Intro & Outro
Intro and outro are the holding screens shown at the start and end of a live broadcast; they reduce drop-off before the show and direct viewers to a next action after it ends.
What belongs in the intro?
A viewer who arrives before the show starts and sees nothing will leave immediately. A countdown, the products you'll cover, and the participation offer turn waiting into anticipation. Ordering the elements also makes them easier to build: first confirmation that this is the right screen to wait on (the countdown), then a reason to wait (products and offer), then something to do right now (set a reminder, claim a coupon). The third is the one most often left out — and it is exactly where a waiting viewer is most willing to say yes.
Why does the outro matter?
If the screen cuts to black the moment the show ends, that traffic disperses. A replay link, the coupon's expiry, and the next broadcast date keep action going after the end. The outro matters especially because arrivals continue after the show. Viewers who saw the reminder late, or who followed a shared link, land on a finished broadcast — and if that screen is empty, someone meeting your brand for the first time is shown nothing but "this is over".
When should each be on screen?
The intro typically goes up 10 to 15 minutes before air, so viewers who acted on the reminder early are not lost. The outro is better measured not in minutes after the show but by whether the replay is ready: take it down before the replay link is live and anyone arriving in that gap gets no guidance at all. How long arrivals continue varies by show, so read the inbound curve from your first few episodes and set the duration from that.
How are they produced?
A single still works; so does a short looping clip. What matters is a structure you do not rebuild every episode. Fix the background and the layout once, then change only the date, product names and offer — the holding screens get attached every time without lengthening show prep. Moving elements such as a countdown are simpler to add as a platform feature than to re-render into the video.
Intro and outro, side by side
Intro | Outro | |
|---|---|---|
Purpose | Stop drop-off while waiting | Drive the next action after the end |
On screen | From 10–15 minutes before air | From the end until the replay is ready |
Must include | Countdown, product preview, participation offer | Replay link, coupon expiry, next broadcast date |
Ask for | Reminder sign-up, coupon claim | Watch the replay, book a return visit |
Watch | Concurrent viewers at start time | Post-show arrivals and replay views |
Shoplive's view
The few minutes either side of a broadcast are the cheapest thing to improve. Raising production quality takes equipment, crew and rehearsal; the intro and outro are two screens, and once built they are reused indefinitely. Yet in practice these two are the most frequently missing. We suggest putting them into the run sheet not as "assets to prepare" but as the first and last scenes of the broadcast. Then there is no slot left in which to forget them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How early should the intro go up?
Usually 10 to 15 minutes before the broadcast, so viewers who acted on the reminder and arrived early are not lost.
Q. Can we use a still image instead of video?
Yes. That said, having even one moving element such as a countdown noticeably reduces drop-off during the wait.
Q. Can we add music to the intro?
You can, but only with licensed audio. If you plan to keep the broadcast as a replay or cut it into short-form, confirm in advance that the licence covers those uses so you are not deleting video later.
Q. How long should the outro stay up after the show?
Use the replay as the marker rather than a fixed number of minutes. Arrivals keep coming from late reminders and shared links after the end, and the point is to make sure that traffic does not meet an empty screen.
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