A Call to action (CTA) is a clickable message, image, or HTML script that appears anywhere in your video and lets your viewers know what you want them to do next.
Wistia offers three types of Calls to action:
Text: Add a quick, customizable message that links to direct your viewers.
Image: Use an image instead of a text link to direct viewers.
HTML: Write your own custom Call to action.
Note
Calls to action cannot be added to audio files.
Add a Call to action to your video
To add a Call to action to your video, open the Customize menu on the media page and click the "Call to action" tab. Enter a timestamp for which you'd like the CTA to appear and select a CTA type.
Tip
You can also configure the timestamp by dragging the CTA icon along the timeline to any point in the video. Changes will be reflected in the timestamp field as well.
Depending on the CTA type you select, you can enter text, use custom HTML, or upload an image. You'll be required to add a link for text or image CTAs.
Note
Be sure to include http:// or https:// at the beginning of your Call to action link.
With all CTA types, you have the choice of showing a Rewatch button, which is helpful if your CTA appears at the end of your video.
Custom HTML Call to action
If you're comfortable working with basic HTML, you can build a custom Call to action using the HTML option in the Type dropdown menu.
If you’d like to add custom CSS styling to your CTA, we highly recommend using on-page CSS (e.g., adding a block of <style> tags in the head of your webpage). If CSS is added directly to the HTML CTA in Wistia, it may be ignored or stripped due to security precautions. Including the CSS on your website will grant you more flexibility.
It’s possible to use a limited amount of CSS directly within the CTA code, as long as you apply it inline. If you notice some of those styles are not working in your CTA, you may need to embed the video outside of your Wistia account to see them render.
Wistia will strip out JavaScript from your custom CTA in Customize as well, so make sure to stick to HTML (and some basic CSS) when editing the CTA in Wistia. Similar to CSS, you can implement JavaScript on your webpage instead of inside the CTA code. Looking for some inspiration or sample code? Have a look at our HTML CTA examples page.
Why can’t I remove the skip button on a CTA?
Since a Call to action is intended to take the viewer away from the video, we don't provide an option to prevent users from skipping a CTA. Since CTAs may block the entirety of a video, viewers will always have the option to skip for the best viewing experience. Otherwise, there is no way for viewers to watch the rest of the video. You can also select to add a Rewatch button to your CTA.