YouTube's End Screen and Card features serve as the spiritual successor to traditional Annotations. However, even with recent uploads, most companies haven't begun using the new tools.
The built-in channel features, embedded polls and donation options are great ways for companies to add interactivity to their videos and drive users to their main channel.
YouTube Partner Program aside, businesses using YouTube should still be doing whatever they can to encourage next steps—and ultimately conversions. For those out of the know, that program is YouTube's new initiative to limit monetization, crowdfunding and external links in End Screens/Cards based on channel watch time and subscriber amount; a hot topic that we'll save for another blog.
YouTube End Screen and Card Features
YouTube's updated link and conversion tools share much of the same elements, with Cards offering a few more choices for uploaders.
End Screens:
- Video or Playlist
- Subscribe
- Channel
- Link (YouTube Partner Program required)
Cards:
- Video or Playlist
- Channel
- Donation
- Poll
- Link (YouTube Partner Program required)
To set up these features, all you have to do is enter your Video Manager on YouTube or click the Edit Video button on your individual uploads. Then just head over the End Screen & Annotations tab and Cards tab.
Want to truly start seeing marketing traction on YouTube? Check out our YouTube Style Guide for Business.
Alex Dunn
Alex is a University of South Florida mass communications graduate and Video/Media Specialist at Bluleadz. He is a big movie nerd, loves (possibly dangerous) concerts and enjoys taunting co-workers with a camera. He's probably seen The Royal Tenenbaums 14 times by now.