The Complete Youtube Traffic & Monetization Guidebook
## The Complete Youtube Traffic & Monetization Guidebook
It’s not the easiest way to earn money online, but YouTube is one of the best ways. YouTube is a powerful channel to promote your video and get more traffic.
The most common question is how much YouTubers earn on 100, 1000, or 10,000 views. We’re going to answer that question in this article and explain how to calculate YouTube views to money.
First off, we’re going to talk about how YouTube works.
Next, we’ll examine the importance of YouTube views, plus how to calculate them.
- Estimated your YouTube earning by YouTube revenue reports
- How much money can you make on YouTube?
- Bonus tip: Increase YouTube earnings with a powerful video editing software
As a YouTube creator, finding ways to earn money from your content cannot be easy. Some creators make a living solely off their channels. Others supplement their income with affiliate marketing, sponsorships, and ad revenue. But if you want to earn money from YouTube truly, you need to understand which monetization methods work best for you and your content.
Here’s what you should know when using each method and why you should consider doing so:
| Methods | Viewers/Clicks/Impressions | Earnings/Commission |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube Ads $1 CPM | 1 million Ad views | Average rate per ad=0.18Total ~ $5000 |
| Brand Sponsorships | 5K Sub 5K-30K Sub 30K-500K Sub 500K-1M+ Sub | $300 $700 $950 $3500 |
| Affiliate Marketing 30%-35% commission | If 100 people buys $20 product through affiliate link. Total $2000 | $2000*35%= $700 |
| Crowdfunding (Patreon, Indiegogo, GoFundMe) $5 | 100 subscribers funds the channel | 100*5=$500 |
| Merchandise Shelf $5 Shirt | 100 subscribers purchases your merch | 100*5=$500 |
| Channel Memberships $5/month | 100 loyal subscribers join membership | 100*5=$500 |
YouTube Ads
The video ads on the platform aren’t lucrative and can be used to supplement your income in the form of AdSense earnings. An actual advertiser pays 0.18 per ad view on average (as shown above). That means 1000 ad views equals $18 and $3-$5 per 1000 views.
Brands can sponsor your videos to reach their target audience. YouTube videos are a big part of our lives, and brands are becoming increasingly aware of how useful these videos can be. To be eligible for sponsorship, your channel must be of 5000 subscribers.
Affiliate Marketing
YouTubers help brands increase sales by encouraging their viewers to shop at the company’s store or visit its specific product pages. They then earn a commission (30%-35%) on products that people buy after clicking an affiliate link.
Today many people use crowdfunding websites to raise money for personal, channel-related projects. Most YouTubers are doing it to generate steady cash flow. Some of them use this source to fund their YouTube videos so that it increases quality and engagement.
Merchandise Shelf
Your merchandise represents and feeds your audience’s connection with you. Your product is your business, so you’re first and foremost an entrepreneur. Then design your YouTube marketing strategy to sell your merchandise and generate income.
Channel Membership
YouTube has a plan that allows you to charge your subscribers for membership on your YouTube channel. Members get access to exclusive live chats, badges, emojis, etc. Subscribers must give a set amount every month to a channel that makes a steady monthly income for YouTubers.
Part 2: Calculate YouTube income by YouTube Money Calculator
How much money do you earn on YouTube? There is no simple way to answer this question, but a YouTube income calculator can give you a rough estimate. It shows you whether you’re getting enough money to keep producing videos or if you need to look for additional ways of making money from your channel.
The tools below provide a detailed breakdown of the earnings from a specific YouTube video or channel based on audience engagement, views, and other factors.
YouTube Money Calculator
Pros
- Does not ask for much information, just a URL
- It has flexibility to check earnings by channel and video separately
Cons
- Calculate earnings based on views only
How-to-steps
Step1 To check earnings by channel, import the channel URL and click the search icon.
Step2 You’ll see the result showing, ‘Number of total Subscribers’, ‘Number of Total Video Views’, ‘Total estimated earnings’, and ‘Average Earnings per Video’.
Aux mode
Pros
- Easy interface, with a view slider
- Does Not require any information
Cons
- Based on your video view count only
How-to-steps
Go to AUX MODE
Step1 You can type total video views or, increase or decrease total views with the arrows.
Step3 On your right, you’ll find estimated results in real time. You can also enter your email address to recieve the result in you inbox.
