Discover 7 Essential Free Audio Tracks for YouTubers

7 Places to Find Royalty Free Sound Effects for YouTube Videos

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Sound effects can add a lot of excitement to your videos. Sometimes they are even used for comedic effect. For example, you might use a fake slap sound in a slapstick comedy sketch. Other times sound effects can be more subtle. You might want to add city noises to the background of your video to help set your scene, or a droning sound to build suspense. A lot of the most popular free sound effects are related to the genres of science fiction or action.

• Part 1: Three Types of Sound Effects
• Part 2: Royalty-Free Sound Effects for Your YouTube Videos
• Part 3: Free Sound Effects and Music in Filmora

Part 1: Three Types of Sound Effects

1. Without License

When you want to download sound effects for YouTube, the licensed ones cannot be used, but there are a few that do not hold a license and can be easily downloaded from the website. The quality might be poor to some extent, but you may use the sound effects without a license in any product or video.

2. Creative Commons License

The sound effects under the CC license need to be checked for their type. There are some vlog sound effects that can be used for personal projects free but not for commercial ones. There are a few sound effects that might just require attribution or credit to the creator and cannot be modified in any way.

3. Royalty-free license

You may download sound effects for YouTube by purchasing the licensed sound effects that a professional offers. When you purchase it, you will get high-quality sound, and you may use it on one or more projects, irrespective of personal or commercial types.

Where can you get free sound effects and edit audios at the same time? Just try Filmora for free!

Part 2: Royalty-Free Sound Effects for Your YouTube Videos

This article will introduce you to the six best sites to find royalty-free sound effects and explain their terms of use.

1.YouTube Audio Library – Free!

Besides royalty-free music, the YouTube Audio Library also has sound effects that you can download for free. The sound effects in YouTube’s library are organized into categories. You can select a category, i.e ‘sci-fi’, from the drop-down menu next to the search bar and browse through just the types of sounds you are interested in. You can also favorite sounds you like so you can find them again easily.

The sound effects you download from YouTube’s library can be used as many times as you like and in as many different projects. Monetizing your videos will not impact your ability to use these sound effects either. Some other sources of sound effects have different rules about monetizing or using sound effects in multiple projects.

2.Freesound – Free!

Freesound.org is a huge database of royalty-free sound effects and other audio files. All downloads are free, but there are conditions for using some of the sounds on Freesound. There are three different Creative Commons licenses uses on Freesound and which one applies to the sound effect you want depends on the user who posted it.

The three licenses used on Freesound are Zero, Attribution, and Attribution-Noncommercial.

Zero (cc0): you can do anything you want with these sound effects except claim that you created them. You can make money off of them and you do not have to credit the original creator.

Attribution (by): you should credit the creator of the sound. Usually, this means adding a ‘Sound effect by Username on Freesound’ line in the description of your video. So long as you credit the artists you can do anything with these sounds, even monetize the videos you use them in.

Attribution-Noncommercial (by –nc): you must credit the creators of these sound effects and you cannot make money off of them. This means that you cannot monetize a video in which you used these sound effects.

Freesound is a social site where you can talk to the creators of the sounds you want to download. If you are planning to monetize a video that uses an Attribution-Noncommercial sound effect you can always ask the artist for permission.

I’ve also found a YouTube video that explains the Creative Commons in detail. You can watch it below.

3.AudioJungle - $1 and Up

AudioJungle.net has a wide selection of royalty-free sound effects available for prices as low as $1. Sound effects costing more than $10 tend to either be longer or include whole sets of sounds. You can filter the sounds on AudioJungle by category, tags, and price while you browse.

There are two different licenses you can purchase on AudioJungle, SFX Single Use, and SFX Multi-Use. The prices displayed are all for the Single Use license. The Multi-Use license costs more.

The main difference between the two licenses on AudioJungle is how many projects you can use your sound effect in. If you purchase a sound under a Single-Use license you can only use it in one project. You can use it as many times as you want within that project, and you can even make money off of that project, but you cannot use it again in a second project unless you repurchase it. While it is more expensive, the Multi-Use license gives you unlimited use of your download.

If you decide to use sound effects from any of these sites then please make sure to read their more detailed legal information.

4.Free Sound Effects

The Free Sound Effects lets you access free as well as licensed sound effects. If you want to download sound effects for YouTube videos, the legally licensed soundtracks with high-quality effects can be selected from the Pro Sound Effects sections. These are royalty-free sound effects.

It requires a one-time fee and you get access to use the sound effects as many times you want for your projects. But, if you are not really serious and just creating videos out of fun, you may also try the free sound effects like animals, applause, cars, etc. to ensure good vlog sound effects that can give life to your vlog.

