Youtube Cards Guide

What is a YouTube Card?

YouTube cards are an interactive feature that YouTube Studio offers to the creators. YouTube cards appear on YouTube videos and contain clickable links. These links often prompt the viewers to take action by steering them toward relevant information or material that might be interesting to them. The links in the YouTube cards may direct the viewer to other videos, video playlists, YouTube channel pages, or third-party websites.

Though usually used at the end of the videos to help viewers discover more content, YouTube cards can actually be used at any point of the video to add interactivity to the video.

Are YouTube cards effective?

There are various ways for creators to make their videos more enjoyable and engaging for their viewers. Options are as extensive as the creator’s imagination: You may use royalty-free music in your videos, add visual effects, or skillfully place royalty-free sound effects to keep your viewers on the edge of their seats. YouTube Studio itself offers its creators a lot of options to improve engagement and enhance the viewing experience as well. These include interactive features such as end screens, watermarks, and cards.

YouTube cards are great tools to complement your videos and improve the viewer experience by giving them actionable options. Using cards on your YouTube videos can help you reach more viewers and keep them engaged. With cards, you can link to other videos, playlists, and websites, which can help direct viewers to more content and help them find what they’re looking for. Cards can also be used to direct viewers to subscription pages, merch stores, and other websites.

YouTube cards are easy to make and use, making them an excellent tool for any YouTube channel. With YouTube channel cards, you can create an enjoyable experience for your viewers and help increase your channel's engagement.

How do you use cards on YouTube?

Creating a YouTube card is simple! Here is how you can create a card for your YouTube video in a few steps:

First, sign in to the YouTube Studio.
Select “Content” from the menu you see on the left.
Then choose which video you may like to add a card to and click to edit.
From the menu on the left, select “Editor.”
Select the type of card you’d like to add to your video.
Finally, select a start time for your card to appear from below the video.
If you have a message or a teaser text that you want to appear on your card, don’t forget to type it down. Note that the teaser texts are compulsory for channel cards but optional for all others.
Are you ready to go? Then, click “Save” and you are done!

How do you make a YouTube channel card?

You can add up to 5 different cards to each video. YouTube presents you with a few options when it comes to adding cards to your videos. Though essentially similar, different card templates may supply you with different ways to engage with your audience — they may also come with different limitations.

Channel cards are one of the five templated options offered by YouTube. Here are all of the types of cards you may choose from while adding your cards to your videos:

Video: You may direct your viewers to a YouTube video, this video does not have to be your own content, but it has to be a public video.
Playlist: You may suggest your viewers watch a public YouTube playlist.
Channel: You may link a YouTube channel for your viewers to engage with. This is a great way to give another fellow creator a friendly boost and let your audience discover more from YouTube!
Link: You can give a link to a third-party website as well, but for that, you need to be in the YouTube Partner Program. While adding an external link to your YouTube video make sure that the webpage you are linking complies with YouTube’s policies to avoid unfortunate repercussions.

How will the viewers see your cards?

When watching your video, viewers will see the teasers for your cards on the right-hand side of the video in a desktop setting, and below the video in a mobile setting. The viewers are also able to browse the cards you’ve created for the video when the teasers are not showing. To do that, they will have to click the card icon within the player controls. Your viewers would be able to browse cards and learn more about what action the card is prompting them to take by either clicking on your card teasers or the card icon mentioned earlier. Remember that cards are not going to be visible for videos that are set as “made for kids.”