How to Add a Call to Action and Action Bar

A call to action layer in WP Media Player is a timed overlay that appears over the video at a specific point — typically near the end — to move the viewer to the next step. The action bar is a companion feature that places a persistent engagement strip below the player. Both are Pro features and are configured as layers in the media editor.

Add a CTA Layer

Open the video in the media editor and go to the Layers section. Click Add Layer and choose Call to Action. The layer form opens with a live preview player and a time slider.

Set the Start Time to the moment the CTA should appear. Most CTAs are placed at a high percentage of the video — 80% is a common choice — so the viewer has already consumed the content before being asked to act.

Choose a Completion Type that controls how the viewer dismisses the CTA:

• Link Click: The CTA stays visible until the viewer clicks the link inside it.
• Skip Only: The viewer can click a skip button to dismiss the CTA without interacting.
• Auto Dismiss: The CTA fades out after a set number of seconds. Enter the countdown duration when you pick this option.

Type your CTA content in the rich text editor — headline, body text, and a link. Toggle Pause video on show to freeze playback while the CTA is visible, and Allow Skip to give the viewer an exit. Choose a Background color for the CTA overlay. Dark backgrounds with light text work well for most sites.

Configure the Action Bar

The action bar appears as a strip below the player. Set the Position to control where the bar sits — bottom is the default.

Choose a Button Type:

• None: Show the text bar only, no button.
• Custom: Show a button with your own text and link URL.
• YouTube: Show a YouTube subscribe button linked to your channel.

When you pick Custom, fill in the Button Text and Button Link. Toggle Open in new tab to control where the link opens. Set the Button Color, Button Text Color, and Button Radius to match your brand. The Close Button toggle adds a dismiss control to the bar.

What to Check

• The CTA appears at the correct timestamp when previewing the video
• The completion type behaves as expected — link click keeps the CTA open, skip_only shows a dismiss button, auto_dismiss fades out after the countdown
• The action bar is visible below the player with the correct button text and link
• Clicking the CTA link or action bar button opens the correct destination

Next Steps

A CTA layer is one of five interactive layer types. For more ways to engage viewers — hotspots, ads, email capture, and shortcodes — see how to add interactive layers.