5.Soundsnap

Whether you wish to spice up your games videos or make the notification alerts hilarious, the Soundsnap app lets you download some of the most amazing sound effects. It is the best platform to search and also share the free vlog sound effects or loops legally. Soundsnap offers original sound effects created by the users and not the edited or mixed sounds that you find in usual commercial libraries. It features above 200,000 loops and sound effects created by expert and knowledgeable music producers and sound engineers.

6.PacDV Free Sound Effects

Now, you may create vlog sound effects from this royalty-free library of sounds produced by film students, multimedia developers, sound designers, music producers, etc. On the PacDV Free Sound Effects site, you can find free sound clips that have been used in a number of films, television programs, and videos.

You may definitely enjoy downloading sound effects for YouTube from this site completely free but cannot sell it or re-license it to anyone for your benefit. It must be used by you for your video only. The sound clips must not be put on site for download or link to other sound files.

Part 3: Get Free Sound Effects for YouTube Video in Filmora

If you’re using the Filmora video editor to produce YouTube videos, then you have a free sound effect library already. You can find them in the Audio library (shown below).

There are currently 25 different sound effects available, varying from animal, machine, people, sci-fi, and ambiance. After adding the sound effect to the timeline, you can change the speed to make the sound sounds fun.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Sound effects can add a lot of excitement to your videos. Sometimes they are even used for comedic effect. For example, you might use a fake slap sound in a slapstick comedy sketch. Other times sound effects can be more subtle. You might want to add city noises to the background of your video to help set your scene, or a droning sound to build suspense. A lot of the most popular free sound effects are related to the genres of science fiction or action.

• Part 1: Three Types of Sound Effects
• Part 2: Royalty-Free Sound Effects for Your YouTube Videos
• Part 3: Free Sound Effects and Music in Filmora

Part 1: Three Types of Sound Effects

1. Without License

When you want to download sound effects for YouTube, the licensed ones cannot be used, but there are a few that do not hold a license and can be easily downloaded from the website. The quality might be poor to some extent, but you may use the sound effects without a license in any product or video.

2. Creative Commons License

The sound effects under the CC license need to be checked for their type. There are some vlog sound effects that can be used for personal projects free but not for commercial ones. There are a few sound effects that might just require attribution or credit to the creator and cannot be modified in any way.

3. Royalty-free license

You may download sound effects for YouTube by purchasing the licensed sound effects that a professional offers. When you purchase it, you will get high-quality sound, and you may use it on one or more projects, irrespective of personal or commercial types.

Where can you get free sound effects and edit audios at the same time? Just try Filmora for free!

Part 2: Royalty-Free Sound Effects for Your YouTube Videos

This article will introduce you to the six best sites to find royalty-free sound effects and explain their terms of use.

1.YouTube Audio Library – Free!

Besides royalty-free music, the YouTube Audio Library also has sound effects that you can download for free. The sound effects in YouTube’s library are organized into categories. You can select a category, i.e ‘sci-fi’, from the drop-down menu next to the search bar and browse through just the types of sounds you are interested in. You can also favorite sounds you like so you can find them again easily.

The sound effects you download from YouTube’s library can be used as many times as you like and in as many different projects. Monetizing your videos will not impact your ability to use these sound effects either. Some other sources of sound effects have different rules about monetizing or using sound effects in multiple projects.

2.Freesound – Free!

Freesound.org is a huge database of royalty-free sound effects and other audio files. All downloads are free, but there are conditions for using some of the sounds on Freesound. There are three different Creative Commons licenses uses on Freesound and which one applies to the sound effect you want depends on the user who posted it.

The three licenses used on Freesound are Zero, Attribution, and Attribution-Noncommercial.

Zero (cc0): you can do anything you want with these sound effects except claim that you created them. You can make money off of them and you do not have to credit the original creator.

Attribution (by): you should credit the creator of the sound. Usually, this means adding a ‘Sound effect by Username on Freesound’ line in the description of your video. So long as you credit the artists you can do anything with these sounds, even monetize the videos you use them in.

Attribution-Noncommercial (by –nc): you must credit the creators of these sound effects and you cannot make money off of them. This means that you cannot monetize a video in which you used these sound effects.

Freesound is a social site where you can talk to the creators of the sounds you want to download. If you are planning to monetize a video that uses an Attribution-Noncommercial sound effect you can always ask the artist for permission.

I’ve also found a YouTube video that explains the Creative Commons in detail. You can watch it below.

3.AudioJungle - $1 and Up

AudioJungle.net has a wide selection of royalty-free sound effects available for prices as low as $1. Sound effects costing more than $10 tend to either be longer or include whole sets of sounds. You can filter the sounds on AudioJungle by category, tags, and price while you browse.

There are two different licenses you can purchase on AudioJungle, SFX Single Use, and SFX Multi-Use. The prices displayed are all for the Single Use license. The Multi-Use license costs more.

The main difference between the two licenses on AudioJungle is how many projects you can use your sound effect in. If you purchase a sound under a Single-Use license you can only use it in one project. You can use it as many times as you want within that project, and you can even make money off of that project, but you cannot use it again in a second project unless you repurchase it. While it is more expensive, the Multi-Use license gives you unlimited use of your download.

