Navigating Sony Vegas for Professional YouTube Video Creation

How to Edit YouTube Videos in Sony Vegas

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Sony Vegas (Vegas Movie Studio) is renowned and particularly popular video editing software which is going to provide you with quite a lot of convenience. It is light, easy to work with and has comprehensive command tools which would provide you with prominent video editing capabilities. You can choose through a variety of exportation presets, including YouTube HD videos. In this article, we’are going to show you how to edit your YouTube Videos with Sony Vegas Pro.

---

Best Sony Vegas Alternative to Edit YouTube Videos - Even though Sony Vegas is quite comprehensive, it does require knowledge on behalf of the user. Unlike it, Wondershare Filmora is a perfect alternative which would provide you with all the necessary capabilities without presuming any kind of skills on your particular behalf. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the benefits:

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Amongst these, there are tons of other benefits that you can take advantage of.

• It has over 200 unique styles you can take your pick from
• It has animated captions that you can add conveniently
• It has a wide range of different templates and credits that you can use

---

How to Edit YouTube Videos in Sony Vegas

Let’s walk through the process of editing.

Step 1: Import Videos

The first thing that you would need to do is import the video clip that you would want to re-shape and edit. In order to do so, you want to click on the File button and then go to Import. You will see a side menu on which you need to click Media and select the file that you want to upload. Keep in mind that you might have to wait for a short period of time while the videos are being uploaded.

Note: You can also import videos which have been published on your channel by downloading them and saving them as MP4 files. On the other hand, if you have the intention of editing videos published on other channels, you might want to use Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate in order to download and convert them to your Mac and get them imported on Sony Vegas.

Step 2: Edit the video and audio files on the Timeline

Sony Vegas introduces a Timeline with Video and Audio tracks. They contain the clips you’ve used in the entire editing process. You can edit them by aligning them as you see fit in order to come up with the best sequence. You can also add additional tracks. In order to do so, all you need to do is right click on the space which is empty and then go Add video track.

Step 3: Add special effects

Of course, what’s video editing software without powerful special effect capabilities? You will see the special effects tab located on the left side of your screen. You can easily browse throughout all of them in order to get a sense of what you can achieve with your video. There are quite a lot of different special effects that you can incorporate in your YouTube video and make it perfect.

Step 4: Export

This is the thing that you need to do once you are done with the process to edit YouTube videos with Sony Vegas. It’s a very easy task to handle and if you’ve come that far you are already on the finish line. Go to File -> Export and choose the specific extension that you want to use. The clip is going to be saved in the directory that you’ve selected, and it’s ready to watch and upload.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Sony Vegas (Vegas Movie Studio) is renowned and particularly popular video editing software which is going to provide you with quite a lot of convenience. It is light, easy to work with and has comprehensive command tools which would provide you with prominent video editing capabilities. You can choose through a variety of exportation presets, including YouTube HD videos. In this article, we’are going to show you how to edit your YouTube Videos with Sony Vegas Pro.

---

Best Sony Vegas Alternative to Edit YouTube Videos - Even though Sony Vegas is quite comprehensive, it does require knowledge on behalf of the user. Unlike it, Wondershare Filmora is a perfect alternative which would provide you with all the necessary capabilities without presuming any kind of skills on your particular behalf. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the benefits:

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Amongst these, there are tons of other benefits that you can take advantage of.

• It has over 200 unique styles you can take your pick from
• It has animated captions that you can add conveniently
• It has a wide range of different templates and credits that you can use

---

How to Edit YouTube Videos in Sony Vegas

Let’s walk through the process of editing.

Step 1: Import Videos

The first thing that you would need to do is import the video clip that you would want to re-shape and edit. In order to do so, you want to click on the File button and then go to Import. You will see a side menu on which you need to click Media and select the file that you want to upload. Keep in mind that you might have to wait for a short period of time while the videos are being uploaded.

Note: You can also import videos which have been published on your channel by downloading them and saving them as MP4 files. On the other hand, if you have the intention of editing videos published on other channels, you might want to use Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate in order to download and convert them to your Mac and get them imported on Sony Vegas.

Step 2: Edit the video and audio files on the Timeline

Sony Vegas introduces a Timeline with Video and Audio tracks. They contain the clips you’ve used in the entire editing process. You can edit them by aligning them as you see fit in order to come up with the best sequence. You can also add additional tracks. In order to do so, all you need to do is right click on the space which is empty and then go Add video track.

Step 3: Add special effects

Of course, what’s video editing software without powerful special effect capabilities? You will see the special effects tab located on the left side of your screen. You can easily browse throughout all of them in order to get a sense of what you can achieve with your video. There are quite a lot of different special effects that you can incorporate in your YouTube video and make it perfect.

