Use Call-to-Action overlays to drive traffic to off-YouTube web pages

In March, we launched a new feature for YouTube nonprofit partners: a "call-to-action" functionality that operates like an in-video overlay, allowing organizations to drive traffic to off-site pages, like donation or take action sites. Over the past few months, nonprofit partners have seen great success with this feature, like charity:water, who raised over $10,000 for clean water in a single day through the overlay.


While nonprofits will still have access to this feature for free, we're broadly launching this feature as an option for all advertisers who use Promoted Videos, allowing anyone who runs a campaign to specify a "Call-to-Action" for users.

Adding a Call-to-Action overlay to your video is easy. First, run a campaign to promote your video on YouTube. Then, go to the Video Details page under My Videos and fill out the fields in the section marked "Call-to-Action overlay." All you have to do is include a short headline, ad text, a destination url, and upload an optional image, and the overlay will appear whenever someone watches your video. Clicks on the overlay will be tracked in YouTube Insight.

Now Promoted Videos makes it even easier for potential supporters to engage with your campaign or organization -- especially for those campaigns looking for user responses beyond an increase in views for your video. If you're looking for an easy way to help your video reach a larger audience on YouTube, promote your video today.

YouTube Nonprofit Raises $10,000 for Clean Water in a Single Day

This week, we launched a new "Call to Action" feature for YouTube nonprofit partners, which allows them to drive traffic from an in-video overlay to an off-site page where they can collect donations, signatures or email addresses. Already, we're seeing nonprofit organizations use this new feature with great success.

On Sunday, to commemorate World Water Day, we featured a video from charity:water on the YouTube homepage, which used a call-to-action overlay to encourage YouTube users to donate money to build wells and provide clean, safe drinking water for those who don't have it.

The response from the YouTube community was overwhelming -- thanks to you, charity:water was able to raise over $10,000 in one day from the video. That's enough to build two brand-new wells in the Central African Republic and give over 150 people clean drinking water for 20 years!

Feeling inspired? If you're a YouTube nonprofit partner, adding a call-to-action overlay is easy. Just go to "Edit Video" and fill out the fields in the section marked "Call to Action Overlay". Then click "Save" and the overlay should appear on your video. And if you're a nonprofit organization in the U.S. or U.K. who hasn't yet joined the YouTube Nonprofit Program, but would like to gain access to Call to Action and other special benefits, you can apply now at www.youtube.com/nonprofits.