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About this tool
Work out where to place calls to action across a video timeline, with hook protection, card limits and end-screen timing.
Video CTA Placement Planner turns a video's length into a timestamped list of call-to-action slots, keeping the opening hook free of any ask, spacing mid-roll asks across the body, and putting the end screen where YouTube actually allows it — in the final 5 to 20 seconds of a video at least 25 seconds long. It also counts the cards you would need against YouTube's limit of 5 per video and flags asks that land too close together. Useful for creators and editors who script CTAs before the edit rather than bolting them on afterwards.
Open Video CTA Placement Planner on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Upload or drag in the file you want to work with.
Adjust the settings and preview the result.
Download the finished file to your device.
No ask lands before the opening you set, which is where most viewers decide to stay or leave.
End screens are only planned when the video is long enough, and cards are counted against the 5-card maximum.
Every slot comes with a timestamp and a one-line delivery note you can paste into a script.
Put the first ask after the opening hook has delivered something useful — typically after the first 30 seconds — place any mid-roll ask right after a payoff moment, and reserve the last 5 to 20 seconds for the end screen. Asking before you have given the viewer a reason to stay is the most common cause of an early drop-off.
An end screen runs between 5 and 20 seconds and can only appear in the final 20 seconds of the video. The video itself must be at least 25 seconds long, so Shorts and very short clips need a spoken or on-screen CTA instead.
Two or three is typical for a 10-minute video: one soft mention, one direct ask and the end screen. More than that and the asks start landing under a minute apart, which reads as relentless — the limit that actually binds is YouTube's maximum of 5 cards per video.
They can if they interrupt before a payoff, which is why placement matters more than count. Keep each ask under about 10 seconds, tie it to something the viewer just got, and check your retention graph afterwards — a visible dip at the CTA timestamp means it should move later or get shorter.