A call to action or CTA is how you turn interested users into converted users by simply outlining the next step you want your audience to take after engaging with your content. When using CTAs in your videos, different types work better than others and the placement of your CTA matters too. Here’s everything you need to know about video CTAs and how to use them.
Types of video CTA
In written content, CTAs are often placed at the end of the text or throughout the text when the relevant information comes up organically. The placement of a CTA in video works much the same way, but they can be distracting or ineffective if they interrupt the flow of the video.
Fullscreen: best used at the end of the video
A fullscreen CTA is best used at the end of the video because otherwise, it disrupts the image on-screen. It is also unlikely that, if your video content is good, the audience will stop watching to follow the CTA. If it appears at the end, however, the CTA comes at a natural point when all the information has been taken in, and taking action is the next logical step.
Banner: can be used at any point in the video
Banners are particularly useful if you have multiple CTAs in the video, such as links to related videos, offers or content that aren’t the primary purpose of the video. These can appear at the organic beats in the video without disrupting the narrative, only taking up a small portion of the screen.
Verbal: can be used at any point in the video
Similar to a banner CTA, verbal CTAs can be used at any point in the video, although they are usually combined with a visual cue, even if that is just a phone number.
Email gate: best used at the beginning or end of the video
An email gate is a great way to capture leads and can even be used to ‘unlock’ the video or further content at the end of the video, although it is harder to optimise gated content for SEO, so it’s worth weighing up the pros and cons before you proceed with this type of CTA.
CTAs to consider using
As well as the format and placement of your CTA, the wording you use is important depending on the action you want your audience to take. Are you trying to build up a list of leads for your marketing outreach, drive sales of a product, or drive traffic to your website? Here are a few CTAs to consider using, depending on your goals.
- Visit our website (provide a link)
- Email us (rather than just providing an email address, link to email carrier with pre-populated info to reduce how much work your audience has to do)
- Schedule a meeting (provide a link to a form or a phone number)
- Sign up for an account (provide a link)
- Book a Demo (provide a link to a form or a phone number)
- Browse our collection (provide a link to your product pages or the product range featured in the video)
- Find out more (link to a page, blog or website that has more information on the topic discussed in the blog)
There are many types of video CTA you can employ, but some are more effective than others depending on what action you want your audience to take. As a general rule, try to make following the CTA as low-effort as possible for your audience by providing clickable links that go directly to the destination.
If you are looking for help creating a video that drives engagement, please get in touch with us and see how we can help.