Annotation links at the end of videos

Uncivilized Elk

Uncivilized Elk

I Love YTtalk
I've tried putting external annotations at the end of my most recent vids during my "outro" segment that last less than 10 seconds (and honestly exists for the sole purpose of me trying to add annotation links whereas I just let the video finish after my final line before), but so far I got barely any clicks at all. What's a bit annoying is that I can't even check if the annotations that were clicked were for a playlist I was linking or for a subscription (if there is a way to check on YT please let me know).

What about y'alls these days, is it even worth it to bother with annotation links at the end to other content and for an extra "sub button"? Honestly when I see videos which have these last on-screen for 20+ seconds I'm just annoyed and close the video right away, but do people actually have these work effectively?

And what of your preferences? Are y'alls annoyed by annotations or do they not alter your viewing experience? Personally I think I'd prefer if the video just ended, but I also don't care if the screen to sub or go to other content only lasts around 10 seconds. I also feel providing links on the screen without audibly mentioning what they are is less obnoxious than flat-out asking for subs/comments/etc, but that's my perspective on it.
 
I'd also like to know the answer to this. I haven't made a video on my main channel in a bit, but I plan on getting a series up and running by the end of this month and was wondering if I should even include an outro segment with annotations. I can't even remember the last time I clicked one.
 
Well I've seen people say to put a "call to action" in your videos. Ask people to subscribe, like, and comment and they will. You have to try to get the people that it will work on, not just people like yourself.

With that being said, I have no idea if they work or not, but I've only recently tried putting them into my videos.
 
I stopped putting annotations that link to other videos as they were very rarely clicked. I've had better luck with the new "cards" feature. I still include a subscribe annotation just in case someone is feeling click happy
 
I've asked a few friends and they said as long as they are short they don't think they are a detriment (sorry for so many "theys"...) so I think I may keep doing it for now.

However, the vast majority of people that have subbed to me while watching a video have used the typical sub button under the video title rather than the "CtA" at the end, haha.
 
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I usually get only two or three annotation clicks each month, but I figure that's two or there more views than I might have gotten without them. I rebranded my end card this week to create an area for me to put in bloopers or other real stuff--hope that will help increase my click-through rate.
 
Check your analytics, maybe more people watching your videos from Cellphone or ps4 so annotation doesn't work there. I have really low rate for annotation too so i decided to use last 10 second of my videos to promote two other videos in PiP, much better :)
 
I think annotation links are one essential part in making videos. People who really enjoy your content and want to see more see the annotation card, and immediately press on it, going to the next video which in turn will get more views and watchtime. People tend to watch in tangents, so if somebody finds you entertaining, it's good to keep it up.
 
As has been mentioned, annotations are limited because they do not work on mobile devices. It looks to me that youtube are replacing annotations with branding watermarks and cards. I haven't really used the cards yet, but I added "subscribe" to my logo and used it as a watermark. I keep the watermark on for the entire video, it's discreet, and seems to have resulted in some success.
 

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