If you decide to use sound effects from any of these sites then please make sure to read their more detailed legal information.

4.Free Sound Effects

The Free Sound Effects lets you access free as well as licensed sound effects. If you want to download sound effects for YouTube videos, the legally licensed soundtracks with high-quality effects can be selected from the Pro Sound Effects sections. These are royalty-free sound effects.

It requires a one-time fee and you get access to use the sound effects as many times you want for your projects. But, if you are not really serious and just creating videos out of fun, you may also try the free sound effects like animals, applause, cars, etc. to ensure good vlog sound effects that can give life to your vlog.

5.Soundsnap

Whether you wish to spice up your games videos or make the notification alerts hilarious, the Soundsnap app lets you download some of the most amazing sound effects. It is the best platform to search and also share the free vlog sound effects or loops legally. Soundsnap offers original sound effects created by the users and not the edited or mixed sounds that you find in usual commercial libraries. It features above 200,000 loops and sound effects created by expert and knowledgeable music producers and sound engineers.

6.PacDV Free Sound Effects

Now, you may create vlog sound effects from this royalty-free library of sounds produced by film students, multimedia developers, sound designers, music producers, etc. On the PacDV Free Sound Effects site, you can find free sound clips that have been used in a number of films, television programs, and videos.

You may definitely enjoy downloading sound effects for YouTube from this site completely free but cannot sell it or re-license it to anyone for your benefit. It must be used by you for your video only. The sound clips must not be put on site for download or link to other sound files.

Part 3: Get Free Sound Effects for YouTube Video in Filmora

If you’re using the Filmora video editor to produce YouTube videos, then you have a free sound effect library already. You can find them in the Audio library (shown below).

There are currently 25 different sound effects available, varying from animal, machine, people, sci-fi, and ambiance. After adding the sound effect to the timeline, you can change the speed to make the sound sounds fun.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Sound effects can add a lot of excitement to your videos. Sometimes they are even used for comedic effect. For example, you might use a fake slap sound in a slapstick comedy sketch. Other times sound effects can be more subtle. You might want to add city noises to the background of your video to help set your scene, or a droning sound to build suspense. A lot of the most popular free sound effects are related to the genres of science fiction or action.

• Part 1: Three Types of Sound Effects
• Part 2: Royalty-Free Sound Effects for Your YouTube Videos
• Part 3: Free Sound Effects and Music in Filmora

Part 1: Three Types of Sound Effects

1. Without License

When you want to download sound effects for YouTube, the licensed ones cannot be used, but there are a few that do not hold a license and can be easily downloaded from the website. The quality might be poor to some extent, but you may use the sound effects without a license in any product or video.

2. Creative Commons License

The sound effects under the CC license need to be checked for their type. There are some vlog sound effects that can be used for personal projects free but not for commercial ones. There are a few sound effects that might just require attribution or credit to the creator and cannot be modified in any way.

3. Royalty-free license

You may download sound effects for YouTube by purchasing the licensed sound effects that a professional offers. When you purchase it, you will get high-quality sound, and you may use it on one or more projects, irrespective of personal or commercial types.

Where can you get free sound effects and edit audios at the same time? Just try Filmora for free!

Part 2: Royalty-Free Sound Effects for Your YouTube Videos

This article will introduce you to the six best sites to find royalty-free sound effects and explain their terms of use.

1.YouTube Audio Library – Free!

Besides royalty-free music, the YouTube Audio Library also has sound effects that you can download for free. The sound effects in YouTube’s library are organized into categories. You can select a category, i.e ‘sci-fi’, from the drop-down menu next to the search bar and browse through just the types of sounds you are interested in. You can also favorite sounds you like so you can find them again easily.

The sound effects you download from YouTube’s library can be used as many times as you like and in as many different projects. Monetizing your videos will not impact your ability to use these sound effects either. Some other sources of sound effects have different rules about monetizing or using sound effects in multiple projects.

2.Freesound – Free!

Freesound.org is a huge database of royalty-free sound effects and other audio files. All downloads are free, but there are conditions for using some of the sounds on Freesound. There are three different Creative Commons licenses uses on Freesound and which one applies to the sound effect you want depends on the user who posted it.

The three licenses used on Freesound are Zero, Attribution, and Attribution-Noncommercial.

Zero (cc0): you can do anything you want with these sound effects except claim that you created them. You can make money off of them and you do not have to credit the original creator.

Attribution (by): you should credit the creator of the sound. Usually, this means adding a ‘Sound effect by Username on Freesound’ line in the description of your video. So long as you credit the artists you can do anything with these sounds, even monetize the videos you use them in.

Attribution-Noncommercial (by –nc): you must credit the creators of these sound effects and you cannot make money off of them. This means that you cannot monetize a video in which you used these sound effects.

