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How To Add Cards on YouTube to Increase Video Engagement with Viewers

As the world’s largest video-sharing platform, YouTube provides content creators with multiple tools to boost engagement and improve their reach. Among these is an efficient and engaging feature known as YouTube Cards. YouTube info cards are a versatile tool that lets you make your videos more interactive, offering the opportunity to feature a video, playlist, channel, or even an external link.

YouTube Info Cards

Cards are designed to complement your videos and enhance the viewer experience with relevant information. As the viewer watches your video, a teaser will appear when you designate it. If the teaser isn’t showing, viewers can hover over the video player and click the card icon. The card icon is visible on mobile devices when the player controls are displayed.

Types of YouTube Cards

YouTube Cards are interactive elements that can be added to videos to add more depth and interaction to your content. They are designed as small notifications that slide in while a viewer watches a video on a desktop or mobile device. They come in different types:

  • Channel Cards: These cards allow content creators to promote another YouTube channel. This is particularly useful when collaborating with other creators, as it provides an easy way for viewers to visit the collaborator’s channel, promoting cross-channel engagement.
  • Donation Cards: Donation cards enable creators to fundraise for U.S. nonprofit organizations directly within their videos. Creators can choose from a list of approved nonprofits to create a donation card that will allow viewers to contribute directly from the video.
  • Link Cards: If a content creator is part of the YouTube Partner Program, they can use link cards to direct viewers to an external website, approved merchandise, or crowdfunding sites. This is particularly useful for creators looking to drive traffic to their own website or to specific products.
  • Poll Cards: Poll cards are a great way for creators to engage their audience by creating a poll right within the video. Viewers can then vote in the poll, helping increase engagement and interaction with the video.
  • Video or Playlist Cards: These cards can link to other YouTube videos or playlists on the same channel or different ones. This can help increase viewer retention and encourage viewers to watch more content from the creator.

Cards are a powerful tool that creators can utilize to guide their audience toward a specific action, such as visiting another video, completing a poll, contributing to a fundraising effort, or visiting an external website. Essentially, they can be viewed as clickable Calls-to-Action (CTAs) within your video that can significantly improve engagement, provide extra information, or direct your audience to related content.

Viewers can browse all the cards on the video when they click the teaser or card icon. This interactive design lets your audience choose how to engage with your content.

How To Add Cards To Your Video on YouTube

Here are the steps to add cards to your YouTube videos:

  1. Sign in to YouTube Studio: To start, visit YouTube Studio and sign into your account.
  2. Select Content: Once signed in, find the Content option in the left-hand menu and click on it.
  3. Choose the video to edit: The content page will display all your uploaded videos. Click on the video to which you’d like to add an info card.
  4. Open the Editor: Select the Editor option from the left-hand menu.
youtube studio cards
  1. Select Info Cards: In the editor, you’ll find an option for “Info Cards”. Click on it, and a dropdown menu will open. Here, you can select the type of card you want to add. You can add up to five cards to a single video. The types of cards you can choose are:
    • Video: This card links to a public YouTube video, allowing your viewers to interact with more of your content.
    • Playlist: This card links to a public YouTube playlist, encouraging your viewers to watch more related videos.
    • Link: Available to members of the YouTube Partner Programme, this card allows you to link to an external website. Ensure your linked external website complies with YouTube’s policies, including the Community Guidelines and Terms of Service.
    • Channel: This card links to a YouTube channel, enabling your viewers to explore or subscribe to other channels. This is a great option to credit a collaborator or recommend another channel to your audience.
youtube studio channel card
  1. Set the Card’s Start Time: Below the video, you’ll find an option to change the start time for the card. This determines when the card will pop up during your video.
  2. Add an Optional Message and Teaser Text: You can include a custom message and teaser text about the card. For channel cards, these fields are mandatory.
  3. Save Changes: Once you’ve customized your card, click Save to finalize the changes.

You can see the result in this video… look to the top right to see my channel link to Martech Zone on YouTube.

Note: There are some restrictions:

  • YouTube Info Cards are unavailable for videos set as Made for Kids.
  • Your cards will not be shown if your video has been claimed by Content ID and the content owner has set up a campaign.
  • Videos displaying cards will not show a Call-to-Action overlay.

Douglas Karr

Douglas Karr is CMO of OpenINSIGHTS and the founder of the Martech Zone. Douglas has helped dozens of successful MarTech startups, has assisted in the due diligence of over $5 bil in Martech acquisitions and investments, and continues to assist companies in implementing and automating their sales and marketing strategies. Douglas is an internationally recognized digital transformation and MarTech expert and speaker. Douglas is also a published author of a Dummie's guide and a business leadership book.

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