- Slider interface shows real time result
- It shows all results based on views, existing video, and revenue of whole channel
Cons
- None
How-to-steps
Step1 The first calculator on the page is based on daily views. Drag the slider according to your video views and below you’ll find estimated earnings including daily, monthly, and annually.
Step2 Scroll down and you’ll find another calculator that requires specific video URL. Copy and paste the URL of YouTube video and get results based on views.
To better understand the best strategies and tactics to optimize your video content, use YouTube analytic reports to help you get a clearer understanding of how your YouTube channel performs. To check your revenue report:
Step1 Login to your YouTube Studio
Step3 From the top menu, select Revenue.
The RPM is calculated based on how much traffic you’re getting from YouTube compared to all your other sources combined. RPM is calculated as total revenue divided by total views times 1000.
Playback-based CPM
Your CPM (Cost Per Thousand) report tells you how much each ad was worth in terms of the percentage of each play a video was spent. The playback-based CPM report shows your estimated average gross revenue per 1000 playbacks where one or more ads are shown.
Monthly estimated revenue
This is a simple report showing the statistics of your video earnings over the last 6 months. It can fluctuate by invalid traffic, content disputes and ad campaign types.
Revenue sources
You must use this report to see your estimated revenue from each revenue source if you have different revenue sources.
Transaction revenue
The transactions reports show you how much your members and fans have spent in transactions. It shows estimated earnings from channel memberships and merch.
### Top-earning videosThis top-earning videos report will show you the most profitable videos and their estimated revenue.
Ad type
If you use different types of Ads for your videos, this report will help you find the percentage of your Ads revenue from each ad type.
Part 4: How much money can you make on YouTube?
The answer to that question can vary widely depending on the type of content you produce and the demographics of your target market. However, we’ve found that a single video ad can be worth anywhere from around $100 to $5,000.
It’s safe to say that most YouTubers earn between $1,000 and $10,000 per month from their ads alone. But there are many other factors to take into consideration when calculating the money, you can make on YouTube:
The number of views your videos get
The key to making money from videos on YouTube is views. The more views you have, the more chance of getting paid will increase. So you need to create videos that will get viewers to click.
According to Forbes’s estimation, you can make $3-$5 per 1000 views. e.g., a video with 1,000,000 views can make around $5,000 on views only.
The engagement level of your audience
When building a YouTube channel, the key to success lies in engaging with your audience. After all, if they don’t like what you’re offering, they will not watch your videos. So you’ve got to have a message that resonates and is useful.
The YouTube algorithm is set up to favor channels with a high volume of views per video and high-quality content rather than low-quality channels that generate a lot of traffic but don’t produce quality videos. So, if you want to increase your revenue from your YouTube videos, try to focus on high-quality content.
Your monetization method
Several monetization methods exist, including Subscription, advertising, affiliate marketing, paid search, and sponsorships. Each monetization method requires a slightly different setup and management, resulting in different revenue.
The country you are in
It is important to know that in some countries, making money off YouTube is extremely difficult. For example, in certain countries, monetizing your videos is impossible without using illegal methods, which will get you into legal trouble.
Some other factors, e.g., it’s worth comparing the RPM of your country and other countries, different rules and prices of YouTube Ads depending on your country.
Bonus tip: Increase YouTube earnings with a powerful video editing software
Are you tired of your boring, run-of-the-mill videos? Are you looking for ways to improve your YouTube earnings? Then let’s look at some of the best editing software to help create your next great content.
Wondershare Filmora is a powerful yet easy-to-use video editing software that makes it easier than ever to make awesome videos. Filmora offers more than 50 cutting-edge tools and effects that make it easier to edit any media source, including videos, photos, and music and share the result in just minutes. Use Filmora’s powerful features like keyframing, motion tracking, split screen, instant mode, VFX, templates etc., to make your video stand out.
Here’s a demo of the software, editing YouTube Shorts:
Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)
Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later
Step1 Open Filmora 11 application.
Step2 Open Project Settings
Step4 Drag video to the timeline
Step6 Right-Click again and select Crop and Zoom
Step8 Lastly Export you file
People want to watch a video when searching for the answers to a question. The best videos are designed to help users accomplish their specific goals while providing them with something they can take away and use for themselves. You need to put up good videos to keep viewers coming back.
To do that, use the game-changing Filmora 11 (mentioned in the article) to create engaging YouTube videos and amaze your audience. Slowly but surely, your audience will increase and then all the guidance in this article will help you easily analyze, calculate and increase your YouTube revenue.
Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)
Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later
Part 1: The rules to know for each means earning money from YouTube
As a YouTube creator, finding ways to earn money from your content cannot be easy. Some creators make a living solely off their channels. Others supplement their income with affiliate marketing, sponsorships, and ad revenue. But if you want to earn money from YouTube truly, you need to understand which monetization methods work best for you and your content.
Here’s what you should know when using each method and why you should consider doing so:
| Methods | Viewers/Clicks/Impressions | Earnings/Commission |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube Ads $1 CPM | 1 million Ad views | Average rate per ad=0.18Total ~ $5000 |
| Brand Sponsorships | 5K Sub 5K-30K Sub 30K-500K Sub 500K-1M+ Sub | $300 $700 $950 $3500 |
| Affiliate Marketing 30%-35% commission | If 100 people buys $20 product through affiliate link. Total $2000 | $2000*35%= $700 |
| Crowdfunding (Patreon, Indiegogo, GoFundMe) $5 | 100 subscribers funds the channel | 100*5=$500 |
| Merchandise Shelf $5 Shirt | 100 subscribers purchases your merch | 100*5=$500 |
| Channel Memberships $5/month | 100 loyal subscribers join membership | 100*5=$500 |
YouTube Ads
The video ads on the platform aren’t lucrative and can be used to supplement your income in the form of AdSense earnings. An actual advertiser pays 0.18 per ad view on average (as shown above). That means 1000 ad views equals $18 and $3-$5 per 1000 views.
### Brand SponsorshipsBrands can sponsor your videos to reach their target audience. YouTube videos are a big part of our lives, and brands are becoming increasingly aware of how useful these videos can be. To be eligible for sponsorship, your channel must be of 5000 subscribers.
Affiliate Marketing
YouTubers help brands increase sales by encouraging their viewers to shop at the company’s store or visit its specific product pages. They then earn a commission (30%-35%) on products that people buy after clicking an affiliate link.
Today many people use crowdfunding websites to raise money for personal, channel-related projects. Most YouTubers are doing it to generate steady cash flow. Some of them use this source to fund their YouTube videos so that it increases quality and engagement.
Merchandise Shelf
Your merchandise represents and feeds your audience’s connection with you. Your product is your business, so you’re first and foremost an entrepreneur. Then design your YouTube marketing strategy to sell your merchandise and generate income.
### Channel MembershipYouTube has a plan that allows you to charge your subscribers for membership on your YouTube channel. Members get access to exclusive live chats, badges, emojis, etc. Subscribers must give a set amount every month to a channel that makes a steady monthly income for YouTubers.
Part 2: Calculate YouTube income by YouTube Money Calculator
How much money do you earn on YouTube? There is no simple way to answer this question, but a YouTube income calculator can give you a rough estimate. It shows you whether you’re getting enough money to keep producing videos or if you need to look for additional ways of making money from your channel.
The tools below provide a detailed breakdown of the earnings from a specific YouTube video or channel based on audience engagement, views, and other factors.
YouTube Money Calculator
- Does not ask for much information, just a URL
- It has flexibility to check earnings by channel and video separately
Cons
- Calculate earnings based on views only
How-to-steps
Step1 To check earnings by channel, import the channel URL and click the search icon.
- Easy interface, with a view slider
- Does Not require any information
Cons
- Based on your video view count only
How-to-steps
Go to AUX MODE
Step1 You can type total video views or, increase or decrease total views with the arrows.
Step2 Below you’ll find a slider, you can slide forward to increase views and vice versa.
Step3 On your right, you’ll find estimated results in real time. You can also enter your email address to recieve the result in you inbox.
- Slider interface shows real time result
- It shows all results based on views, existing video, and revenue of whole channel
Cons
- None
How-to-steps
Step1 The first calculator on the page is based on daily views. Drag the slider according to your video views and below you’ll find estimated earnings including daily, monthly, and annually.
Step2 Scroll down and you’ll find another calculator that requires specific video URL. Copy and paste the URL of YouTube video and get results based on views.
Step3 The last calculator is about the estimated revenue for a channel. You need to paste the channel URL to find the results. It includes, Number of Total Subscribers, Number of Total Videos, Number of Total Video Views, Channel Title, and Estimated Total Earnings
To better understand the best strategies and tactics to optimize your video content, use YouTube analytic reports to help you get a clearer understanding of how your YouTube channel performs. To check your revenue report:
Step1 Login to your YouTube Studio
Step3 From the top menu, select Revenue.