Freesound is a social site where you can talk to the creators of the sounds you want to download. If you are planning to monetize a video that uses an Attribution-Noncommercial sound effect you can always ask the artist for permission.

I’ve also found a YouTube video that explains the Creative Commons in detail. You can watch it below.

3.AudioJungle - $1 and Up

AudioJungle.net has a wide selection of royalty-free sound effects available for prices as low as $1. Sound effects costing more than $10 tend to either be longer or include whole sets of sounds. You can filter the sounds on AudioJungle by category, tags, and price while you browse.

There are two different licenses you can purchase on AudioJungle, SFX Single Use, and SFX Multi-Use. The prices displayed are all for the Single Use license. The Multi-Use license costs more.

The main difference between the two licenses on AudioJungle is how many projects you can use your sound effect in. If you purchase a sound under a Single-Use license you can only use it in one project. You can use it as many times as you want within that project, and you can even make money off of that project, but you cannot use it again in a second project unless you repurchase it. While it is more expensive, the Multi-Use license gives you unlimited use of your download.

If you decide to use sound effects from any of these sites then please make sure to read their more detailed legal information.

4.Free Sound Effects

The Free Sound Effects lets you access free as well as licensed sound effects. If you want to download sound effects for YouTube videos, the legally licensed soundtracks with high-quality effects can be selected from the Pro Sound Effects sections. These are royalty-free sound effects.

It requires a one-time fee and you get access to use the sound effects as many times you want for your projects. But, if you are not really serious and just creating videos out of fun, you may also try the free sound effects like animals, applause, cars, etc. to ensure good vlog sound effects that can give life to your vlog.

5.Soundsnap

Whether you wish to spice up your games videos or make the notification alerts hilarious, the Soundsnap app lets you download some of the most amazing sound effects. It is the best platform to search and also share the free vlog sound effects or loops legally. Soundsnap offers original sound effects created by the users and not the edited or mixed sounds that you find in usual commercial libraries. It features above 200,000 loops and sound effects created by expert and knowledgeable music producers and sound engineers.

6.PacDV Free Sound Effects

Now, you may create vlog sound effects from this royalty-free library of sounds produced by film students, multimedia developers, sound designers, music producers, etc. On the PacDV Free Sound Effects site, you can find free sound clips that have been used in a number of films, television programs, and videos.

You may definitely enjoy downloading sound effects for YouTube from this site completely free but cannot sell it or re-license it to anyone for your benefit. It must be used by you for your video only. The sound clips must not be put on site for download or link to other sound files.

Part 3: Get Free Sound Effects for YouTube Video in Filmora

If you’re using the Filmora video editor to produce YouTube videos, then you have a free sound effect library already. You can find them in the Audio library (shown below).

There are currently 25 different sound effects available, varying from animal, machine, people, sci-fi, and ambiance. After adding the sound effect to the timeline, you can change the speed to make the sound sounds fun.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Sound effects can add a lot of excitement to your videos. Sometimes they are even used for comedic effect. For example, you might use a fake slap sound in a slapstick comedy sketch. Other times sound effects can be more subtle. You might want to add city noises to the background of your video to help set your scene, or a droning sound to build suspense. A lot of the most popular free sound effects are related to the genres of science fiction or action.

• Part 1: Three Types of Sound Effects
• Part 2: Royalty-Free Sound Effects for Your YouTube Videos
• Part 3: Free Sound Effects and Music in Filmora

Part 1: Three Types of Sound Effects

1. Without License

When you want to download sound effects for YouTube, the licensed ones cannot be used, but there are a few that do not hold a license and can be easily downloaded from the website. The quality might be poor to some extent, but you may use the sound effects without a license in any product or video.

2. Creative Commons License

The sound effects under the CC license need to be checked for their type. There are some vlog sound effects that can be used for personal projects free but not for commercial ones. There are a few sound effects that might just require attribution or credit to the creator and cannot be modified in any way.

3. Royalty-free license

You may download sound effects for YouTube by purchasing the licensed sound effects that a professional offers. When you purchase it, you will get high-quality sound, and you may use it on one or more projects, irrespective of personal or commercial types.

Where can you get free sound effects and edit audios at the same time? Just try Filmora for free!

Part 2: Royalty-Free Sound Effects for Your YouTube Videos

This article will introduce you to the six best sites to find royalty-free sound effects and explain their terms of use.

1.YouTube Audio Library – Free!

Besides royalty-free music, the YouTube Audio Library also has sound effects that you can download for free. The sound effects in YouTube’s library are organized into categories. You can select a category, i.e ‘sci-fi’, from the drop-down menu next to the search bar and browse through just the types of sounds you are interested in. You can also favorite sounds you like so you can find them again easily.

The sound effects you download from YouTube’s library can be used as many times as you like and in as many different projects. Monetizing your videos will not impact your ability to use these sound effects either. Some other sources of sound effects have different rules about monetizing or using sound effects in multiple projects.