Step 4: Export

This is the thing that you need to do once you are done with the process to edit YouTube videos with Sony Vegas. It’s a very easy task to handle and if you’ve come that far you are already on the finish line. Go to File -> Export and choose the specific extension that you want to use. The clip is going to be saved in the directory that you’ve selected, and it’s ready to watch and upload.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Sony Vegas (Vegas Movie Studio) is renowned and particularly popular video editing software which is going to provide you with quite a lot of convenience. It is light, easy to work with and has comprehensive command tools which would provide you with prominent video editing capabilities. You can choose through a variety of exportation presets, including YouTube HD videos. In this article, we’are going to show you how to edit your YouTube Videos with Sony Vegas Pro.

---

Best Sony Vegas Alternative to Edit YouTube Videos - Even though Sony Vegas is quite comprehensive, it does require knowledge on behalf of the user. Unlike it, Wondershare Filmora is a perfect alternative which would provide you with all the necessary capabilities without presuming any kind of skills on your particular behalf. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the benefits:

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Amongst these, there are tons of other benefits that you can take advantage of.

• It has over 200 unique styles you can take your pick from
• It has animated captions that you can add conveniently
• It has a wide range of different templates and credits that you can use

---

How to Edit YouTube Videos in Sony Vegas

Let’s walk through the process of editing.

Step 1: Import Videos

The first thing that you would need to do is import the video clip that you would want to re-shape and edit. In order to do so, you want to click on the File button and then go to Import. You will see a side menu on which you need to click Media and select the file that you want to upload. Keep in mind that you might have to wait for a short period of time while the videos are being uploaded.

Note: You can also import videos which have been published on your channel by downloading them and saving them as MP4 files. On the other hand, if you have the intention of editing videos published on other channels, you might want to use Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate in order to download and convert them to your Mac and get them imported on Sony Vegas.

Step 2: Edit the video and audio files on the Timeline

Sony Vegas introduces a Timeline with Video and Audio tracks. They contain the clips you’ve used in the entire editing process. You can edit them by aligning them as you see fit in order to come up with the best sequence. You can also add additional tracks. In order to do so, all you need to do is right click on the space which is empty and then go Add video track.

Step 3: Add special effects

Of course, what’s video editing software without powerful special effect capabilities? You will see the special effects tab located on the left side of your screen. You can easily browse throughout all of them in order to get a sense of what you can achieve with your video. There are quite a lot of different special effects that you can incorporate in your YouTube video and make it perfect.

Step 4: Export

This is the thing that you need to do once you are done with the process to edit YouTube videos with Sony Vegas. It’s a very easy task to handle and if you’ve come that far you are already on the finish line. Go to File -> Export and choose the specific extension that you want to use. The clip is going to be saved in the directory that you’ve selected, and it’s ready to watch and upload.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Sony Vegas (Vegas Movie Studio) is renowned and particularly popular video editing software which is going to provide you with quite a lot of convenience. It is light, easy to work with and has comprehensive command tools which would provide you with prominent video editing capabilities. You can choose through a variety of exportation presets, including YouTube HD videos. In this article, we’are going to show you how to edit your YouTube Videos with Sony Vegas Pro.

---

Best Sony Vegas Alternative to Edit YouTube Videos - Even though Sony Vegas is quite comprehensive, it does require knowledge on behalf of the user. Unlike it, Wondershare Filmora is a perfect alternative which would provide you with all the necessary capabilities without presuming any kind of skills on your particular behalf. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the benefits:

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Amongst these, there are tons of other benefits that you can take advantage of.

• It has over 200 unique styles you can take your pick from
• It has animated captions that you can add conveniently
• It has a wide range of different templates and credits that you can use

---

How to Edit YouTube Videos in Sony Vegas

Let’s walk through the process of editing.

Step 1: Import Videos

The first thing that you would need to do is import the video clip that you would want to re-shape and edit. In order to do so, you want to click on the File button and then go to Import. You will see a side menu on which you need to click Media and select the file that you want to upload. Keep in mind that you might have to wait for a short period of time while the videos are being uploaded.

Note: You can also import videos which have been published on your channel by downloading them and saving them as MP4 files. On the other hand, if you have the intention of editing videos published on other channels, you might want to use Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate in order to download and convert them to your Mac and get them imported on Sony Vegas.

Step 2: Edit the video and audio files on the Timeline

Sony Vegas introduces a Timeline with Video and Audio tracks. They contain the clips you’ve used in the entire editing process. You can edit them by aligning them as you see fit in order to come up with the best sequence. You can also add additional tracks. In order to do so, all you need to do is right click on the space which is empty and then go Add video track.

Step 3: Add special effects

Of course, what’s video editing software without powerful special effect capabilities? You will see the special effects tab located on the left side of your screen. You can easily browse throughout all of them in order to get a sense of what you can achieve with your video. There are quite a lot of different special effects that you can incorporate in your YouTube video and make it perfect.

Step 4: Export

This is the thing that you need to do once you are done with the process to edit YouTube videos with Sony Vegas. It’s a very easy task to handle and if you’ve come that far you are already on the finish line. Go to File -> Export and choose the specific extension that you want to use. The clip is going to be saved in the directory that you’ve selected, and it’s ready to watch and upload.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Effective YouTube Card Usage Guide

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