[FAQ]

I’ve started creating video series and grouping them into playlists, but I want to take it a step further. I want to create a series that people feel compelled to binge-watch, clicking from one episode to the next.

What are some of the best practices or storytelling techniques in 2025 for structuring a series to encourage this kind of viewing behaviour?

[Jeff Bullas]

That’s an excellent goal to have.

Quick Answer: Creating a binge-worthy series involves telling a cohesive story with unresolved tension, and using YouTube’s features like End Screens and official playlists to make it effortless for viewers to watch the next episode.

Getting a viewer to watch a second or third video in a single session is one of the strongest positive signals you can send to the YouTube algorithm, as it dramatically increases your channel’s overall watch time. Here is how you can structure your series to encourage this.

First, your series must have a strong, overarching narrative or a central question. There needs to be a compelling reason for a viewer to want to see the next episode. This could be a mystery you are solving, a large project you are building from start to finish, or a skill you are teaching in progressive stages.

Second, you need to use what are called ‘open loops’ or ‘cliffhangers’. At the end of each video, you should intentionally tease the content, the challenge, or the outcome of the next episode without giving everything away. This creates narrative tension and makes the viewer want to click to find out what happens next.

Third, you must make it technically easy for people to binge your content. You should group all the videos in the series into an official series playlist. This signals to YouTube that the videos are meant to be watched in order. You must then use your End Screen at the end of each video to prominently feature a clickable link to the very next episode in the series.

And fourth, you need a strong verbal call to action. As your video is ending, you should explicitly tell the viewer what to watch next. For example, “In the next video, we are finally going to solve this problem, so click the video on screen right now to continue watching.”

By combining compelling storytelling that creates a reason to watch the next part with a seamless technical setup that makes it effortless for the viewer to do so, you can successfully turn a simple playlist into a highly engaging, binge-worthy series.

Cheers,

Jeff

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