2.Freesound – Free!

Freesound.org is a huge database of royalty-free sound effects and other audio files. All downloads are free, but there are conditions for using some of the sounds on Freesound. There are three different Creative Commons licenses uses on Freesound and which one applies to the sound effect you want depends on the user who posted it.

The three licenses used on Freesound are Zero, Attribution, and Attribution-Noncommercial.

Zero (cc0): you can do anything you want with these sound effects except claim that you created them. You can make money off of them and you do not have to credit the original creator.

Attribution (by): you should credit the creator of the sound. Usually, this means adding a ‘Sound effect by Username on Freesound’ line in the description of your video. So long as you credit the artists you can do anything with these sounds, even monetize the videos you use them in.

Attribution-Noncommercial (by –nc): you must credit the creators of these sound effects and you cannot make money off of them. This means that you cannot monetize a video in which you used these sound effects.

Freesound is a social site where you can talk to the creators of the sounds you want to download. If you are planning to monetize a video that uses an Attribution-Noncommercial sound effect you can always ask the artist for permission.

I’ve also found a YouTube video that explains the Creative Commons in detail. You can watch it below.

3.AudioJungle - $1 and Up

AudioJungle.net has a wide selection of royalty-free sound effects available for prices as low as $1. Sound effects costing more than $10 tend to either be longer or include whole sets of sounds. You can filter the sounds on AudioJungle by category, tags, and price while you browse.

There are two different licenses you can purchase on AudioJungle, SFX Single Use, and SFX Multi-Use. The prices displayed are all for the Single Use license. The Multi-Use license costs more.

The main difference between the two licenses on AudioJungle is how many projects you can use your sound effect in. If you purchase a sound under a Single-Use license you can only use it in one project. You can use it as many times as you want within that project, and you can even make money off of that project, but you cannot use it again in a second project unless you repurchase it. While it is more expensive, the Multi-Use license gives you unlimited use of your download.

If you decide to use sound effects from any of these sites then please make sure to read their more detailed legal information.

4.Free Sound Effects

The Free Sound Effects lets you access free as well as licensed sound effects. If you want to download sound effects for YouTube videos, the legally licensed soundtracks with high-quality effects can be selected from the Pro Sound Effects sections. These are royalty-free sound effects.

It requires a one-time fee and you get access to use the sound effects as many times you want for your projects. But, if you are not really serious and just creating videos out of fun, you may also try the free sound effects like animals, applause, cars, etc. to ensure good vlog sound effects that can give life to your vlog.

5.Soundsnap

Whether you wish to spice up your games videos or make the notification alerts hilarious, the Soundsnap app lets you download some of the most amazing sound effects. It is the best platform to search and also share the free vlog sound effects or loops legally. Soundsnap offers original sound effects created by the users and not the edited or mixed sounds that you find in usual commercial libraries. It features above 200,000 loops and sound effects created by expert and knowledgeable music producers and sound engineers.

6.PacDV Free Sound Effects

Now, you may create vlog sound effects from this royalty-free library of sounds produced by film students, multimedia developers, sound designers, music producers, etc. On the PacDV Free Sound Effects site, you can find free sound clips that have been used in a number of films, television programs, and videos.

You may definitely enjoy downloading sound effects for YouTube from this site completely free but cannot sell it or re-license it to anyone for your benefit. It must be used by you for your video only. The sound clips must not be put on site for download or link to other sound files.

Part 3: Get Free Sound Effects for YouTube Video in Filmora

If you’re using the Filmora video editor to produce YouTube videos, then you have a free sound effect library already. You can find them in the Audio library (shown below).

There are currently 25 different sound effects available, varying from animal, machine, people, sci-fi, and ambiance. After adding the sound effect to the timeline, you can change the speed to make the sound sounds fun.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Stepwise Approach to Implementing YouTube Cards & Annotations

How to Use YouTube Cards and Annotations?

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube Annotations and Cards are both tools for linking viewers to your other videos or to off-YouTube webpages. Two of the major differences between them are:

Annotations are not clickable on mobile devices.

You cannot choose the size or positioning of Cards.

This article will teach you about both Cards and Annotations and discuss the best uses for each of them.

Part 1: Annotations

Annotations are messages that float overtop of your videos in the YouTube player. Usually, annotations are clickable and take users to other content created by you.

Section 1: Types of Annotations

There are five types of YouTube annotations:

Notes are colored boxes placed over the top of your videos.

Speech Bubbles look like dialogue boxes in a comic strip. They have tails that you can adjust so it looks like one of the people in your video is saying what is written in the annotation.

Spotlights have a subtle border and are completely clear inside. Your text only appears when a viewer’s cursor hovers over top of these annotations.

Labels are like spotlights except that viewers do not have to hover over them for your text to be visible.

