completion Rate
End screens reach only viewers who watch to the end of a video. On average, YouTube videos retain 40–60% of viewers through the halfway point, and typically 20–35% through to the end. This means end screen sponsorships reach a self-selected, high-engagement subset of the audience — viewers who are genuinely interested in the creator's content and more likely to trust their recommendations.
CPM Comparison
Despite lower absolute reach, end screens can deliver competitive CPMs for awareness campaigns. A mid-tier creator with 200,000 subscribers might charge $8,000 for an integration but only $800 for an end screen sponsorship. If average views per video is 50,000 and end screen reach is 15,000 (30% completion), the end screen CPM is approximately $53 — higher than the integration CPM of $160 per 1,000 views, but with much lower absolute spend and production overhead.
Use Cases: When End Screens Work vs. When They Do Not
When End Screens Make Sense
Ongoing brand awareness campaigns: If the goal is consistent brand presence across a category of content rather than a single high-impact moment, end screen packages across multiple creators deliver broad reach at manageable budget. Running end screens across 20 mid-tier creators in a niche may be more effective than a single dedicated video on a mega-creator.
Testing new creator relationships: Before committing to a $15,000 dedicated video, brands can run a $1,000 end screen deal to assess the creator's professionalism, audience engagement quality, and response to the brand. It is a low-risk trial format.
Retargeting-adjacent brand presence: For viewers who have already searched the brand's category, seeing the brand name in an end screen from a trusted creator can serve as a lightweight confirmation signal rather than a discovery mechanism.
High-volume creator programs: For brands managing hundreds of creator relationships simultaneously — common in gaming, supplements, and software — end screens allow a meaningful brand touchpoint at manageable per-creator cost.
When End Screens Do Not Work
Product launches requiring explanation: If the product has a complex value proposition, an end screen mention is insufficient. Viewers need the creator to explain the problem, the solution, and why they recommend it. This requires a full integration.
High-ticket products: End screens rarely convert on products over $100–200. The brief format does not provide enough social proof or context for high-consideration purchases.
Category education: When the audience does not already understand the product category, an end screen mention adds no context. The creator's 10-second mention assumes the viewer already knows what the brand does.
YouTube Cards as Interactive Brand Elements
YouTube Cards are interactive overlays that can appear at any point during a video — not just the end. When used for sponsorships, they give viewers a clickable element leading to the brand's product page or a landing URL. The creator can trigger a card to appear during the verbal mention, reinforcing the CTA with a visual, tappable element.
Card placement during an end screen sponsorship typically adds a small premium to the deal — roughly 20–30% above the verbal-only end screen rate. For campaigns focused on direct traffic, the card is worth including. For pure awareness plays, the verbal mention alone may suffice.
Bundle Pricing: End Screen + Cards + Full Integration
Brands looking for a tiered brand presence within a single video sometimes negotiate bundles that include a full mid-roll integration plus an end screen reinforcement and cards throughout the video. This layered approach delivers the conversion-focused depth of the integration and a final CTA push at the end.
| Bundle Component | Standalone Price (Mid-Tier) | Bundle Discount | Bundle Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Integration (60–90 sec mid-roll) | $8,000 | — | $8,000 |
| End Screen Mention (15 sec) | $800 | 50% | $400 |
| Cards (3 placements) | $400 | 50% | $200 |
| Bundle Total | $9,200 | — | $8,600 |
Bundling end screens with a full integration is a natural add-on conversation during deal negotiation. For creators, it represents incremental revenue for minimal additional effort. For brands, it extends touchpoints within the same video purchase.
Creator Perspective: End Screens as Recurring Revenue
For creators, end screens represent one of the most efficient revenue sources relative to production effort. Once the deal is set up — a logo card prepared, talking points agreed — the creator can include the mention in every video for the duration of the deal with minimal incremental work.
Common end screen deal structures from the creator perspective:
- Per-video end screen deals: Paid per mention, negotiated per video. Flexible but administratively heavy if the creator wants recurring coverage.
- Monthly retainer for X videos: The brand pays a flat monthly fee for end screen placement in all videos that month (with a minimum quantity). This is simpler for both parties.
- End screen + integration package: The creator gives the brand one integration per month and includes end screens in all other videos. The package rate is typically 1.5–2x the integration-only rate.
Negotiating End Screens as an Add-On
If a brand initially approaches with a budget that is too low for a full integration, an end screen deal may bridge the gap. Creators can present this as a standard tiered offering: "My integration rate is $5,000, but if your budget is $500, I can include an end screen mention in my next three videos." This preserves the relationship and gives the brand a trial period.
From the brand side, if a desired creator has a rate card above budget, asking about end screen options is a direct way to get a foot in the door. Many creators do not advertise end screen pricing; they respond positively to the specific request because it is easy money for them.
Setting End Screen Rates With Independent Benchmarks
End screen pricing is calculated as a percentage of the creator's integration rate — which itself depends on average views, niche, and audience quality. The Instagram Analyzer generates engagement-adjusted rate benchmarks for any public creator profile, giving you the integration baseline you need before applying the 5–15% end screen multiplier.
For campaigns choosing between an end screen package across multiple mid-tier creators versus a single dedicated video on a larger creator, the Profile Comparison Tool shows both profiles' engagement scores and implied rates side by side — making the reach-versus-depth trade-off concrete before the budget is committed.
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