If you have ever been frustrated by the fact that the only ways to get YouTube video viewers to your site was to use your url in your channel description or to place a url somewhere in the context of your video than you will be excited by the latest development out of the video-sharing giant.  As of late June, you can now insert a call-to-action semi-transparent overlay in your video with message and link back to any site.  This is an essential feature for anyone using YouTube to market the site from which the video originates.  Bear in mind that this is only available to account holders who are enrolled the video that will house the advertisement in YouTube’s CPC advertising program. 

Here is an example of how it looks in action:

YouTube CTA overlay

Early returns suggest that the overlay is very effective at driving traffic.  The charity shown above reportedly raised $10,000 in a single day using this new feature.  It will be interesting to see what creative uses people discover for the overlay feature.  In the meantime, let me know what you find when using it in your own videos.