Any of these annotations can be used to link viewers to other videos, or as subscribe links. You can also add a simple Title to your video through the Annotations menu.

Section 2: How to Use Annotations

*Note: the above video mentions Pause annotations, which are no longer available.

Here are two of the best uses for annotations:

Clickable End Cards / Outros

One of the best ways you can use spotlight annotations is to create clickable end cards for your videos.

When your video finishes playing the YouTube player will display a selection of suggested videos that might direct viewers away from your channel. You can keep more of these viewers watching your content by creating your own ‘suggested videos’ card and putting it at the end of your videos.

Put thumbnails of two or three of your other videos on your end card, or use ‘picture-in-picture’ to actually imbed footage from them. Then, after you upload your video, go in and place clickable spotlight annotations over top of your video thumbnails.

This is one use for annotations that cannot be duplicated with cards.

Promoting Your Videos

You should not wait until the end of your video to start linking viewers to other content. Many viewers will click away before they see your end card because your video is not exactly what they were looking for. By placing note or speech bubble annotations occasionally throughout your videos you can catch some of these people before they click off of your channel.

This works especially well if you link to videos on similar subjects to the one you are annotating.

Instead of just linking to another video of yours, try to link to that video on a playlist. Once a viewer is on a playlist your videos will auto-play after each other, which is good for both your view count and watch time.

You can also use the newer YouTube Cards for this, but Annotations might still be a better choice because viewers only need to click once vs. twice for Cards.

Try both and see which performs best for your channel. It might be in your best interest to keep on using both as they target different audiences – Cards are clickable on mobile devices, for example, but Annotations are not.

Part 2: YouTube Cards

YouTube Cards are newer than annotations and a lot of people believe they will one day replace Annotations. While there are benefits to Cards – like embedding images to represent your links – you cannot choose the shape, size, or placement of them. This means they have limited uses.

When viewers click on a Card they are shown additional information and a thumbnail representing the page they will be taken to if they choose to click again. This extra step could be either help viewers decide to click your links or give them a second chance to decide they would rather not.

Section 1: When to Use Cards

A linked Annotation is simply a call to action viewers can click on. A Card is a call to action as well, but instead of taking the viewer directly to where its link leads when it is clicked a Card opens up into a larger version of itself with a thumbnail image.

Crowdfunding pages (Patreon is a great choice for video creators), charity fundraising pages, and merchandise stores are all examples of links that benefit from the format of YouTube Cards.

When you link a viewer to a non-YouTube page you break up their session time, which negatively impacts your watch time and SEO ranking. You want to make sure that the viewers you are directing away from YouTube are the ones most likely to convert after they leave. By ‘convert’ we mean to contribute to your Patreon campaign, donate to the charity you are promoting, or buy some of your merchandise.

Giving viewers more information and a thumbnail through a Card can help ensure the most interested viewers are the ones clicking your links.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Filmora, which is equipped with its own footage stock Wondershare Filmstock and will definitely enhance your productivity and helps you to make money by making videos much easier.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube Annotations and Cards are both tools for linking viewers to your other videos or to off-YouTube webpages. Two of the major differences between them are:

Annotations are not clickable on mobile devices.

You cannot choose the size or positioning of Cards.

This article will teach you about both Cards and Annotations and discuss the best uses for each of them.

Part 1: Annotations

Annotations are messages that float overtop of your videos in the YouTube player. Usually, annotations are clickable and take users to other content created by you.

Section 1: Types of Annotations

There are five types of YouTube annotations:

Notes are colored boxes placed over the top of your videos.

Speech Bubbles look like dialogue boxes in a comic strip. They have tails that you can adjust so it looks like one of the people in your video is saying what is written in the annotation.

Spotlights have a subtle border and are completely clear inside. Your text only appears when a viewer’s cursor hovers over top of these annotations.

Labels are like spotlights except that viewers do not have to hover over them for your text to be visible.

Any of these annotations can be used to link viewers to other videos, or as subscribe links. You can also add a simple Title to your video through the Annotations menu.

Section 2: How to Use Annotations

*Note: the above video mentions Pause annotations, which are no longer available.

Here are two of the best uses for annotations:

Clickable End Cards / Outros

One of the best ways you can use spotlight annotations is to create clickable end cards for your videos.

When your video finishes playing the YouTube player will display a selection of suggested videos that might direct viewers away from your channel. You can keep more of these viewers watching your content by creating your own ‘suggested videos’ card and putting it at the end of your videos.

Put thumbnails of two or three of your other videos on your end card, or use ‘picture-in-picture’ to actually imbed footage from them. Then, after you upload your video, go in and place clickable spotlight annotations over top of your video thumbnails.

This is one use for annotations that cannot be duplicated with cards.

Promoting Your Videos

You should not wait until the end of your video to start linking viewers to other content. Many viewers will click away before they see your end card because your video is not exactly what they were looking for. By placing note or speech bubble annotations occasionally throughout your videos you can catch some of these people before they click off of your channel.