The RPM is calculated based on how much traffic you’re getting from YouTube compared to all your other sources combined. RPM is calculated as total revenue divided by total views times 1000.
Your CPM (Cost Per Thousand) report tells you how much each ad was worth in terms of the percentage of each play a video was spent. The playback-based CPM report shows your estimated average gross revenue per 1000 playbacks where one or more ads are shown.
Monthly estimated revenue
This is a simple report showing the statistics of your video earnings over the last 6 months. It can fluctuate by invalid traffic, content disputes and ad campaign types.
Revenue sources
You must use this report to see your estimated revenue from each revenue source if you have different revenue sources.
The transactions reports show you how much your members and fans have spent in transactions. It shows estimated earnings from channel memberships and merch.
This top-earning videos report will show you the most profitable videos and their estimated revenue.
### Ad typeIf you use different types of Ads for your videos, this report will help you find the percentage of your Ads revenue from each ad type.
The answer to that question can vary widely depending on the type of content you produce and the demographics of your target market. However, we’ve found that a single video ad can be worth anywhere from around $100 to $5,000.
It’s safe to say that most YouTubers earn between $1,000 and $10,000 per month from their ads alone. But there are many other factors to take into consideration when calculating the money, you can make on YouTube:
The number of views your videos get
The key to making money from videos on YouTube is views. The more views you have, the more chance of getting paid will increase. So you need to create videos that will get viewers to click.
According to Forbes’s estimation, you can make $3-$5 per 1000 views. e.g., a video with 1,000,000 views can make around $5,000 on views only.
When building a YouTube channel, the key to success lies in engaging with your audience. After all, if they don’t like what you’re offering, they will not watch your videos. So you’ve got to have a message that resonates and is useful.
The YouTube algorithm is set up to favor channels with a high volume of views per video and high-quality content rather than low-quality channels that generate a lot of traffic but don’t produce quality videos. So, if you want to increase your revenue from your YouTube videos, try to focus on high-quality content.
Several monetization methods exist, including Subscription, advertising, affiliate marketing, paid search, and sponsorships. Each monetization method requires a slightly different setup and management, resulting in different revenue.
The country you are in
It is important to know that in some countries, making money off YouTube is extremely difficult. For example, in certain countries, monetizing your videos is impossible without using illegal methods, which will get you into legal trouble.
Some other factors, e.g., it’s worth comparing the RPM of your country and other countries, different rules and prices of YouTube Ads depending on your country.
Bonus tip: Increase YouTube earnings with a powerful video editing software
Are you tired of your boring, run-of-the-mill videos? Are you looking for ways to improve your YouTube earnings? Then let’s look at some of the best editing software to help create your next great content.
Wondershare Filmora is a powerful yet easy-to-use video editing software that makes it easier than ever to make awesome videos. Filmora offers more than 50 cutting-edge tools and effects that make it easier to edit any media source, including videos, photos, and music and share the result in just minutes. Use Filmora’s powerful features like keyframing, motion tracking, split screen, instant mode, VFX, templates etc., to make your video stand out.
Here’s a demo of the software, editing YouTube Shorts:
Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)
Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later
Step1 Open Filmora 11 application.
Step3 Change Aspect Ratio, Resolution, and Frame rate
Step5 Right-click and select Crop to Fit
Step6 Right-Click again and select Crop and Zoom
Bottom line
People want to watch a video when searching for the answers to a question. The best videos are designed to help users accomplish their specific goals while providing them with something they can take away and use for themselves. You need to put up good videos to keep viewers coming back.
To do that, use the game-changing Filmora 11 (mentioned in the article) to create engaging YouTube videos and amaze your audience. Slowly but surely, your audience will increase and then all the guidance in this article will help you easily analyze, calculate and increase your YouTube revenue.
Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)
Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later
Integrating Annotations for Enhanced Engagement
How to Use YouTube Cards and Annotations?
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
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 is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
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 is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
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 is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
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
- Title: The Complete Youtube Traffic & Monetization Guidebook
- Author: Kevin
- Created at : 2024-09-06 12:41:05
- Updated at : 2024-09-07 12:41:05
- Link: https://youtube-videos.techidaily.com/the-complete-youtube-traffic-and-monetization-guidebook/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.