This feature is available to viewers on computers, Android devices running version 10.09 and up, as well as iOS versions 10.07 and higher.
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You can use cards to add interactivity to your videos. Cards can point viewers to a specific URL (from a list of eligible sites) and show customized images, titles, and calls to action, depending on the card type.
Note:
Your account needs to be in
good standing
to display cards on your video.
Choose a type of card
Before you add cards, learn what types of cards you can show on your video.
Link to another public YouTube video or playlist that viewers might be interested in. You can also link to a specific time in a video or to an individual video in a playlist by entering a video or playlist URL directly.
Link to a channel that you'd like to call out to your viewers. For example, you can use this type of card to thank the channel for their contribution to your video or for a general recommendation.
Associated website cards
Link directly to your associated website from your video. If you haven't used associated website annotations before, you'll need to accept the Terms & Conditions during the set up.
Merchandise cards
Promote licensed merchandise directly from your video. If you haven't used
merchandise annotations before, you'll need to accept the Terms & Conditions during the set up.
Since iTunes isn't supported on Android devices, merchandise cards linking to iTunes won't be shown on Android devices.
Crowdfunding cards
Let your fans show their appreciation for your videos by making a monetary contribution directly on the video page.
Understand how viewers interact with cards
Cards are designed to complement videos and enhance the viewer experience with contextually relevant information. As the system evolves, we plan to optimize it to surface the most relevant teasers and cards based on performance, viewer behavior and the device they are using.
When a viewer is watching your video, they'll see a teaser for the time that you designate:
When the teaser isn't showing, viewers can hover over the player on desktop or whenever the player controls are showing on mobile and see the card icon
.
When they click the teaser or the icon, they'll be able to browse all of the cards on the video.
Cards are shown on the right-hand side of the video on desktop and below the video on mobile. If there are multiple cards on a video, viewers can scroll through them while the video is playing.
Set up cards on videos
You can add up to 5 cards to one video. Make sure to follow our tips for creating successful cards.
- On a computer signed into your account, go to your
Video Manager.
- Find the video you want to add cards to and select
Edit.
- In the tab bar at the top, select
Cards.
- Select
Add card.
- Next to the type of card you want to add, select
Create. If you haven't done so previously, for some link types select
Enable
first to accept the Terms & Conditions.
- Enter the URL where you want viewers to be sent from the card.
- Upload an image or select one of the suggestions from the site if applicable.
- Uploads need to be in .jpg, .gif, or .png format and no larger than 5MB. Keep in mind that this image will be cropped to be square.
- If applicable, edit the title, call to action, and any other applicable text to fit in the allowed character count.
- Select
Create card.
Tip: You can adjust the start time for the card teaser in the timeline below the video.
Press the left or right arrow on your keyboard to move the card teaser by 100 milliseconds or press SHIFT + left or right arrow to move the card teaser by 1,000 milliseconds (1 second).
If you need to edit your cards in the future, just go to the Cards tab and select the Edit icon next to the card you want to change.
Cards work better when they're not too close to each other, so try spacing them out. If you're in a video, don't point to a card within your video since cards might show differently on different devices.
If your video has been claimed by Content ID and the content owner has
set up a campaign, any cards set up by the creator won't be displayed on the video. Learn more about
Content ID.
Videos displaying cards will not show a
Call-to-Action overlay.