This works especially well if you link to videos on similar subjects to the one you are annotating.

Instead of just linking to another video of yours, try to link to that video on a playlist. Once a viewer is on a playlist your videos will auto-play after each other, which is good for both your view count and watch time.

You can also use the newer YouTube Cards for this, but Annotations might still be a better choice because viewers only need to click once vs. twice for Cards.

Try both and see which performs best for your channel. It might be in your best interest to keep on using both as they target different audiences – Cards are clickable on mobile devices, for example, but Annotations are not.

Part 2: YouTube Cards

YouTube Cards are newer than annotations and a lot of people believe they will one day replace Annotations. While there are benefits to Cards – like embedding images to represent your links – you cannot choose the shape, size, or placement of them. This means they have limited uses.

When viewers click on a Card they are shown additional information and a thumbnail representing the page they will be taken to if they choose to click again. This extra step could be either help viewers decide to click your links or give them a second chance to decide they would rather not.

Section 1: When to Use Cards

A linked Annotation is simply a call to action viewers can click on. A Card is a call to action as well, but instead of taking the viewer directly to where its link leads when it is clicked a Card opens up into a larger version of itself with a thumbnail image.

Crowdfunding pages (Patreon is a great choice for video creators), charity fundraising pages, and merchandise stores are all examples of links that benefit from the format of YouTube Cards.

When you link a viewer to a non-YouTube page you break up their session time, which negatively impacts your watch time and SEO ranking. You want to make sure that the viewers you are directing away from YouTube are the ones most likely to convert after they leave. By ‘convert’ we mean to contribute to your Patreon campaign, donate to the charity you are promoting, or buy some of your merchandise.

Giving viewers more information and a thumbnail through a Card can help ensure the most interested viewers are the ones clicking your links.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Filmora, which is equipped with its own footage stock Wondershare Filmstock and will definitely enhance your productivity and helps you to make money by making videos much easier.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube Annotations and Cards are both tools for linking viewers to your other videos or to off-YouTube webpages. Two of the major differences between them are:

Annotations are not clickable on mobile devices.

You cannot choose the size or positioning of Cards.

This article will teach you about both Cards and Annotations and discuss the best uses for each of them.

Part 1: Annotations

Annotations are messages that float overtop of your videos in the YouTube player. Usually, annotations are clickable and take users to other content created by you.

Section 1: Types of Annotations

There are five types of YouTube annotations:

Notes are colored boxes placed over the top of your videos.

Speech Bubbles look like dialogue boxes in a comic strip. They have tails that you can adjust so it looks like one of the people in your video is saying what is written in the annotation.

Spotlights have a subtle border and are completely clear inside. Your text only appears when a viewer’s cursor hovers over top of these annotations.

Labels are like spotlights except that viewers do not have to hover over them for your text to be visible.

Any of these annotations can be used to link viewers to other videos, or as subscribe links. You can also add a simple Title to your video through the Annotations menu.

Section 2: How to Use Annotations

*Note: the above video mentions Pause annotations, which are no longer available.

Here are two of the best uses for annotations:

Clickable End Cards / Outros

One of the best ways you can use spotlight annotations is to create clickable end cards for your videos.

When your video finishes playing the YouTube player will display a selection of suggested videos that might direct viewers away from your channel. You can keep more of these viewers watching your content by creating your own ‘suggested videos’ card and putting it at the end of your videos.

Put thumbnails of two or three of your other videos on your end card, or use ‘picture-in-picture’ to actually imbed footage from them. Then, after you upload your video, go in and place clickable spotlight annotations over top of your video thumbnails.

This is one use for annotations that cannot be duplicated with cards.

Promoting Your Videos

You should not wait until the end of your video to start linking viewers to other content. Many viewers will click away before they see your end card because your video is not exactly what they were looking for. By placing note or speech bubble annotations occasionally throughout your videos you can catch some of these people before they click off of your channel.

This works especially well if you link to videos on similar subjects to the one you are annotating.

Instead of just linking to another video of yours, try to link to that video on a playlist. Once a viewer is on a playlist your videos will auto-play after each other, which is good for both your view count and watch time.

You can also use the newer YouTube Cards for this, but Annotations might still be a better choice because viewers only need to click once vs. twice for Cards.

Try both and see which performs best for your channel. It might be in your best interest to keep on using both as they target different audiences – Cards are clickable on mobile devices, for example, but Annotations are not.

Part 2: YouTube Cards

YouTube Cards are newer than annotations and a lot of people believe they will one day replace Annotations. While there are benefits to Cards – like embedding images to represent your links – you cannot choose the shape, size, or placement of them. This means they have limited uses.

When viewers click on a Card they are shown additional information and a thumbnail representing the page they will be taken to if they choose to click again. This extra step could be either help viewers decide to click your links or give them a second chance to decide they would rather not.

Section 1: When to Use Cards

A linked Annotation is simply a call to action viewers can click on. A Card is a call to action as well, but instead of taking the viewer directly to where its link leads when it is clicked a Card opens up into a larger version of itself with a thumbnail image.

Crowdfunding pages (Patreon is a great choice for video creators), charity fundraising pages, and merchandise stores are all examples of links that benefit from the format of YouTube Cards.

When you link a viewer to a non-YouTube page you break up their session time, which negatively impacts your watch time and SEO ranking. You want to make sure that the viewers you are directing away from YouTube are the ones most likely to convert after they leave. By ‘convert’ we mean to contribute to your Patreon campaign, donate to the charity you are promoting, or buy some of your merchandise.

Giving viewers more information and a thumbnail through a Card can help ensure the most interested viewers are the ones clicking your links.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Filmora, which is equipped with its own footage stock Wondershare Filmstock and will definitely enhance your productivity and helps you to make money by making videos much easier.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube Annotations and Cards are both tools for linking viewers to your other videos or to off-YouTube webpages. Two of the major differences between them are:

Annotations are not clickable on mobile devices.

You cannot choose the size or positioning of Cards.

This article will teach you about both Cards and Annotations and discuss the best uses for each of them.

Part 1: Annotations

Annotations are messages that float overtop of your videos in the YouTube player. Usually, annotations are clickable and take users to other content created by you.

Section 1: Types of Annotations

There are five types of YouTube annotations:

Notes are colored boxes placed over the top of your videos.

Speech Bubbles look like dialogue boxes in a comic strip. They have tails that you can adjust so it looks like one of the people in your video is saying what is written in the annotation.

Spotlights have a subtle border and are completely clear inside. Your text only appears when a viewer’s cursor hovers over top of these annotations.

Labels are like spotlights except that viewers do not have to hover over them for your text to be visible.

Any of these annotations can be used to link viewers to other videos, or as subscribe links. You can also add a simple Title to your video through the Annotations menu.

Section 2: How to Use Annotations

*Note: the above video mentions Pause annotations, which are no longer available.

Here are two of the best uses for annotations:

Clickable End Cards / Outros

One of the best ways you can use spotlight annotations is to create clickable end cards for your videos.

When your video finishes playing the YouTube player will display a selection of suggested videos that might direct viewers away from your channel. You can keep more of these viewers watching your content by creating your own ‘suggested videos’ card and putting it at the end of your videos.

Put thumbnails of two or three of your other videos on your end card, or use ‘picture-in-picture’ to actually imbed footage from them. Then, after you upload your video, go in and place clickable spotlight annotations over top of your video thumbnails.

This is one use for annotations that cannot be duplicated with cards.

Promoting Your Videos

You should not wait until the end of your video to start linking viewers to other content. Many viewers will click away before they see your end card because your video is not exactly what they were looking for. By placing note or speech bubble annotations occasionally throughout your videos you can catch some of these people before they click off of your channel.

This works especially well if you link to videos on similar subjects to the one you are annotating.

Instead of just linking to another video of yours, try to link to that video on a playlist. Once a viewer is on a playlist your videos will auto-play after each other, which is good for both your view count and watch time.

You can also use the newer YouTube Cards for this, but Annotations might still be a better choice because viewers only need to click once vs. twice for Cards.

Try both and see which performs best for your channel. It might be in your best interest to keep on using both as they target different audiences – Cards are clickable on mobile devices, for example, but Annotations are not.

Part 2: YouTube Cards

YouTube Cards are newer than annotations and a lot of people believe they will one day replace Annotations. While there are benefits to Cards – like embedding images to represent your links – you cannot choose the shape, size, or placement of them. This means they have limited uses.

When viewers click on a Card they are shown additional information and a thumbnail representing the page they will be taken to if they choose to click again. This extra step could be either help viewers decide to click your links or give them a second chance to decide they would rather not.

Section 1: When to Use Cards

A linked Annotation is simply a call to action viewers can click on. A Card is a call to action as well, but instead of taking the viewer directly to where its link leads when it is clicked a Card opens up into a larger version of itself with a thumbnail image.

Crowdfunding pages (Patreon is a great choice for video creators), charity fundraising pages, and merchandise stores are all examples of links that benefit from the format of YouTube Cards.

When you link a viewer to a non-YouTube page you break up their session time, which negatively impacts your watch time and SEO ranking. You want to make sure that the viewers you are directing away from YouTube are the ones most likely to convert after they leave. By ‘convert’ we mean to contribute to your Patreon campaign, donate to the charity you are promoting, or buy some of your merchandise.

Giving viewers more information and a thumbnail through a Card can help ensure the most interested viewers are the ones clicking your links.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Filmora, which is equipped with its own footage stock Wondershare Filmstock and will definitely enhance your productivity and helps you to make money by making videos much easier.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

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